It’s difficult getting used to going back “in” to work after having worked from home for three years. Here is the new schedule:
5 AM—Wake up, get ready for work
5:45—Leave home for the train station
6:21—Board train heading for DC
7:30—Arrive at L’Enfant Plaza station, walk to NASA
7:45—Arrive at NASA
4 PM—Walk to L’Enfant Plaza
4:30—Board train heading for Manassas
5:40—Arrive at Manassas Train Station
6—Arrive home in time for dinner
I was laid off from my graphic design job of almost three years on 3 June 2010. I was not prepared for a job search at 35, especially not in this economy. But I trusted in GOD and knew that all I could do was to pray and apply to as many jobs as I could each day.
Here is the chronology:
I have a healthy sense of pride in my abilities as a graphic designer, but in this economy, to go from unemployed to employed in 2 weeks to the day is clearly answered prayer and a blessing from GOD. I can take no credit for it.
“All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” —Romans 8:28
It’s that time of year again! This year I decided to have the photo walk close to home (Warrenton, VA) so I realize many of you may not be able to make it. But I hope you can make it!
For the past 2+ years Veronica and I have been collecting, branches, leaves, and various other yard debris and piling them in a fire pit at the back of our 2-acre yard to have a bonfire one day…
That day came last Saturday. We started the fire around 5:00 PM and it was HUGE. So huge, in fact, that we had to hose it down to stop it from catching in the branches of the trees above.
At about 8 PM I hosed down the fire and went inside for dinner. Afterwards I came out and the fire was blazing again. So I hosed it down again and went inside to put the kids to bed and do dishes. Afterwards I went out again, and it was blazing yet again.
So I went in and decided to watch a movie with Veronica and check it in the wee hours a final time before heading off to bed. At 2: AM the fire was burning again and I was at my wit’s end. I hosed it down a “final” time and called it a night (morning).
At 8 AM I went down and it was burning again albeit less vigorously than the previous night. So I hosed it down and got ready for church. That afternoon when we got home it was smoking but not burning…
My initial thought was that I need to figure out what kind of wood this was so I could market it and get rich.
What we discovered though were a series of tunnel networks under the fire pit which allowed air and other flammable material and roots to burn where the water from my hose would not reach.
Just finished putting together a selection of photos from the past 20 years (by no means comprehensive). It was EXTREMELY difficult to choose. Some that I wanted to include, I couldn’t find and will add at a later date. Enjoy!
I haven’t experienced such an amazing snowfall since 1984! It started falling Friday night while we were entertaining my parents for dinner celebrating mom’s birthday. By the time the snow stopped 24 hours later, we had about 20 inches.
We had firewood chopped & stacked neatly by the door, a box of packets of hot cocoa, a warm blanket and good books to read.
During the day we slid down the driveway that is so steep it is only ever any good for sledding. It’s times like these that we love our driveway.
Now, if only the snow can last until Christmas… Or maybe we’ll get another snowfall! One can hope.
You know it's a blizzard when the stairs lose their definition.
When I arrived at the LAX rental car facility late on Saturday evening in early October, I was ready to get in the car, ride to my friend’s house and sleep. I was so tired in fact that when the borderline English speaking lady behind the counter asked if I knew that my license had expired, I thought she was asking if I minded driving a Lexus! (License + Expired—Lexus… ok I was really tired…) The net result was that I had no car for the week.
So… instead of having my own mode of transportation to flit from place to place taking pictures of all the marvels LA has to offer (beaches, Getty museum, etc.) I had to take a cab from the house where I was staying with the Lloyds to the Burbank Train station. I had to purchase a day pass (which thankfully covered metro as well). I had to ride the train to Union Station and pick up the Red Line Metro and take it to the Gold Line to the Pico station where I had to walk 3 blocks to the convention center.
All because DMV didn’t send me a notice about my license expiring.
“Why weren’t you aware that it was about to expire?”, you might well ask. There are two main reasons:
Well, I am back from L.A., and I made it to last weekend and decided to go to the DMV Saturday morning when they opened so there wouldn’t be a long line. Right. I think had I arrived an hour before the DMV opened I would have found people waiting in line as though it were the final installment of the Harry Potter movies.
Inside the lobby the patron is greeted by a lady behind a desk—the gatekeeper. I am sure that under normal circumstances she is a lovely woman. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, her husband probably bought her decaf coffee instead of the goods, because she was far from being the life and soul of the party. I stated my business and she handed me a ticket stub and pointed in the direction of the seats in a manner not unlike the Ghost of Christmas Future pointing for Scrooge.
Thankfully I had brought a good book—Her Fearful Symmetry, for the interested reader. When the automated voice-announcer called my number and told me the appropriate kiosk to approach I counted myself fortunate that it had only been about an hour.
The woman before me evidently drank her coffee from the same pot as the gatekeeper because she wasn’t much of an improvement from her colleague. She spoke in an even monotone, and I was thinking what a great poker player she would make when she asked me to stand in front of the camera to have my photo taken. I followed her directions and waited for the click. She paused and told me to remove my glasses. I did so. Then I smiled—a large dimpled one. She paused again and said, “Sir, please don’t smile.” Since the shiny happy people at the Warrenton Department of Motor Vehicles had well nigh sapped the remaining joy from my life it was not difficult to comply with her request. I gave her my best mug shot face. When she was done I asked her, “Tell me seriously: When people leave, do you ever laugh at some of the photos you have taken of them?” Totally deadpan, she responded, “Why would I laugh, sir?” Wow—tough crowd.
I left her presence feeling better and lighter of heart, the farther away I got, and counted my blessings, knowing that I wouldn’t have to go back for another five years…
This photo was selected as a finalist in the SCANVA 2009 Toast to Hope Photo Contest:
They say a picture can communicate a thousand words… Amateur and professional photographers took part in SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia’s Bringing Children and Families into Focus Photo Contest this fall! Check out the wonderful photos submitted and how they communicate the importance of family for a child and the value of a nurturing childhood.
I love photos like this. As a designer I pay a lot of attention to how my designs will be perceived by the public in and out of their intended context. I also have an awareness of this in other people’s designs and love to highlight the lighter side of my findings.
Credit where credit is due: my wife brought this one to my attention when we were driving from Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England down to Cambridge to do some punting.
This diner sign reminded me of Crusty the Clown’s slogan (from the Simpsons): It’s not just good… it’s good enough!
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