Brian and I filmed yet another wedding today. My friend Jamie’s sister had a lovely wedding downtown and we filmed our famous “Uncle Bob” package, tagged along at the shoot at Sunset Cliffs, and then the reception at the Sheraton. Some visuals to tell the tale…

First, here is Jamie and me at the reception. She makes the picture look good.

The beautiful couple at Sunset Cliffs:

Brian working hard, coffee in hand:

Some hot girl laying out at the cliffs:

Some random wedding instrumentalists at the cliffs (what can I say, it was a popular place today):

This was in the church, in case you got thirsty.

Okay, that was a little sacrilegious…but seriously, the locks prevent you from dumping over the coach’s head after the big game. :)

And that’s all I have to say about that. I’m pretty tired, so I’m going to sit around and enjoy what’s left of my Saturday. Party on.

Well, Brian and myself just got back from a few-hour excursion to beautiful Ramona, California. The Valley Of The Sun, of you will. My hometown. It’s nice to know that not much has changed in the many years that I’ve been away. I don’t think I’ve been in town since one of the last few times my best friend, Katrin, has been home. And I haven’t lived there since I graduated from high school in ’97. That’s a long time. It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long. There is something strangely nice, warm, and familiar about being in a place like that. A place you called home for so long, but a place you’ve been away from. It’s nice to know that you can always come back to that warm familiarity, even though the home you once knew doesn’t really exist anymore.

I’ve also realized that I’m just a small-town boy masquarading as a big-city dude. I would love to live in a quiet little town someday with my beautiful wife (whom I haven’t met yet) and our kids. I also think it would be cool to have a cow. You know, to avoid the high cost of milk at the market. A cow in every house…that is my master plan.

We were scouting for some good locations for an up-and-coming photo shoot with a really gorgeous model…and I’ve got some great ideas just from our little drive in the country. Stay tuned for that.

We finished up the FFM with a little dinner at La Cocina; a definite must if you ever find yourself in Ramona. And now that I am royally stuffed, I am going to figure out something to do with my Saturday night. I’m a little bummed that we didn’t get to shoot today (our model had other obligations), but I am definitely trying to set something up for the upcoming weeks. I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had a chance to set up photo shoots. Sort of sad, really.

Enjoy your Saturday.

Okay, so I’m not as big a nerd as I appear to be, but seriously, this is just freaking cool. Aside from Kirk’s womanizing and Spock’s pointy ears … the fact that we have the technology to restore, enhance, and digitally revive the original Star Trek series is pretty amazing.

Slashdot – Star Trek – Special Edition

So the weirdest thing happened today…I booked my friend Meg on a plane to Panama City. How random is that? Pretty dang random if you ask me. I wish I was booking myself on a plane to anywhere but here. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous of her.

This weekend, Megan was in town and it was a pleasure to have her around. Her and Evan came by Friday night for a little while; it was good to see Soldier McIntosh in all his glory and donning a kilt. Unfortunately, we didn’t see Megan again until the next night…poor thing, she fell asleep so fast it’s not even funny. Sleeping is one of the things she does well. It was nice to have her sleeping on our couch in the cutest way ever…a way that can only be achieved by the Meg.

Sunday morning, the NGS crew along with Megan headed out to the Hotel Del and did a vintage photo shoot with Megan and two male models, Alexander and Eddie. I’m not gay by any means, but these guys were pretty ridiculously good looking. Everyone had tons of personality in front of the camera and I think we got some good shots in. Here is a sample:

After the shoot, we met Melinda (who stopped at the tail end of the shoot) and Flor and had lunch at the Mission Café. Good times, good food. Scary hair…

And of course, some good times and general hotness…

After lunch, Meg and I drove up to Windansea for a photo shoot. It’s always nice to do my managerial duties and chaperone my model to photo shoots. It’s also fun to network with other photographers. But what’s most fun is getting stuck holding the reflector. Now I know what Brian has to go through…it’s a tough job holding a big metallic disk and staring at a really hot, half-clothed model on the beach for almost 4 hours straight…but someone has to do it. And it might as well be me.

And now, I have to get going. Meg is getting on a plane as we speak and I’m going to continue editing pictures. At least it’s hump day tomorrow.

William Shakespere wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts…”

The same comparison could be said between life and a book.

I have a Grisham novel sitting on my bookshelf. I’m about a third of the way into the book, but I just haven’t had time to finish it. It’s just sitting there — paused, on hold — waiting for me to pick it back up.

About 99.9% of the time, I think I’m anxious for the turn of the page. A new day. The next chapter. Excited to see what happens. Life is full of new chapters and most of the time I’m interested to read on.

But I’m sitting here thinking and for some reason, I wish I could just put the bookmark in and set it on the shelf for a while. Ever feel that way?

Close to home…

Housing: The Slump Begins To Hit Payrolls