- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under Internet , photography , pictures , relationships , storm chasing , work .
Hello folks,
I realize it's been FOREVER since I wrote last in this blog. I think it's a natural progression. When E-mail went big back in the mid to late-90's I was all about Eudora and Postini... Then blogging came around in the early 2000's and I was all about Blogger. Then in the social networking explosion occurred in that 2003-2005 period. I was all over MySpace and Facebook. Blogging became secondary, then.
And since, Twitter has come around. I have two separate accounts, a personal account I use to provide random messages to friends and a second I use to expand on one of my favorite hobbies... Photography.
I grew up loving the outdoors and pretty much everything about it. Meteorology was my calling, because I loved anything and everything about the atmosphere and what came from it. But, I'm learning that even though Meteorology may have been my calling, photography is something I enjoy and love; immensely. It began, I think, when I began storm chasing back in 1996. Yes, 13 years ago!
While some find photography a strict art, initially, all I thought of it back then was a way to share what I saw on a chase with the storm chase community. I posted the photos up on my web-site and allowed others to view them. It was an innocent hobby and one I didn't really take too seriously. At least, as far as the quality of my photos was concerned.
Once I upgraded to digital in January of 2005, my interest expanded greatly and I began to appreciate the art of photography on a grander scale. No longer did I pay money for rolls of film or to get them processed. I could snap off hundreds of pictures a day and not even blink an eye. I snapped twice that, in fact, in the Badlands of South Dakota in late July of 2007. That record still stands, actually - 274 pictures in a single day. It may seem meager to the professionals in the crowd, but for me that's a lot!
Twitter takes me away from Blogger quite a bit. I communicate with most of my friends with it and those friends who aren't signed up, Facebook is a great alternative.
Twitter also provides a great opportunity to network with other photographers. And that is mostly the reason it distracts me from writing in my blog. Networking and receiving insight from these guys has allowed me to really grow into this industry. I'm coming into it self-taught and I realize that's not the ideal way of doing it. But, I've learned a lot about the in's and out's, the do's and don'ts and everything in between.
These photographers provide a lot of inspiration, just looking at their work. It provides great opportunities for me to diversify my photography portfolio. The ideas I get, the compositions I picture in my head, it's almost becoming second nature already. I'm certainly not just taking pictures of clouds anymore. In fact, I'm involved in a 365 Project currently, which is taking my camera and I on a wonderful journey through an entire year of daily photo-taking. It's been a great experience so far and I'm learning so much more about my camera just carrying it with me everyday. I'm learning how to look at the environment around me and what it would look like through a viewfinder and a lens. It's kind of neat, really...
What I'm getting at with all this... is that I really have become quite distracted with it all. It pushes me away from my computer and sitting and writing on the Internet. I almost feel it's a waste of time. It's been 25 minutes now that I've spent typing this entry, itself. I could have taken 50 pictures in this amount of time. Maybe more! ;)
Anyhow, so that's where I've been over the course of the last 2 months. I'm still meat-free, if you're wondering... :) I actually celebrated my 4-month anniversary of vegetarianism yesterday. I've got someone in my life. She hasn't exactly tugged at the strings of my heart yet, but we haven't exactly met in person, either. But, I've made some new friends outside of work and I've been hanging out with them quite a bit lately. We went hiking a couple of weeks ago and they've invited me to a couple of cookouts. If I had been a little more open about this earlier this summer, we could have been at the lake every weekend. Jared and Jason both have families with lake cottages - one is at Devils Lake, the other at Maple Lake, east of Grand Forks near Mentor, MN. They've got about a 4-5 member group that tend to hang out a lot. They're mostly friends of friends. Emily, a girl I dated about a year ago and have started to hang out with again, introduced me into the "circle." ;) So, my life has been going fairly well.
Work has been a little busy and will likely become even more so, with fall starting. We've got contracts winding up for the winter and that will make things even more hectic. Should be interesting, but I'm excited at the same time.
Well, I've got a couple of left over veggie burgers to warm up and some corn on the cob to cook. Dinner-time!
Also, if by chance, you are interested in following me along on this "Project 365" journey, hop on over to my photoblog. It's being updated everyday. In fact, I just posted my photo for today about an hour ago...!
Toodles for now...
I realize it's been FOREVER since I wrote last in this blog. I think it's a natural progression. When E-mail went big back in the mid to late-90's I was all about Eudora and Postini... Then blogging came around in the early 2000's and I was all about Blogger. Then in the social networking explosion occurred in that 2003-2005 period. I was all over MySpace and Facebook. Blogging became secondary, then.
And since, Twitter has come around. I have two separate accounts, a personal account I use to provide random messages to friends and a second I use to expand on one of my favorite hobbies... Photography.
I grew up loving the outdoors and pretty much everything about it. Meteorology was my calling, because I loved anything and everything about the atmosphere and what came from it. But, I'm learning that even though Meteorology may have been my calling, photography is something I enjoy and love; immensely. It began, I think, when I began storm chasing back in 1996. Yes, 13 years ago!
While some find photography a strict art, initially, all I thought of it back then was a way to share what I saw on a chase with the storm chase community. I posted the photos up on my web-site and allowed others to view them. It was an innocent hobby and one I didn't really take too seriously. At least, as far as the quality of my photos was concerned.
Once I upgraded to digital in January of 2005, my interest expanded greatly and I began to appreciate the art of photography on a grander scale. No longer did I pay money for rolls of film or to get them processed. I could snap off hundreds of pictures a day and not even blink an eye. I snapped twice that, in fact, in the Badlands of South Dakota in late July of 2007. That record still stands, actually - 274 pictures in a single day. It may seem meager to the professionals in the crowd, but for me that's a lot!
Twitter takes me away from Blogger quite a bit. I communicate with most of my friends with it and those friends who aren't signed up, Facebook is a great alternative.
Twitter also provides a great opportunity to network with other photographers. And that is mostly the reason it distracts me from writing in my blog. Networking and receiving insight from these guys has allowed me to really grow into this industry. I'm coming into it self-taught and I realize that's not the ideal way of doing it. But, I've learned a lot about the in's and out's, the do's and don'ts and everything in between.
These photographers provide a lot of inspiration, just looking at their work. It provides great opportunities for me to diversify my photography portfolio. The ideas I get, the compositions I picture in my head, it's almost becoming second nature already. I'm certainly not just taking pictures of clouds anymore. In fact, I'm involved in a 365 Project currently, which is taking my camera and I on a wonderful journey through an entire year of daily photo-taking. It's been a great experience so far and I'm learning so much more about my camera just carrying it with me everyday. I'm learning how to look at the environment around me and what it would look like through a viewfinder and a lens. It's kind of neat, really...
What I'm getting at with all this... is that I really have become quite distracted with it all. It pushes me away from my computer and sitting and writing on the Internet. I almost feel it's a waste of time. It's been 25 minutes now that I've spent typing this entry, itself. I could have taken 50 pictures in this amount of time. Maybe more! ;)
Anyhow, so that's where I've been over the course of the last 2 months. I'm still meat-free, if you're wondering... :) I actually celebrated my 4-month anniversary of vegetarianism yesterday. I've got someone in my life. She hasn't exactly tugged at the strings of my heart yet, but we haven't exactly met in person, either. But, I've made some new friends outside of work and I've been hanging out with them quite a bit lately. We went hiking a couple of weeks ago and they've invited me to a couple of cookouts. If I had been a little more open about this earlier this summer, we could have been at the lake every weekend. Jared and Jason both have families with lake cottages - one is at Devils Lake, the other at Maple Lake, east of Grand Forks near Mentor, MN. They've got about a 4-5 member group that tend to hang out a lot. They're mostly friends of friends. Emily, a girl I dated about a year ago and have started to hang out with again, introduced me into the "circle." ;) So, my life has been going fairly well.
Work has been a little busy and will likely become even more so, with fall starting. We've got contracts winding up for the winter and that will make things even more hectic. Should be interesting, but I'm excited at the same time.
Well, I've got a couple of left over veggie burgers to warm up and some corn on the cob to cook. Dinner-time!
Also, if by chance, you are interested in following me along on this "Project 365" journey, hop on over to my photoblog. It's being updated everyday. In fact, I just posted my photo for today about an hour ago...!
Toodles for now...
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under activities , pictures , relationships , sports , work .
Hey folks,
I realize it has been a long time since I last wrote in here. I also realize that I've promised before that I would make the attempt to write in this thing more often. Lately, though I guess I just haven't been in the mood to write much.
A lot has happened though, since I last made an entry to the blog. My feelings for Lu have faded and I'm finally getting on with my life. In one way I'm relieved that those feelings aren't there anymore, but in some ways it still makes me feel a little sad that things didn't work out between us. Life is pretty much back to what it used to be. The one advantage of having a relationship is that it gives you someone to get out and do things with. I don't know why, but to me it just isn't the same when I'm out with the guys... When you have a significant other, you can do more personal things. Like going out for dinner, taking a walk, camping... You know, things like that. I don't know if it's an insecurity of mine, but asking some of the guys from work if they would want to go somewhere for dinner just seems awkward. Maybe it's just a guy thing... ;) Anyhow, digressing a bit, I'm getting lazy again. Much like I was before I met Lu and spent 80% of my time alone in my apartment. I don't feel that motivation I did when I was involved with Lu and I'm finding myself sitting and lying around watching my god-damn "Friends" season-DVD's again. It's driving me crazy and I wish I could just keep myself motivated to get out and stay active in some way.
I think I'm going to start using the stupid exercising "facility" we have in the apartment building here. We have this converted apartment down on the 1st floor that contains various exercise machines and I haven't used the damn thing but only once since I've lived here. Since winter has decided to arrive a month early this year (yes, we have even had our first snow already!) I may just start using it. It would keep me active to some degree and it would get me out of the apartment for, at least, an hour. Winter sucks ass up here in North Dakota - because typically it's so damn cold you literally can't do anything outside. And, of course, since there really isn't much to do up here, to begin with, being outside and enjoying it is one of the main activities for residents in Grand Forks. We'll see how the winter pans out and if I keep this "idea" of exercising more this fall/winter in mind...! ;)
I did attend "China Night" this past Thursday at the Cultural Center on the UND campus. Since Lu is the president of CSSA (Chinese Students and Scholars Association) and organized this event, I really wanted to go. I initially had to work Thursday evening, but I was able to find someone to switch shifts with me. So, I was able to make it. Lu really wanted me to be there, as well. I'm really glad I went. It was really nice to see some familiar faces and I was able to spend some time with some of Lu's friends that I had met when we were seeing each other. Plus, the food was excellent! Lu did a great job at organizing the event and they had a tremendous turn-out... I took some pictures, so if you're curious to see what it was like, I have all the photos uploaded to my photo gallery.
I also attended the first Fighting Sioux hockey game of the year, Friday, October 6th. It only took me two years to finally get a ticket to a game! Justin Shaw (a co-worker of mine) mentioned getting tickets and since he and I met up with Jeff and McQuade, we all decided to go together. It was actually pretty great. I hadn't ever been to a hockey game, but it was fun and I quickly found out that the Ralph Engelstad Arena is quite a place. It reminds me of Conseco Fieldhouse back in Indianapolis - how its seating is laid out. And it seriously looks like a real NHL arena (from what I've seen on TV, anyway)...! It really is an amazing facility, especially considering it's only an athletic facility for a university. The ARC (Athletic-Recreation Center) at Valpo has nothing on The Ralph. Nothing!
Then on the 27th, the Minnesota Timberwolves come into town to play a preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Alerus Center. Jakin (another co-worker) is getting tickets for several of us at work and we're all going together. Lu seemed interested, as well, so she will be coming along. So, that should be fun, as well.
So, yes, like I said before, I'm just trying to get out more this year... I made a few New Year's resolutions this year and with this, I know that I've indeed upheld two of them, for certain. One of them was to take better advantage of days off work and to spend time outdoors and get in shape... And I feel I did a fairly good job of that this summer. I did spend a lot more time outside this past summer than I had the previous year. I took advantage of the pool we have here at the apartment complex and swam quite a bit, I walked and ran the Fitness Trail near my apartment, and I got out a lot more and played sports. Surprisingly, I actually lost some weight in the process. Imagine that! I know at one point I was down close to 150 lbs and I'm pretty sure that was around mid-July. When I went to the doctor's office last month, I was at 165 lbs... Can you believe I gained back nearly 15 pounds in about a month and a half? Crazy! So, again, now I'm just trying to stay active and even though I am finding myself spending more time in front of the frickin' TV again, I do want to make an effort to minimize that. I'm trying! Ah, and by the way, that other New Year's resolution was to meet someone, have at least, a semi-serious relationship, and to have a woman (not a co-worker or of any relation) inside my apartment - at any point during the year. And, obviously, I have upheld that resolution...
It makes me feel really good, thinking about it... That I actually made resolutions that I actually followed up on this year.
It wouldn't be the same, however, to write up an entire post here without sharing some sad news, though... Tonight, I learned that one of my best-friends at work is moving on to a different job. I never really hung out with Adam a whole lot, but I got along with him and his wife really well. I would always look at my work schedule and find when we would work together - and would really look forward to it. Maybe it was his personality... He was a really nice guy, we would always have something to talk about, and he was just fun to shoot the shit with, you know. He's one of those types that you can just sit and talk and joke around with... I'm happy for him - that he found a different job that he and his wife (and family, I suppose) will be happier with. But, I will miss him... I really enjoyed working with him.
Well, it's getting a bit late here and I'm craving ice cream. ;) I may just go for a bowl!
Take care everyone and I hope everyone is doing well...
I realize it has been a long time since I last wrote in here. I also realize that I've promised before that I would make the attempt to write in this thing more often. Lately, though I guess I just haven't been in the mood to write much.
A lot has happened though, since I last made an entry to the blog. My feelings for Lu have faded and I'm finally getting on with my life. In one way I'm relieved that those feelings aren't there anymore, but in some ways it still makes me feel a little sad that things didn't work out between us. Life is pretty much back to what it used to be. The one advantage of having a relationship is that it gives you someone to get out and do things with. I don't know why, but to me it just isn't the same when I'm out with the guys... When you have a significant other, you can do more personal things. Like going out for dinner, taking a walk, camping... You know, things like that. I don't know if it's an insecurity of mine, but asking some of the guys from work if they would want to go somewhere for dinner just seems awkward. Maybe it's just a guy thing... ;) Anyhow, digressing a bit, I'm getting lazy again. Much like I was before I met Lu and spent 80% of my time alone in my apartment. I don't feel that motivation I did when I was involved with Lu and I'm finding myself sitting and lying around watching my god-damn "Friends" season-DVD's again. It's driving me crazy and I wish I could just keep myself motivated to get out and stay active in some way.
I think I'm going to start using the stupid exercising "facility" we have in the apartment building here. We have this converted apartment down on the 1st floor that contains various exercise machines and I haven't used the damn thing but only once since I've lived here. Since winter has decided to arrive a month early this year (yes, we have even had our first snow already!) I may just start using it. It would keep me active to some degree and it would get me out of the apartment for, at least, an hour. Winter sucks ass up here in North Dakota - because typically it's so damn cold you literally can't do anything outside. And, of course, since there really isn't much to do up here, to begin with, being outside and enjoying it is one of the main activities for residents in Grand Forks. We'll see how the winter pans out and if I keep this "idea" of exercising more this fall/winter in mind...! ;)
I did attend "China Night" this past Thursday at the Cultural Center on the UND campus. Since Lu is the president of CSSA (Chinese Students and Scholars Association) and organized this event, I really wanted to go. I initially had to work Thursday evening, but I was able to find someone to switch shifts with me. So, I was able to make it. Lu really wanted me to be there, as well. I'm really glad I went. It was really nice to see some familiar faces and I was able to spend some time with some of Lu's friends that I had met when we were seeing each other. Plus, the food was excellent! Lu did a great job at organizing the event and they had a tremendous turn-out... I took some pictures, so if you're curious to see what it was like, I have all the photos uploaded to my photo gallery.
I also attended the first Fighting Sioux hockey game of the year, Friday, October 6th. It only took me two years to finally get a ticket to a game! Justin Shaw (a co-worker of mine) mentioned getting tickets and since he and I met up with Jeff and McQuade, we all decided to go together. It was actually pretty great. I hadn't ever been to a hockey game, but it was fun and I quickly found out that the Ralph Engelstad Arena is quite a place. It reminds me of Conseco Fieldhouse back in Indianapolis - how its seating is laid out. And it seriously looks like a real NHL arena (from what I've seen on TV, anyway)...! It really is an amazing facility, especially considering it's only an athletic facility for a university. The ARC (Athletic-Recreation Center) at Valpo has nothing on The Ralph. Nothing!
Then on the 27th, the Minnesota Timberwolves come into town to play a preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Alerus Center. Jakin (another co-worker) is getting tickets for several of us at work and we're all going together. Lu seemed interested, as well, so she will be coming along. So, that should be fun, as well.
So, yes, like I said before, I'm just trying to get out more this year... I made a few New Year's resolutions this year and with this, I know that I've indeed upheld two of them, for certain. One of them was to take better advantage of days off work and to spend time outdoors and get in shape... And I feel I did a fairly good job of that this summer. I did spend a lot more time outside this past summer than I had the previous year. I took advantage of the pool we have here at the apartment complex and swam quite a bit, I walked and ran the Fitness Trail near my apartment, and I got out a lot more and played sports. Surprisingly, I actually lost some weight in the process. Imagine that! I know at one point I was down close to 150 lbs and I'm pretty sure that was around mid-July. When I went to the doctor's office last month, I was at 165 lbs... Can you believe I gained back nearly 15 pounds in about a month and a half? Crazy! So, again, now I'm just trying to stay active and even though I am finding myself spending more time in front of the frickin' TV again, I do want to make an effort to minimize that. I'm trying! Ah, and by the way, that other New Year's resolution was to meet someone, have at least, a semi-serious relationship, and to have a woman (not a co-worker or of any relation) inside my apartment - at any point during the year. And, obviously, I have upheld that resolution...
It makes me feel really good, thinking about it... That I actually made resolutions that I actually followed up on this year.
It wouldn't be the same, however, to write up an entire post here without sharing some sad news, though... Tonight, I learned that one of my best-friends at work is moving on to a different job. I never really hung out with Adam a whole lot, but I got along with him and his wife really well. I would always look at my work schedule and find when we would work together - and would really look forward to it. Maybe it was his personality... He was a really nice guy, we would always have something to talk about, and he was just fun to shoot the shit with, you know. He's one of those types that you can just sit and talk and joke around with... I'm happy for him - that he found a different job that he and his wife (and family, I suppose) will be happier with. But, I will miss him... I really enjoyed working with him.
Well, it's getting a bit late here and I'm craving ice cream. ;) I may just go for a bowl!
Take care everyone and I hope everyone is doing well...
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under air-show , pictures , storm chasing , work .
I've been working on some photos this afternoon that I have had sitting on the computer for a couple of weeks. Here are a couple of views from the air-show yesterday...
A member of the "Happy Hooligans," out of Fargo, ND.
The Thunderbirds in formation on one of their many flight manuevers...
I'll have many more of these photos uploaded to my photo gallery at some point this afternoon. I'll also be uploading photos from my storm chase from June 30th across northeastern ND and northwestern MN, as well as photos from our forecaster picnic last week.
Enjoy!
I'll have many more of these photos uploaded to my photo gallery at some point this afternoon. I'll also be uploading photos from my storm chase from June 30th across northeastern ND and northwestern MN, as well as photos from our forecaster picnic last week.
Enjoy!
1 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
Well, I'm sitting here stewing in my own sweat, but I figured I would post to this damn thing. Especially since I haven't in quite a while. Nothing much new around these parts. After a short bout of cooler temperatures, we're back into the 80's around these parts with 90's likely by the end of the week. About time to turn on the AC, once again, I suppose.
Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Mine wasn't all too exciting. I went downtown after work yesterday, but didn't end up spending too much time there. The car show (the one event I was actually wanting to see) ended at 4:00pm, so I caught the very end of that. The event was actually done with by the time I got down there, but there were still a few cars sitting out on 3rd Street, so I was able to walk around looking at a few of them. There were a few older muscle-cars down there, but the only one that was really nice was an old Pontiac GTO. The rest, you could tell, were still under restoration... There weren't as many vendors down there and the only funnel cake stand had a line a mile long, so I couldn't even get the funnel cake I went down there for! Grrr... But, it was still nice to walk around, watching all the kiddies play around on the rides (mostly of the inflated slides and moon-walk type). I took the digi-cam along, but didn't get any new material. I don't know, I guess nothing really caught my eye - except for a few hotties, I suppose. hahah...
So, what have I been up to? Well, I've been working on my web-site... I've been wanting to go with a new design, so I've been working on it for almost 2 weeks. It's still not completely finished, but I figured since it's mostly operational, I decided to go live with it all Monday night. If you're curious, I have a link to the site above and to the left. I've also applied a new template to the photo gallery. So, that will look a little different, as well, if you visit it sometime soon. I went storm chasing last Friday, June 30th... Went out with co-workers, Adam and Turcotte. We got suckered east from a storm that fired up along the convergence boundary over in MN, but made back west to Walsh County (ND) to intercept a couple apparently tornadic storms near dusk. I have photos I need to work on and get posted and a chase log to write up... Thursday will be a day off for me, so maybe I'll sit down and get those done up so I can get them uploaded.
I plan to get out swimming some more tomorrow. Hell, I feel like going for a dip now, for as a hot as it is in my apartment right now. We reached 83° F today, but it felt much warmer with the humidity. Plus, our soil moisture content around here has been VERY limited lately. So, not much of that heating is going into the ground... so that's allowing for more heat, as well. It's odd that just a couple of months ago, we were battling one of the highest crests along the Red River ever... and now, we're battling drought conditions. We haven't had much rain up this way at all, over the past month and a half. Darren and I went down to the river last week and took pictures to compare to those we took from this spring's flooding and last summer's flooding. The river now is about as low as I've ever seen it and a lot of the locals are saying this is about as bad as they've seen it. A lot are comparing this to the severe drought of 1988.
Anyhow, I think I'm gonna hop off here for now... I need to fix up something for dinner and find a way to cool off. I guess I'll just shut all the windows and turn the AC on high. My electric bill was already $10 more than usual for June... if temperatures like this continue, my July bill will be twice that! Ugh...
Hope all is well...
More later!
Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. Mine wasn't all too exciting. I went downtown after work yesterday, but didn't end up spending too much time there. The car show (the one event I was actually wanting to see) ended at 4:00pm, so I caught the very end of that. The event was actually done with by the time I got down there, but there were still a few cars sitting out on 3rd Street, so I was able to walk around looking at a few of them. There were a few older muscle-cars down there, but the only one that was really nice was an old Pontiac GTO. The rest, you could tell, were still under restoration... There weren't as many vendors down there and the only funnel cake stand had a line a mile long, so I couldn't even get the funnel cake I went down there for! Grrr... But, it was still nice to walk around, watching all the kiddies play around on the rides (mostly of the inflated slides and moon-walk type). I took the digi-cam along, but didn't get any new material. I don't know, I guess nothing really caught my eye - except for a few hotties, I suppose. hahah...
So, what have I been up to? Well, I've been working on my web-site... I've been wanting to go with a new design, so I've been working on it for almost 2 weeks. It's still not completely finished, but I figured since it's mostly operational, I decided to go live with it all Monday night. If you're curious, I have a link to the site above and to the left. I've also applied a new template to the photo gallery. So, that will look a little different, as well, if you visit it sometime soon. I went storm chasing last Friday, June 30th... Went out with co-workers, Adam and Turcotte. We got suckered east from a storm that fired up along the convergence boundary over in MN, but made back west to Walsh County (ND) to intercept a couple apparently tornadic storms near dusk. I have photos I need to work on and get posted and a chase log to write up... Thursday will be a day off for me, so maybe I'll sit down and get those done up so I can get them uploaded.
I plan to get out swimming some more tomorrow. Hell, I feel like going for a dip now, for as a hot as it is in my apartment right now. We reached 83° F today, but it felt much warmer with the humidity. Plus, our soil moisture content around here has been VERY limited lately. So, not much of that heating is going into the ground... so that's allowing for more heat, as well. It's odd that just a couple of months ago, we were battling one of the highest crests along the Red River ever... and now, we're battling drought conditions. We haven't had much rain up this way at all, over the past month and a half. Darren and I went down to the river last week and took pictures to compare to those we took from this spring's flooding and last summer's flooding. The river now is about as low as I've ever seen it and a lot of the locals are saying this is about as bad as they've seen it. A lot are comparing this to the severe drought of 1988.
Anyhow, I think I'm gonna hop off here for now... I need to fix up something for dinner and find a way to cool off. I guess I'll just shut all the windows and turn the AC on high. My electric bill was already $10 more than usual for June... if temperatures like this continue, my July bill will be twice that! Ugh...
Hope all is well...
More later!
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under photography , pictures , sports , television .
I didn't catch the game, but as I was reading about the Giants/Phillies baseball game this last evening, I sure wish I had. I found this in a portion of the article:
Anyhow, not much new around these parts. We had a weak squall line blow over the area this past evening, so I was able to get out and get some pictures of that, as well as some outstanding lightning. I think I've achieved a new "best." That lightning shot from my back yard in Bluffton, IN was the best I had taken up until this past evening. This Digital Rebel XT is still amazing me how well it takes photos. And these lightning shots, well, they're very impressive! If you're curious to see them, I've uploaded photos from the squall line and the lightning photos in the gallery. Be aware, though, the squall line photos are in the "2006 Season" category, while the lightning shots are, of course, located in the "Lightning Photography" category.
Oh, and that Burger King commercial... I saw it for the first time Saturday night and I still can't get over how hilarious it is. "Eat like a man... man!" Oh my, how funny...
"As Bonds walked out to left field before the bottom of the first, fans in the front row of the bleachers unfurled a huge sign that read: "Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer. Aaron did it with class. How did YOU do it?" In addition, one 'i' and the question mark were dotted with asterisks."Isn't that just the funniest thing you've ever heard? I would have loved to have seen that! Hahah!
Anyhow, not much new around these parts. We had a weak squall line blow over the area this past evening, so I was able to get out and get some pictures of that, as well as some outstanding lightning. I think I've achieved a new "best." That lightning shot from my back yard in Bluffton, IN was the best I had taken up until this past evening. This Digital Rebel XT is still amazing me how well it takes photos. And these lightning shots, well, they're very impressive! If you're curious to see them, I've uploaded photos from the squall line and the lightning photos in the gallery. Be aware, though, the squall line photos are in the "2006 Season" category, while the lightning shots are, of course, located in the "Lightning Photography" category.
Oh, and that Burger King commercial... I saw it for the first time Saturday night and I still can't get over how hilarious it is. "Eat like a man... man!" Oh my, how funny...
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
I'm so freakin' tired, I really don't feel like writing in here tonight, but since it's been a while, I suppose I should. The past several days, I've been pulling the 7am to 3pm shift and even though I love getting off of work at 3:00pm, I hate getting up so early. You know me, I'm always up late, and this week hasn't been any different... So, as a result, yes, I've only managed 4-5 hours of sleep each night. I have Monday and Tuesday off, so I'm planning on getting caught up on some sleep.
Over the course of the past week, we've gradually been losing our snow-cover. Our temperatures have been remaining above freezing for the most part (especially over the past several days) and it's been raining as well, so that's helped. The negative is that with the rapid snow-melt and the fresh rainfall, the Red River is now threatening to flood. The Grand Forks forecast office upgraded our flood watch to a warning and is forecasting the river to crest at 47 feet. If that occurs, that'll make it the 6th highest it's ever been. The cool thing about this, is that if this indeed occurs, they'll have to place a new watermark on the monument down by the river.
Had some frustrating times yesterday... We've got apartment complexes going up in front of the building we're housed at work and as I was leaving work yesterday, I managed to snag a big ass screw in my right-front tire. I thought I had heard something "pop" but it didn't register, initially. About a half-mile down 42nd street I noticed my car was severely pulling to the right. After pulling over in the Valley Dairy (gas-station) I quickly found the tire completely flat! What a pain in the ass... So, I had to jack up the car, throw on my spare, and drive over to the Firestone. Since I had driven on the tire, they couldn't just patch the tire up, so I ended up having to purchase a new tire. Another $100 down the pooper... This car has been nothing but bad luck over the past year for me. First, I manage to drive the damn thing 30 feet into a mud-filled ravine last spring. Second, I end up having to replace a windshield after finding it cracked last summer. Third, the thing is broken into inside my garage a few months ago, and now... this! I suppose, these are all just that: bad luck. I couldn't have done anything to control any of these occurrences. They just manage to happen to me.
The one good thing to come out of all this: things seem to work out in the end. And thus far, I suppose I can't complain. Nothing major has happened to this car... and I guess I should feel lucky for the fact. I don't know what I'd do without my car. It's my baby...
Oh, and speaking of "babies..." I learned that Brian and Amy's little girl, Zoey, will be coming home from the hospital very soon. That's wonderful news... She was born about 2 months premature and even though she was as tiny as tiny can be, she's pulled through. I'm anxious to get home in August to see her.
Anyhow, I have some other things on my mind... maybe I'll share more later, when I'm a little more rested up. I'm off to take a nap!
Take care!
Over the course of the past week, we've gradually been losing our snow-cover. Our temperatures have been remaining above freezing for the most part (especially over the past several days) and it's been raining as well, so that's helped. The negative is that with the rapid snow-melt and the fresh rainfall, the Red River is now threatening to flood. The Grand Forks forecast office upgraded our flood watch to a warning and is forecasting the river to crest at 47 feet. If that occurs, that'll make it the 6th highest it's ever been. The cool thing about this, is that if this indeed occurs, they'll have to place a new watermark on the monument down by the river.Had some frustrating times yesterday... We've got apartment complexes going up in front of the building we're housed at work and as I was leaving work yesterday, I managed to snag a big ass screw in my right-front tire. I thought I had heard something "pop" but it didn't register, initially. About a half-mile down 42nd street I noticed my car was severely pulling to the right. After pulling over in the Valley Dairy (gas-station) I quickly found the tire completely flat! What a pain in the ass... So, I had to jack up the car, throw on my spare, and drive over to the Firestone. Since I had driven on the tire, they couldn't just patch the tire up, so I ended up having to purchase a new tire. Another $100 down the pooper... This car has been nothing but bad luck over the past year for me. First, I manage to drive the damn thing 30 feet into a mud-filled ravine last spring. Second, I end up having to replace a windshield after finding it cracked last summer. Third, the thing is broken into inside my garage a few months ago, and now... this! I suppose, these are all just that: bad luck. I couldn't have done anything to control any of these occurrences. They just manage to happen to me.
The one good thing to come out of all this: things seem to work out in the end. And thus far, I suppose I can't complain. Nothing major has happened to this car... and I guess I should feel lucky for the fact. I don't know what I'd do without my car. It's my baby...
Oh, and speaking of "babies..." I learned that Brian and Amy's little girl, Zoey, will be coming home from the hospital very soon. That's wonderful news... She was born about 2 months premature and even though she was as tiny as tiny can be, she's pulled through. I'm anxious to get home in August to see her.
Anyhow, I have some other things on my mind... maybe I'll share more later, when I'm a little more rested up. I'm off to take a nap!
Take care!
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under activities , fantasy sports , photography , pictures , sports , weather .
Whats up, everyone? Not much has been going on up here. It's been pretty nice up here over the past week. Temperatures have been up some (into the 30's) so we're finally starting to melt away some of the snow-cover we've had since early February. Of course, it looks like we have another system approaching for tomorrow that may drop another 3-6" of snow. The Grand Forks NWSFO has a snow advisory up through tomorrow evening... So, I'm not exactly looking forward to that.
Yesterday we even had a whole day of sunshine. It felt so nice outside, I finally went and got my car washed. It's probably the first time it's been washed since last fall. Washing your car in the dead of winter up here is pointless. That sand crap they put down on the roads up here makes your car dirty again, by the next day. I'm always afraid too, that if I wash the thing when it's cold out that the doors will freeze shut. Supposedly it shouldn't happen, but I'm always paranoid about it happening. Today, it felt even warmer, but I haven't checked to see what our high was.
I ended up going to Fargo with a friend of mine to go to the Fargo Air Museum. Even though they insanely overcharged for entry, it was still pretty cool. They had a lot of military aircraft there and a lot of memorabilia from WW-II and WW-III. It was pretty interesting to look at it all. The place wasn't very big at all... it was practically a small airplane hangar with several planes inside. Plus, they had a crap-load of motorcycles in there - which I didn't understand. This was the "Air" Museum, right? ;)
Anyhow, it was nice to get out and do something a little different. Lately, all I've been doing is going out to eat or going to see movies when I go out. Next time, maybe I'll check out some of the other historic places around here. I enjoy things like that...
I also went to Wal-Mart yesterday to process 6 rolls of film I've had sitting around since last fall. I had pictures from when I moved into my apartment on one of the rolls! So, I have several new pictures in the Photo Gallery for your viewing pleasure... I don't have too many, but most of them have been posted in the photo-scapes albums. I added a few photos in my chasing albums, as well... It's kind of cool in one aspect, because thinking about it, this will probably be the last film I'll ever pay to have processed. Or that I will ever own! Since I have the XT now, it'll be likely that I won't use my film cameras much anymore. We'll see...
I'm also still in the middle of our fantasy baseball draft. So far, I think I'm doing pretty well. If your curious, here's my team, thus far:
Well, folks, I'm gonna go flip on ESPN and see how the Hoosiers did tonight in the Big Ten Tournament. I totally forgot to tape the game tonight. I've tried to avoid checking the scores online tonight - cause I'd rather see them on TV and on ESPN or ESPNews, where I can also get some highlights. I saw that Illinois was upset by Michigan State, though. That's just crazy! I'm getting anxious for March Madness to start! Which reminds me, I need to sign up for the WPTA (the NBC-affiliate in Ft. Wayne) March Madness brackets. My dad fills those out every year just for fun and, hey, why not have some friendly competition between my dad and I? ;) The overall winner actually wins a TV or something like that... I doubt I'd win the thing, but if I did - there would be some problems. I think you have to be an Indiana resident to receive the prize and as far as I know, no relatives can accept the prize for you, either. I dunno, if I did happen to win the thing, maybe I can talk them into having my dad accept it somehow. Heheh... Anyway, I seriously doubt that would happen anyway.
Well, I guess this sums up my last few days here. Hope you all are doing well.
Take care!
Yesterday we even had a whole day of sunshine. It felt so nice outside, I finally went and got my car washed. It's probably the first time it's been washed since last fall. Washing your car in the dead of winter up here is pointless. That sand crap they put down on the roads up here makes your car dirty again, by the next day. I'm always afraid too, that if I wash the thing when it's cold out that the doors will freeze shut. Supposedly it shouldn't happen, but I'm always paranoid about it happening. Today, it felt even warmer, but I haven't checked to see what our high was.
I ended up going to Fargo with a friend of mine to go to the Fargo Air Museum. Even though they insanely overcharged for entry, it was still pretty cool. They had a lot of military aircraft there and a lot of memorabilia from WW-II and WW-III. It was pretty interesting to look at it all. The place wasn't very big at all... it was practically a small airplane hangar with several planes inside. Plus, they had a crap-load of motorcycles in there - which I didn't understand. This was the "Air" Museum, right? ;)
Anyhow, it was nice to get out and do something a little different. Lately, all I've been doing is going out to eat or going to see movies when I go out. Next time, maybe I'll check out some of the other historic places around here. I enjoy things like that...
I also went to Wal-Mart yesterday to process 6 rolls of film I've had sitting around since last fall. I had pictures from when I moved into my apartment on one of the rolls! So, I have several new pictures in the Photo Gallery for your viewing pleasure... I don't have too many, but most of them have been posted in the photo-scapes albums. I added a few photos in my chasing albums, as well... It's kind of cool in one aspect, because thinking about it, this will probably be the last film I'll ever pay to have processed. Or that I will ever own! Since I have the XT now, it'll be likely that I won't use my film cameras much anymore. We'll see...
I'm also still in the middle of our fantasy baseball draft. So far, I think I'm doing pretty well. If your curious, here's my team, thus far:
Position Players:We'll see how this season goes... but I'm hoping for a better result than last year. I finished near the bottom of my league. I can't remember exactly where, but it may have indeed been second to last. In other news, I'm still leading in the Fantasy Hockey League I'm in. Luck, is really the only way I'm leading that league. I'm serious when I say I don't know shit about hockey. I really don't...
Ca_ V. Martinez (Cle)
1B_ D. Lee (ChC)
2B_ M. Ellis (Oak)
3B_ M. Ensberg (Hou)
SS_ J. Rollins (Phi)
OF_ B. Abreu (Phi)
OF_ J. Pierre (ChC)
OF_ J. Francoeur (Atl)
UT_
Be_
Be_
Be_
Be_
Pitchers:
SP_ C. Carpenter (StL)
SP_ B. Colon (LAA)
RP_ T. Hoffman (SD)
RP_ S. Shields (LAA)
P_ B. Webb (Ari - SP)
P_ J. Garland (CWS - SP)
P_ B. Howry (ChC - RP)
P_
P_
P_
Well, folks, I'm gonna go flip on ESPN and see how the Hoosiers did tonight in the Big Ten Tournament. I totally forgot to tape the game tonight. I've tried to avoid checking the scores online tonight - cause I'd rather see them on TV and on ESPN or ESPNews, where I can also get some highlights. I saw that Illinois was upset by Michigan State, though. That's just crazy! I'm getting anxious for March Madness to start! Which reminds me, I need to sign up for the WPTA (the NBC-affiliate in Ft. Wayne) March Madness brackets. My dad fills those out every year just for fun and, hey, why not have some friendly competition between my dad and I? ;) The overall winner actually wins a TV or something like that... I doubt I'd win the thing, but if I did - there would be some problems. I think you have to be an Indiana resident to receive the prize and as far as I know, no relatives can accept the prize for you, either. I dunno, if I did happen to win the thing, maybe I can talk them into having my dad accept it somehow. Heheh... Anyway, I seriously doubt that would happen anyway.
Well, I guess this sums up my last few days here. Hope you all are doing well.
Take care!
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
Hey folks,
I haven't written much lately... and mostly, because of the work schedule and well, being lazy. This past weekend, I did a lot of catching up on some sleep and got some things done around the apartment. I was tempted to go driving around some of the smaller towns around the area Saturday to take some photos, but got busy doing laundry.
I haven't been sleeping very well lately, just because I've had some things on my mind. My mother mentioned to me some sleeping pills she's taking the other day - I may just look into those. *grin
I've been slowly working on getting the Gallery all put together and just tonight, I worked on getting the rest of my VACUUM and VUSIT photos all uploaded. All I need to do now is upload my photos from the 350D. And I may just try the batch-add feature to do it. It's so much easier doing it that way, but grudgingly uploaded the rest of the photos through the Coppermine user-interface. It works, it's just a little slower. When using the batch-add it uses a completely different directory, so I'm going to use that for the 350D photos. I have a few new ones to add to the gallery, as well, so I'm getting anxious to get them uploaded.
Other goings on... Not much else is new up here. Things with Amanda are going alright, I suppose. I really need to call her and see how she's been, since it's been a few days. It sounds silly, but sometimes I kind of like it when a woman calls me... And she just doesn't call me all that much. I find that I call her most of the time. But, either way, it doesn't really bother me all that much. I've been tossing around the idea of sitting down with her to talk about where I think this is all going. She has a right to know, and I realize that. I need to talk to her - I just keep puting it off. I kind of met someone else over the 'net the other day, but don't really know for sure where I want that to go either. It's weird that I have options and find it awkward that it's tearing me apart trying to figure out what I want. A month and a half ago, I was bitching because I was sick of being single and wasn't getting out to meet anyone. Now look where I'm at... I need to sit back and re-evaluate who I am and make a decision on who I can see a future with. It can't be that hard of thing to do, can it?
Anywho...
For those of you back in Indiana that read this thing... I turned in my vacation for August last Friday. Since Cory worked with me last night, he told me he would take note of the request and that it shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure exactly how much vacation I'll have by then, but hopefully I'll have enough to be able to take a couple of weeks off. I've asked for the time between Friday, August 18th through Friday, September 1st. That should be a great time to be home... My friends, if they go to the lake again this year, will likely be going up the third weekend of August and that should be the first weekend of my 2-week vacation. It's always a great time going up there... I'm anxious to go home. I haven't seen my friends or my parents in so long.
Well, I'm getting hungry, so I'm gonna go find a midnight snack and watch some TV.
More later...
I haven't written much lately... and mostly, because of the work schedule and well, being lazy. This past weekend, I did a lot of catching up on some sleep and got some things done around the apartment. I was tempted to go driving around some of the smaller towns around the area Saturday to take some photos, but got busy doing laundry.
I haven't been sleeping very well lately, just because I've had some things on my mind. My mother mentioned to me some sleeping pills she's taking the other day - I may just look into those. *grin
I've been slowly working on getting the Gallery all put together and just tonight, I worked on getting the rest of my VACUUM and VUSIT photos all uploaded. All I need to do now is upload my photos from the 350D. And I may just try the batch-add feature to do it. It's so much easier doing it that way, but grudgingly uploaded the rest of the photos through the Coppermine user-interface. It works, it's just a little slower. When using the batch-add it uses a completely different directory, so I'm going to use that for the 350D photos. I have a few new ones to add to the gallery, as well, so I'm getting anxious to get them uploaded.
Other goings on... Not much else is new up here. Things with Amanda are going alright, I suppose. I really need to call her and see how she's been, since it's been a few days. It sounds silly, but sometimes I kind of like it when a woman calls me... And she just doesn't call me all that much. I find that I call her most of the time. But, either way, it doesn't really bother me all that much. I've been tossing around the idea of sitting down with her to talk about where I think this is all going. She has a right to know, and I realize that. I need to talk to her - I just keep puting it off. I kind of met someone else over the 'net the other day, but don't really know for sure where I want that to go either. It's weird that I have options and find it awkward that it's tearing me apart trying to figure out what I want. A month and a half ago, I was bitching because I was sick of being single and wasn't getting out to meet anyone. Now look where I'm at... I need to sit back and re-evaluate who I am and make a decision on who I can see a future with. It can't be that hard of thing to do, can it?
Anywho...
For those of you back in Indiana that read this thing... I turned in my vacation for August last Friday. Since Cory worked with me last night, he told me he would take note of the request and that it shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure exactly how much vacation I'll have by then, but hopefully I'll have enough to be able to take a couple of weeks off. I've asked for the time between Friday, August 18th through Friday, September 1st. That should be a great time to be home... My friends, if they go to the lake again this year, will likely be going up the third weekend of August and that should be the first weekend of my 2-week vacation. It's always a great time going up there... I'm anxious to go home. I haven't seen my friends or my parents in so long.
Well, I'm getting hungry, so I'm gonna go find a midnight snack and watch some TV.
More later...
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under Internet , photography , pictures , support .
Hey folks,
I think I've got the PhotoBlog all setup and ready... I found a template that I really like and after some minor modifications, I think I have it where I want it. There are a few small things I still have yet to do, like writing the "About" section for the blog. That's a simple thing and shouldn't take long, I just don't feel like doing it right now. It's linked to in the Menu to the left.
I haven't even touched the Gallery yet today, but I'm hoping when I get home from work tomorrow morning, to get on here and maybe work with it some. And hell, I don't know, I may just work on it some before I head into work. I still have a few hours... *grin
Anyhow, hope everyone's doing well...
I think I've got the PhotoBlog all setup and ready... I found a template that I really like and after some minor modifications, I think I have it where I want it. There are a few small things I still have yet to do, like writing the "About" section for the blog. That's a simple thing and shouldn't take long, I just don't feel like doing it right now. It's linked to in the Menu to the left.
I haven't even touched the Gallery yet today, but I'm hoping when I get home from work tomorrow morning, to get on here and maybe work with it some. And hell, I don't know, I may just work on it some before I head into work. I still have a few hours... *grin
Anyhow, hope everyone's doing well...
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under Internet , photography , pictures , support .
I'm in such a better mood... This afternoon, my host finally figured out what was going on with my Photo Gallery and PhotoBlog issues. Apparently, their PHP Upgrade last week was causing issues on the server. So!
The gallery is now operational... It's located somewhere else, now, however.
If you're looking for it, it's located at: http://photos.mhartman-wx.com
The PhotoBlog is also operational at: http://blog.mhartman-wx.com
Keep checking back... I'll be slowly, but surely, re-building the gallery.
Have a great evening!
The gallery is now operational... It's located somewhere else, now, however.
If you're looking for it, it's located at: http://photos.mhartman-wx.com
The PhotoBlog is also operational at: http://blog.mhartman-wx.com
Keep checking back... I'll be slowly, but surely, re-building the gallery.
Have a great evening!
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
Hey everyone...
Updating a previous post, the photo gallery isn't coming along very well at all. I had to fiddle around with the re-installation off and on all night last night and at one point, removed everything that had to do with the damn thing and start clean. Even with a clean install of the stand-alone version of Coppermine and a newly created MySQL Database, it still had issues with uploading. It installed fine, let me create the categories and albums just the way I wanted - and everything. All was well. Until uploading photos, that is... It would actually upload my photos, but it would have issues with creating the thumbnails and intermediate photos for the albums. I don't understand what the problem is...
I do like the batch-add feature in the newer version, though. I wish I could get the newer version to work!
Anyhow, I'm having Admo recover my entire web-site (files, directories, databases, and all...) from a backup from this past weekend. A time when I know everything was fully functioning.
How frustrating...
Updating a previous post, the photo gallery isn't coming along very well at all. I had to fiddle around with the re-installation off and on all night last night and at one point, removed everything that had to do with the damn thing and start clean. Even with a clean install of the stand-alone version of Coppermine and a newly created MySQL Database, it still had issues with uploading. It installed fine, let me create the categories and albums just the way I wanted - and everything. All was well. Until uploading photos, that is... It would actually upload my photos, but it would have issues with creating the thumbnails and intermediate photos for the albums. I don't understand what the problem is...
I do like the batch-add feature in the newer version, though. I wish I could get the newer version to work!
Anyhow, I'm having Admo recover my entire web-site (files, directories, databases, and all...) from a backup from this past weekend. A time when I know everything was fully functioning.
How frustrating...
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
Hey folks,
I wanted to let you all know that I'll be conducting some maitenance to my photo gallery over the next few days. Over this span, the gallery will either not be accessible, or portions of it will not be accessible. I'm experiencing problems with the database file that drives the gallery. While it appears that viewing photos is working as it's supposed to, it will not allow me to upload and/or edit photos or their descriptions. As a result, I am re-installing the gallery software. Since I'm deciding on this, I'll have to re-upload every one of my photos in the Gallery. It'll take some time, but hopefully, things will go smoothly.
Keep warm out there...
I wanted to let you all know that I'll be conducting some maitenance to my photo gallery over the next few days. Over this span, the gallery will either not be accessible, or portions of it will not be accessible. I'm experiencing problems with the database file that drives the gallery. While it appears that viewing photos is working as it's supposed to, it will not allow me to upload and/or edit photos or their descriptions. As a result, I am re-installing the gallery software. Since I'm deciding on this, I'll have to re-upload every one of my photos in the Gallery. It'll take some time, but hopefully, things will go smoothly.
Keep warm out there...
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under photography , pictures , snow , weather .
Well folks,
My patience and anxiety has paid off... The Digital Rebel XT and SanDisk 1GB Ultra-II FlashCard came today through the mail! I had a heck of a time getting them.
After work, I came home, grabbed the tickets/notifcations from my door for both the UPS and FedEx and went to find the UPS Customer Service office here in town. I had a general idea where it was, but before, I could never find it. Mark, from work, described to me where it was, and apparently before I wasn't taking Washington Street far enough north to where it was located. It's all the way on the north end of town. So, anyhow, I drove all the way out there to find that the office was only open from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. What kind of hours are those?
So, then, I drove all the way out to the airport, where the FedEx building is. Upon arrival there, I was told I would have to go to the Ground Shipment office on 44th Street. So, I had to drive all the way back to the north-side of town to the Ground office only to find out the driver of the truck wasn't there - and that he wouldn't return until tomorrow morning. I wanted my camera now! :( So, I made up a story and told them I'd be busy and wouldn't be home to accept the package and that I'd need to pick it up, so the guy I was talking to actually called the truck driver back. They worked things out and let me meet the guy back at his house to accept the package that way. It was really cool they let me do that... The thing was, his house was all the way on the south-end of town. So, here I go again, treking all over town. All the while, our rain had switched over to freezing rain, then to all snow... So the roads were just plain getting nasty. My wheels were spinning out of control and well, my car just doesn't handle very well on snow and ice, to begin with. I was getting so frustrated - and just wanted to get back to my apartment.
BUT, I still had my memory card to pick up at the UPS. So, I had to drive all the way back to the north-end of town and by this time it was close to 5:30pm. Remember, I got off of work today at 3:00pm. I had been on the road, driving all over town and back and forth to the airport, for two and a half hours! Ugh... So, anyway, I get to the UPS and they tell me that the package was still in the truck... and that the truck was still on deliveries! The guy told me to come back between 7:30 and 8:30pm and that the trucks would be back by then. Apparently, they're technically closed after 6:00, but people can still drop by and pick up packages until 8:30pm.
So, I went home... read up on some of the instructions and played around with the camera a little bit. Everything is working the way it's supposed to. I was soo happy! :) I then left to go back to the UPS and was able to finally get the card. I came home, threw it in the camera, and went for a short walk down the street to try snapping a few pictures outdoors.
The settings are pretty much the same as my older Canon Rebel SLR, but they're configured a little differently on the XT. So, I'll have to get used to them. And considering that, plus the fact that I haven't shot anything on camera in so long, a lot of my pictures were pretty shaky.
A few of the pictures did turn out rather well, though... and I've posted these to my gallery. If you're curious to look through them, you can link to them directly here... If you're unable to get to the photos there, just go to the gallery and click on "Miscellaneous Galleries." The first photo album listed is the one consisting of the few select photos I posted.
So, hot damn... I finally have the digital camera I've been wanting for months. No longer will I have to pay for film or developing! Now, I'm just anxious for some storms to take pictures of...
More photos will follow, I'm sure!
Later folks...
My patience and anxiety has paid off... The Digital Rebel XT and SanDisk 1GB Ultra-II FlashCard came today through the mail! I had a heck of a time getting them.
After work, I came home, grabbed the tickets/notifcations from my door for both the UPS and FedEx and went to find the UPS Customer Service office here in town. I had a general idea where it was, but before, I could never find it. Mark, from work, described to me where it was, and apparently before I wasn't taking Washington Street far enough north to where it was located. It's all the way on the north end of town. So, anyhow, I drove all the way out there to find that the office was only open from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. What kind of hours are those?
So, then, I drove all the way out to the airport, where the FedEx building is. Upon arrival there, I was told I would have to go to the Ground Shipment office on 44th Street. So, I had to drive all the way back to the north-side of town to the Ground office only to find out the driver of the truck wasn't there - and that he wouldn't return until tomorrow morning. I wanted my camera now! :( So, I made up a story and told them I'd be busy and wouldn't be home to accept the package and that I'd need to pick it up, so the guy I was talking to actually called the truck driver back. They worked things out and let me meet the guy back at his house to accept the package that way. It was really cool they let me do that... The thing was, his house was all the way on the south-end of town. So, here I go again, treking all over town. All the while, our rain had switched over to freezing rain, then to all snow... So the roads were just plain getting nasty. My wheels were spinning out of control and well, my car just doesn't handle very well on snow and ice, to begin with. I was getting so frustrated - and just wanted to get back to my apartment.
BUT, I still had my memory card to pick up at the UPS. So, I had to drive all the way back to the north-end of town and by this time it was close to 5:30pm. Remember, I got off of work today at 3:00pm. I had been on the road, driving all over town and back and forth to the airport, for two and a half hours! Ugh... So, anyway, I get to the UPS and they tell me that the package was still in the truck... and that the truck was still on deliveries! The guy told me to come back between 7:30 and 8:30pm and that the trucks would be back by then. Apparently, they're technically closed after 6:00, but people can still drop by and pick up packages until 8:30pm.
So, I went home... read up on some of the instructions and played around with the camera a little bit. Everything is working the way it's supposed to. I was soo happy! :) I then left to go back to the UPS and was able to finally get the card. I came home, threw it in the camera, and went for a short walk down the street to try snapping a few pictures outdoors.
The settings are pretty much the same as my older Canon Rebel SLR, but they're configured a little differently on the XT. So, I'll have to get used to them. And considering that, plus the fact that I haven't shot anything on camera in so long, a lot of my pictures were pretty shaky.
A few of the pictures did turn out rather well, though... and I've posted these to my gallery. If you're curious to look through them, you can link to them directly here... If you're unable to get to the photos there, just go to the gallery and click on "Miscellaneous Galleries." The first photo album listed is the one consisting of the few select photos I posted.
So, hot damn... I finally have the digital camera I've been wanting for months. No longer will I have to pay for film or developing! Now, I'm just anxious for some storms to take pictures of...
More photos will follow, I'm sure!
Later folks...
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Hey folks...
I've started what I like to call a "MediaBlog" over on fenderdx.blogspot. As many of my friends would tell you, I'm a huge music and movie buff. I figured this would be a good way for me to express myself through both mediums. Plus, it just sounded like a fun thing to do!
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep it updated on a daily basis. I hope to offer up a daily photo, lyric, and song.
Enjoy!
Edit: The "MediaBlog" has since been discontinued... (10/14/2006)
I've started what I like to call a "MediaBlog" over on fenderdx.blogspot. As many of my friends would tell you, I'm a huge music and movie buff. I figured this would be a good way for me to express myself through both mediums. Plus, it just sounded like a fun thing to do!
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep it updated on a daily basis. I hope to offer up a daily photo, lyric, and song.
Enjoy!
Edit: The "MediaBlog" has since been discontinued... (10/14/2006)
0 conundrum(s) | Have one of your own?
Unconfirmed reports continue to increase the death toll from this morning's tornado across Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties. The number has now increased to 23, however please keep in mind this is unconfirmed and that it is subject to change.
Some names from the confirmed dead have been released from the Vanderburgh County Coronor's Office. Out of respect, I will not list them here, however if you are looking for those that have been released, you can get them here: http://www.wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4080798
WFIE (the NBC Evansville affiliate) has excellent coverage and has posted an extensive photo gallery as well.
Some names from the confirmed dead have been released from the Vanderburgh County Coronor's Office. Out of respect, I will not list them here, however if you are looking for those that have been released, you can get them here: http://www.wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4080798
WFIE (the NBC Evansville affiliate) has excellent coverage and has posted an extensive photo gallery as well.
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- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under Indianapolis Colts , pictures , snow , sports , weather .
Hello folks,
It's late (or early - however you want to look at it) but I thought I'd try this out... I downloaded this "Blogger for Word" and am trying it. Seems strange, but well, here goes.
Not much new here... We had more accumulating snows up here yesterday morning. Since I'm pulling the E8 shifts (8:00pm to 4:00pm) I've been writing up district forecasts for ND and SD and the state forecast for South Dakota. If you've been monitoring the Blog here at all, you probably have figured that one out. But, anyhow I had forecasted "scattered" light snow-showers so I grudgingly got up early yesterday morning to check if anything had fallen. Surprisingly, there was more on the ground than I had even anticipated. I took a few pictures out the apt. window and have posted these to my photo gallery. If you're inclined to look: http://www.mhartman-wx.com/gallery/. Choose "Photo-Scapes" then "Winterscapes," to view the photos.
Well, I'm going to keep this short. Since it's late (for me) and of course, I want to get up and watch some football later. It's Sunday, man! I'm pumped for some football... and for another Colts victory! It should be an easy one, since the boys are playing the Houston Texans. But, you never know who is going to show up to play. It'd sure be nice to go into our bye week, and especially into Patriot country with a 7-0 record!
I wish I could actually watch the Colts play... since it's typically a "regional" thing I only get to see them when they play a "big" game or on MNF (Monday Night Football). It was sweet actually getting to watch them last week!
Anyhow, I'm going to get some sleep.
Take care and hope all is well...
It's late (or early - however you want to look at it) but I thought I'd try this out... I downloaded this "Blogger for Word" and am trying it. Seems strange, but well, here goes.
Not much new here... We had more accumulating snows up here yesterday morning. Since I'm pulling the E8 shifts (8:00pm to 4:00pm) I've been writing up district forecasts for ND and SD and the state forecast for South Dakota. If you've been monitoring the Blog here at all, you probably have figured that one out. But, anyhow I had forecasted "scattered" light snow-showers so I grudgingly got up early yesterday morning to check if anything had fallen. Surprisingly, there was more on the ground than I had even anticipated. I took a few pictures out the apt. window and have posted these to my photo gallery. If you're inclined to look: http://www.mhartman-wx.com/gallery/. Choose "Photo-Scapes" then "Winterscapes," to view the photos.
Well, I'm going to keep this short. Since it's late (for me) and of course, I want to get up and watch some football later. It's Sunday, man! I'm pumped for some football... and for another Colts victory! It should be an easy one, since the boys are playing the Houston Texans. But, you never know who is going to show up to play. It'd sure be nice to go into our bye week, and especially into Patriot country with a 7-0 record!
I wish I could actually watch the Colts play... since it's typically a "regional" thing I only get to see them when they play a "big" game or on MNF (Monday Night Football). It was sweet actually getting to watch them last week!
Anyhow, I'm going to get some sleep.
Take care and hope all is well...
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- Signed: Matthew Hartman
- Filed under photography , pictures , weather , work .
Okay, got the Indiana forecast pushed out moments ago... and once again have some spare time. Okay, so I wanted to try to post a photo to see how it looks in the blog... This is "officially" the first storm I've captured on film here in the Northern Plains. This was captured on August 28th along the SD/MN border looking eastward from I-29. The photo was taken as my mother and I were on our way up here to Grand Forks in late August to look at apartments... Beautiful plains thunderheads - ah, I'm so anxious to see more of these.
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