Recently in Photography Category
In a send-off of good old desk graffiti, it looks as though there is some confusion about the bike to work day.
In preparation for my return to the Internet, I got caught up with my Flickr galleries today. These contain some of my favorite shots in recent memory, so check them out, or click on the ever-rotating Flickr badge to your right.
Hi, I'm Bret. How are you?
The summer is winding to a close in all but an official capacity. We finally received some much-needed rain here in DC, but that came with unseasonably cool temperatures the last couple of days. This only served to make me feel as if summer quietly sneaked out the back door at the party when we all weren't looking, leaving only a slight chill, a gray fog, and the return of classes in its place.
Well, okay, I know that's not all entirely true. The humidity and heat will no doubt return by the weekend, and there are still plenty of things to wet my whistle: like wedding plans, and the upcoming Labor Day Spectacular at Deep Creek Lake (tm). I am not going to be a guy who you'll be catching complaining any time soon. And if you do catch me, slap me a good one upside the head to remind me how lucky I am.
I've been keeping a lot of things bottled up the past few weeks. Here are a couple of highlights:
My amateur photography is moving into expanded realms. Gina's former employer would like me to photograph their establishment after a successful session of food photography. I come cheap, but this will still be my first paying photography gig. On a similar front, having my pictures tagged and posted on Flickr is continuing to bear fruit. The latest contact I have made has been the mapping and trip planning website Schmap, which currently features a photo of the Department of Agriculture in its DC guide. Check out the guide and see if you can find my photo credit. Wild, huh? I've poked around a little on Schmap, and it combines some of the best features of Flickr and Google Maps and so on. It's a pretty nifty site.
Michael Vick? The one smart thing he's done in the last year or so was to plead guilty. I personally see a move to the Far North in his future, unless he can wash that persistent Vick sense of entitlement off in an uncharacteristic and drawn-out display of remorse. And even if he does that, who's going to buy it?
Excitement level for the Sept 6 Concert for Virginia Tech: 7 of 10. Excitement level once I confirm that I have a ticket: 11 of 10.
Some months ago, when we were throwing a party in the townhouse, Gerritt stopped by the alternate-universe-equivalent-of-7-11 down the street, the 7 Market, and picked up a few 12-packs of soft drinks. Only Gerritt knows what cosmic force directed him that day to choose Inca Kola as one of the 12-packs, but that decision would rock our pantry to its very core for several months hence.
Inca Kola is a mysterious beast. Bottled in the far reaches of Peru, it is wildly popular in that country, apparently beating out both Pepsi and Coke in the soda wars. Resembling fluorescent urine in color, Inca's taste varies for everyone who drinks it. I always thought it tasted like liquid bubble gum, but the descriptions I've heard range from ultra-sweet Red Bull and yellow cough syrup to cream soda and the soul of Satan, and so on.
I promise it was only out of reverence that the same 12-pack of Inca lasted from sometime in the winter to a couple of weeks ago, when a bunch of the guys got together to help Stephen have fun while Jen got a ton of presents at her baby shower. The game of the day was Brian's new horseshoe set, and the drink of choice, due to a spark of inspiration on my part, was the remaining six cans of Inca Cola.
It was practically a requirement that each man must down at least half of his can of Inca before hitting the horseshoes. I'm pretty sure the spirit of the ancient Incans elevated my skill level to the point where I almost got a couple of ringers in one of the games once. I should have drunk more. I should have drunk more Inca!
Check out the Flickr gallery for the day in Manassas for more Inca Kola pictures and horseshoe action, as well as the ensuing pool party and celebratory cookout. Can you figure out why Katie's head is on fire?