tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16327208055462170212024-03-13T08:01:51.681-07:00Lunch is OptionalPhotographyKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.comBlogger355125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-62273185935785797512021-12-31T15:17:00.002-08:002021-12-31T15:17:27.546-08:00Look back on 2021<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleag5KMFDZimiu_fuHrUHqqLpPnvhIF8NIjIIaOyds4mpEQMPVxwvSUpKP_ocFaxfksAQ8NGg3EOBdmXXaOQI0dfBeS6hYPJ-PX8ZFQrtRT8SOnHLXJ97vY5aOJR4q7ww5LfTiu-gOKQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhleag5KMFDZimiu_fuHrUHqqLpPnvhIF8NIjIIaOyds4mpEQMPVxwvSUpKP_ocFaxfksAQ8NGg3EOBdmXXaOQI0dfBeS6hYPJ-PX8ZFQrtRT8SOnHLXJ97vY5aOJR4q7ww5LfTiu-gOKQ/w400-h267/20210817_171411_DSC_0110-1024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Its been a long while since I posted here, but this is too much to put up on social media.</p><p>We won't speak (much) of 2020. But 2021 is okay.</p><p>This is a place that I wrote about hobbies, primarily photography, so hobbies is what will be here.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Music!</span></b></p><p>First, I've spent a lot, and by a lot I mean A LOT, of time listening to music. It's primarily been streaming, either from files off my home network or Tidal. In the year that shall not be named I listened to every album that won the "best engineered" Grammy. </p><p>On my desktop I have a pair of powered speakers on my which are fun to listen to. Its not setup that is going to win awards, I mean, there is a 34in monitor directly in between them, but it does produce a good stereo illusion and experience. This is always digital-sourced music. I would guess about 1/8th of my listening time was at my desk.</p><p>My primary stereo is setup with both a digital streaming source and a basic turntable. The turntable side of things is what I want to talk about. This year I had a couple of firsts. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguq1Ut7LFtK_KAN9JynWBodXt2l44bJ4KGLPZy1QO0fEKQoYNp4BElT30txTS8wr02YcUkHbL5XyaCI8vSfepEmWu4-BqOe6h_SN8dEqHZLJ21wWUUD1lBIEiRKUGvnifTo7le4GohjP8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguq1Ut7LFtK_KAN9JynWBodXt2l44bJ4KGLPZy1QO0fEKQoYNp4BElT30txTS8wr02YcUkHbL5XyaCI8vSfepEmWu4-BqOe6h_SN8dEqHZLJ21wWUUD1lBIEiRKUGvnifTo7le4GohjP8/w213-h320/20211231_155003_DSC_0008.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />First up, I found an original Metallica album, not a "modern" re-issue. Cover is pretty battered, and the vinyl is "okay", but it sounds pretty decent. This is one of the things I like about vinyl, finding stuff with age and history baked in. This is also one of the things I dislike about vinyl, depending on how that "history" makes the record sound.<p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64X-AsVaqCCfMdg3ieuIvVjrFE3yAppAdtH9XyNhQAHb40nLc93aiLAU7wiIaVIhVz3JOZBbgVvdddLiN1PrXdVCtxAqZ1JQH5ULu9FfmnFy12GEIFpsb9yo5gnXtN9vILqycY0qYCH4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh64X-AsVaqCCfMdg3ieuIvVjrFE3yAppAdtH9XyNhQAHb40nLc93aiLAU7wiIaVIhVz3JOZBbgVvdddLiN1PrXdVCtxAqZ1JQH5ULu9FfmnFy12GEIFpsb9yo5gnXtN9vILqycY0qYCH4/w213-h320/20211231_154751_DSC_0004.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Second up, I picked up a few in shrink albums. This isn't something I do too often. I don't want to gather up too much "stuff". I have a single record crate, and my intention is to never have more records than that will hold. Buying up all the new shrink-wrapped records that I find interesting would deplete that space faster than I want to deal with. I also am not a collector so if I miss out out on something cool, its okay. This particular album I decided to get after listening to it 4 or 5 times all the way through via streaming. The records sounds good, and its a great album for the rhythm and process of listening and interacting with a physical album.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy0QBNPp722BATnabkgCKI19x4pkEA26U-nbfil_WiS282Xpymc8caIkvjEyPciMfb3Eabq0hLu9I5AbY9qHGWonpiX6Bv1_rd2nMby9OQMm2owlvJfkEJz7GovlVPfMf1BELw3eFO_8/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy0QBNPp722BATnabkgCKI19x4pkEA26U-nbfil_WiS282Xpymc8caIkvjEyPciMfb3Eabq0hLu9I5AbY9qHGWonpiX6Bv1_rd2nMby9OQMm2owlvJfkEJz7GovlVPfMf1BELw3eFO_8/w213-h320/20211231_155112_DSC_0009.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p>Third up, a Record Store Day album I intentionally tried to get. I did mention above I am not collector, and I'm not. But, when I saw this album was coming out for RSD 2021 I really wanted to try and get it. Leonard Cohen is great, and this one is released in white vinyl that looks cool. I felt a little nervous trying to get it as locally there were 2 copies in the town I was going to try -- across two different shops. I chose wisely and was able to get it. When I visited the second shop later in the day their copy was gone. This also sounds pretty good on the turntable.</p><p>Those two albums almost make me want to pick up more brand new albums, they sound so good vs my average pre-owned albums. Although, some of those sound beyond perfect as well.</p><p>Learned a few new songs on guitar as well, but that is a different experience than listening to a stereo.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Books!</span></b></p><p>In 2021 I read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/9516782-ken?page=1&read_at=2021">52</a> books. I don't have pictures of the ones I will discuss because I read them on an eReader (see that bit about collecting stuff above, I really really don't like having stuff around, despite failing and still having a lot of stuff around.).</p><p>This is the most books I've read in a year since I kept track of such things.</p><p>My top surprise : I really liked Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen</p><p>My top recommendation : Good Lord Bird by James McBride</p><p>Favorite series (that I finished) : First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie [ I also really liked The Expanse by the James Corey writers -- but I'm only on book 4 ] </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Photos!</span></b></p>I haven't been doing this as much as I'd like. I know, I'm the only one that can fix that. But I did get to do some senior photos for my niece. [Lead image].<p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Games!</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wt4qx69GoS-OoVcUMUJTnl32VL5Uqwm9JhvTLAI6A0cH9VdwBgX42gOqYFGbK03AGMcuJgHGZVZbt2qs0LsI_8GU-L-y2Tbt7LEyC4gK4aPiHamrOc4asF8N5dXD5jZhYmTkdDfN_Ys/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wt4qx69GoS-OoVcUMUJTnl32VL5Uqwm9JhvTLAI6A0cH9VdwBgX42gOqYFGbK03AGMcuJgHGZVZbt2qs0LsI_8GU-L-y2Tbt7LEyC4gK4aPiHamrOc4asF8N5dXD5jZhYmTkdDfN_Ys/w213-h320/20211231_154418_DSC_0002.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">This year I was able to play a few more games in person, but the one I've got the most time in is above. I've been playing it on <a href="https://vassalengine.org/">VASSAL</a>. I didn't even have a physical copy of the game, it was out of print, and sadly used copies were selling for way more than I was willing to pay. However, MMP (the publisher) found a few in their warehouse and I was able to get it brand new for retail price. It was one of the few times I've ordered something before thinking about it (although, I did a lot pre-thinking as I looked for used copies, so perhaps that counts.). </p><p style="text-align: left;">Games are one of those things where I do have a lot, and I simply deal with the space they take up. I like the table-top game experience and I'm willing to make that trade off for it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">So, here is my 2021 hobby post. Its mostly for me to look back on later, but I opted to make it in a public space. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Here is to a great 2022</p><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-24974271856946356642019-01-27T18:47:00.000-08:002019-01-27T18:47:03.728-08:00Archery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Archery is the only (sort of) competitive sport I have done as an adult. Sure, I've picked up some weights, or played softball, or volleyball, or various other recreational type activities on occasion but I haven't pursued anything else in a manner that could be described as "organized" or "competitive".<br />
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This post is about some of the things it taught me.<br />
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When I first conceived of this idea I thought I would be returning from the <a href="http://www.lancasterarchery.com/archery-classic">Lancaster Archery Classic</a> at <a href="https://www.spookynooksports.com/">Spooky Nook</a> with a bunch of pictures from that tournament. Due to a series of events I did not attend this year, so we will have to settle for a picture of my target bow.<br />
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The first thing I can think of that archery has taught me is a stronger <b>faith</b>. This is from a number of things both concrete and allegorical. A concrete example is from experiencing an arm and/or shoulder injury, I still don't know what exactly happened. It was a rough enough injury to require doctors, and physical therapy, and prescription NSAIDs and more than a year of healing time. During that year I contemplated selling any and all archery gear I had. God said he would heal it, though, and he has. Its not perfect yet, but I can easily shoot all the arrows in a typical league night now. In allegorical ways, you need a bit of faith in your form and process to shoot consistently. When shooting a bow you don't choose the exact moment to release the arrow. You draw and anchor your bow, aim, and pull on the string and push on the bow until "pop" the arrow goes. Even though your sight is moving over the target face you don't try to control it. You have to give up that control. You trust that your brain and your form will cause the bow to pop at the right time to put the arrow in middle. Well, at least I do, maybe other people can will it into the middle on their own. I can't.<br />
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Archery has taught me new mechanical <b>skills</b>. For any of the bows I personally own I can fully set up and tune them. I can also change strings, limbs, and cams. I've learned the importance of "on equipment" documentation. My bows have silver sharpie lines, and dots on various places to either serve as quick look reference marks, or give me areas to measure from. I've also learned how to build arrows and other miscellaneous things I never would have had a chance to know otherwise.<br />
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It reinforced reasonable f<b>inancial habits</b>. Archery gear isn't cheap, but it also doesn't have to be expensive. I started moving towards target archery from a hunting bow setup. I didn't build the full target setup at once. I started buying the gear and using it on my hunting bow. In this way I avoided rushing into buying a complete setup all at once, and was able to take time, and save the money to ensure that I only bought something <i><b>once</b>. </i> Now I do have a target bow, with all the stuff I accumulated over a period of about 18 months on it. My hunting bow has all its own stuff back, except for a few bits that I have lent to other people.<br />
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It also taught me to <b>lighten up</b> and <b>have fun</b>. I stuffed an arrow nearly off the bale during the first indoor league shoot I participated in this year. I went to let down and failed, the bow popped, and the arrow hit the top of the target, no where near the scoring rings. I think that may have flustered me in year's past, but I shook it off and put the next arrow in the middle.<br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-59405026610964833472018-12-31T15:10:00.000-08:002018-12-31T15:11:18.144-08:00Christmas and New Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I find it interesting we seem to slam all our "major" holidays together in quick succession. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years barely are a month apart.<br />
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As I ran the gauntlet of this marathon holiday season and observed 2018, it seems it was a pretty rotten year for a <b>lot </b>of people. I can't say it was a perfect year for me either, but relatively speaking, its not so bad - some challenges to work out for next year. I do hope 2019 is better for everyone.<br />
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I also started thinking about past Christmases, and the presents, and if any of it was worth anything. I remember a few I got as a kid, an Atari 2600, a Nintendo Entertainment System, a mini bike. I don't have any of those anymore. They were lost to time and/or yard sales. The only one I have still is that Swiss Army knife pictured above. I think its a <a href="https://amzn.to/2RrKnUK">Climber </a>model, it has the tools listed in the current one, minus a "hook". The internet told me those hooks were added to the line up around 1991, so if its true, this makes sense. I carried that thing around for much of middle school and high school (don't try that today kids, you'll go to jail). I also have a walk man that still works from that general era, but I can't recall if it was a Christmas gift. I do remember it was bought with those <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%26H_Green_Stamps">S&H greenstamp books</a> everyone was into back then. I'm still not sure if the stuff is worth it, but, at least some of it lasts.<br />
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Quick book keeping note. I will be using Amazon affiliate links for items linked as an experiment.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-34453099230590825812018-11-10T20:41:00.003-08:002018-11-10T20:41:58.568-08:00Two Years of Inktober<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year, 2018, marks the second year I tried to participate in the drawing challenge known as <a href="https://inktober.com/">Inktober</a>. Last year was the first go at it, and I did it simply to have a reason to draw again. I don't do it often. Granted, its because I'm not very good, or very fast at doing it. There is a reason I reached for cameras in the first place.<br />
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This year I did it because my son really wanted to try again.<br />
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I did "succeed" both years. Some days the drawings weren't good, even by my standards. The days I put the effort in I learned something. I thought I'd put some of the ones I like the best out of the 62 drawings I've made the past two Octobers, and mention what makes me stop on them when I thumb through the sketchbook.<br />
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The lead picture is done in a style that I like. It wasn't one I was anywhere near successful with before. Its the lead picture here because it sums up what Inktober feels like around, I don't know, say, day 18.<br />
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This one I liked because it was the first time I tried adding a "frame" behind the subject. This one was done the first year, and you can see my masking wasn't perfect. I also used water color paints for the color. I was also excited to see the description of the sketchbook was not a lie and it handled all media with ease.</div>
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This was one was one from this year. As you can see, I framed the subject again. This time the masking was spot on. The color is acrylic ink. This one I like the pose, and the closest I've gotten to drawing a barefoot correctly. Yes, I know, its still off, but perhaps it will be perfect in some future drawing.</div>
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I like the light blue color vs the bright yellow color in this one. The colors were provided by Dick Blick's alcohol based markers. Think Copics, just a lot cheaper and easy to justify for a non-artist.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtGeR6-vmp2g-km71MgRetgvCHhdYPdVCWuw0oW1neJqVp9E6KckQ9ZimoLeHmlepksLnoVJUOFJNp5tmTUsphN04WZjm4wrykcn20sM1M8mRhejX8WiKrMiWd6KQSRRoxEIzn64bSBU/s1600/nativity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1000" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFtGeR6-vmp2g-km71MgRetgvCHhdYPdVCWuw0oW1neJqVp9E6KckQ9ZimoLeHmlepksLnoVJUOFJNp5tmTUsphN04WZjm4wrykcn20sM1M8mRhejX8WiKrMiWd6KQSRRoxEIzn64bSBU/s400/nativity.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one is in here because of the little white highlights that separate the figures. I think they look neat. The color, again, is acrylic ink.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmO1s2306-yLDQ0hpsC1zcD32l5oWfqmWj9m5FgaXcsMTSWVZAMZ3uNcoJdwjxBQLrX7BlmdahJr7_zL5EBpo_o1xkVWdJTnsW7Mf2VAUDaEEzT7E3-n9yXbbULxN7nSWNKc25i_eYds/s1600/viking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1000" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmO1s2306-yLDQ0hpsC1zcD32l5oWfqmWj9m5FgaXcsMTSWVZAMZ3uNcoJdwjxBQLrX7BlmdahJr7_zL5EBpo_o1xkVWdJTnsW7Mf2VAUDaEEzT7E3-n9yXbbULxN7nSWNKc25i_eYds/s400/viking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This one I like 3D feel the varying thickness on the lines convey. I think it feels pretty cool.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyaJIZ21rWxirqXsmR5U-PVgIm7bhTHm7c7wlv0rVVKeHvDc-RKQbG5dj3F0t12rcvwYY4wYKH68UCOkja_XsC0DsaOpdmv6p90pg3m_AOnN2IpOBCM-psFDq8GuPAE7C3q80C2ZuAFQ/s1600/whale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="1000" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbyaJIZ21rWxirqXsmR5U-PVgIm7bhTHm7c7wlv0rVVKeHvDc-RKQbG5dj3F0t12rcvwYY4wYKH68UCOkja_XsC0DsaOpdmv6p90pg3m_AOnN2IpOBCM-psFDq8GuPAE7C3q80C2ZuAFQ/s400/whale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, this one I like because of the sense of not knowing what is next. This is a pretty common cliche image I think. But, its common for a reason.</div>
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Overall I learned a attempting this exercise. Since I'm not an "artist" I felt a sense of freedom to just try different styles, and approaches for nearly everything I did. Some were pretty awful, and others, like these had something in them that I liked. If it is something you think you would like to try, I encourage you to give it a go!</div>
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I used a bunch of different materials, but you really on need paper and a pen.</div>
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My material list: An assortment of nib pens, Speedball black ink, Acrylic Ink, various sized black technical pens, brush pens, a small Crescent sketchbook suitable for all media, Windsor Newton Series 7 brushes for drawing and color application, the previously mentioned markers, annnnnnd pencils.</div>
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-48654252981688792062018-10-07T20:10:00.000-07:002018-12-31T14:51:29.142-08:00Gaslands Cars!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/30231287377/in/dateposted/" title="Gaslands Trio"><img alt="Gaslands Trio" height="333" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1970/30231287377_05974e8f5d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Again, its been a little while since the last post where I post up what I've been up to photographically or otherwise. I've been doing bunch of every little thing, including making pictures, but I haven't used time to post them or write about them here. I've been doing some modelling and I've had the chance to play a ton of table top games. This post combines all 3 of those things.</div>
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It is going to have a bunch of pictures into how I turned a pack of cars that looked like this when I got them....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicaQhVAClw3A1yFgSVl2OaEGgZp0KKhOt1LaFtP6V-DfBohxG2aQUmgTs4c8wysBI9hWkM_q6Kf_LEAYqbp9AfISAKr8KslT1vdn6FtWXYKXxB16zfFtvSnU7FDP0DVX884K2CUT27n7A/s1600/20180812_140444_DSCF0001-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicaQhVAClw3A1yFgSVl2OaEGgZp0KKhOt1LaFtP6V-DfBohxG2aQUmgTs4c8wysBI9hWkM_q6Kf_LEAYqbp9AfISAKr8KslT1vdn6FtWXYKXxB16zfFtvSnU7FDP0DVX884K2CUT27n7A/s320/20180812_140444_DSCF0001-small.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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.. into the what is shown above. None of the cars have any pre-built model bits attached to them. Everything either came with them, was scratch built, or was a "found" part.</div>
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The game they are for is <a href="https://gaslands.com/">Gaslands</a>, and if you have any interest in games at all check it out. The rulebook can be found on <a href="https://amzn.to/2LFkfk7">Amazon</a>. The templates and tokens can be made yourself, and the "models" are simply cheap toy cars.</div>
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The first thing I did was drill the rivets out on the bottom of the cars to pull them apart. Unlike, say, Hotwheels these Maisto cars have no interiors. I then stripped the paint from the bodies, taking car to leave a few flakes in on purpose. I thought these might look like rust bubbles when I was done. It sorta worked, but like most things I tried it felt a little out of scale.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWwUEDciGjefm-CAoqRq8cHniFAxYv3sK6qi6fZcZxqigirQyztjIfmucE-dtatXe9ZspvD-YIeLmGk5zLttYkvvQlRLlJ_LV3A0ZrXKhe91jrTEo2JOyOdmNP_gJo9zZ6_Qm2x9GGXA/s1600/20180812_143409_DSCF0004-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWwUEDciGjefm-CAoqRq8cHniFAxYv3sK6qi6fZcZxqigirQyztjIfmucE-dtatXe9ZspvD-YIeLmGk5zLttYkvvQlRLlJ_LV3A0ZrXKhe91jrTEo2JOyOdmNP_gJo9zZ6_Qm2x9GGXA/s320/20180812_143409_DSCF0004-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtVXYjtrRdP70Hd0wR-PA3Ve51_0gC5UpVpEkbvSa81ksW0pU_2sgWbeQB0tDRGRKEkLh5uIuL_x0Zwdyw2snVwEvNvhCts82m5vf9aPXZo6ON9uw9QP6v84guMmfJadgg9U-YTImmkk/s1600/20180812_154624_DSCF0005-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtVXYjtrRdP70Hd0wR-PA3Ve51_0gC5UpVpEkbvSa81ksW0pU_2sgWbeQB0tDRGRKEkLh5uIuL_x0Zwdyw2snVwEvNvhCts82m5vf9aPXZo6ON9uw9QP6v84guMmfJadgg9U-YTImmkk/s320/20180812_154624_DSCF0005-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I decided to go with one of the chunky cars first. First I stuck some weapons made from styrene tube into the headlights, and some armor plate to the outside and inside. I also modified the hood. I primed it up, and then painted in some dark and light areas using a dark grey on the lines, and some white to brighten up other areas.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXhFEp0MEfVnkntbtMOW5EXO2oUw1R8Xseq02WOO1vsxTr0p838WUJhF8wXOmlW0dXVw8Mo3wRcefMM5ZUq0PL9FUO-EAdw39W5iR6uMKKKFe-4F1wXslrh4EopUCAWo7T-wnJAbuVMo/s1600/20180820_175521_DSCF0007-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXhFEp0MEfVnkntbtMOW5EXO2oUw1R8Xseq02WOO1vsxTr0p838WUJhF8wXOmlW0dXVw8Mo3wRcefMM5ZUq0PL9FUO-EAdw39W5iR6uMKKKFe-4F1wXslrh4EopUCAWo7T-wnJAbuVMo/s320/20180820_175521_DSCF0007-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sfdylIf4DslEBzvKuvIsNr3uxfL0z3u71xm6Gb2o_LdJG7EkkDA0hmh-BH1Nq2cUvSR69uJkFUTaOODQpqm-3a_jf1AFgSncaFwvoyKxLdX6TUJkdi8mRe8SknVYKNFFhfqIQFMsydw/s1600/20180824_193949_DSCF0009-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sfdylIf4DslEBzvKuvIsNr3uxfL0z3u71xm6Gb2o_LdJG7EkkDA0hmh-BH1Nq2cUvSR69uJkFUTaOODQpqm-3a_jf1AFgSncaFwvoyKxLdX6TUJkdi8mRe8SknVYKNFFhfqIQFMsydw/s320/20180824_193949_DSCF0009-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After getting the car primed, I painted it red. I added a few layers of highlighting to the car with an airbrush before painting in a few details with a hand brush. After that I glossed the model, and used oil paints to add weathering effects and details.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlUrhjKxSqZ_Yn5VxPHC0FM8ueoYfeQCKSLPnBcQzwMx3YOSAq_X1My7IRQWdqdluG1o3nlzXAMd_ztbLIgIV4Wb_oB23pFU7tTt-MoSlzdGL7ctYU_PG8ZOLw5fbNk8Sfjn0v92Lc6w/s1600/20180824_201239_DSCF0011-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlUrhjKxSqZ_Yn5VxPHC0FM8ueoYfeQCKSLPnBcQzwMx3YOSAq_X1My7IRQWdqdluG1o3nlzXAMd_ztbLIgIV4Wb_oB23pFU7tTt-MoSlzdGL7ctYU_PG8ZOLw5fbNk8Sfjn0v92Lc6w/s320/20180824_201239_DSCF0011-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAwU1yEA_iMADnvs44yVkh6sdnmDJvRQnef-OC1C3DvgvGpe64KU6kcMgRYAaK1KmNFHoNumhNAix8nGIr3x-Axqa0fmkRiNFpefyZw21unVRFEDoWtieWhEinsCckVZdFLq4tSCE2Kw/s1600/20180824_202745_DSCF0012-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAAwU1yEA_iMADnvs44yVkh6sdnmDJvRQnef-OC1C3DvgvGpe64KU6kcMgRYAaK1KmNFHoNumhNAix8nGIr3x-Axqa0fmkRiNFpefyZw21unVRFEDoWtieWhEinsCckVZdFLq4tSCE2Kw/s320/20180824_202745_DSCF0012-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The other cars followed similar steps. Below are some of their "in progress" shots that show some of their process.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8-fUMbu-j3lFufw0rWwIJZC-5EoVZYjERMhkpptV8S8oRvO4RmJQbLrHl3G5PP0twWHARhecVhE-Fe3_5XJkOOeyN7exv4wqnTjALJ5W316hrbkqoh9zJSL8l1yw62NuJcsmkvi6sNI/s1600/20180901_110752-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8-fUMbu-j3lFufw0rWwIJZC-5EoVZYjERMhkpptV8S8oRvO4RmJQbLrHl3G5PP0twWHARhecVhE-Fe3_5XJkOOeyN7exv4wqnTjALJ5W316hrbkqoh9zJSL8l1yw62NuJcsmkvi6sNI/s320/20180901_110752-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipklq_dlDv84lg4NUDyKrvgxG2ArKFeT0hx2hpiqYRZl4WoR-a_EwLRDS7HarangqHrEKJGEWrMC_00qcxlATyHPAoLJHw6APktVLxZUfbS4VtA_shvkO0TkzPXpaarqdSWX03qIlTEDA/s1600/20180904_215753-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipklq_dlDv84lg4NUDyKrvgxG2ArKFeT0hx2hpiqYRZl4WoR-a_EwLRDS7HarangqHrEKJGEWrMC_00qcxlATyHPAoLJHw6APktVLxZUfbS4VtA_shvkO0TkzPXpaarqdSWX03qIlTEDA/s320/20180904_215753-small.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyKhgCKsdh81KugO2DVOHqgek5Yn-yu8aFZLIIlHrpIIOHn_uR-VEwQTYzyNf7tm1ysFdxWni0CDIvrlWWgHtGShAPlw8N6PorMNR6Lixmfw6NOFjbU5EHAafej7_ugc0VQ7f_kq0_bA/s1600/20180910_135532-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyKhgCKsdh81KugO2DVOHqgek5Yn-yu8aFZLIIlHrpIIOHn_uR-VEwQTYzyNf7tm1ysFdxWni0CDIvrlWWgHtGShAPlw8N6PorMNR6Lixmfw6NOFjbU5EHAafej7_ugc0VQ7f_kq0_bA/s320/20180910_135532-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally here are the cars fully finished, individually, followed by a another shot of all 3 of them together!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfuJ_rIFMQB2MZT42nzD2HuUc1RY165H5NIuewRcDz1dTjPZpSsy0scrHT0k_60UOzuz44khlzI6s1ALIDndIIkxj6HgpMJvfkyRQuNJGZZtvcXQnz6FSlhJctfxB0KjXs9rh2JMG7ZM/s1600/20181007_000731_DSC_0010-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1061" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfuJ_rIFMQB2MZT42nzD2HuUc1RY165H5NIuewRcDz1dTjPZpSsy0scrHT0k_60UOzuz44khlzI6s1ALIDndIIkxj6HgpMJvfkyRQuNJGZZtvcXQnz6FSlhJctfxB0KjXs9rh2JMG7ZM/s320/20181007_000731_DSC_0010-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KGLUE9DSTK34YMkyXVZA2LYs8IMUPqNP2sDGyva6lOtZElf6P_kNDjS7HCDx8p9WvnbqhZ2vhE9UnlCBKwwXqrtblPL8f5RE9SG2g6zob2AcMux72ofxFDJvi6bUWymonVpURY5U4Xo/s1600/20181007_000945_DSC_0019-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1061" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KGLUE9DSTK34YMkyXVZA2LYs8IMUPqNP2sDGyva6lOtZElf6P_kNDjS7HCDx8p9WvnbqhZ2vhE9UnlCBKwwXqrtblPL8f5RE9SG2g6zob2AcMux72ofxFDJvi6bUWymonVpURY5U4Xo/s320/20181007_000945_DSC_0019-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKG3LnaF8jlTpT4ohLDa5kW5gSAyoMohApNKol6BD1aRvpkyyVEecm4azigkPx8FnlUb_TpXbcDP2gcJLyIQqfnVdUUWvLbOM8igg7bk_414vnCAb5Q7ESRAO3xPlZLRTQIMLM1zV4L4/s1600/20181007_001202_DSC_0025-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1061" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKG3LnaF8jlTpT4ohLDa5kW5gSAyoMohApNKol6BD1aRvpkyyVEecm4azigkPx8FnlUb_TpXbcDP2gcJLyIQqfnVdUUWvLbOM8igg7bk_414vnCAb5Q7ESRAO3xPlZLRTQIMLM1zV4L4/s320/20181007_001202_DSC_0025-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now, maybe get out there, play a game, build a model, or make a picture!!!!</div>
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Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-7929421578643243832017-08-02T07:36:00.000-07:002017-08-02T07:36:02.733-07:00TWENTY Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLy90L3fqZD-c5LNE4_uJ9Z7SV1YngaiB4F0HQWkSbtitmve1Gi9ogYNw5wOlF4mQkchKltatHkKQE1K1HbsGtGHLQZTFGX70loSEpuNHjjxqWdN8BcRtiuGWXSoshBIWSKMLD_IG0bc/s1600/20170802_091818_DSCF0054-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLy90L3fqZD-c5LNE4_uJ9Z7SV1YngaiB4F0HQWkSbtitmve1Gi9ogYNw5wOlF4mQkchKltatHkKQE1K1HbsGtGHLQZTFGX70loSEpuNHjjxqWdN8BcRtiuGWXSoshBIWSKMLD_IG0bc/s400/20170802_091818_DSCF0054-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Married twenty years today. I'm not sure any words are needed to describe this. Except for the twenty written here.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-70599991698702178072017-03-19T20:02:00.000-07:002017-03-19T20:02:26.299-07:00Favorite Shoot of Last Year<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/30839918830/in/dateposted/" title="SH"><img alt="SH" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5670/30839918830_d1eed33e0d.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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As promised, actual photography.</div>
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My favorite single picture last year was this <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2016/06/the-last-of-project.html">one</a>. It is my favorite for a number of reasons. First, its a good picture, it wouldn't be my favorite if it wasn't. But, that particular project was long term. The fact that it drew to an end also marks a big change in my life, so that is hanging on that one too. Its funny, this week intersects with that portion of my life too.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/30839918950/in/dateposted/" title="SH"><img alt="SH" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5585/30839918950_205f5d5fc2.jpg" width="333" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
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But, that isn't why we are here right now. We are here to explore my favorite overall shoot. This one was my favorite overall shoot, again, for a number of reasons. First, I'm happy with the results. Second, this was a HS Senior shoot, which I really like. I've said before, it is nice to have that mixture of a kid, an adult, as well as the the wide open future looming ahead. It was really easy for me, she has been in front of cameras before.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPBhlpxrSxqOKZ1EZkFfaIjAlXTXnNqGNXfnQW-Ee8FdDKTjbrbs9GrU0NBfjrEVb1sidTQNKJl42iB6-PKXKFpw4EjZuB9Bg5S2Ca7NmCi3NXLMl6CeTsnG0jXQvdArjn2HUASw_ouw/s1600/20161119_112731_DSC_0208-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPBhlpxrSxqOKZ1EZkFfaIjAlXTXnNqGNXfnQW-Ee8FdDKTjbrbs9GrU0NBfjrEVb1sidTQNKJl42iB6-PKXKFpw4EjZuB9Bg5S2Ca7NmCi3NXLMl6CeTsnG0jXQvdArjn2HUASw_ouw/s400/20161119_112731_DSC_0208-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The only hiccup were the jerks in this car. <br />
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Pro tip ... don't stop your car in the street, roll down the window, and act like complete [expletives deleted]. Next outing I'm carrying baseballs, and I am not opposed to throwing them through windshields.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-58515477869571748682017-03-14T19:17:00.000-07:002017-03-21T20:23:48.122-07:002017 Goals (and Failure)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJeMJ1KhjwWcI2Ruvcnqu0IKEfQQKAV45kKTABYo8a_GZBQttbYf2GLWYlovBykWowGXdbWqeIsCwFf-Q5x9ftqCCy8siv6pD06sUYc92_tuTaRwI2CEG0531jYM6ZTnDGdFd6Ioy0-4/s1600/20170314_205116_DSC_0003-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJeMJ1KhjwWcI2Ruvcnqu0IKEfQQKAV45kKTABYo8a_GZBQttbYf2GLWYlovBykWowGXdbWqeIsCwFf-Q5x9ftqCCy8siv6pD06sUYc92_tuTaRwI2CEG0531jYM6ZTnDGdFd6Ioy0-4/s400/20170314_205116_DSC_0003-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This photo is painful. See the little red arrows pointing to what is about 1mm of white space? That 1mm cost me from achieving one of my archery practice goals, which is to get 20x on a 1/2 face at 1/2 distance. It wouldn't usually be too bad, I have gotten many19x's before, it is pretty much my average. But this time it was painful. I felt like I got slapped in the face.<br />
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That shot happened on the 3rd arrow of my last end. <i><b>But I didn't know I missed*</b>, </i>the shot felt right, and its tough to judge the tiny face with fletching blocking the view. The last two shots were center punches, and I went up up to the target thinking I could check off one more goal. But no, I'm still chasing this one. But I'll get it. But, it wasn't today.<br />
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It got me thinking about goals, disappointment, failure, last year, and a few other things.<br />
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The first thing I noticed when I looked back at my photo <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2016/01/2016-goals.html">goals</a> from last year one thing stood out. I didn't actually do any of them. The car one gave me a lot of anxiety, because I desperately want to do it, I just haven't gotten any timing to work! Its one of those I need to find collaborators for and that hasn't gone so well so far.<br />
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The other one, well, that one should have been easy. But, alas, it was not done either.<br />
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However, they were the only two goals I didn't achieve last year. But, still, I had targets and missed them.<br />
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This year I have one photography goal. Shoot more, shoot to have fun, and share more. I also really want to shoot cars with my pinhole camera, I have for two years. I have all the stuff I need except the cars!<br />
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Archery. I want to do some organized shooting outside. I also want to get a target bow. But, the latter is a want not a goal, so we'll see.<br />
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Bookwise, I like the pace I have had for the last 5 or so years, but I am behind. I need to pick up my game to maintain it this year. I have two waiting for me on my Kindle right now!<br />
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Otherwise, I'll participate in activities as the mood strikes.<br />
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Next post will be photos from my favorite outing of last year.<br />
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*I still am unsure why I missed. Which is troubling me greatly at the moment! 😄<br />
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*Update* - 1 Week Later.... I got all 20. The last few were a bit dicey. I was much calmer last week.<br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-5472173488645905112017-03-05T14:27:00.000-08:002017-03-05T14:27:50.379-08:00Even More Models<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/32889693140/in/photostream/" title="X-wing"><img alt="X-wing" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/573/32889693140_857bf3d4af.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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It has been quite a while since my last post. I will do better. I will visit last year's <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2016/01/2016-goals.html">goals </a>(a disaster for the most part), and discuss what I plan to do this year with this blog.
One of the things I have done that was on my goal list was to build up models. You see, I ended up with a large stash (for me) of Bandai Star Wars kits. There was some concern that the Disney Banhammer was going to prevent these kits from being sold in the US, so I bought many of them. From what I understand "real" modelers are not bothered by large amounts of unbuilt kits sitting around. However, it is driving me nuts, so I am working my through them.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/32429703844/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="X-wing"><img alt="X-wing" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/635/32429703844_31af70aa38.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The latest two I finished were an X-wing fighter kit that I kept fairly clean, and Darth Vader's Tie Fighter Advanced to chase it around. As an aside, the Bandai Tie Fighter models might be a good choice for you if you are interested in building a Star War's kit but do not want to paint it. You could use a marker to line the panel markings, apply the kit-supplied stickers on the interior, and spray it with a rattle-can of Testor's Dull Cote to take the sheen off. It would look pretty good. You could even decide to go "crazy" and look up on Youtube how to use a wash to accent the panel lines and dirty up the surface a little bit.</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/32889694840/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Tie Fighter Advanced"><img alt="Tie Fighter Advanced" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3783/32889694840_00b2bd0862.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I also built another little SD Zaku II kit, to go with my <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2015/08/my-new-little-friend.html">first one</a>. I added some of my own details to his shield, helmet, and some armor enhancements with plasticard bits. I also used some after market decals.</div>
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It is a little ironic I did the "grunt" figure much better than the hero one. But, that is to be expected. I was just learning how to airbrush with that first model, and I've done a few more kits since then.</div>
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Don't worry, this will not become a blog about models. In fact, the next actual content post will be about my favorite photo shoot from last year.</div>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-84869110056418209202016-08-20T18:29:00.000-07:002016-08-20T18:29:12.642-07:00More models<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_o8ZBDhJyWxEaiqcuAXIttilYkqvK4MMUMBec18mUo1QX_483CI0NXQyLGgZJaOaGjbEN6Cee7Ol028mTSc9wIhuFmDWs7Xcz19avRVDs3wrm57N_9DiH05pvAzT-6vbucbW4Nrg7oDw/s1600/20160813_230540_DSC_0005-fb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_o8ZBDhJyWxEaiqcuAXIttilYkqvK4MMUMBec18mUo1QX_483CI0NXQyLGgZJaOaGjbEN6Cee7Ol028mTSc9wIhuFmDWs7Xcz19avRVDs3wrm57N_9DiH05pvAzT-6vbucbW4Nrg7oDw/s400/20160813_230540_DSC_0005-fb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Alas, probably not the models you thought when you saw the title. More on that below.<br />
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Roughly a year ago, I finished I completely finished the first <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2015/08/my-new-little-friend.html">model kit</a> I had done in a long, long time. I quickly followed that with the <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2015/12/uss-pine-island.html">second kit</a>. That one I was pretty motivated to work on diligently because gifts have deadlines.<br />
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This year I finished a few more. I did an older SD Gunpla kit I had lying around from a while ago. It isn't pictured.<br />
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I painted up a starter box for Privateer Press' Warmachine game. They are painted to a gaming standard.<br />
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I am nearly complete with Star Wars Snowspeeder kit from Bandai. I need to matte coat it when the weather hasn't made my house as humid as a sauna. I also built the Trooper figure from Bandai's Star Wars Speederbike kit.<br />
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I'm not much of a model builder, so this is a bit unusual.<br />
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I haven't done as many pictures as I'd like, partially because of all these things probably. However, I want to change that. I am looking for people that will spend an hour or two with me to work on chasing "one" picture together. During that time, I also want to capture a frame or two with my <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2014/03/pinhole-photography.html">pinhole </a>camera -- those will be experimental, and likely feel slow and fiddly while were making them. <br />
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I'm interested in doing portraits of individuals, no groups, etc. Anyone interested?Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-87156690801572921852016-08-01T21:15:00.001-07:002016-08-01T21:19:13.066-07:00Ride the Lightning <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/28095239104/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ride the Lightning"><img alt="Ride the Lightning" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8674/28095239104_8efdbcc28a_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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It has been a little while since I posted much on here photo related. Of course that is the point of this whole endeavor, which means I am failing it miserably. We did go to the beach again this year. We didn't go last year. I will have a post in the near future about that. Don't worry, its not vacation snapshots like I <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2014/07/summer-beach-trip-as-told-through.html">posted before</a>. It is mildly more interesting than that.<br />
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However, when we were there I got to watch a storm out over the ocean, and I had the chance to actually photograph it. It was the first time I was able to capture lightning. I have wanted to since I made the <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/search/label/song%20project">song project</a> a more-or-less permanent personal project.<br />
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The song in question is Metallica's Ride the Lightning, from the album of the same name. That particular album has my favorite Metallica song on it, Fade to Black. The little intro to that song was one of the first things I learned how to play on the guitar.<br />
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But this isn't about Fade to Black, but about Lightning.<br />
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Witnessing this storm, and actually capturing it, inspired me to post again. It is a bit ironic that this fits in more with a landscape theme, than the portraits that I really love. Hopefully I'll ride this wave of enthusiasm into more frequent posting.<br />
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Click on the top picture to see it better on Flickr.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-3313443408333803642016-08-01T19:18:00.001-07:002016-08-01T19:18:29.797-07:00Nineteen Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Its become a bit of a tradition to celebrate our wedding anniversary on August 2. Mostly, this is because we got married on August 2. August 2, 1997-- 19 years ago, which explains the blog post's title perfectly.<br />
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Nineteen year's is not really a long time. I hope we have 3 or 4 more nineteen year cycles in us. That is pushing the limits of a human lifespan hard though.<br />
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No matter how many we have left, I want to spend them all with her. Hopefully she agrees. I'm pretty excited to have reached this point. I also know I wouldn't have wanted any other path in life than the one I'm on with her right now.<br />
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To bring this in line with past posts, I shall say a small piece about the number 19. <br />
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It feels like a strange number to me, there aren't too many things that stand out when I think of "19".<br />
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But there are two.<br />
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A go board is a 19x19 grid. The game grows on the board organically, each player adding to the board, compromising with the other, disagreeing over this area or that area, or the meaning of a previous move, giving up areas to your playing partner, and so on. In the end, there is an eventual winner, but its the path to the end that matters. That is a bit like life I think. It certainly is a bit like marriage, except for the winner part.<br />
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The only other think I an think of, off hand, regarding the 19 is it became important in the later novels of Stephen King's Dark Tower, and popped up everywhere.<br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-58286265068864725222016-06-05T21:14:00.000-07:002016-06-05T21:14:04.712-07:00The last of a project<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/26696944061/in/dateposted/" title="Colleague"><img alt="Colleague" height="512" src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/2/1523/26696944061_2e6973fe69_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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This is the final "official" image from a personal project I have been doing for the past 4 or 5 years. I haven't shared too many of these, maybe one or two at the most.<br />
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I decided to share this one because a) I like it a <b>lot</b>, it will end up in my portfolio when I change it up the next time and b) it is the final of this project.
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Without getting into all the hows and whys behind the project, it has been "incognito" for this long, I will just let the picture speak for itself.<br />
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Good luck to all those I've left behind, and please wish the same for me!Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-81398292281346203752016-03-04T20:39:00.001-08:002016-03-04T20:44:40.867-08:00New Stuff: Complete Man Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I got involved in a project that is the brainchild of a friend. Complete Man Project is a site dedicated to helping you be a better man, and person.<br />
There is a website and facebook page. Check em out, subscribe, like, or whatever else you do<br />
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<a href="http://completemanproject.com/">http://completemanproject.com/</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Complete-Man-Project-1221137764582137/">https://www.facebook.com/Complete-Man-Project-1221137764582137/</a><br />
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I like archery, a lot.* Too much, maybe. The next few months I'm going to dedicate a lot of effort towards getting better at it. I've done this with other endeavors, and know it will be hell as learn and try to apply more to my game.<br />
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To break this period up up a bit, I'm going to build a slingshot from scratch. It will help me satisfy the same desire learn and curiosity I am chasing with archery, without the pain. I am writing about the experience as part of Complete Man Project. Article 1 is up.<br />
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*The picture is my wife's bow. I liked archery enough I convinced her she needed her own setup. Hers glows in the dark. That is pretty sweet.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-85825445566956151242016-01-01T12:37:00.000-08:002016-01-01T12:37:58.058-08:002016 Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, looking back on <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2015/01/2015-goals.html">2015's goals</a> I seemed to fail miserably.<br />
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In a way.<br />
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I did satisfy the reading section. The 2 Pulitzer prize winners I read were The Road by Cormac McCarthy and A Visit by the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I also read some gigantic books by Brandon Sanderson, and Stephen King among a bunch of others.<br />
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My physical goal was derailed by an injury. Stupid age. Stupid deadlifts. I stopped pursuing this before the summer -- because I hurt my back. It sucked. It still kind of sucks. I will take another try at this in 2016. But it will be to simply get back to lifting. Its a bit nerve-wracking after hurting yourself.<br />
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The art ones ... I didn't draw much, but I did build and paint models and miniatures instead. I put the finishing touches on a few miniatures that were "almost" done, and had been that way for a few years. I also started and completed 3 models. I learned how to really use an airbrush. I haven't had as much fun or success with models for a long time.<br />
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The pinhole car pictures didn't happen out of laziness. And I didn't purchase a large format film rig to do the portraits with. I still want to do these. Purchase wise, a 4x5 camera has been high on the list of "wants". But, given this is really unneeded in the grand scheme of things, it is a low priority.<br />
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I didn't really "redo" any rooms in the house either. But they are arranged decently enough.<br />
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I did end up pursuing some things hard that weren't on the list. I have always enjoyed archery and flinging arrows about. But, I ended up chasing that target center much harder in 2015 than I planned. It was a lot fun. My daughter, and my wife, both ended up with bows as a partial consequence of this. I, personally, kept the bow I have had for 3 years. It ended up with new strings (necessary), new sights (not really truly necessary), and new stabilizers though (I needed a real stabilizer, but maybe not as fancy as the one I bought). I also switched my release--- which resulted in re-learning how to shoot. I enjoyed the process. I will be shooting in at least one league in a 2016, and I hope to get out hunting.<br />
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I did learn a few guitar solos from the Shady Grove album. I also learned a few chord progressions, and have worked through some of the melodies for various songs. Including, but not limited to, Reckless Kelly's Wicked Twisted Road, Metallica's One. No lessons though.<br />
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I also got my Maryland Hunter's Safety card. That was an odd experience. It was mostly about firearms, which, I personally don't care that much about.<br />
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The goals aside, 2015 was an interesting year. No year is perfect, but I'm just going to discuss the things that were fun. I got to see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Wylie_Hubbard">Ray Wylie Hubbard</a> play. He's a little bit country, a little bit americana, a little bit blues, a little bit rock and roll, and completely entertaining.<br />
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I got to shake Ray Lewis' hand at a <a href="http://wtop.com/baltimore-ravens/2015/12/ravens-great-ray-lewis-meets-fans-signs-books-in-d-c/slide/1/">book signing</a>. One thing that stood out to me was how much effort he put into having a small conversations with the kids there. If you follow the link, you will see I have a picture of the same conversation the WTOP reporter captured. [As an aside, she was using her iPhone for her coverage. It is all that is needed, no doubt, but it still saddens me a little bit. But, that didn't really stop me from putting a few phone pictures in this post!]<br />
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So for this year:<br />
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<b>Photos:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>I will carry over the 5 car pinhole pictures. It will be a fun project. I just need to make the proper time for it, and meet a few more car people.</li>
<li>Make one photograph for each hour of the day. They won't be hours from the same exact day. This will be interesting for a few reasons. It is "discipline" photo project like a 365 project, but on much less demanding scale. I have a feeling hours 3-6AM will be the difficult ones to get.</li>
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<b>Art:</b></div>
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<li>I have a bunch of model kits. I'd like to finish a few.</li>
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<b>Physicality:</b></div>
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<li>Get back in a routine like I had last year before hurting myself</li>
<li>Still not going to run</li>
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<b>Books:</b></div>
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Setting goals for this seems hard. I have done so much reading the past few years it is only natural to continue, so I'll name some specific things</div>
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<li>Read a book from an author I have never read a book by before</li>
<li>Read a book that inspired a movie</li>
<li>Still going to read the Bible.</li>
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I will also hope Winds of Winter comes out.</div>
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<b>Archery:</b></div>
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<li>Participate in some type of organized shooting</li>
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<b>Music:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Not sure what I want to do here yet, I will update this when figure it out</li>
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-36914961526830868732015-12-29T20:07:00.001-08:002015-12-29T20:11:24.429-08:00Chickens!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Why? Because everything that is not a chicken has been too easy to photograph.<br />
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These chickens all have names that range from the straight forward like "Peaches" to the much more complicated "Mr. Fancy Pants". <br />
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In case you are wondering, chickens are harder to <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2009/12/herding-cats.html">herd than children</a>.<br />
<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-33004541339017963392015-12-28T22:02:00.001-08:002015-12-28T22:02:47.016-08:00USS Pine Island<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/23956200441/in/dateposted/" title="USS Pine Island Model"><img alt="USS Pine Island Model" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5753/23956200441_ec6e73cb83.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pine_Island_(AV-12)">USS Pine Island</a> is the ship my grandfather served on from August 7, 1947 to January 6, 1950. I built a Revell <a href="http://www.internetmodeler.com/scalemodels/flships/Revell-1-426-USS-Pine-Island-AV-12-Seaplane-Tender.php">model kit</a> of the ship as my mother's Christmas present this year.<br />
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<a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2015/08/my-new-little-friend.html">Models </a>are the reason I didn't hit the majority of my goals this year. I worked on them instead. When I made my goal list I wasn't even considering models. Its fitting that I spent the last few months of the year getting this one together.<br />
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This was more complicated to build than my last one, but the paint scheme was a little less complicated. Although, trying to build the greys up so they were interesting and not flat was a challenge.<br />
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As I said I build this as a Christmas present. However, I was tempted to keep it. I had a spot all picked out and everything!<br />
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However, I'll end up sticking a rotation of Star Wars models up there. But, I'll need to build them first!<br />
<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-23022304407916610072015-11-29T15:53:00.001-08:002015-11-29T16:12:37.474-08:00Bunnies with hats.<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/23407781195/in/dateposted-public/" title="Dueling Bunnies"><img alt="Dueling Bunnies" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5791/23407781195_e7142142ba.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Managed to get a few more subjects in front of my camera. These are the pet rabbits we keep. They don't usually wear hats.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/23039802139/in/dateposted-public/" title="Sheriff Bunny"><img alt="Sheriff Bunny" height="640" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/596/23039802139_2fb13fdcb9_z.jpg" width="512" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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This one is quite the little stinker.<br />
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The final two didn't quite make "the cut", but I left them here out of completeness.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-71783683426845905012015-11-28T17:54:00.001-08:002015-11-28T17:54:33.861-08:00Tobias as a Sailor<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/23301123871/in/dateposted-public/" title="Sailor Tobias"><img alt="Sailor Tobias" height="800" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5801/23301123871_1d545d85e7_c.jpg" width="534" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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My parents have my grandfather's Navy shirt. It fits Tobias. Either Tobias is very big, or my grandfather was small at 17 and 18. Perhaps, it is both.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-17247820913520671552015-08-22T15:42:00.001-07:002015-08-22T15:42:53.724-07:00National Zoo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3BUEg6gLXvPSnsLplUPrLsk-TODAdUhraAcV0seWf55a7O_Kl-AxTHaT3YZHM713V-Ga8iGSA0Y6098L8iynKugcNM9Mxdkbv3mXCkZalRdfNaBi53HlTdURHK2OVGppVwEKbPBv-a0/s1600/20150813_135648_DSCF0082-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3BUEg6gLXvPSnsLplUPrLsk-TODAdUhraAcV0seWf55a7O_Kl-AxTHaT3YZHM713V-Ga8iGSA0Y6098L8iynKugcNM9Mxdkbv3mXCkZalRdfNaBi53HlTdURHK2OVGppVwEKbPBv-a0/s400/20150813_135648_DSCF0082-finished-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We didn't go to the beach this year, at least not yet anyway. But we did get sneak down to the National Zoo. It was the first time I have been there since my kids were around that it was not over 100 degrees.<br />
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These aren't generally photo trips for me, but I do take some snapshots.<br />
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The two most important birds in the country are represented.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">The picture of the cheetah could have been better, but I got burned by the terrible battery level indicators. So, the picture I really wanted to make din't happen because the battery died before it materialized.</span></div>
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At the end of the night on the way home we had a short conversation with the Maryland Batman. Unfortunately he was <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/21/us-usa-maryland-batman-idUSKCN0QQ1LO20150821">killed </a> in an accident only a few days later.<br />
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-19002574046954849292015-08-18T18:24:00.000-07:002015-08-18T18:24:58.464-07:00My new little friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6RjpBZIgboH0ta6lVTDMdjzc0FS3ACyVJyY6zbfKRDiqwqP3e-ifCAd7_QZeZ15AiKHJVI84hU_cKbF0rBi30PQeIez8MRNx0X3pcEHPXg2clujxotjGIhMckWwKdebc-W7uc9p-lmU/s1600/20150818_200047_DSC_0009-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6RjpBZIgboH0ta6lVTDMdjzc0FS3ACyVJyY6zbfKRDiqwqP3e-ifCAd7_QZeZ15AiKHJVI84hU_cKbF0rBi30PQeIez8MRNx0X3pcEHPXg2clujxotjGIhMckWwKdebc-W7uc9p-lmU/s400/20150818_200047_DSC_0009-finished-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I go through cycles of creative "stuff" that I involve myself in. The one constant is photography, which is why this blog even exists.<br />
<br />
Other creative stuff I find myself doing are video making, guitar playing, painting, drawing, building "useful" stuff, programming, writing, miniature and model building. But these other things come and go in seasons.<br />
<br />
Right now it I've spent some time doing models. I also learned a new word, "<a href="http://www.gunpla101.com/">gunpla</a>", and literally made a new "friend".<br />
<br />
A friend of mine picked up a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XQNEXM/ref=s9_simh_gw_p21_d0_i6?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-2&pf_rd_r=0FZA3971ZZMX9GX7HSYB&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2160825142&pf_rd_i=desktop">RG grade 1/144 scale MS-06F Zaku II </a>model for me. When I opened the box and looked at it, I had a moment of panic. Looking at all the nifty parts in the kit I was given made me realize I really needed to use an airbrush. They are flat, wide, and much larger than the miniatures I was bristle painting. <br />
<br />
I have never used an airbrush on a scale model. I have an airbrush, and I used it to paint R/C car bodies. But the skill involved to do a basic R/C car body is minuscule in comparison to what it take to paint a model. You don't have to worry about the "finish" on the R/C car body because you are painting the inside of a clear material.<br />
<br />
To learn I ordered an "SD" <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TNCTZ2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01">kit </a>of a similar 'mech. I felt they'd be fun to show next to one another, providing my learning experience went well. And if it didn't, the kit was cheap enough to try stripping it down to redo.<br />
<br />
It went okay. No disasters. I need to be more aggressive cleaning mold and seam lines. I also need to learn a little bit more control paint thinning. But, I didn't end up with an orange peel finish, or other major problem. I just had small problems!<br />
<br />
My process was pretty basic. Built sections up as large as I could (head, arms, two body sections, feet, weapons, shield, and shoulder pad), remove seams, prime, dark shade coat, lighter shade coat, hand paint, gloss coat, line with ink, add some weathering, and dull coat. Because of the size and part count it only took me 10-12 hours over the course of a week. This included learning how to airbrush. Of course, like a drawing or a painting, it could never truly be finished.<br />
<br />
Materials and tools used (Listing because I've seen a few people make lists like this and I found it helpful):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bandai's SD kit #231</li>
<li>Xacto knives, side nippers, sand paper files, and various and sundry modelling tools</li>
<li>Tamiya paint: Pink X-17, Red X-7, Dark Grey XF-24 (airbrushed bits)</li>
<li>Vallejo Game Color paint: Black, Cold Grey (hand brushed bits)</li>
<li>Citadel paint: Boltgun, Chainmail (hand brushed details, mostly weapons)</li>
<li>Winsor and Newton ink: Scarlet, Nut Brown, and Blue (lining and washes)</li>
<li>Pastruct Plastic Weld</li>
<li>Squadron putty</li>
<li>Dupli-color white automotive primer (spray-can) [I love this stuff, even though I usually use black]</li>
<li>Testors gloss cote and dull cote (spray-can)</li>
<li>The stuff I mix up my various hand painting thinners with... Liquitext Flow Aid and Slow-Dri w/ distilled water</li>
<li>Paasche VL airbrush #5 needle/nozzle set driven by a industrial compressor and tank</li>
<li>Winsor and Newton Series 7 #2 and #3 water color brushes</li>
</ul>
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It was fun. Although, I'm slightly suspicious, I think Bandai tricked me into building an action figure on my own. </div>
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If you have never done a scale model and this makes you curious to try, I recommend these little SD Zaku kits as a first stab. You can do a very <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtcanfqBJ8qbn-q8Tb1T-Qk0soyAqpnFDIpN8MyRxvD7Ra11PuHEGVu5o48BFmG1zx4W8mvRRMLtWP_FiPcAnc-duRQohD4D9RkmOpIQSUoZ56eaxPrdC0qEGLVW1RarLyrongMacnGY/s1600/DSC03755.JPG">basic build</a> with the included stickers and the color of the plastic and some marker lining. The only tool you'd really need is a pair of nippers. You could also take it to a <a href="http://www.gundamkitscollection.com/2015/01/custom-build-sd-zaku-ii-super-back-pack.html">really cool extreme</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Or you can hit somewhere in between like I did.</div>
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<br />Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-48573835900490581532015-08-11T17:05:00.001-07:002015-08-11T17:05:31.219-07:00Trying, and failing, again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkthvufo-7EMbWxA-4ss4dtgOZtVKVALlYr-KWfbWPFTkoOtlteWLQde2KWhBwAU5pf8XMPXR0dBBnOTxvtrSDo21oo-pj0hz-TyvIuU2Ukg4CHzwBRg3WH77PRvtY5_AHTk1UzNTOTJg/s1600/T-Merged-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkthvufo-7EMbWxA-4ss4dtgOZtVKVALlYr-KWfbWPFTkoOtlteWLQde2KWhBwAU5pf8XMPXR0dBBnOTxvtrSDo21oo-pj0hz-TyvIuU2Ukg4CHzwBRg3WH77PRvtY5_AHTk1UzNTOTJg/s400/T-Merged-finished-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
So, I tried this idea out a <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2014/11/fail.html">while ago</a>.<br />
<br />
It is still not where I want it. Tobias is a bit too squirmy, I need to try this with someone who can sti completely still for about 30 seconds (Just like the olden days of photography!). <br />
<br />
But, I improved over the last attempt. I did not try to hand hold this. I made sure the camera stayed the same distance away by laying down some boards as runners. I didn't use the polarizing filter because that introduced splotchiness last time.<br />
<br />
I also tried a vertical framing from the camera, which I think worked a bit better.<br />
<br />
Photoshop still will not automerge these, so its a lot of building and masking completely by hand. <br />
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I do think it is neat how his eye and the top of his head is on the same focal plane.<br />
<br />
But, I will need to give this another try, or three. To make this work with Tobias, or similarly stillness-challenged individual I will probably need to build a rig that allows the six shots to be done very very quickly.Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-74955141581499711392015-08-10T22:04:00.000-07:002015-08-10T22:04:15.295-07:00More thoughts on smaller gear (or yet another excuse to bundle together unrelated photos)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlTWgJPieYar1JONgKfgRTJlVQCOr8qZjqaNBS48YNG17AkCl5kYayaRCnULGMlQXBW9DPQk2ydv8c4VvN0iDxx_HdlvauOoGcyJgfcPEdaq1bO9aLytk_t-47a4bFK080NyoQzYBXY0/s1600/20150804_195927_DSCF0013-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlTWgJPieYar1JONgKfgRTJlVQCOr8qZjqaNBS48YNG17AkCl5kYayaRCnULGMlQXBW9DPQk2ydv8c4VvN0iDxx_HdlvauOoGcyJgfcPEdaq1bO9aLytk_t-47a4bFK080NyoQzYBXY0/s400/20150804_195927_DSCF0013-finished-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Roughly a year ago I put together a <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2014/09/small-gear-thoughts-with-lots-of.html">retrospective </a>from a year of using my x100s. (I had fun looking through those pictures just now ... ) This isn't quite like that, but it is similar. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOOLTUSSkgl2OEc1ujbAV6o7QwiLXY8D4Ulmyupb2RLUyzRuSpoyVU8lwrUJrLmgR6UfwhCgtnBSOr_gR7zbHUs8FljO263974RNUMXG4GRXGH3mISDi0sw1gB-psYTGSOaBL8qhhAZg/s1600/20150712_222316_DSCF0002-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOOLTUSSkgl2OEc1ujbAV6o7QwiLXY8D4Ulmyupb2RLUyzRuSpoyVU8lwrUJrLmgR6UfwhCgtnBSOr_gR7zbHUs8FljO263974RNUMXG4GRXGH3mISDi0sw1gB-psYTGSOaBL8qhhAZg/s400/20150712_222316_DSCF0002-finished-small.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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I ended that post speculating about an interchangeable lens X-camera.<br />
<br />
Well, a friend of mine was selling a complete, lightly used Fuji XE2 kit. He made an offer I couldn't refuse. I wanted to refuse. I tried. I did. In fact most of the time I sit a "want" in front myself I say no and move on. But, this time, I realized I would have seriously regretted that decision.<br />
<br />
At some point I will need to add the Fuji's 56/1.2 to the mix, but for the time being I'm good. More than good.<br />
<br />
It felt strange to me to get complete kit ranging from a fisheye all the way out to 200mm in one fell swoop. I'm the type of person who builds up a kit slowly. It was slightly overwhelming. I tried each lens out for a small period of time, and have turned my attention to one. I have been primarily using the 35mm/1.4.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxU95Ru4qVcYwqkzm20Eii8FCUrthOynOMutT5RnpB-ynEMC_u4_JljhNiRtY2Ovu6NzokPgfMcTHE7DDZnodzuuUUNP9Asp6DUW0dvZ8JI7QZqNTZtrY4DPlqubBnF3fl-U7yJp1Vwk/s1600/20150725_171555_DSCF0077-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxU95Ru4qVcYwqkzm20Eii8FCUrthOynOMutT5RnpB-ynEMC_u4_JljhNiRtY2Ovu6NzokPgfMcTHE7DDZnodzuuUUNP9Asp6DUW0dvZ8JI7QZqNTZtrY4DPlqubBnF3fl-U7yJp1Vwk/s400/20150725_171555_DSCF0077-finished-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
It hasn't changed life much over carrying the x100s with me. The ability to change lenses does bring me back to my comfort zone though. The x100s is slightly wider than I see the world, but that has advantages too. The new camera has created options. My tiny daily bag (Domke F5xb) can now carry a camera and a second lens, or TWO cameras alongside all the other crap I carry on a daily basis. It still seems impossible, and I've had a check a few times that the bag isn't a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bag_of_holding">bag of holding</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>If I had to rely on my SLRs to make the pictures in the post, then I would have only have one out of the four. </b> Anyone want to guess which one? [Note: Its not that this camera is more capable than my SLRs, its just I wouldn't have had SLRs with me, or I wouldn't have pulled them out of the bag] <br />
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Still probably won't dump my SLR kit, although anything I have that is aimed at "walk-about" situations may get shown the door. I also may get rid of lenses that act mostly as backup, and just fill that role with a Fuji counterpart.<br />
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Despite how genuinely excited I am by this, I really don't feel like writing about it. Which means, I doubt you feel like reading this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqaJHzuvmZAbTTvGdYoxve1ZfhYgzoN5mR6Be8bu6OPAX9Zhqmung3Xr05-NIFcbTT7QhAZrsNS1N6Y3_aT_smdNg6F8TKSFhlJdWUFABXTobX742b9bOIbLDxQYVlHK7msIpPX9iI2k/s1600/20150716_185028_DSCF0026-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqaJHzuvmZAbTTvGdYoxve1ZfhYgzoN5mR6Be8bu6OPAX9Zhqmung3Xr05-NIFcbTT7QhAZrsNS1N6Y3_aT_smdNg6F8TKSFhlJdWUFABXTobX742b9bOIbLDxQYVlHK7msIpPX9iI2k/s400/20150716_185028_DSCF0026-finished-small.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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But, I do want the excuse to just add a few pictures to my dusty corner of the web (all from the XE2 + 35 of course). Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-54545433172127794532015-08-02T07:06:00.003-07:002015-08-02T07:08:35.714-07:00EIGHTEEN YEARS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYFHtS3sd0gg8iC2g-sFdwZx066V27bzrBf_9c6-LFguG7HAgHEz1Aup6XIMRUDCA_Ldv5O4r8fCd6Kwqy1X_C_l6kLOalHDBMWaePMdI73n8_M8Ld3tmQ0-RxEHc7-ls2XEElLstPNA/s1600/20150802_091445_DSCF0002-finished-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYFHtS3sd0gg8iC2g-sFdwZx066V27bzrBf_9c6-LFguG7HAgHEz1Aup6XIMRUDCA_Ldv5O4r8fCd6Kwqy1X_C_l6kLOalHDBMWaePMdI73n8_M8Ld3tmQ0-RxEHc7-ls2XEElLstPNA/s400/20150802_091445_DSCF0002-finished-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"To play 18 years in Yankee Stadium is the best thing that could happen to a ballplayer."</span><br />
--Mickey Mantle*<br />
<br />
I really understand what Mickey is saying here. Today marks eighteen years' of marriage for Carly and I. Although, this is beyond the best thing that could happen to me. Its the <b>only </b>thing that could have happened. I can't imagine life any differently. <br />
<br />
Well, I lied, I can imagine life differently, but in my imaginings other potential lives suck.<br />
<br />
Since I stuck a few facts about the number in <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2009/08/twelve-years.html">previous </a><a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2014/08/seventeen-years.html">posts </a>I'll do the same here. 18 years old is when you are adult with all the responsibilities that implies. 18 is the perfect score for a character attribute in 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game. It is the "tin" anniversary. The Hebrew word for life ("chai") has a numerical value of 18. <br />
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If you want to know more, Google is your friend, but those are the ones I know or found the most interesting.<br />
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Now I'm looking forward to the next 18 years!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Standard disclaimer about quotes and the internet applies</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1632720805546217021.post-66213504954407958112015-07-06T19:51:00.000-07:002015-07-06T19:59:13.394-07:00Senior Pictures: Faith<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/19457936491" title="B & W Portait by Ken Trout, on Flickr"><img alt="B & W Portait" height="333" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/445/19457936491_48485babb5.jpg" width="500" /></a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/18754540508" title="Faith by Ken Trout, on Flickr"><img alt="Faith" height="249" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/501/18754540508_e90b7df29f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Senior pictures are my favorite portraits to make. Why? I know I have written about it before. My reasons are pretty much the same, but maybe a little bit more refined. I like them because they allow a good look at who someone is right now. But they also can give small glimpses at the child they used to be not too long ago and as the adult they will be not too far from now.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/19267522569" title="Morning Coffee by Ken Trout, on Flickr"><img alt="Morning Coffee" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/333/19267522569_e53e841316_z.jpg" width="427" /></a>
</div>
<br />
I also tend to get pictures I really like. Exhibit A is the black and white picture at the top of this post. I think its good, I like it. I'd like it even if I didn't make it. Heck, I might like it more if I didn't make it, I'm a bit self-critical when it comes to these things.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/19266098780" title="Color Portrait by Ken Trout, on Flickr"><img alt="Color Portrait" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/511/19266098780_f47c0e7eeb_z.jpg" width="427" /></a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I haven't done that many senior portraits recently. In fact, the closest I got recently was with my <a href="http://blog.lunchisoptional.com/2014/06/kindergarten-graduation.html">nephew</a>. I mean, it almost counts, but its not the same thing. For one, it isn't the same amount of photographing. And, for another, it is still a little too far away from adult-hood to get that sneak peek!</div>
<br />
This year decided to specifically seek out a few people.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/19453654675" title="Ballerina by Ken Trout, on Flickr"><img alt="Ballerina" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/316/19453654675_58f3132299_z.jpg" width="427" /></a> </div>
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I was happy that Faith and her family gave me the chance work with her. She was great in front of the camera, is fun to be around, didn't give me trouble for attempting bad puns, and brought some of her own ideas into the session. In other words, she was simply a delight to work with!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/19266098140" title="Lake by Ken Trout, on Flickr"><img alt="Lake" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/298/19266098140_961d4a612e_z.jpg" width="427" /></a> </div>
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I want the opportunity to make more this year. If you are are a senior, or parent of a senior, and are interested send me an email (ken@lunchisoptional.com) and I will provide you information. Sooner is better than later, I will limit this to a handful of sessions.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lunchisoptional/19427590246" title="Sneak and Pointe by Ken Trout, on Flickr"><img alt="Sneak and Pointe" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/264/19427590246_eff4a8ae46.jpg" /></a></div>
Kenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01474227221744087836noreply@blogger.com0