I was reared in a household where the line between men and women was clear. There was no such thing as metro-sexual and it wasn't considered a good thing to be in touch with one's feminine side...well, unless you were a girl...and even then, it probably wasn't okay either.
Pink was clearly on the female side of the line. Years ago, my brother in-law gave me a dark, pink sweater for my birthday (maybe it was for Christmas?). It wasn't a bright, pink sweater, but it was pink nonetheless. The sweater just lay in my closet. I had no intention of wearing it, but I felt guilty donating it straightaway to charity. One day, I decided to wear it to work. After a few hours, I was so self-conscious, I took it off and stuffed it into my backpack. That sweater was immediately donated to charity, for some metro-sexual man to enjoy. I think that was the last time I wore pink.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A few weeks ago, we participated in the Komen Race for the Cure 5K walk. A number of corporate sponsors generously donated to the cause, many giving away free pink things. I typically hang my work identification badge on a lanyard around my neck. In October, I changed it to a pink lanyard that I received from the Race for the Cure. I felt a bit strange wearing a pink lanyard, but thought it was important to help increase awareness.
While riding up the elevator to my office today, a young lady stared at my badge and boldly asked, "you like pink, huh?" I was initially surprised by the question, but explained October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and showed her the pink "Komen for the Cure" card. I'm glad she asked because I was able to increase her awareness....and clear up any misunderstandings that I might be a metro....
There are a number of fundraising activities this month, supporting breast cancer awareness and the search for a cure. Please donate to the cause and help in the race for the cure. Thank you!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Monday, October 17, 2011
Walking San Francisco
I've lived in the Bay Area for a number of years and I used to strongly dislike going into San Francisco, primarily because driving was a nightmare, parking was a nightmare, the maze of one way streets was a nightmare, and getting lost was a nightmare. However, since the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train station was built in Pleasanton, visiting the city has been a pleasure.
My brother and his family visited us from Hawaii this past summer and they had the great idea of doing a walking tour of San Francisco. They printed off a couple of walking tours from the Frommers Guide and enjoyed a day in the city on foot. It was such a great experience, I decided to go on a walking tour of the San Francisco Presidio. Patrick and I took the day off from work, hopped on the BART, and enjoyed an urban hike in the city. We walked through Chinatown and to North Beach, where we enjoyed a nice Cappuccino and pastry. We then walked west to Crissy Field and over to the Presidio. We strolled through the historic grounds of the Presidio and then linked into the wonderful trail system, finding our way to the Golden Gate Bridge and back to the heart of the city. We finished off with a few pints of Guinness at the pub and a light dinner at the Gordon Biersch brewery. We eventually found our way back on the BART and returned home to Pleasanton.
Today is my wedding anniversary....18.5 years of marital bliss (just kidding)...so the wife and I headed into the city for a short walk, a bit of shopping, and lunch at Kuleto's. Unfortunately, we had to return home early because of other obligations...AKA, picking up kids from school. The weather was beautiful and we had a good time.
If you're ever sitting on the couch bored, try a walking tour of your local city. Research it as if you were a tourist and get out and enjoy the city. It's amazing how much fun is waiting for you, right around the corner.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Lessons from an Apple
I learned of Steve Jobs’ passing last week while having dinner with customers in Plano, Texas. In the days that followed, there were a lot of things published about Mr. Jobs, including his accomplishments and his life. I learned a lot about him and many of these themes apply directly to my own life….and my photography.
Apple was about simplicity. Macintosh wasn’t the first personal computer, but it had a more intuitive graphical user interface. Most people today probably didn’t have the “pleasure” of using the DOS command line interface. The Mac (and Microsoft’s copy…AKA, Windows) made computers more user-friendly. The iPod wasn’t the first MP3 music player, but coupled with iTunes, it made it easy for people to access and organize digital music. I’m not a huge Apple user, but I think I understand….I get it. It’s not about the fastest processor, the smallest size, or the lowest price. It’s all about the simplicity and elegance in the product.
As it relates to my photography, cameras have become overly complicated and feature laden, and I now seek an elegant and simple solution. I yearn for a camera that gets out of my way. Remove the video capabilities, fly by wire focus rings, electronic viewfinders, and complicated menu systems. Just give me a simple camera that allows me to adjust the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO…nothing more. For the last few weeks, I’ve been looking for a small, “everyday,” digital camera. Unfortunately, most small cameras today are too fiddly. I don’t want to scroll through menus to change my camera settings. I don’t want to touch a screen to focus the lens. I wish Apple would design a camera. It would be a major hit with pure photographers….clean, simple, and user-friendly.
Another article was about his authorized biography, written by Walter Isaacson. During a visit with Jobs at his residence, Mr. Isaacson asked why Steve Jobs would “open up so much for a book when he was usually so private?” Jobs responded, “I wanted my kids to know me, I wasn't always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did."
That really struck a chord with me. I experienced a life-changing event in 2009 and since then have reprioritized things in my own life, spending more time with the family and less time in the office. I’m not rich and famous, I’m not a CEO….and I’m not planning on writing a book for my children. I think we can also simplify our lives, removing the clutter of unimportant things. Let’s focus less on material things and keeping up with the Jones’; let’s remove “poisonous” people from our lives and spend more time with loved ones and real, genuine friends; and let’s shut off the garbage programming on TV and spend quality time around the dinner table.
BTW, Happy Columbus Day (traditional) and Happy Birthday Bryan!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
I'm Tired
I'm tired!
The week started with a nice hike on Sunday morning. Ruben, Mary, Lyn, Kim, Patrick, and I met at 8:30 AM and headed over to Mount Diablo State Park. It was a wonderful day for a hike and the weather was perfect. A cold front was moving in, bringing cooler temperatures and beautiful clouds (for landscape photos). I shot my FM2 film camera with the 24mm f/2.8 AI-S lens, experimenting with my filters. I plan on posting a few photos once I finish the roll of film. After the hike, we enjoyed a quick beer and I headed home to pack for Dallas.
I spent a restless night in bed and awoke at 3 AM on Monday, so I could catch my 4:13 AM BART train for airport. I drifted in and out of consciousness during the one and a half hour train ride to the San Francisco International Airport...and drifted in and out of consciousness during my three hour flight to Dallas. I spent the rest of the day in meetings and went to dinner with a customer from Guam. I finished off the night staying up too late, drinking beers with the sales team.
On Tuesday, I woke up early for a conference and spent all day struggling to keep my eyelids open. In the evening, we entertained the customers at Top Golf. I didn't swing the club, deciding to focus on eating (great BBQ), drinking, and socializing with my customers and co-workers.
Wednesday started similar to Tuesday, with an early conference start and all day sessions. We had dinner with more customers and finished the late evening with more beer and wine.
I headed into the office today for an 8 AM meeting. Overall, it was a very productive day, but I definitely could have used a few more liters of coffee. After returning to my hotel room, I packed my luggage, in preparation for my departure tomorrow morning. I then relaxed in bed, considering my dinner options. I finally decided to order room service. I rarely order room service, but today, I was too tired to drive anywhere in search of food.
I was torn between the Monterrey Chicken Stack sandwich, a spicy chicken breast on a Jalapeno roll, served with cheese, guacamole, and ancho-mayo....and the Blue Line Cheeseburger, choice ground sirloin, cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and grilled onions. I asked the room service guy for his recommendation. He said the burger was heavier but good and the chicken sandwich was also good. Basically, he said both were good....not much help there! Well, with all my travel recently, I've noticed my slacks and jeans are shrinking. My wife must be washing my clothes in hot water. To compensate, I decided to go with the chicken sandwich...and added a salad.
It's been a long week. As soon as I'm done with this blog entry, I'm logging out of the computer, calling home to say hi to the family, and then going to bed. I'm heading to the airport in the morning to return to California....and I hope to get some rest this weekend. Good night moon. Okay, that was random, but folks with kids should understand...
Friday, September 30, 2011
Next Photo Project?
Upon completing my 365 "photo a day" project in March, I began my "Day in the Life" project, capturing everyday life on B&W film, with my FM2 film SLR and 50mm lens. Six months into my project, I've come to realize it's difficult to shoot a "day in the life" project on film because it typically takes me a few weeks to shoot an entire roll of film. Personally, I feel a "day in the life" project would be more interesting if the photos and narratives were posted in a more timely manner.
Perhaps digital is a better medium for a "day in the life" type project? I'm going to continue the project on film for the rest of the year and consider some changes for next year.
I was thinking about a photo diary blog. Conceptually, it would be a "day in the life" type photo captured daily, with a short narrative summarizing the day. For this, I would consider purchasing a compact digital camera, so I wouldn't need to lug my digital SLR around everywhere, everyday.
Alternatively, I may try something a bit less ambitious, perhaps something on film. I have three months to think about this. Drop me a line if you have any ideas....
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AI-S
When I purchased my Nikon FM2 film SLR, my plan was to shoot it exclusively with a 50mm lens and primarily with black and white film. For the last six months, that's exactly what I did. However, over the course of time, I fell in love with the simplicity of a manual focus camera and began to shoot film the vast majority of the time. I finally decided it was time to purchase another lens.
I ordered my "new" Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AI-S manual focus lens from keh.com and received it two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I was in Las Vegas on business the week it arrived, but I was able to spend some time shooting it this week. I'm pretty excited about the 24mm lens. This focal length will allow me to shoot some landscapes on film. My goal is to get some practice this autumn, so I will be ready to shoot some beautiful, winter scenes in the upcoming months.
I only have a few shots under my belt with this lens, but so far so good. It's a wonderful lens and I look forward to running a lot more frames through it.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Race for the Cure
The family participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, 5K walk in San Francisco. Looking at the mass of people today, I was amazed at the number of pink "Survivor" shirts and pink "Walking in memory of..." and "I race in celebration of..." signs. A lot of people are touched by breast cancer (and other types of cancer), personally experiencing it or knowing a friend or loved one who has experienced it. It was great getting out there today to do a small part toward finding a cure.
After a week of hot, dry weather, a system moved into the area, bringing overcast skies, cooler temperatures, and a small bit of precipitation. The weather didn't seem to dampen the crowd's spirit or enthusiasm. I especially loved the energy in the volunteers. They lined the streets and cheered on the walkers. It reminded me of marathon runs of yonder, with the spectators lining the route and cheering the runners. The cheering always seemed to bump up my adrenaline, giving me the small boost needed to get to the finish line.
We all experience challenging times and perhaps could use the help of a "cheering crowd" to help us get through it. When you see someone at their mile 22 and cramping, give them an emotional boost and help them get through it. Sometimes it's the little things that help get people to their finish line.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Happy Birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Today is Kailani's third birthday. She celebrated it on Sunday at home, with good food, a yummy cake, and cute Dora decorations. But, she got to celebrate it again tonight!
Kailani was over at our house today and when Auntie Mia went to the store to get some Parmesan cheese for the pasta.....she came back with a cake too! Now, I'm not sure if the cake was for Kailani, or if Mia just needed an excuse for dessert....hmmm? Regardless, Kailani was excited to blow out candles again...and eat more sugar!
Here are a few pictures of her blowing out the candle. More photos from her previous birthday to follow (after I develop the roll of film).
Monday, September 12, 2011
Pleasanton Ridge
The Pleasanton Ridge is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to visit. I visited it three times this past week alone.
It's become the place I go after work to hike with friends. It's the place where I go trail running, when I need a change of pace from running on the road. It's also the place I visit when I want some solitude, to relax, and to take some pictures of nature. It's a place that's only minutes away, yet seemingly light-years from everything.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Ten Years Later
Today had a somber feel to it. The morning sun struggled to sneak past the cloud cover, unusual for summers in the Bay Area. The neighborhood seemed quieter today and the temperatures cooler.
I can't believe it's been ten years since the jetliners struck the Twin Towers. The country came together that day and united. American flags dotted the landscape, showing pride in the red, white, and blue.
Where are we, ten years later? Bin Laden is dead, but are we a better nation? Are we better people?
As I looked out my window, I didn't see Old Glory flying anywhere. Have the patriotism and national pride dissipated?
As I read the newspaper, I didn't see our politicians working together toward a common good. Have we lost our sense of unity? Is towing the party line more important than working together to do what's best for the country?
The United States is a great country, but let's take the patriotism, unity, and energy demonstrated ten years ago...and make it better.
We can't fix the problems in Washington D.C., but let's make our local communities better. Start with the little things. Hold the door open for someone at the grocery store. Help the elderly lady cross the road. Close your neighbor's garage door when they have forgotten.
