When going through old photos last weekend, I came across this one of my mother. I had said to her when I saw it, “my god Mom your hair looks phenomenal”. Her response was “yah but it was too hard to keep up”. It turns out this was from a family wedding in the summer of 1972, in Darien, Connecticut. Long before my parents were thinking of me.

My grandmother is on the left, and I believe my mom’s cousin is on the right. The original photo had faded quite a bit and I used levels, curves and contrast in Photoshop to bring back the depth of the photo. I also did some burning in of areas that had faded more than the rest of the photo.

I’m a bit behind in seeing this, but what awesome work from the Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Oregon. I’d love to read more on how this came together and how many people actually participated. I could definitely see Danbury Hospital doing something like this. I wonder if they’ve seen it.

Absolutely beautiful. I’m looking forward to watching the Olympics there in a few days. Vancouver has been on my list of places to visit for a while. Someday we’ll make it out there.

This had me rolling in laughter. Love Andy Samberg!

Craig and I were having a good discussion tonight about his take away from reading the book The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka. One thing he mentioned was the concept of your life being like a movie, and then having that feeling of why am I in this movie? If you’re answering with “I don’t know”, then it’s pretty clear something needs to change.

Several years ago, that question went through my head quite often. I had considered what life would be like without me in it and just wanted a break. It seemed like the weight on my shoulders was too much to bear. I’m grateful to say things turned around and particularly this year I re-inspired myself to not lose another 10 years to doing for everything and everyone else. Because at the end of the day if I’m not happy with my life and who I am, what else do I have.

In that spirit. I happened to love the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. I always found it funny and cathartic. It’s a great metaphor for what many of us do, sometimes without even realizing it. We make decisions that are not ones towards a life we’d love but rather slow chips away at ending the one we’re in. But amazingly like the movie, changing your perspective, removing culprits from your life that bring you down, can make huge steps towards being in a life you actually like and want to wake up to and be alive for. You always have tomorrow as an opportunity to change the path.

Find that road not taken.

There are some great tips to avoid creative blocks over at Inspired Mag’s website. The one I have the hardest problem with is #5 self-doubt. Which lead me to remember Leah’s post about Self-Employment: The First Six Months. She mentioned previously feeling guilty when a potential client would say they couldn’t afford her services. I’ve had that feeling many times, and foolishly buckled to bringing down my rate to something where it was no longer respecting my time and services. She summed it up best, “…let go of the guilt that I can’t help everyone.”

The other tip in the article that I need to follow more is #3 Take a Walk and #6 Get Away for a Day or Two. Staying home and just not going out is not the same. My home is my office, and it’s filled with personal projects that also peek at me from behind their boxes and I feel like I should at least be doing those. I remind myself to just go look at my OmniFocus “Due” perspective and only worry about what is there.

Walks are so underrated, I had forgotten how cathartic they can be. We took a peaceful, albeit very cold walk yesterday along the river. It reminded me how much I like what I do, along with memories of our days driving up Route 7 and planning out our future. It gave me hope. I know it sounds kind of cheesy, but somedays it’s what I need to be reminded life is about. The dreams and reaching for them.

Thank you to my dreamer, who constantly reminds me to never give up.

Client: Cathy Setterlin
Project: Website
URL: http://www.cathysetterlin.com
Software: Photoshop, Coda, CSS Edit, Web Developer Toolkit, IE Tester

Cathy came to me looking to design a website for her business which she was getting ready to launch. I decided to use the project as an opportunity to push myself and code a site by hand again. I never broke out the WYSIWYG editors. I wrote my CSS from scratch with books by my side to help me out. I made sure to test in IE 6 and IE 7.

Regarding design. I picked up colors that I have seen Cathy wear frequently and ones I’d seen around her home. I wanted the site to feel like an extension of her. I wanted it to be clean, simple and easy to navigate. The range of possible visitors was quite wide.

I’m very happy with the outcome.

Love this! Found at Living Vicariously.

Liam and Kathy

Catching Autumn crack a smile

“If they can afford to pay for the high payout bonuses, they can afford to back the American people.”

Ever since I read an article back in the mid-90’s about the CEO of Aetna I believe, living down in Fairfield County, getting a 7 million dollar bonus, I thought, ok there’s something seriously wrong here. How can someone heading up a company who’s supposed to be helping people, but denying many basic coverage, be walking home with that much money. Really you need a 6,000 sq ft house? Since when, did people need 6,000 sq ft houses and multiple cars. Is it nice to have? sure. But how do you sleep at night? What have you done to improve humanity?

In the same thread of thought, banks and their upper management, just for a year be better humans. I’ve gone for over a year with a partial paycheck. They can’t go for a year without a bonus?

This picture and those vines feel like a metaphor for my life currently, well the past 9 years or so. We (Craig and I) had such clear dreams and plans for our lives back in 1998-1999. Then starting in 1999 it got chipped away at slowly and sometimes fast, over the next 10 years. Craig literally dealt with having his spine twisted at one point. Our efforts to keep the plan going seemed to get more and more complicated and frustrating. Here we are 10 years later and feeling like we’ve almost broken free from the vines and twists that tried to take over.

People reflected on the last 10 years with sadness of the financial crisis, housing crisis, political crisis. I looked back and said, “holy shit I survived it”. I really didn’t think I’d live to see 30. Between all the stresses over the past 10 years and then just my own health which I had put on a back burner it seemed inevitable this was going to be coming to an end. I don’t mean to sound doom and gloom, just felt like, really what else could be thrown at me.

Well maybe not entirely. I used to love the winter, but that was when I lived in a house that actually stayed warm. Our apartment when the wind kicks up can be very hard to keep warm. Thus I’m kind of missing those days of basking in the sun and feeling warm all the way through. I took this photo over last summer on our only visit to White Memorial that year. I’m determined to get out and enjoy the outdoors in 2010. It seems like so long ago but in 2006, I was biking at least once a week and doing all sorts of other things outdoors.

In the spirit of getting in better health

This past week I ate vegetarian from Sunday through Thursday. Friday we started running out groceries, time and I caved and picked up Starbucks for breakfast, Subway for lunch and pizza for dinner. Lesson learned though, as my stomach was none too happy with my meal choices and I spent the evening in a lot of pain. Which leads me to thinking, maybe I do have some level of lactose intolerance. The weekend was filled with lots of out and about activities, and I made decisions that were fairly good.

I’m looking forward to going back to eating simpler, not so rich foods this week. My goal for this week is to continue with primarily vegetarian meals and get in at least two days of exercise. I have to work on my core to help my back, which has been bothering me again. I am also planning to map out different places to mountain bike between home and work. Along with that, I’m putting together a shopping list of winter bike gear; booties, pants and a bright orange fleece jacket (I like my life).

It was probably earlier this past year I saw someone post their daily photo with DailyBooth. I didn’t think much of it, but I’ve seen more people posting lately and then today Gary Vaynerchuk’s job posting even mentioned it as a possible requirement. Since my thing is photography, I figured I’d give it a shot. Might also be a good reminder for myself to see the progress of losing weight this year.

Friend me up if you’re on there.

As I’ve come to find out recently, I’m eating too few calories. As well as too little protein. Sadly I seem to have no issues getting sodium, which is the one thing I need to lessen. I’m back to logging my meals into Daily Burn, at least until I get a better grasp of what it takes to make up a healthy balanced day of meals.

This week will be an experiment, and hopefully next week will be the positive results of this week’s logging.

I’m so glad someone made this movie pulling in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Craig and I started watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” annually about 4 years ago. For some reason neither of us had really been attracted to it when we were younger. Now having lived through the DotCom crash, 9/11, job losses, credit card debts and watched friends and family go through financial hardships, we could really identify with George Bailey. It’s saddening when you realize how many years ago that movie was made, and how much it holds true still today. If not even more so.

I’m happy to say when I went to the website to see about lenders in our area who were community banks, we are already with one. We’ve had our accounts with them since the 90’s. Ironically both the banks we used to work for got swallowed up by Bank of America and Webster.

Visit http://moveyourmoney.info for more information.

Thanks to @kellysims for the link.

• Turned 30
• Been on unemployment/shared work program for 13 months
• Fought back depression
• Vacationed in Maine in monsoon season
• Vacated in New Hampshire in intense humidity
• Biked the Lincoln Woods Trail (a highlight for the year)
• Finally bought a TV
• Established some new friendships, that I hope will last a while
• Partnered with new people for projects

2010 Goals:

1. Drink water (I just don’t drink anything currently)
2. Eat vegetarian / vegan 4 days a week
3. Bicycle (a lot more)
4. Shoot more photograhy both B&W film and digital
5. Have a gallery showing/or participate in an art show by end of year
6. Drink more tea and less coffee
7. Read 8 books this year
8. Bring in 3 clients in the first half of 2010
9. Schedule alone/creative time each week
10. Cook (and use more herbs and spices)

What are your goals for the new year?

More than 130,000 advertising professionals have lost their jobs in this “Great Recession.” Lemonade is about what happens when people who were once paid to be creative in advertising are forced to be creative with their own lives.

Craig and I have talked often over the years of the “what if I lost my job” scenario. Both of my last two jobs had layoffs, and I grew to understand in my first job at a dot com, that at any moment it could be you. Don’t take it personally, you’re a number in the end, not in a bad way, just a salary and when budgets are not being met, it comes down to numbers. To me layoffs have become a fact of life, I’m always some what prepared in my head, a box under my desk and trying to stay one step ahead.

The advertising industry to me feels like the canary in the coal mine. The arts always take the first hit of being the “unnecessary” expense businesses cut in tough times. The irony there is with good marketing and imagery your product will continue to be successful.

It’s wonderful someone is making this movie. As creative professionals I think we generally have the ability to bounce back quicker than others and start off in new directions. Many times, happier directions more in line with our true callings.

Need help coming up with resolutions for 2010? Visit the New Year’s Resolution Generator.

Personally I never seem to have a problem coming up with a long list of resolutions, my usual over eager self. Of course sticking to those resolutions is a whole other matter. I’ll be following up with a post on New Year’s Day of my, very few, resolutions for 2010.

Speaking of 2010, aren’t we supposed to be seeing monoliths start arriving soon?

1) Blinkers. Cars now-a-days (possibly since the beginning) have blinkers. It’s amazing, they come with them, and even a handy lever off the steering wheel for easy access. Use them! Not only do they help you to remind you where you’re going but they help all of us around you know what your plans are. Best practice, is to turn them on before actually moving your vehicle in that new direction.

2) Drive Right, Pass Left. It’s an entire campaign for a reason. You’re not a cop, you don’t have the right to police the left lane. Just because you don’t think anyone should go above 65mph doesn’t mean you get to enforce this on the rest of us. Maybe we’re going to hell for it, but let me get by and I’ll find out. Note: if there’s a line of cars ahead obviously you can’t move over, but when you’re all by yourself toodling along in the fast lane, move over! I don’t like to use my horn and I’m not a light flasher, and I don’t like to pass on the right.

3) The Wave (Cell Phone Style). So you’re following behind me, and you get really close, then back off, then really close, then back off, rinse and repeat. I’ve been able to prove 100% of the time, you are on your cell phone. Get off the damn phone, if it’s distracting you that much. You’re not safe to yourself or me.

4) Hoppers. Are you the kind of person who likes to try to get ahead of a pack of cars by hopping from lane to lane, slowly increasing by one car at a time and cutting people off? If you are, get a freaking life, because you’re bound to lose yours at some point with that crappy driving. Seriously? it doesn’t work in video games and it rarely pans out in real life.

5) Slow Red Light Runners. While you seem to have an aversion to going the speed limit particularly in areas where it’s only 25-30mph to begin with, how is it you manage to not touch your brakes and roll right through stop signs and red lights. Does the vehicle scare you that much? Is it a safety factor motivating your desire to drive under the speed limit? If so, how is it safe to roll through stop signs and red lights?

6) Park Like You Just Don’t Care. Now parking is not a science, especially the pull in straight type. Parallel, backing in, I’ll cut you some slack, but pulling straight in? You don’t have to be perfect, but getting a relative even distance between you and the cars next to you is respectable. Because as we all know, when you’re in the car, you can tell if you’re too close, and you can certainly tell by the time you get out of the car. Do you really want to end up on a website like youparklikeanasshole.com? It just takes a few moments to care about your fellow driver.

Disclaimer: I am not a perfect driver, and do not claim to be one. I spend roughly 2 hours a day on the road, 5 days a week, and then travel usually on the weekend. I’ve done road trips through the mid-west and south east, I feel I’ve gotten to see a fare amount of drivers out there. All of these items, can be summed up simply, pay attention to the other people around you. Be considerate of your other drivers. Be safe. If someone wants to go faster, let them go!

As we close a decade marked by war, help us usher in a decade focused on compassion.

The names of all affirmers on December 31 will be sent along with the Charter for Compassion to 5 world leaders whose countries are engaged in conflict.

What if more people went about their days with this view on the world and life? Check out the Charter for Compassion video and if you feel moved, add your name.

This year, after everything that we’ve been through this year, I could really appreciate this song.

I really miss my Dad this year, as my mother is trying to set me over the edge. The holidays were the one time of year my parents didn’t argue, well actually that should be restated, Christmas eve and day were the only times.

I cherish this time of year, and in recent years it seems to creep up on me faster and faster. I love to shop for my friends and family. I like paying attention to their likes and dislikes over time and trying to find that special gift.

The ornament above was in my Dad’s family since the early part of the 20th century, and possibly earlier. I know it was handed down to him when he was a teenager.

I wish everyone a happy holidays with your family and loved ones.

Shot with the 50mm lense outside my work in the afternoon on lunch break.

My humble and always willing photography subject, Craig. I was showing Ron how the lense worked with depth of field and the expo disc the other night. Craig kindly posed and I snapped this photo. I love the 50mm lense.

I haven’t shared much of my web design work. The Housatonic Friends Meeting website is based off of the Hemmingway theme for WordPress. Quakers are by a rule simple and plain and my objective was to keep the site that way as well. I integrated a Flickr feed of photos of the meeting house, along with a Google Calendar feed for the events. I’m still building secure sections of the site for the minutes and other documents.

Visit the site: http://housatonicmeeting.org

My good friend Ron is always fun to take photos of. Especially when we’re doing posed photos, he’s got the dead serious pose down to a science. I shot this with the Canon 50mm 1.8 lense.

While doing errands this morning in the bitter cold, the ideas going through my head were the different items I want to service on my car. It frustrates me to no end that I slacked on keeping the wheels clean over the past 4 years and because of that, brake dust has become caked on.

I look under the hood and there’s definitely surface rust on strut bolts and my air horns need to be polished and other items need a coat of armor all. These little things irk me. To add to it, my hood has some chips (8 years of highway commuting, it’s a miracle it’s not worse) and this past fall an acorn tree did some dent damage.

I want to bring my wonderful 8 year old vehicle back to new. Ok, well maybe not brand new, but looking good and feeling tight again. Of course this will take some money and definitely time on my part.

This got me thinking about how much my father’s meticulous attention to detail and care for all items in our home has carried on to me. When I was younger this was a bit insanely stressful. I was always in fear of things not looking exactlyas how I borrowed them.

All of this led me to realize, I am willing to take ridiculous measures to keep things looking new, in pristine shape and thus the ability to last a long time, except my own body. Most celebrities musicians or actors have to treat their bodies as a product, because it is for their professions. I have never really looked at mine like this, instead it was the one item hindering me from just getting things I wanted to get done. Ironically enough, my thought process has been more of a, “When is someone coming to take care of this thing”.

That thing is my own body, so no one else, other than me is going to be taking care of it. For most people this is pretty obvious, but I’ve spent the last 10+ years doing most of my living in my head; reading, studying, creating, analyzing, philosophising. Much like my car, with time and money it is possible to restore my body to a better state, looking “new” again.

I took this photo in June 2008 at Topsmead State Forest. A good thunderstorm had just rolled through and all the flowers were covered with water droplets.

I’ve always wanted to take a photo with a silhouetted flower against a dark back drop. The exposure for the background was low to begin with and then in Lightroom I dropped it completely.

I’m not sure what kind of flower this is. I thought maybe a chrysanthemum but please correct me if you do know.

Jazzmine loves the camera, more specifically she loves to rub the camera, but when ever I take it out, she’s interested.

The other morning she was in her usual spot curled up at the end of the bed and I decided to snap some photos. She never moved, only the eyes moved as I walked around her snapping pics.

I look forward to the day when a cat translator is created, because I’d love to know what goes on in her head.