Greetings Citizens. Today I made one of my students cry. Guess which one. If you said the high school girl you win. I was trying to dial her in on making test strips where you actually getting some information and setting yourself up for success. But she was seeing things differently. She thought I was making things hard on her. I wasn't, of course. But she had a little melt down anyway. The main problem was that she's used to doing things the way her high school teacher taught her which is significantly different than what I am trying to get her to understand. (That and she's obsessed about maintaining a 4.0). She doesn't want to let go of old (and dare I say bad) habits in order to embrace a fundamentally better way to go about making a fine print. I was able to sooth her weary soul, with some help from another student. She's a fairly good photographer but her head is full of silly ideas. If she needs to cry in order to get them out of her system then so be it. Outside of that incident, things are beginning to progress nicely. I was swamped with late work today but at least they've turned it in. We are beginning to formulate ideas for final projects and I've seen some excellent thoughts on things to do. I'm confident the kids will (as always) produce some fine work that they will be proud to call their own.

it was raining like crazy going up and coming home today on the bike. A little crazy going home. I really had to slow down and just enjoy the insanity going on all around me. But I made it home in one piece so all is well in the world, I guess.

Greetings Citizens. Wasn't it great to gain an extra hour's worth of shut-eye this morning? I know that I enjoyed sleeping in. Woke up in time to lay around and watch football... just like last week! Had the heating pad on my leg most of the day. It seems to help but it is sore. Next week is the final week of the regular season for football, so my season should be done. I don't see any post-season games in my future. But I do have another big game on Friday with the #1 ranked 2A team. I'll be working with our most highly regarded referee too. I think my association is checking me out.

I made some scans from some old Diana images today. They weren't worth much but it was enjoyable to play on the computer for a bit.

Greetings Citizens. Meet my first pinhole photography class from Newspace Gallery in Portland. We spent the day talking, breathing and making pinhole images. Everyone had a fun time. The students thought I was informative and found the class comprehensive. Most wished we would have had longer. The only complaint was that I didn't tell them to bring watches to keep track of exposure times. Luckily, I had brought two watches and a watch from my Bronco so everyone had a timing apparatus. We spent the morning looking at work and discussing options for the future. After lunch at a yummy Thai restaurant we made negatives and positives until it was time to call it quits. I, personally, feel that it went very well and I am sure that I'll be asked back in the Spring when the sunlight returns.

Greetings Citizens. As with most games with promise to be an exciting game, tonight's game between North Marion and Stayton was not. Stayton scored three defensive touchdowns and went on to win 28-0. With the win Stayton is assured a play-off game.

Since I scanned a few slides for Jen H. a couple of weeks ago, I have been scanning old work that has been laying around the apartment. This image is from Maine two summers ago. It was shot in the middle of the coldest July I remember back there. I swear the sun never showed itself all summer long. The Strand Theater is a Rockland institution. It was being renovated back to its regal glory of yesteryear. I'm sure it must be completed by now.

Tomorrow is my pinhole workshop. Wish me luck because I think there is some potential to teach quite a few workshops there if things work out right.

Greetings Citizens. I managed to get through my football game with minimal damage to my gamy leg. Tomorrow's game promises to be exciting. Hopefully I won't get run over by some 300 pound lineman.

My Thursday non-credit class is a fun group. Mostly old ladies who want to photograph kids. They crack me up. Anything I tell them is news to them. It makes me feel like a big shot! JK.

Well, I'm off to watch a little boob tube before bed. Tomorrow I need to get all my materials ready for my Pinhole Workshop on Saturday. There are four students signed up. I've already made three cameras for them to use (they'll make there own pinholes for them) and will make a few more tomorrow. Plus, I'll copy some articles and dig out some Pinhole Journals for them to look at. Things seem to be coming together for me.

Greetings Citizens. Chicago has won the World Series! My Dad is an Illinois boy and is very happy right now. He used to take the train up from Galesburg to see them play when he was just a lad.

So I had a little melt-down today with my kids at school. They've been dinking around, waiting until the last minute to complete their work. In fact, there were more of my students printing during open lab than during class time. I told them if they thought they could learn more from a second-term student than yours truly to go ahead and continue on the path they were on. I also told them to remember that the student wasn't going to grade their work though and they might consider another option... like having me help them. I was pissed-off and perhaps went on a little longer than I should have gone but tough titty. They were lucky I was in a "good" mood.

The reason I was in a good mood was that the art department needed to add another class to the schedule. They chose Photography and they chose me to teach it! so next term I have two credit classes on Monday and Wednesday. I start at 0800 and finish at 1700. I have a three hour lull between the two classes for office hours and lunch. Plus, I can always prep or get some of my own work done. Or have an extended open lab. That's the major complaint of my students: not enough open lab time. Never mind they don't use the lab during class time! Anyway I should be happy but instead I am worried about my kids. Maybe I'll feel better after a good long sleep.

I had a crazy dream last night that I was with a girl I knew right out of high school. But it was in the present so we were married and had kids. It was weird like the ghost of Christmas present showing me how things could have different but for a couple of choices I made a long, long time ago. Maybe that's why I feel so melancholy.

Greetings Citizens. So I watch one inning of the World Series, go teach for two hours and, still, I get to see six more innings of baseball. That is one of the great features of baseball...no time limit. The game goes until it is finished, no matter how long it may be. Tonight's game set records for longest by time (5:41) and longest by inning (14). The final? Chicago 7 and Houston 5. Game Four is in 17 hours.

Tonight's non credit digi-class went well. It is always easier to teach something the second time around. This time I have a better idea of what they want to know...what they need to know and how to get them there. The class dynamic is significantly different too. These guys are more vocal and more demanding. It should be a good group. There is one person younger than me...an exchange student from Korea.

I can't decide whether to issue the test tomorrow for the b&w kids or wait until tomorrow. I'll wait and see what tomorrow brings.

And on another sports front. I got pulled from my crap game this Friday and moved to an important 2A game with playoff ramifications. (Somebody is spreading the word that I'm not too shabby of an official).

Greeting Citizens. Today, I think, was the first day that I've felt let down by this group of students. I can only hope it will be the last. Nearly half the class decided not to show up today for open lab. We have an assignment due on Wednesday and they missed two demonstrations and a test review. Won't the little dears be surprised to find out that there is a test on Wednesday. Of course I'll offer a make-up exam a little further down the road but they don't need to know that just yet. And after the test review and demos what did some of my kiddies think was appropriate behavior? Well, they got up and left. I fear that too many of the little dears think they are still in high school. Well they are in for a rude awakening indeed. Excuses aren't necessary, nor is the need to say, "I'm sorry." Pathetic, really, when you consider the amount of time and money needed to pay for an education. But I was young and foolish once myself. They'll have their opportunities to redeem themselves. It all rest in their hands.

The ride home was terrific. I got behind some fast vehicles and we flew home. Normally I'm not one for weaving in and out of traffic on my bike but today the mood and the night was right.

Greeting Citizens. Very little to report this evening. I basically laid around the apartment all day resting my leg. It seems to be doing better. I'm hoping to be able to work my games this week on Thursday and Friday.

I am looking for a new rig. My Bronco II is on its last legs. So I am in the market for a new (to me) pick-up. I'm going to check this rig out on Wednesday after my class. It looks like a good enough rig for me. I just need something to haul my BMW to the shop in, when necessary. Otherwise, I hope to be driving a Porsche 356B in the not-to-distant future.

Greetings Citizens. Today's image is a little blast from the past. Yes, that's right! That is your humble protagonist and his 1966 Pontiac GTO. Note the sleek lines... not the car, silly readers, me! And check out that mop of hair. I think that picture has got to be thirty years old. Where has the time gone?

Well, my calf still hurts like h$%&. I had two kiddie games today. They hid me in the middle so I didn't have to do too much running. I came home and got it elevated while I watched the White Sox win. And I saw my beloved Cougar lose yet again in the waning minutes. Again, poor play-calling down the stretch cost them the game. It's gut-wrenching to watch them.

One of my fellow officials in today's games is in training to become a priest. I don't know how we got on the subject but we got into a discussion about Andres Serrano's Piss Christ. Needless to say, I wasn't able to convince the dear padre of the beauty in the image. He was surprised when I told him I was both an artist and a Catholic and that I enjoy the image. Is it controversial? Sure. You can find an interesting poem about the image here.

Greetings Citizens. So I need a new crown on my tooth. Cost:$1000. And the guy told me to find someone down here to do it. He said it might be a little cheaper if I look in Albany. We'll see, I guess. So I ended up driving up there for nothing. Well, I guess I did get to see the folks. That was good as was the motorcycle ride to and from here.

I had a varsity game tonight. The best one so far this season! And I got hurt. That's right. Someone rolled onto the back of my leg and I pulled my calf muscle. And of course it happened on about the third play of the game. I'm supposed to do kiddie ball tomorrow but I'm a hurtin' unit! I'll have to just suck it up because there's no-one to take my place.

Ain't life dandy.

Greetings Citizens. Tomorrow I am off to the Emerald City to get my tooth fixed. Luckily, it doesn't hurt and I am still able to eat meals and drink my java. Apple cider, too!

Today at school I was informed that I will be teaching Winter Term at PCC. Believe me when I tell you that was a load off of my mind. Same time slot, same days... different faces.

We covered motion and depth-of-field today. Were they confused? Of course they were. But less so than I expected. Either that or they were faking it good! It is our last technical exercise before me move into more thematic (and aesthetic!) assignments. It also means more lab time for them and less droning on and on from yours truly. A win-win situation if ever I've heard one. They're doing well actually. And I am excited to see what sorts of work they will produce. Smith (the other photo teacher) has had her students make photograms and they are up on a wall for all to see. My kids (I'm sure) are wondering why the f#*% they have to do stupid EI tests and motion assignments. (They'll know soon enough when they start producing the lovely images I know they're capable of making).

Long ride tomorrow and no posting tomorrow night. Back after my game on Friday.

Greetings Citizens. Today, after my delivering meals to my Tuesday M-O-W clients, I met Meg M. from Chemeketa CC. I signed my contract and found out how little I was really making teaching the non-credit digi-class. Oh well. I like it enough and if I can get some more people interested in photo then I am satisfied. It is definitely better than being yelled at as a sports official... and I don't have to wear a uniform (though I think I should get myself a beret). I got my evaluations from the class too. They gave me better marks than I expected. Tonight, at class, I pretty much let them work on whatever floated their boats. I wandered around offering advice and strategies to them. It seemed to work out well. Most of the students felt they had learned far more than they had thought they would have so I felt happy about that.

I had a burrito for lunch today. When I was finished I thought I had something caught in-between my teeth. I went to get it out and found out I had broken my tooth! so now I have to go up to Seattle on Thursday to get it fixed... or at least get the process started. I'm sure it's going to be pricey but what are you going to do? so I'll ride up there, get my tooth fixed and ride back the next day to work a varsity football game. Action-packed is the life I live!

Greetings Citizens. Today at school we learned that if you don't clean the darkroom after working in it you are a bad boy or girl. Then we looked at the EI tests that were completed to determine the ISO for the photographer and their camera. Those who hadn't finished did so during lab time. It appears most of the students did the test properly. We did have one snafu though. One of the enlarger bulbs blew out and when it did it broke the circuit breaker. And we couldn't find a key to open the circuit box to reset it. So 1/4 of the enlargers were put out of commission.

Greetings Citizens. Today I had to tell Kyle I was no longer going to be his mentor. I thought it would be an easy thing to do. He's been taking advantage of the relationship. Not putting much out in the ways of trust and honesty but enjoying the benefits of an escape from his homelife and a meal on the town. But it wasn't easy at all. In fact I feel very badly as though I've let him down. And perhaps I have. Maybe if I'd have tried harder... or been more cleaver I could have reached him. Instead, tonight there are two more sad people in the world. And I'm the cause of it.

I called a friend tonight because I was feeling empty and lonely. Hearing her voice made things bright for awhile but then I said something stupid and I got a casual "let's just be friends" response. It wasn't exactly what she said but the message was loud and clear. I feel the fool... a fool to ask someone as bright and sincere as she is to consider being around the likes of me.

I watched the second part of Mystery! tonight. The murder was solved and the protagonist got the girl. I should be so lucky. Instead I was "X"'ed out.

Greetings Citizens. Another Saturday and another day for my beloved Cougars to find a way to lose. This time they gave up the tying score with less than a minute left on the clock. And lost it in overtime to (F)UCLA. We had a 21 point lead in the third quarter, played it safe and lost for the third time in as many weeks.

Our kiddie games went without any troubles. We let the new guy, Matt, referee the second game. It was his first time and he did a good job.

Afterwards I came home and chilled to a little boob tube action. Watching the Cougs, the Angels and NASCAR. Now I'm off to bed.

Greetings Citizens. I woke up a little sore today. I guess I got knocked around in last night's game a little bit more than I thought I did. I know I was hit hard twice... once from behind. And I was leg whipped once too. Not uncommon. Still, I hurt more than usual.

I met Dick S. for lunch today. I owed him from a bet I lost when the Cougs played Oregon State. We talked sports and had a pleasant time together.

After that I went to Catholic Community Services to talk to Wes. He wasn't in so I talked to Debra, who is his boss. I went there to tell them that my relationship with Kyle wasn't working out too well. I told her I thought it would be best for all concerned if I slipped off into obscurity. Kyle's a good kid but I am not connecting with him. It's no one's fault, it just ain't working. I'll try another kid and see what happens.

Spent the evening scanning slides for Jen H.. Got the raw scans done but I need to clean them up and then resize them for a webpage.

And I got an email from Smith today. Apparently my little kiddies left the lab in a total mess! That will only happen once.

Greetings Citizens. This is an in-service week for high school teachers so the varsity football games were played on Thursday. I had my closest varsity game of the season with a score of 35-21. It was also my second 4A game of the season. There were very few penalties and the play was good for the most part. I did have to call an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a kid though. He accused us of cheating... of calling two games (one for each team). That's my pet peeve... being called a cheater.

Afterwards was pizza and bullshit. I spent about an hour and a half talking with Rich D., who is from Utah. We started in this association at the same time and we often share stories. We aren't connected to the politics as much as our fellow officials so we have fun together.

Greetings Citizens. As someone who has umpired a game, or two, of fast-pitch softball in my day, I am shocked at the horrible call made tonight in the ALDS game in Chicago. The batter swings at strike three, the catcher catches the ball the umpire signals strike three then out. Simple, right? Wrong! The umpire at home hangs his partners out to dry after the catcher rolls the ball into the infield thinking the inning is over. The home plate umpire doesn't make a call after the runner reaches first. The manager comes out to complain but the crew chief and the home plate umpire don't have the sense to ask the one person who could have seen the play (the third base umpire) until a very long delay. After such a long delay, in fact, that his hands are tied and has to agree with the original call. Simply unbelievable. I can assure you this: one, if not all, of the umpires on that crew are done working post-season ball for a very long time.

On a lighter note, my kids did their EI Tests today. It was the usual mistakes and questions but I think most of them did it right... or close enough... that they won't have to do it again. And I had a new student sign into my class. Unheard of at this late date but she wanted in so I let her come aboard. I hope it isn't a mistake (for either one of us). She's behind but not so far that she can't catch up if she applies herself. I have all the confidence in the world.

Here is today's blog after being run through Altavista Babel Fish Translation:

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Greetings Citizens. All is well on the homefront. Meg stopped by my digi-class to hand out evaluations. I don't know how they responded yet but I think I'll survive to teach another day. We're working out a way to break the projects down from very basic to moderately advanced so that we can get like-minded individuals working together. As it stands now, it is all a big mess... the proverbial potluck. Some students no a lot and some no nothing but they're all grouped together. It's difficult to teach them because they are all over the place!

My game today was easy money. I threw one flag.

Greetings Citizens. Today I introduced my basic students to the Zone System. I'm not going to teach them the hard-core Ansel Adams version. But my thinking is that if you want to understand how black & white photography works, you need to be familiar with the Zone System. So we went from looking at their first photos (all made metering at Zone V) to a lecture on moving from one zone to another. And, more importantly, understanding the importance of getting the low end values recorded in order to make a fine print. Needless to say, there was more than one glassy-eyed student when class ended. But they always look like that initially. On Wednesday, we'll be doing an exposure index test and things should start to fall into place for most of them. Lots of people have told me I am crazy for giving basic students this sort of work to understand. I say, "Balderdash!" There's no time like the present. Of course the same nay-sayers are always amazed at the quality of work my students produce. Coincidence? Hardly.

After class I met Mark N. for a hamburger and Monday Night Football at the Mission Theater. I'd say we had a good time. I enjoy listening to travel adventures. He works for an airline and gets to travel around a bit. He may be going to China. I told him to bring me home some bird flu. While we were there, I went to get him a Porter and myself a pop. I asked to sample to swanky root beer and the guy poured a short glass which I chugged down. But it wasn't root beer! It was the Porter. The first taste of a beer I've had in eight years! I figured what-the-f*&# and had 10 more. JK! (It did taste good though).

After the game I raced home to share all this important information with you! my gentle readers.

Greetings Citizens. Woke up in time to watch the Seahawks beat the Rams in St Louis. After the game I went for a nice motorcycle ride to Mt Angel. On the way home I stopped to make some pics at the steel fabrication company I like to frequent. When I got home I did some laundry and made Biksemad for dinner. I'm getting ready to watch "The Murder Room" on Mystery! and figured I should get my post done early.

Greetings Citizens. Little to report. The Cougs lost to The Tree. Kiddie game went without a hitch. Dr. Pepper tasted delicious. Installed Adobe Elements. Watched TV. I am truly living a life of glamour.

Greetings Citizens... if you're out there. Today's football game was another blow-out. Apparently most of the games were tonight.

Before I left to my game, the UPS guy knocked on my door. I hadn't ordered anything recently that hadn't already been delivered. Inside was a note from Texas T (aka Teresa) and two bottles of Dr. Pepper. But not your normal swill. This is special Dr. Pepper made with cane sugar instead of the corn sugar you usually are stuck with. Not much of this special stuff gets out of the state but I'm holding on to two bottles that I will savor tomorrow after my kiddie games.

Talked with Meg about my digi-class and what direction we should move in. I was glad to have her supporting me. I purchased Adobe Elements because that's what we are using. She took my receipt and said she'd make sure I was reimbursed for the program.

Bought another batch of cider from Daum's Farms. Very tasty, indeed.

Greetings Citizens. A quiet day on the homefront. Did a little laundry (my uniforms for football, mainly). Got to talk to the Aussie gal, who lives in the next building, for a bit. Had a grilled cheese sandwich made with Cougar Gold cheese and some tomato soup for lunch.

Also got my truck down to the repair shop. Ol' Amos has been going through the power steering fluid a little heavily. I felt an intervention was in order. The repair people called right before my game to tell me Amos was up and running again. They didn't say how much it's going to cost me tomorrow when I check him out of rehab.

I was the Linesman for my game today. Usually, I am the Umpire. There's a lot of running on the wings... more so when it's an eight-man game. We don't use an 80 yard field either. No, we run the whole 100 yards. There is a lot of scoring (there were 80-something points in our game today). But hey, what can you say? Everybody had fun and the weather was nice. There weren't any controversial calls either.

Came home and watched the baseball game. Sipped some apple cider and munched on grape leaves and bread.

Butch T. Cougar, the WSU Cougar mascot, is in the Capital One Bowl Challenge for Mascot of the Year.. He defeated previously undefeated Smokey the Dog, from Tennessee last time. Help Butch win it all by voting here.

Greetings Citizens. A long day at school today. I am trying to get my kids up to speed and as a result we have been spending extra time in the lab. But I think come Monday everyone will be where they need to be before we begin the Exposure Index Test. I think my students are beginning to figure out that I like to have fun and that I am on their side. I think they are also beginning to realize that I expect them to work hard and won't accept anything less. They also learned that you can't go wrong bringing chocolate as the treat.

Greetings Citizens. One of the things I like best about Fall (besides football, silly) is apple cider. I've always found fresh cider to be a part of the season. Whether it was in Maine, Washington... even Utah... the cider was there to be had. In Oregon, it's Daum's Farm. They started cranking out the cider last week. Yummy! And the best part is that it will go until Christmas this season. The lady at the counter says the best tasting cider will come at Thanksgiving time. She added that the cider taste different with each batch depending on the types of apples, the amount of green ones, etc., etc.. All I know is that it sure taste good!

I had my second session of teaching digital to the "older generation". It wasn't pretty. Beside the confusion of going from a Mac to a PC, there is the added difficulty of using Adobe Elements instead of Photoshop. They're not quite the same but close enough to lead me into a false sense of security. Luckily, I got a how-to book that is helping. But still.... The biggest problem though, is that my students don't have much computer savvy (Mac or otherwise)! They fumble with the cursor and can't figure out how to move the mouse. I was actually kind of shocked. By the end of the evening they all looked pretty lost. I guess I need to take a different tack during the next session. I hope I didn't discourage them too much. I sure thought I was giving simple enough instruction. Maybe not.

Tomorrow I got the young 'uns. They're a little more resilient.

Greetings Citizens. Ah the folly of youth. Those wacky kids. Today after I droned on for a bit about shutter speeds, apertures and exposure values, I gave a couple of quick demos then turned them loose to process their first rolls of film. Of course all the typical accidents occurred: some had C-41 film, others used fix before developer and others still had the most usual problem of not being able to get the film properly on the reel. But when the whole ordeal was over the majority had indeed shot and processed a roll of film. On Wednesday they will be making a contact sheet and their first prints. The kids did a fine job all things considered.

Greetings Citizens. A quiet Sunday spent at home alone. My horoscope said I should spend some time alone reflecting about my life. That I , "should focus on myself." And that I, "should allow someone to nurture [me] for a change." Ha! The day someone gives a rat's ass about me and my problems I'll die from a heart attack. Now I know that I have friends that care about me. But I'm thinking that there has never been a significant other that has cared for me. I always have assumed it was of because of who I am. I'm odd, I suppose. But I've seen other people goofier than myself and they have someone to share life with. Not me. It is the one thing that has troubled me all my life. Remember Debra from a while ago? Well, she fits the typical pattern. Thinks I'm funny initially but after a couple of dates, well.... And that is what really bugs me. What is it about me that scares people off? I'm probably a little over the top. But I'd say that is who I am. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if I was a loner but I like to socialize and be around people. Who knows? Certainly not me.

Greetings Citizens.

Last night's varsity game was a bit more than expected. There was a big wreck on I-5 and our referee was not able to get to the game. So your humble protagonist ended up being the referee. On top of that we were short one official for two quarters, so we worked three-man mechanics for the first half. That's a tough job! By the start of the third quarter we had a rookie join us. It would have been easier to continue to work three man but the guy did an okay job for not knowing what he was doing. And on top of it all, it poured down rain the entire game. The score? 34-0.

This afternoon it was still raining for the two kiddie games I had. We finished just in time to listen to the WSU Cougars choke one away to the OSU Beavers.

It looks like Chemeketa CC is happy with the job I'm doing... after one class! They have added another section for Thursdays. Man, I'm getting busy.