Bike Update

Currently riding the hell out of the Cannondale R600 and it is treating me very well. New rear tire, jerry rigged fender, "new" front break, and switched from clipless back to straps and cages (mainly because I don't feel like wearing my clipless shoes around everywhere on campus). The photo is a film one of my current trusty steed.

Tall bike is out of commission for the time being. Someone tried to ride him and snapped the steering column at the base of the clamp. Should be a quick trip to Ace to get a new pole and then I'll have it up and running again in time for Picnic Day weekend.

Just finished tuning up a new road bike (new to me that is) to get ready for its craigslist debut. Its about 56/57 cm white Bridgestone Rb-3 with Shimano SIS and a biopace crankset (this stuff cracks me up). It's a little beat up but would make a fine commuter or errand bike. Hit me up if you want it! I'll get shots up eventually.

And I guess I'll add this in here...Unicycling. Yea, not technically a bike (bicycle vs unicycle...who really cares) but I have been riding one recently. It is EXTREMELY tiring. I have the balance part fairly down, but I can't ride it for more than a few hundred feet before I'm exhausted. Fun stuff.

Mendocino Landscapes

Amber waves of grass, indeed, and another shot of a different arched rock. I'm not entirely sure what type of grass it is, sadly. I didn't care to take any samples of it even though it is fairly common. Looking at some brief photos I thought it may be some Purple three-awn or California melic, but I'm pretty sure I'm way off base.

EDIT: after some more research, I've decided it is either American marram grass (Ammophila breviligulata) or it's invasive sister, European marram grass (Ammophila arenaria)

And thus ends my shots of Mendocino, hope you enjoyed!

Around Town Mendocino

Mendocino is one of those quirky little towns where you can find a whole lot of detail just about anywhere. It has a lot of subtle character, something that I enjoy a lot. I really need to start sucking up a bit more of the atmosphere of place by taking more portraits of strangers (talking to them first of course); I feel like the small towns like this are made up more by the people who live there than any other towns. Here is a shot of one of the weird little antennae caps that I remember from the 90's and a water tower. Water towers in towns are so quaint.

Hiking On the Coast

Like I said, I took a pleasant hike through the forest the other day while in Mendocino. What did I find? Well, here are some beautifully red orange colored lichens right on the coast, and then when I went a little deeper I found this baby Amanita muscaria (also known as fly amanita or fly agaric). I love finding these little guys, they are on of the few mushrooms I am confident that I can identify correctly. The lichen was another sweet find (that I have yet to identify) since I just finished a sort of introductory course on them. Lots of sweet symbioses and things going on.

I realize the true bio nerd comes out in me whenever I'm on a hike in a forest (or anywhere really). I stop and flip over logs and constantly listen for birds and other creatures; it's great.

Day 365: A Look Onto the Horizon

So, if you weren't aware, I initially started this blog to try and do a 365 project. That is, where I post a photo a day for an entire year. This plan went extremely well (with a few exceptions when my computer died and I had to stop updates for a bit) in my opinion and definitely helped me develop my photography a bit more.

And what exactly does day 365 mean for you, my loyal followers? Well, don't worry, not too much will change on my site. I will likely stop the daily updates and only post when I have new photos that I'd like to share. Also, I may start posting multiple photos together instead just one a day. Who knows? Anyways, I'm glad you have joined me in photography journey and hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!

The photo above is of a lighthouse in Point Arena. I won't stop daily updates yet since I still have a few more Mendocino photos to post.

Also, I should be getting a new camera soon =D

Mendocino Forests

Walking barefoot through the mud of a damp redwood forest as the sun comes up.

So, I Took a Trip

Solo mini roadtrip up highway 1 to the Mendocino are. It was breathtakingly beautiful. I ended up stopping at so many state parks and beaches along the way that I lost count. Here is one of the photos I took of the classic rock arch at the Mendocino Headlands Park. If you ever have the opportunity, you should definitely go.

My Boy Jake

He plays a lot of trumpet. Here is his mouthpiece...

Fickle Weather

Changing back and forth from pouring to sunshine...I can't help but feel bad for all the creatures that get fooled.

New Growth

The first thing picked and eaten from my garden that I planted way back when. A tasty little carrot. Not too sweet, not bitter at all. I'm satisfied and am already thinking about what to plant next when the weather clears up a bit.

Deer In the Headlights

I shot another self portrait to kill some time yesterday so I wouldn't have to study. I had an idea for this ever since my last organic chem midterm (the overlaying shots are my notes from practicing reactions over and over again). I am really happy with how it turned out and was not expecting it to be this successful.

Ultimately, I wanted to try and capture the fear that gets into students when finals time comes around. At the precise moment the final is handed to you, it is a mixture of feeling like a deer caught in the headlights and acknowledging the idea that it will all be over after this. Just one final push and you get a well deserved break.

The Wall

It's easier to break through brick than you think. And on the other side? Oh, it will be glorious.

"Studio" Lighting

I swear, one day I'll get a legitimate lighting set up and an actual flash. But for now, I just make stuff up as I need it. This lamp has actually helped with a lot of the indoor shots that I take. Who knew it would've been so handy?

So Many Papers

So much to look at. My mind probably resembles this bulletin board. Read. Write. Study. Review. Finals.

Writereviewstudyreadwritecommittomemorypassoutfrommentalfatiguemygod.

Go, Little Sprout, Go!

New sprouts appearing around our house. Stoked! This photo shows a new buds epic journey against inclement weather and harsh trials to becoming new leaves, a new flower and eventually a fruit.

If Time is of the Essence...

Then it is essential that I kill time.

Daylight savings has officially hit. Yesterday, we all sprang forward. Today? We adjust.

The Flowers Are Out

How am I supposed to study for finals when it is so damn beautiful out.

Architectural Treatment

I guess it isn't that uncommon of a thing for shooting architecture. I find myself looking for odd perspectives to show you.

Staircases would be so intimidating if you were an ant.

Ecstatic Dance

Another night of surrendering yourself to the beats and allowing the music to move your limbs in ways you wouldn't likely be able to if you had complete control. Lots of people there last night, it really was an ecstatic night. Can't wait for the first one of next quarter!

The Experimental College

If you're studying in Davis and looking for some time to fill in Spring quarter, I HIGHLY recommend checking out a few of the wonderful classes offered at the Davis Experimental College. It has courses taught be professionals ranging from firewalking to glass blowing to capoeira to first aid and tons of great other things. Check out the catalog they put out ever quarter and you may be surprised at what sounds interesting.

Try new things!

This shot was taken inside the experimental college registry office while the sun was shining through their library window and I was signing up for ecstatic dance, which you should all go to tonight.

Looks Like Rain Today

Time to bust out my hippie vomit ski jacket! If you see a guy that looks like a rainbow in shorts biking in the rain, thats me.

Ambiguity

A little bit of colored abstract for you guys today. Hope you're somewhere where you can enjoy the weather!

ॐ Om

ॐ (pronounced Om or Aum) is one symbol that has many meanings to many different people. For me, I didn't truly associate it with anything except for meditation (due to popular media, of course) until I took yoga over the course of last summer. It can be found in many prayers of Eastern religions and is considered to be a sacred symbol. However, as there are with many symbols from other cultures, there seems to be a bit of disconnect from the true meaning of the symbol and what most of our western culture sees it as. For example, as I was wandering through Tibet Nepal (a store in downtown Davis that sells a lot of eastern influenced art, jewelry, sculptures, texts, and so on) a group of very loud people entered the door with dairy queen blizzards in hand. Now, I make an effort to not eves drop too much, but it was a bit difficult to ignore them in such a small shop. Their conversation consisted mostly of repeatedly asking what the "three piece symbol" meant (referring to the ॐ) and commenting on how "badass" a big back tattoo of it would be. They then continued to comment on various other statues throughout the store including one larger one of Ganesh, saying that "that elephant thing would also look badass as a tattoo." Needless to say, they seemed a bit out of place.

Oh well, sometimes all you can do is smile and laugh a bit about the situation.

Dark Sparkle

Big shout out to everyone at Dark Sparkle IV last night! You guys are all awesome and I love you. Thanks for one blissful hell of an experience that I am not soon to forget. Everyone truly was the right kind of Creepy.

"Dark Sparkle is the potent mix of the mysterious and the dangerous that makes something irresistibly attractive, it's what causes people to push their limits to the point of insanity, it's what causes nice guys to finish last, it's that unexplainable quality that pulls people to the dark side.

You see, Dark Sparkle the First was simply a flash in the pan, a one-off stab at piercing through the mirror. But we were unsatisfied with that fleeting glimpse, we wanted more, nay we needed more. So the next year we got Straight Nasty. This time we went definitely broke through, but it was just a flirtation, an ephemeral exploration of an idyllic, but remote and seemingly unattainable philosophy. We had gained an appreciation for the perpetually pervading power of the Sparkle but we we're unable to contain it's enormity. Down with Dirty was about taking the next step; a collective realization that Dark Sparkle is more than a trashy scheme to get you shaking it in your leather skivvies, it's a way of life. We've come a long way in the last year and i think we are ready to go forth toward Dark Sparkle the Fourth. With The Right Kind of Creepy we hope to complete the transformation from Dark Sparkle being simply incorporated into the fabric of our lives, to the realization that Dark Sparkle is the very fabric of our existence."

Btw, the shot up top is not from last night, but from Ecstatic Dance the other day.

Prayer Flags

I picked up some pretty haggard looking prayer flags a little bit ago from a dumpster. They were pretty worn, but I felt like I couldn't just leave them there. So, I washed them a bit and now they are hung across my room.

I've done a little bit of research on them as well. Apparently, the traditional flags come in sets of five, with each color symbolizing a different element. "Blue symbolizes sky/space, white symbolizes air/wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements."

Davis Street Art

Yes, it is hard to find sometimes, but every once and awhile I find some killer examples of it. I would have to say that this would be one of the stellar examples. Featuring an anarchy heart, someones tag, and what looks to be my man Ray Charles lookin over the whole thing. Three artist doing an unintentional (or maybe intentional) collaboration to bring you this piece of art.

Just last night I got to witness someone throwing down their tag near a local market; it's always a trip to watch an artist at work.

Southern Alligator Lizard

This is the last shot that I got from Stebbins Cold Canyon reserve. Luckily, I'm headed back there today! He was spotted right before we exited the trail as we were heading back to the car. Cool stuff.

The Davis Tri-Co ops

A wonderful place full of music and friends on the porch on a rainy night. Been spending some more time at Agrarian Effort recently. Possibly a new home for next year?

Weathered Hands

My hands take a beating, but these last two days have been ridiculous. On Sunday I managed to nick a decent amount of the tip off of my left ring finger while cutting up some sweet potatoes for a cinnamon sweet potato walnut bread; the sacrificial bread was totally worth it, by the way...The next day while I was setting up the local slackline I managed to crush my hand while tensioning it with a group of people. Stupid mistake on my part, and now all I can do is wait for it to heal up. I don't think anything is broken so I just wrapped it, iced it, and elevated it for awhile to keep the swelling down.