memorial day weekend

this had to be the best memorial day weekend ever. I was finally able to get a job somewhere pouring wine. It happened to be for Zenith Vineyard which is located around (literally) St. Innocent winery. It was so much fun! All I had to do was to talk about wine and pour it into peoples' glasses. It's funny when you are the authoritative figure. I could tell people what it was they were tasting and they would actually get it! it was just good fun. not only that but I was able to taste a bunch of different wine too since I was off work at 4. that is a big change for me too. It was great being off work and still having some daylight! That is what allowed me and my girlfriend to go out and take some photos. I am not terribly excited about all of the photos but there are a few that were pretty cool. I think we found some cool spots though. I just didn't really like the composition of a lot of them, but at least its a good learning tool. (I don't want to blame the equipment either, but my lense blows). I am going to be taking (hopefully) a photography class this summer, which I think will help with my composition. anyway, here are some images from the weekend.

flippin out

ok dumb title. whatever. I have known about the flip cameras for a while now but hadn't really thought much about them. a friend said they had one and now I just feel like I have to have one too! they can even shoot in HD! not to mention that they aren't all that expensive, perfect for casual shooting and making my own stupid videos. I think that its cool that from their website you can customize your own camera before you buy it too. I dunno, I think I just really want one now. time to start saving my meager wages. all these designs were done by a group called Ideo except for the last one, the eyepatch one. very cool stuff.

the real deal

Tonight was a really fun lab! Finally some classic chemistry! I am def a hands on learner!

opportunities taken

I have gotten into the habit of leaving my camera in my car because it is too often that I see something cool that I wish I could take pictures of. On my way home from West Salem after visiting with Tim and Kari, I happened by some (2) really cool barns (I know, total cliche´right?). The lighting was basically perfect and I forced myself to flip a U-turn, trespass on people's property (one of which I got confronted at), and FINALLY use my camera! I think that they turned out decent though.

bright monday

good day today! Finally we have some sun! I met up with some really nice people at Zenith Winery, Tim and Kari. Instead of it being a job I think it will be more of a gig. I think they will just be needing someone over the busy Memorial Day Weekend to pour their wines. They were really nice and even put in a good word for me with the caterer that they use for all their events. thats pretty impressive considering they just met me! also, I don't have to shave or get a haircut. I thought for sure that they would want me to be more 'presentable' than 'expressive' but alas they didn't seem to care. I think they cared more about my demeanor, and now I can continue my goal of no hair cut until the end of the summer! yay!

overheard along the way

normally a peaceful walk through the courtyard at school after wednesday chem lab was disturbed by some sort of 'event' most likely only found in hick towns. it was a delightful little...car bash. wow. yee haw. anyway, that's beside the point, what had me qctm (thats chuckling quietly to myself for those of you that don't know all the texting speak), was the strange, crazy woman wielding the sledgehammer. she wore dirty white Asics, and the typical older woman jeans, the kind a PTA mom would wear. the ones that choke your ankles and expose a bit of sock and let the whole world see what kind of terrible sneakers you were wearing. Her hair was dirty blonde, and by dirty, I mean not washed. her navy sweatshirt, a sized or two too small, clung to her forearms, refusing to reach her wrists. she had a look in her eye, a look of anticipation. her breathing heavied. she drew deep breaths and exhaled violently letting her cheeks puff up each time. she hulked around the beat up blue hatchback trying to decide where to strike first, where she would do the most damage (like any good hick would). suddenly she stopped in her tracks, her eyes lit up briefly. I knew she had found her mark. (At this point she was on the other side of the car and I couldn't see what she saw, but undoubtedly it had to be some sort of bumper sticker). she brought the sledgehammer back with a heave, swung it high in the air, sunlight glinted off of the hunk of metal as she exclaimed with fervor, "Kiss my ass Obama! This one's for Bush!" Thud. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself and continue on my way.

titles and names

I would have to say one of the hardest things about this whole blog thing is trying to figure out the names that you want. I had to settle on my second choice as my first one was already taken by Creed from the office: