Philosopher's Wax

I thought about waxing philosophical on how indifferent I am to New Year's Eve and all of it trappings, but as it turns out I'm to apathetic to even write about it.

However, I am now intrigued by the concept of waxing philosophical. I know this is an old timey phrase that dates back to when the word wax mostly meant to grow. Such as a waxing moon. As opposed to a waning moon.

But, I still want to invent a product called Philosopher's Wax. I'm quite certain that it could be used on both a convertible and a finely groomed mustache. A mustache like that kid at Subway has that Willy admires from a distance.

I'm told that New Year's is a time for new beginnings, but it seems to me that to arbitrarily wait for one certain point in Earth's orbit around the sun to make drastic or necessary changes in one's life is silly, but not in a good way like the putty. Make those changes when you realize they need to be made and one certainly shouldn't wait an entire year to reflect on their life.

So to New Year's and all of its trappings, I say "Bah! It is a humbug!" Besides the time with family and friends. The day off from work. All the good food and football.

I thought I would throw out the picture for September while I was at it.





This is a picture of a moonflower.

Thelma and Louise

On Sunday night we took Jesse out to Buffet City to celebrate his birthday. Ever since that night I have had the song The Crawdad Hole stuck in my head.

You get a line and I'll get a pole Honey!
You get a line and I'll get a pole Babe!
You get a line and I'll get a pole
And we'll go down to the crawdad hole
Honey... Baby of mine

Big ole crawdad struttin' round Honey!
Big ole crawdad struttin' round Babe!
Big ole crawdad strutin' round
Like he's the King of Crawdad Town
Honey... Baby of mine

I'm gonna see that crawdad on my plate Honey!
I'm gonna see that crawdad on my plate Babe!
I'm gonna see that crawdad on my plate
With a bowl full of butter and a sweet patate
Honey... Baby of mine

Crawdad's hangin' onto my toe Honey!
Crawdad's hangin' onto my toe Babe!
Crawdad's hangin' onto my toe
I shake and shout but he won't let go
Honey... Baby of mine

What are ya gonna do when the hole runs dry Honey!
What are ya gonna do when the hole runs dry Babe!
What are ya gonna do when the hole runs dry
Sit on the banks and have a crawdad fry
Honey... Baby of mine

See that crawdad winkin' his eye Honey!
See that crawdad winkin' his eye Babe!
See that crawdad winkin' his eye
Let's turn him into crawdad pie
Honey... Baby of mine

Fry them crawdads nice an' brown Honey!
Fry them crawdads nice an' brown Babe!
Fry them crawdads nice an' brown
Grease 'em good so they'll slip right down
Honey... Baby of mine.

Here comes a man with a sack on his back Honey!
Here comes a man with a sack on his back Babe!
Here comes a man with a sack on his back
Haulin' all the crawdads he can pack
Honey... Baby of mine.

It just might be me, but that is perhaps one of the most romantic songs ever written.

But the reason this song stuck in my head is because as we were sitting around the table conversing about the important matters of the day we noticed a person walking by with their plate stacked full with crayfish.

Then a few moments later the dutiful employees of Buffet City restocked the crayfish supply immediately a guy from another table got up and put every single solitary last crayfish on his plate. It was an impressive feat in its greed, gluttony and structural engineering.

A few minutes more passed and a dutiful employee of Buffet City restocked the crayfish supply. Immediately the same gentleman got up and took every single last crayfish and heaped them onto his plate and returned to his table.

I got up and walked over to the where the crayfish formerly resided. All that was left was some murky looking water and assorted crayfish parts. It reminded me of a seen from a shipwreck movie.

I picked up the tongs and slashed the crayfish brine around. The crayfish man was thorough, but not thorough enough. I found a couple of crayfish in the bottom.



Thelma & Louise (Crayfish Style)


You didn't honestly think I was going to eat one of these creatures?

Foggy Night Supper Club

The day after Christmas we had a very Special Friday Night Supper Club. Robert was back in town from Wyoming and was having a hankering for a tenderloin from BK's.

Jay, Jesse, Willy, Monica, Robert, Jeff and I braved the extreme weather and made the trip to BK's.

I took some pictures of the fog.

















It was a beautiful night to be out and about.

August

August's picture.





This picture was taken east of Ogden on US30 looking towards Boone.

July

July's picture.





This picture was taken during the Ames fireworks display.

June

The picture for June.





I took this picture one summer night when I was having difficulty sleeping. I wandered the flowerbeds with a spotlight and a camera.

Merry Christmas

As you may know, Building 429 is one of my favorite bands. This year they released a new albums and thus one of my new favorite songs. Here in the Christmas season I felt it was necessary to share the lyrics to the song Always.

Always
I was standing in the pouring rain one dark November night
Fighting off the bitter cold when she caught my eye
Her face was taught and her eyes were filled, and to my surprise
She pulled out a photograph and my heart just stopped inside
She said, “He would’ve been three today
I miss his smile, I miss his face”
What was I supposed to say, but

CHORUS
I believe always, always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and his promise remains
He will be with you always

He was living in a broken world, dreaming of a home
His heart was barely keeping pace when I found him all alone
Remembering the way he felt when his daddy said goodbye
Fighting just to keep the tears and the anger locked inside
He’s barely holding onto faith
But deliverance is on its way, cause

CHORUS
I believe always, always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and his promise remains
He will be with you always

Friend, I don’t know where you are and I don’t know where you’ve been
Maybe you’re fighting for your life or just about to throw the towel in
But if you’re crying out for mercy, if there’s no hope left at all
If you’ve given everything you’ve got and you’re still about to fall
Well hold on, hold on, hold on, cause
I believe always, always
Our savior never fails
Even when all faith is gone
God knows our pain and his promise remains
Always, always, He will be with you always

Christmas Eve

Tonight is my favorite church service of the year. I love Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve! It is one beautiful service that manages to completely encapsulate the season of Advent for me. It is one service where I definitely can feel Hope, Love, Peace and Joy.

Plus I love the symbolism of an entire church being filled with the soft warm glow of candlelight. The room starts completely dark except for the light coming from the Christ candle. Then the Christ candle lights one candle. That candle lights another candle. Until every candle in the room is lit. All the light having originated from one candle.

When the congregation sings Silent Night, I feel that song more than any other song the entire year. I would not be lying if I told you that at the end of the service when the bell strikes midnight and it is officially Christmas I always get goosebumps.

I hope your Christmas Eve is as wonderful as the one I believe that I will have.

I wanted to share a story from Andrea's sermon on Sunday because I believe it is both funny and a story worth reflecting on during the Christmas season.

A guy was standing near a cliff all by himself. He was taken by a rush of courage and curiosity and moved close to the edge.

Then he moved a little closer.

The ground underneath his feet began to give a little bit, but then it seemed to hold.

He moved a little bit closer, just to get a little bit better look at the valley below.

The ground gave out underneath his feet and the man fell down the face of the cliff. But after only a few feet his hand caught a small root and his life was spared.

But it was only for a moment. It was a small root and it quickly began to give way as well.

The man shouted out, "Is there somebody up there that can help me? God if you are there, help me!"

Then the man heard the voice of God ask, "Do you have faith in me?"

The man replied, "Yes, of course. I have total faith in you."

"Then let go."

The man thought for a second and then shouted, "Is there anybody else up there?"

I got Mark's newsletter this week:

The Taiwan Times
By Mark Wolfram

Merry Christmas! It is that time of year again where we can rejoice and celebrate the birth of our Savior, who brings us peace, joy, and hope. In the season of Christmas it is easy to get caught up in all of the “stuff” that we have to do or things that are going on. I pray that God would help all of us remember why we celebrate, and that in this message we would find the peace that comes only from Jesus.

Here in Taiwan, there are many activities that I am involved with during Christmas time. I know I have written about some of these in the past, including various skits, songs, and Christmas parties. Last night was my personal highlight of the Christmas season: Christmas caroling. Teachers and students who live at school went outside of the campus last night and sang Christmas songs at some of the local businesses. Then we gathered together to sing to the faculty and staff that live here on the campus of Concordia Middle School. Walking on the streets with the guitar and hearing the students joyfully sing praises to God always warms my heart and brings a smile to my face.

In addition to the Christmas caroling, yesterday the students of Concordia Middle School decorated their Christmas trees. Every December, the school holds a Christmas tree decorating contest. Each class is given a tree or large bush in the central part of campus. They then need to create a tree based on a Bible story. Some popular stories include: Jesus feeds 5,000, Jesus turns water into wine, the parable of the lost sheep, and Noah’s ark.

Students work in their free time in the weeks leading up to Christmas to create items to put on the Christmas tree. Part of the goal of the competition is for students to make the tree using recyclable materials such as boxes, cans, and paper. They also can have lights, but they are not supposed to buy fancy decorations. Yesterday morning and afternoon students were outside working on their trees, and then in the evening, they lit up the trees. It was beautiful. The competition is also a great way to get the students excited about Christmas, read the Bible and build cooperation and teamwork.

The school leaves the decorations up for a couple of days and one of my favorite things to do during the days after Christmas is to walk outside in the evening. I usually wait until about 9:00 and I bring my I-pod and headphones. I then walk around and look at all of the trees as they light up the night. I will also take time to stop by each one of my classes and pray for the students in those classes.
I thank God for the chance to do this, and I rejoice at the mission of this school. Most schools in Taiwan don’t celebrate Christmas, and in fact they have school on Christmas day (we actually do too). However, for the students of CMS it is not just another part of the school year. It is a chance to celebrate and understand why Christmas is important. I pray that the message of Jesus’ birth will change the lives of these students, and give them new life in Jesus.

It’s Prayer Time!
1. Please pray for the students at CMS, that they will understand the true meaning of Christmas and believe it.
2. Praise God that my online classes have finished and that I will have a little bit more time in my schedule.
3. Please pray for my teaching. We will end the semester in a couple of weeks and pray that God will help me to end well and continue to show His love to my students.
4. Please pray for my Chinese language learning. That God would help my stay focused and work hard as I attempt to learn the language. Pray also that He would present opportunities for me to use Chinese as a witness to Him.

I wish you all the peace of Christ this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!!!

Mark

If I don't see you before then, I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas!

Advent Study Gift

Teresa and I took part in an Advent Study at church on the 4 Tuesdays of Advent.

At the end of one of the studies, the one that Teresa skipped, George Eckstein came across the room and sat on my couch. He handed me a bag and said that he had a gift more me and Teresa.

I thought this was a little bit strange, but I opened the bag up. What was inside was a very pleasant surprise.





George had come across and old postcard that my dad had made for my dad's postcard company, "Slice of Life". He scanned and printed a couple copies and framed them. It was an awesome present.

Boone Taxi Driver

I've done that thing where I have fallen behind again. I have much to post, but I will do this in somewhat of a random order.

Many of you don't know about the Boone Taxi Driver. You should consider yourself lucky that you don't know about the Boone Taxi Driver if you don't for if you know about the Boone Taxi Driver you have surely wasted upwards of 45 minutes of your life in a vain attempt at entertainment.

That being said, the Boone Taxi Driver was always the highlight of any scene that he was making and he always had the most colorful way of describing the weather. I wandered about campus a little bit on Monday night.

All I can say that it was cold enough enough that I was in physical pain, but I'm sure that the Boone Taxi Driver would have had a more colorful way of putting it. Something about Wiccans and mammaries.














I'd like to think the pain was worth the effort.

Saturday Night

On Saturday Night I met Jeff and Yin in Des Moines for Supper. Although I was horribly sleepy when I got home on Saturday night two things reinvigorated me.

I took a brief 30 minute nap.
I watched the Paul Rhoads press conference. It was very refreshing to see a coach that actually showed passion and a desire to be at Iowa State. Time will only tell if he will be successful, but I already feel that he is the right man for the job.

When I got down to Jeff and Yin's place I was introduced to a couple of pretty fascinating things.

The first was Baxter.








The second was the 1935 Chevy that Jeff is going to restore.








We had a good dinner at Raccoon River Brewery. I tried their root beer. It wasn't bad, but it was no Red Monkey.

Matthew 25:40

I began this Saturday morning (12-20-2008) by rising out of bed around 5:45 in the morning. I often don't sleep that well, but on this night I purposely slept on the couch so that I wouldn't sleep well and I would get up in time.

I was getting up at this awful time of day because I had to be at the Senior Citizen's Center in Ames by 6:30 to participate in the Jaycee project known as Holiday Food Baskets.

Despite my body's best effort to stop me from getting up, I did manage to fall out off the couch and stumble to the basement and take a shower. I hit the road and made it to Ames at nearly the right time.

The process of Holiday Food Baskets isn't really worth mentioning, but there are aspects of the day that are worth noting.

But before getting to those aspects I should make a confession. Deflation and the rapid falling of gas prices has put more coin in this guy's bank account. I have often noted that deflation is great, if you still have a job.

It is a poor joke and I do have more than a basic understanding of economics to know that deflation and hard economic times for other people could eventually lead to my not having a job. I do work in what is essentially a luxury industry. Nobody's job is safe, especially people that work's for a company thats services are hardly essential.

The Pastors at my church have made doing something about the homeless situation in Boone a priority for our church. As hard is it may seem to believe, Boone County has the 5th highest rate of homelessness in the state of Iowa. What makes the situation worse is that Boone does not have a homeless shelter.

There was one briefly, but the finances were mismanaged and it is no longer in existence. Now the best that Boone has to help its homeless is the Boone Biblical College, but they only take men.

I write these things because these are things that I think about lately and it can really happen to almost anybody.

The need in Story County for Holiday Food Baskets tripled from 2007 to 2008.

Andrea told us a story about a family that seemed financially secure. In 2007 they were teaching their children to buy presents for other children through the Angel Tree program. In 2008, their children were on the Angel Tree.

The first 2-3 hours of Holiday Food Baskets is basically grunt work. It is essential, but hardly rewarding. You do a lot of moving food from place A to place B to place C. After everything is organized, then people start coming in to pick up their Food Baskets.

This is the part of the project that is rewarding and I think it is slightly unfortunate that only a handful of us that participated got to take part in this one aspect of the project.

This aspect was carrying the basket of food from the Senior Center to the person's car. It is important to put a bag or rolls or some apples in a cardboard box, but I don't think you get a sense of what all of this really means or amounts to and why it is important unless you get a chance to interact with the people that are getting the food.

It can also break your heart.

While I was carrying a cardboard box of food across a street to an SUV for a young woman she told me that this box of food was really going to help her family. They had 8 people living in the same house.

It made me feel completely inadequate and helpless at the same time. I couldn't help but look into the cardboard box. Just a few moments ago it seemed like a lot of food.

A handful of apples and oranges.
A bag of celery.
A bag of potatoes.
A bag of carrots.
A ham.
2 cans of something.
A bag of rolls.

All of a sudden I felt that I should have run in and gotten them a second box. I should have gotten them a third box. The ham was nothing to sniff at, but I would be lying if I didn't say that the ham that we had on our Christmas table that fed 9 people was at least 4 times larger than the ham we gave out. I didn't do this though. The bureaucracy of such things precluded that people had to sign in with MICA and people were designated so much food.

I just wished the young woman a "Merry Christmas" and walked back inside. It is my regret that I didn't just go grab another box for this family. It was a regret that would be doubled and then doubled again.

We had made up 200 Holiday Food Baskets. At the end of the event around 50 remained. Here is where my regret doubled the first time.

We loaded up the excess food and took it to MICA. As it turns out, MICA doesn't really have that much capacity for storing frozen hams. Their freezer was already full and they needed to make room. To do this they gave each of us a turkey.

My regret doubled again.

So now I have this turkey weighing on my conscience, but I throw it in the trunk of my car and drive off.

My first stop is Becky's. I'm supposed to stop at her place to pick up some Christmas gifts. Some for me and some for Teresa. What I learn on this stop is that Becky thinks I'm going to end up in a ditch some time in the near future.

I know she has had this fear for quite some time. When Shannon and I went up to Cedar Falls she gave me an extensive quiz on what kind of safety equipment I had in the car in case we went in a ditch. It basically boiled down to a thermos of hot chocolate. This didn't seem to satisfy her.

She packed a gift bag full of food. Every time I would pull a new tin of food out she would tell me to "keep that in my car in case you go in a ditch."

I do not discount the possibility that I might someday go in a ditch, but the closest I've ever come to going into a ditch was in the middle of the summer and the reason why is because I was reading the newspaper while I was driving to work.*

If the weather is bad, I don't read the newspaper.

After I left Becky's I stopped at Shannon's to watch her make Christmas candy. She also bound my calendars for me.

Somewhere in between the "pink stuff" and the experimental caramel (which involved the use of a candy thermometer - who invented the candy thermometer??) the lack of quality sleep on the couch began to catch up to me in a massive way.

I bid my adieu since I was going to Des Moines for supper with Jeff and Yin and I was hoping to get a nap of Wentworthian proportions in before I hit the road.

Then on Sunday morning in church, Phil announced that a new family in Boone was homeless.

And I still have this turkey on my conscience.

*Not counting the skunk story.

May

May's picture.





This picture is from the mission trip I took to Cedar Rapids to help clean out houses after the flood.

April

The image for April.





This picture was taken in Jester Park.

March

The picture for March.





This picture of a flower was taken at the Iowa State Fair.

February

The picture selected for February.





This picture of a fence was taken north of Boone in an old pioneer cemetery.

January

The 2009 Photography 139 Calendar went through quite a large metamorphosis this year. I wasn't sure that I was going to produce a calendar this year. The amount of time involved in the designing, printing, laminating and binding the calendar was becoming a burden on me and my friends. I can't even count how many hours last year Jesse, Jay and Nader put in to making these calendars.

This year I outsourced the printing of the calendar. This was much harder for me to do than one might suspect. I think I don't necessarily give the outward appearance of being a control freak, but I do have things in my life where compromise is not to be considered.

Once I was able to talk myself into outsourcing the printing, everything else sort of fell into place. The amount of time put into the calendar this year by me and my friends was only a couple of hours. Most of the time was actually spent in designing the calendar. Jesse and Jay were not even bothered at all.

I can thank Mike Vest for being my liaison between me and my printer. He also punched every hole in the calendars for hanging. I also need to thank Shannon for binding all of the calendars.

I have yet to distribute all of the calendars, but I would like to beginning sharing the pictures that I selected for the 2009 calendar.

Below is the picture for January.





This is the only picture in the calendar that wasn't taken in 2008. This self-portrait was taken late in 2007. The location of this picture was the Campanile on the Iowa State University campus.

Bring Back McCarney

Now that Chizik has tucked tail and ran out of Ames, it is time for Iowa State to admit to one of the two biggest mistakes they ever made and bring Dan McCarney home!



A bad picture of McCarney being carried off the field by his players after his last game as the Cyclones coach.


The sad thing is that even if we were to get down on our knees and beg, I don't think he would take us back. He is more than justified in feeling that way.

Gridiron Prophets - Year 3

As a third college football season drew to a close, a third season for the Gridiron Prophets (a College Football Pick 'em) completed. For the first time since its inception, Toby did not come out as a champion. Lowell came out on top.

This year's standings:

1. Lowell Davis (The Perfect Storm)
2. Robert Henning (Bob's Picks to Win)
3. Corey Faust (A-Rob All Stars)
4. Jason Baier (Hookie Hoo-Hah)
5. Jon DeWaard (Lemon Party)
6. Mark Wolfram (Taiwan Hawkeye)
7. Dan Dill (dandydan)
8. Toby Sebring (I Love Lamp)
9. Christopher D. Bennett (Tea Leaves)
10. Jesse Howard (Cyclone Goldie)
11. Jim Condon (obscene)

I guess I need to get Lowell's trophy ordered.

Toys for Tots

I reported yesterday that I took pictures for the Toys for Tots press release for United Way of Story County. Here are a few of the pictures:


























This might have been the most fun I've ever had in a Wal-Mart.

Toys for Tots received thousands of dollars in donation on this day. I believe you can still donate, but I have no clue how. But if you are interested I could get you that information.

Burying the Lead

Sometimes I will bury the lead in an entry. Most of this time it is done on purpose because I want people to figure out what the most important part of the story is for themselves. However, I'm sure there are times where it is just another example of sloppy writing like the kind that Dan Brown foists upon us.

Yesterday I spent my morning wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart with Shannon and a couple representatives of Dr. Pepper photographing them purchasing toys for Toys for Tots.

The pictures are to be used in The United Way of Story County's press release on Toys for Tots.

That sounds like a pretty important story. It certainly sounds like an interesting story, but it was not the most important part of the event for me. I want to make sure that when I start on this narrative, the most important part of the story is in the front and center, so I'm taking what I consider to be the lead part of the story out and making it into its own entry, so it doesn't get buried under the rest of the Toys for Tots narrative.

I wrote before about how I didn't need to share the terms of my wager with Shannon with the world. I am not a person who needs to gloat. The victory itself is usually more than enough for me.

I shared with you that one of the end results of the wager was that I ended up with a sweet UNI beanie that Shannon made and she ended up with an ISU hoodie.

If UNI would have beat ISU, I would have been forced to put on the beanie immediately following the game and worn it around and through the McLeod Center and to the car.

Furthermore, I would have had to wear the beanie to the ISU-UNI tailgate in 2010.

ISU won the game and so Shannon was subject to the terms of my wager. She simply has to wear the hoodie on to the Iowa State campus and have the experience photo-documented. This trip will of course include a stop at the Jack Trice statue outside of Jack Trice Stadium.

Shannon has requested that this trip be put off for a couple of months because of the severe cold weather and her low tolerance for extreme cold weather. I have agreed to wait.

Because of this, I was not expecting to see the Iowa State hoodie until March or April.

So yesterday was Jesse's birthday. As far as I know the only thing he got for his birthday was the Big Juan and churros that I bought him at Taco Time and the dessert that Jay baked him. So maybe I got one of his birthday presents.

I arrived at 9 am at Wal-Mart. In the entry to Wal-Mart there were several shopping carts filled with toys, presumably for tots. I introduced myself to one of the guys from Dr. Pepper and waited for Shannon to show up.

After a few minutes she arrived and said something like, "See what I'm wearing."

Out of the top of the black coat I could see the distinctive color of a cardinal hoodie.

"So it is starting to grow on you?" I said while trying to cover my feeling of victory.

Shannon said that I'd get a chance to some "bonus pictures", then she quickly made up some excuses for why she was wearing the hoodie. Something about it being the only clean one that she had and she wasn't allowed to wear her UNI hoodies to work. Then she revealed that this was just a cover story by admitting that she had worn it this past weekend, but then quickly tried to cover up the reason why behind "liking new clothes".

Regardless of the motivations that she tells herself and the motivations that she tells the world, I was able to get some bonus images of Shannon in her new cardinal and gold.

So before getting into the whole Toys for Tots experience, I would like to share a couple of those images that her dad (the truck driver for the day) was talked into taking.








In a related note, Toys for Tots received thousands of dollars in toy donations on that day, but that isn't the lead story.

Happy Birthday Jesse

Today is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesse Howard. (Partially true, we are actually celebrating his birthday on December 28, but that is another story.)

Happy Birthday Jesse!

Jesse enjoying a Bob Dog. (This is the actual picture of Jesse that shows up on my phone when he calls me.)

If you want more of Jesse and less of you, I'd advise you to follow the link below:


MORE JESSE

You will not regret checking out 30 or more pictures of Jesse Lee Howard.

Muskrat Carcass

This is just a random image. I thought you might find it interesting and you might want something interesting after the story below.

On Tuesday a few of us miners went to Pizza Pit for lunch because a new employee allegedly loved chicken wings, but as it turns out, he didn't love chicken wings enough to show up for work.

After we returned from Pizza Pit we noticed about 20 (not an exaggeration for effect) crows in the back of a co-workers truck.

When I went into the mine I found the owner of the truck and asked him what he had in the back of his truck that would attract a murder of crows.

To know the answer, read the subject of the entry again.

Here is the weird thing. It didn't even phase me. It just made sense to me that somebody where I work would have such a thing in the back of his truck.

Don't Screw with the Gorshes

I got a call from Jen on Saturday. She told me that some of her Uncle's neighbors in Ottumwa had complained about the dumpster that was sitting in front of the house.

The neighbors understood why it was there, but wanted it removed until after Christmas.

Derrick and Jen were not about to move the dumpster. They had paid one rate to keep the dumpster as long as it is needed. To have it removed and brought back would cost them a pretty penny. A very pretty penny.

So they did what anybody else would do.

I got these pictures sent to my phone on Sunday night.











So let this be a lesson to you. You mess with the Gorshes and they just might taunt you with their Christmas decorating.

Beavers

I was offered Angie's ticket to the Oregon State game on Saturday. I then forgot it at work. I was then offered Kelly's ticket. I took it.

I took a few photos of Hilton. As you can tell, the tickets aren't quite as good as the football tickets.

















The next picture is kind of an optical illusion. Don't stare at it. It might make you sick.





The Cyclone did win on this day, defeating Barack Obama's brother-in-law.

Post No. 500 - End of an Era

There was an article about an old family friend retiring in the Boone News Republican the other day.

Bob Person is a local and the best photographer in the area and he is officially retiring.

Freeze Frame
by Blair Schilling

Bob Person's impact on the community can be seen on walls in homes throughout Boone County.
A longtime resident of Boone and lifelong photographer, Person will be giving up ownership of his studio at 812 Story St. by the end of the year. Citing health issues, the impact of digital photography and the overall condition of the economy, Person is leaving Person Studio and Gallery after more than 20 years in downtown Boone.

While he may help a new owner make the transition into the portrait photography business, and is offering to sell the majority of his supplies and equipment along with the business name if a new owner can be found by the end of December, Person will not be stepping away from his passion altogether.

"When your hobby is also your business - I'm just not ready to hang it up yet," Person said. "It's going to be very difficult for me to leave."

Regardless of whether a new owner purchases Person Studio and Gallery, Person plans to continue taking photographs as a hobby. Back problems in recent years have kept Person, 68, from photographing weddings - a significant source of revenue for the business. Person also noted the closings of two photography studios in Ames as an indication of a shift in the industry with more individuals shooting their own pictures using digital cameras and fewer seeking professional photographers to capture important moments in their lives.

Person said he has taken pleasure in his job as well as his role in the Boone community.
"I really enjoyed my time down here and God blesses us in many ways. And for me, he found this neat place to enjoy my life," Person said.

For Person, a 1969 graduate of the University of Iowa, photography has always been about more than simply clicking the shutter on his camera.

"Photography is more than just a snap to me because of what your mind can bring to it," Person said. "It's like a magic trick."

Person, who majored in photojournalism at Iowa, said art classes he took at the university helped shape his approach to photography.

"In the art department they would say, as they were critiquing photographs, 'How do you feel, Bob, as you look at that?'" Person said. "It was the first time I had associated feelings with photographs."

While in Iowa City, Person worked at the student-newspaper The Daily Iowan as well as The Iowa City Press-Citizen. He covered protests and clashes between student demonstrators and the National Guard during the height of the Vietnam War. A collage of photographs Person took during a visit to the University of Iowa by Muhammad Ali sits along a wall in Person Studio and Gallery.

After moving to Boone in 1970, Person worked at The Boone News-Republican for three years as the staff photographer. He then taught photography and journalism at the DMACC-Boone Campus for 29 years and served as the advisor for the yearbook and student newspaper.
Person, who got his first camera at the age of 10 while traveling with his parents aboard a military ship headed to Europe, said he did not envision becoming a portrait photographer during his younger years.

"As I started out in this at the University of Iowa, I realized I wanted to be a photographer - I thought for a newspaper or magazine. That's what I prepared myself for," Person said. "I didn't prepare myself for portrait photography because portrait photography was boring to me being that everybody looked so formal and stiff in front of the camera."

Person said he found his calling for studio photography by taking atypical photos of seemingly routine events as well as capturing the emotion of the subjects in front of his lens.

"All I need is a fraction of a second for them to forget that they're facing a camera," Person said.
Along with his education, Person also credits his family with assisting his success as a photographer. Person fondly recalls his father helping him develop his first photograph using a darkroom kit from Sears, Roebuck and Co. He said his wife, Lisa, has provided invaluable assistance to his work through the years and Person attributes his skills in photographing children to working with his daughters, Nicole and Brooke.

"Right now, our brochures and our advertising says that 'We specialize in children' - which we do. Because, before I had my own kids I had no clue how to photograph kids," Person said.
Person said the key to good photography is lighting. He said the use of shadows, direct light and indirect light can all affect the mood of a photograph.

The local photographer said he has always drawn inspiration from Bob Dylan's song "She Belongs to Me," which echoes themes found in both photography as well as Person's career.

"She's got everything she needs, she's an artist, she don't look back. She can take the dark out of the nighttime and paint the daytime black," Dylan croons in the song.

"Those are words that have stuck with me," Person said.

Boone News Republican Article

Bob once told me how he proposed to his wife Lisa. They were working together in a darkroom. He was exposing photo paper and then she was developing it.

He wrote on a piece of paper, "Will You Marry Me" and put it in the stack of paper that she was developing.

So she was going through the stack of paper developing pictures of whatever it was that he had photographed when she put her proposal into the developer solution.

Slowly the words: "Will You Marry Me" appeared on the blank piece of paper.

Obviously she said yes.

Happy Birthday Carrie

If I'm reading my calendar correctly, and there is about a 50% chance that I am, today is the birthday of Carrie Baier.





In truth, to tribute Carrie I should post a picture of a lighthouse, but I don't have such a picture in my arsenal. I should look into that. She deserves a lot of respect for marrying a Chiefs fan.

Happy Birthday Brandon

Thursday was Brandon's Birthday.





Happy Birthday Brandon.

Plus Five

About a year ago I posted a comment on Shannon's MySpace page where I was apologizing in advance for what Iowa State was going to do to her UNI Panthers IF Wesley Johnson played in the game.

Wesley Johnson did indeed play in the game and he played well, but UNI came into what was once the toughest building in the nation to play in and beat Iowa State rather soundly. Most disappointing about the game was the fact that ISU seemed to quit in the second half.

It was McDermott's second team and for the second straight season he had to completely rebuild the roster in the offseason. It was a disappointment, but in retrospect it was to be expected.

Then in early January I was at the Jaycees Year End Banquet. I believe on that same night Michael Beasley was personally destroying the Cyclones.

I believe that it was at this point that Shannon made a rather snide remark about the Cyclones. I had to stand up for the Cyclones and we agreed to attend next season's game with a friendly wager to boot.

It is a little known fact that I rarely lose wagers. In fact it has been about 5 years since I last lost a wager. I knew that I had, 11 months in advance, secured a victory for the Iowa State Cyclones. Don't believe me?

Check the archives: I guarantee an ISU victory over UNI! (You will have to scroll past the pictures)

Or I can repost the pertinent part of the blog:

The first event occurred while I was talking to Shannon. Somebody came back from the bar side of the American Legion to announce that my beloved Cyclones were losing by 25 to Kansas State. Although it was sad news, it was to be expected. The simple fact of the matter is that they have Beasley and we do not. That fact alone will decide quite a number of games in Kansas State's favor this season.

At this point Peggy (the 2008 Jaycees President with questionable taste in college sports teams) came over to point out that her Kansas Jayhawks also thumped Iowa State earlier in the week.

I responded that I wasn't so sure that wasn't to be expected. Right now Iowa State is held together by spit, baling wire and a walk-on point guard.

Shannon added that "He will defend Iowa State under any circumstances."

What she said is undeniably true, but the way she said it indicated that she thinks that there was another way that it is acceptable to be.

Then she took it too far. She wandered down a road that is going to end poorly for her. Even though that road won't officially end for several months.

She brought up that UNI had beaten ISU this season.

It is a fact. I can't deny it, but I can make bold proclamations.

I made this bold proclamation:

"I guarantee that we beat UNI next year."

There I said it. I got it out there. I might have went into some details about how next year's Cyclone team would be essentially the first team in 3 years that wasn't going to be built from scratch that offseason.

Then she made the mistake.

"That sounds like a wager." Those words escaped her lips. I think she knew that she had a mistake as soon as the words had finished reverberating around the American Legion. Yet she gamely continued on and did not back down.

The terms of the wager have not been set, but I can hint at what I'm leaning towards. Let me just say that I think Shannon is going to look good in Cardinal and Gold.

Wednesday was indeed the night that we made our way up to Cedar Falls to witness the game.

I don't think I need to go into details about the game. UNI fought their hearts out. They were able to force overtime, before the Cyclones were able to finally secure the victory by 5 points.

My impressions of the night are that McLeod Center is an impressive building. It gets surprisingly loud in there. UNI's program is way better than Iowa State's program, for the same price. It has pages. Iowa State's program is a page. Their scoreboard is a little strange. It is split into two separate scoreboards, so it is a little difficult to find the score of the game. It was quite an experience.

I don't want to go into the details of the wager, because I am not somebody that needs to gloat... but I would like to share that one of the outcomes of the wager was my acquisition of this sweet beanie that Shannon made.





On a related but unrelated note (that might have been the equivalent of using the nonword irregardless)a fellow miner by the name of Schmidt (I have too many friends with the first name Cory) has designed the ISU Basketball equivalent of an Advent Calendar. We figure that Iowa State needs 20 wins to make it to a tournament this year.

He has placed 20 post-it notes next to his desk in the Mine. Every time ISU wins we take down a post-it note and celebrate with some candy.

Shannon probably won't be happy that I share this fact, but when we were looking around the UNI Book Store for a food item that would be Panther related for the Cyclone Advent Calendar we failed. Then she noticed that there was a purple package of M&Ms (dark chocolate) and a gold package of M&Ms (peanut) she suggested we use those. In fairness she also said it would be a moot point.

Well, it was not a moot point...





... it was an excellent idea. Panther candy was tasty!

We are planning on celebrating our victory Saturday over the Oregon State Beavers with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Mmmmm.... I wonder what Jayhawk is going to taste like.

Roland, Iowa

Monica contacted me a month or so back about coming to Roland to take pictures of couples for the Roland American Legion Auxiliary during their annual Christmas Party.

Monica is the Co-President of the Roland American Legion Auxiliary with her Aunt.
The basic idea was to take pictures of couples and print the picture on site. Then place the picture inside a folder and sell the pictures for 5 bucks. All of that money would go to the Roland American Legion Auxiliary.

This was a job that was larger than one person. Lucky for my my Top Photo Assistant was available. Thanks to Shannon, the night went pretty smooth. She is slightly more organized than I am.



Test Shot of Shannon for Camera Settings



Co-Presidents



You might be wondering why this guy has that look on his face. See picture below...





It was a great night!

House Hunt - Potential Progress

One of the four houses I saw this weekend I actually liked. In fact, it is the first house that I've seen that I'm going to go look at again.



Living Room



Technically "Master Bedroom", but potentially an office.



Kitchen



Vanity in addition to sink in bathroom.



Dining Area



2 Car Garage


The furnace was two years old and most of the windows were new. One of the negatives was a basement that was essentially a dirt basement.

I might have taken more pictures, but the battery on the camera was dying.