November 12 of 12

Here’s what 12 of 12 is all about: On the 12th day of each month you take 12 photos showing how you spent your day, post them on your blog, and then link the post back to Chad. 9:01 am, after taking little Amélie for walk number 1, cleaning out the cat box, taking out the trash and fixing breakfast, I was ready to clean my desk and search for jobs. I spend the next couple of hours at my desk: 12:20 pm. I took puppy for walk #2 in Laurel Park. 1:05 pm. I arrive at Rock Bottom Brewery on Cincinnati's fountain square. I have a couple of pale ale beers, write in my (quite private, anti-blog) journal and make lists for the next week. I brainstorm ideas for my future and also for future world domination. 4:20 pm. I tell an rather plain looking elderly couple that I'm from Louisville. I ask for a picture and puppy and I, acting as Kentuckians get our picture taken in front of the Cincinnati skyline. 4:23 pm. I shoot pictures of the Cincinnati skyline. 4:25 pm. Puppy is sniffing around Devou Park. Puppy loves being off her leash and runs madly, loving the fresh November air. 4:38 pm. I take more pictures of the Cincinnati skyline; puppy is patient. 5:03 pm. Puppy waits in the car as I take yet more pictures of Cincinnati. 5:12 pm. Puppy and I walk farther, on the Ohio side of the river. I take yet ANOTHER picture of the Cincinnati skyline through the chain link fence. 6:30 pm. Out of the blue, Steve calls me up and invites me to drinks at Hamburger Mary's. I meet him for some beverages. I decide to forgo my evening of productivity and instead have drinks and delicious Indian food with him. 10:27 pm. Steve and I hit "Whole Foods" then drive back to his place. We drink some white wine and then red, then try some cheesese. We listen to some crazy Euro-musik. Steve pulls out his binder and we then watch reruns of "Eurovision Song Contest" 2009. Most notable are Bulgaria (puke,) Finland (puke-wannabes) and Norway (folksy, cute and fun with their cute dancers. We chat and drink more wine. And more Eurovision Song Contest: 11:59 pm. I arrive at home just shy of midnight and offer the cats and puppy a helping of tuna before bed.

12 of 12 - October 2009

Here’s what 12 of 12 is all about: On the 12th day of each month you take 12 photos showing how you spent your day, post them on your blog, and then link the post back to Chad. 9:15am. Knowing that I am going to be in the car for a lot of the day, I get a good workout at Urban Active (gym.) 10:46 am. Then take little Amélie for a walk around the neighborhood: 11:43 am. For lunch, I have left over "firecracker" turkey chili: 1:23 pm. I pack the overnight bag for the road trip for little Amélie and me: 4:35 pm. We are well on our way to Bedford, Indiana: 4:36 pm. Amélie doesn't mind being copilot, but prefers copiloting from my lap. 5:03 pm. In Indiana, we see corn: 5:04 pm. We see more corn: Bedford, Indiana: Bedford, Indiana: Bedford, Indiana:

Review: Sony DSC-H10 and a Cincinnati Field Trip

As much as I love my Canon Rebel, I decided that just one camera will not be enough for the upcoming trip. I need something small that will allow me to shoot fast. The HP camera I bought last year is small but it SUCKS! No wonder why it was on sale for less than 50% off on Amazon.com! So, I did some preliminary comparisons online. I really love the idea of the Nikon P6000. It has a great lens, shoots in RAW format and even has a GPS "stamp" on all pictures. Cool, in theory: However, the price point is a bit ridiculous: $400ish. The reviews called it a "first generation" camera that was "flawed." Plus, it was not possible to buy locally, which did not fit my needs. I did some research online. I've just not been very excited about the point and shoot models out there. Most concentrate on megapixels and features at the expense of the ability to take normal, good pictures. I had a coupon for a Nikon CoolPix and decided to look at the models at the store in Mason. I just wasn't impressed with the "S610" model. It had some really hokey features, such as Wi-Fi connectivity. Sorry. But the Sony DSC-H10 caught my eye. It's a bit bigger than the other models but featured a Carl Zeiss Lens, high speed settings and a decent zoom lens. It was $179 for my $150 budget. I pulled out my iPhone and looked at the reviews on Amazon.com. Very positive. No, it's not a DSLR, but it met the needs pretty well. Overall, I've been pleased with the camera. Here's the review on Steve's Digicams So, I took the camera for a walk in downtown Cincinnati, mimicking SIMILAR CONDITIONS for the upcoming trip. Overall, I'm pleased: (Note: These were retouched in Adobe Lightroom!) But, like most SLRs, there is a certain amount of blurriness and chromatic aberration which is noticeable as you blow up the shot: I will definitely need my DSLR for the "good" shots.

12 of 12 - March 2009

Here’s what 12 of 12 is all about: On the 12th day of each month you take 12 photos showing how you spent your day, post them on your blog, and then link the post back to Chad. 11:30 am. Jason prepares an espresso and reminds me it's the 12th. Oh crap! I forgot to take pictures earlier in the morning. 11:45 am. I eat upstairs at my work desk. Soup and Wesa crackers. 12:05 pm. I iron for work. 12:06 pm. The cats seem interested in me ironing. They like Jason's messy desk. 12:10 pm. I'm late for work. But not too late for Jason to snap a quick picture. 12:25 pm. I stop and get gas before work. 12:45 pm. We work on needs & requirements for the upcoming enhancement release. All three of us are tired. 4:45 pm. I drive home on Spring Grove Avenue. 7:30 pm. We pick up Steve and go to Cactus Pear restaurant. Steve is pretty excited about the Women's medical centre. 7:50 pm. I get my burrito. Yummers. 8:30 pm. Steve, demonstrating the layout of London using the plates on the table. Can't wait to go. 10:15 pm. Steve and Jason standing outside the "Serpent."

Weekly Roundup

SPRING – Around the corner? It's been in the 70s here in Cincinnati! While we are far from declaring it "spring" in the city, this short thaw has been wonderful. BRETT CAJUN'S LIST (ON/OFF IT?) – Brett is threatening to remove people from his blog roll who are "lazy." I thought "Jeez!"—it could be me! It's not that I don't want to blog. I love doing it, but at this particular time, I have bigger fish to fry. I've also been a bit introspective, writing in my own personal journal. PMP CLASS – I'm so happy that my Project Management Professional Certification review class is over! Woo hoo! I'm so excited to have my Saturdays back again! I still have to study for and ultimately take the certification exam, but for the meanwhile, it's nice to have a 5 day work week again. TRAVEL – I'm excited about two upcoming international trips, one in the next month, the other later in the year, to Asia—where I have never been. I definitely need a break! NEW TOY - I love espresso...

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

MAC @ WORK – I’m excited and amazed that I can use my spiffy unibody Macbook with work! Entourage works great. For good or for bad, I’ve got full access to work stuff. I’ve already used it to extend my work day. Wait.. is that good or bad? NO TIME – Last week, I worked 3 nights for several hours after the normal work day. This week, I’ve had two nights like that. And I’m also studying for my PMP certification at night. This means I have almost no time for things like going to the gym and doing hobby type stuff. My schedule has been so hectic, I didn’t even have time to get my hair cut. (Fortunately, I was able to get a trimming on the rat’s nest.) PMP COURSE – I’m surviving the all day Satuday courses to prepare for my project management institute exame for the PMI (“Project Management Institute.”) Thankfully, I’ve found some not-so-smelly people to sit next to. I’m fortunate that I have this coming Saturday off. I can get caught up on things, which is good because I’ve felt borderline “burned out” recently. WW – Yah, yah. I’ve been back on the bandwagon for a few weeks. I’ve lost 5 lbs, but have flatlined a bit. It’s frustrating as I want to be healthy and look good for the pool OBAMA’S FIRST THREE WEEKS – I’ve been pretty content with the new president. Sure, he’s had a bit of egg on his face, but I see him as a humble person who wants to do well. He has a certain amount of credibility and wants to be bi-partisan. I do like his oratory and push for hope. I’m cautiously optimistic!

Weekly Roundup

NEW PRIORITIES – The big news in 2009 is that I’m revisiting my priorities. In order to pull through the next 6 months, I’m going to need to be very focused. The top priorities are: (Not in any particular order:) - My relationship with Jason - Job – The Big Project - Career Development – building my résumé - Diet/Nutrition/Health/Gym LESSER PRIORITIES – What this means is that I’m de-prioritizing several things, such as things having to do with the arts. Although I am going to continue on with this blog, I would not expect more than 1-2 posts per week. CAR WASH – Gosh. The GTI really needed it! I like Mr. Clean Car Wash. I honestly forgot that the vehicle is black, not grey. PUTAIN, ÇA CAILLE – It’s been outrageously cold here in the ‘Nati! I took these screenshots on my iPhone on Friday: FACEBOOK MILESTONE – I’ve really come to enjoy Facebook. I just hit my 200 friend threshold. What’s interesting is that 90% of the people are people that I know or have known in my past. It’s fun in that I’ve become reacquainted with a lot of people from my high school and college years. SPOILED CATS – The cats got two new things this weekend. Firstly, their automatic cat box motor died over the weekend (after close to 600 days.) I spent upwards of 3 hours executing the following tasks: buying box #1, cleaning the area, setting up the box #1, testing box #1, determining box #1 to be defective, packing up box #1, driving to Target to exchange for a new box, driving home, setting up box #2, cleaning the area a second time, etc. The new box is a bit smaller, but they’ve taken to it. Secondly, whilst visiting IKEA, Jason and I bought a really cute cat bed for the cats. They love it! … Spoiled… PROJECT MANAGEMENT – I began my PMI Preparation course yesterday morning! I think it will be a really good review program. And I have a good feeling that this review course will be just what I need to get ready for the exam in mid-March! INAUGURATION – I’m so excited about the inauguration. Like no other time in my life, we need new leadership in the white house. Obama is just the person we need. Although he has a ridiculously rough challenge in front of him, I am confident in his abilities. WEIGHT – The good news is that I’m back on Weight Watchers. I know my body and I know how to lose weight. The bad news is that I gained 12 lbs in the past 4 months, mostly due to stress eating, and vacation. So, while, I’m not where I was 6 months ago, I’m reading and willing!