Lights,Turkey,Darkness and business…

As the holiday season officially kicked off this week, I started my week by hanging lights on the outside of the house. Which for some reason I seem to enjoy. I don’t know whether it is the childhood memory’s and simplicity of it all or what but…I enjoy it. So I dressed the house in its best colors and then had the realization that the holiday season was upon us and I wasn’t ready for it.

Then came the day of turkey working like mad and preparing for the infamous day of the deal. So I started my T-Day at 3am to work the morning shift at KSHB came home in what was still early morning, napped, and woke up to the smell of all kinds of goodies.I then ate WAY too much felt as though I had entered another world and headed off to work…Which was calm, cool, and collected and nothing but black friday deals danced in my head.

While no fights occurred at my black friday hunt, I am always amazed by Best Buys lack of caring or organization for that matter. They start strong, mean well, but always seem to falter at something. No details needed really but they hosed people; me being one if you couldn’t figure that out.  It was a successful day I saved a decent amount of $$ on things not just for me but for others as well and that is the main purpose for my reason to go out to BF because I want to save on things 1 and 2 it gets me jump started to get gifts for others 3 its just a fun “hang out” tradition.

As far as Lightly Salted Film and Design goes nothing too new really paperwork is doing its state thing. I hoping to acquire some new equipment for the business soon i.e. presents including the indislider Which I’m pretty excited to play with and use! As well as a new EPSON printer. So we will see but if I receive these as it will make for the business start up a little easier and very exciting!

Well I guess that is all I have for now so as usual…until next time.

Newsy!

After a long exhausting summer it looks as though some things are starting to look on the up and up with my current acquisition of a job at the local Kansas City station KSHB-TV. I found out that I was hired on during my fathers stint at the hospital and hadn’t really given it much thought. I was happy to tell him but not really looking towards the future.

Now that I realize I must begin to learn and move on I’m excited to rejoin the working world. My starting position will be a production technician and I starting training as a camera operator. My job stability at this position is one that I feel will take me as far as I want it. I’m a vacation relief worker which I believe means two things: 1. if you don’t work out its a heck of a lot easier to get rid of you because well “sorry we just can’t afford to have you around” and 2. We are going to work your butt off and not have to offer you benefits.

I’m ok with these options because I’m just thankful to have a job and look forward to proving myself in a company I have never worked for and meeting people of what I consider a decent sized city. Plus, you can’t be upset with a nice foot in the door. I knew I needed to start somewhere so that I could start making those allusive “contacts” and you never know where this will take me.

As I progress in this job I hope to give fun little updates through out and begin to blog on a regular basis again as I try to adjust back to life and gain my new responsibilities with a little time for relaxation and new time management skills.

Quietly Peacefully –

Chris

Earth Day 2009

Today is Earth Day and with Earth Day starts the Missouri State Public Affairs Conference which infact involves Earth Day by the topic being on Sustainability.

So in honor of this I attended one of the panel discussions this morning. The discussion that I attended I did find rather intriguing because it dealt with alternative energy and the idea of trying to ween ourselves off of the fossil fuels that we now use. Three panel members from various backgrounds discussed what they thought the best way to handle the situation. I have to admit that I found it entertaining that two members came from a government supported background while the other was the complete opposite which presented a 2 against one discussion. I feel that they all had very interesting things to say but I’m not sure I felt like they really answered the issues of moving away from coal etc… While I am one of the individuals who feel that we need to start harnessing alternative energy but I don’t know if I like the idea of nuclear energy. I realize that it doesn’t necessarily make sense but what I have read I’m not sure I like but who knows I guess.

Alright now to step on a small soap box. As I started to research the Sustainability conference I picked up a schedule of events booklet felt it and it appeared to be a newspaper/recycled paper product. I then went off to my photojournalism class to talk about what we needed to capture for the event and my professor Andy Cline brought to our attention that the booklets they handed out didn’t say anywhere that they printed these booklets on recycled paper. What is up with that! So you have a conference on Sustainability tout that you are a campus trying to be more sustainable then you print booklets and no where in the booklet tell us that it was printed on recycled paper! Now maybe it is but seeing that one it doesn’t say it anywhere and two the fact that the News-Leader slapped their logo on the front I some how doubt it.  I don’t know I realize it is a small thing but the fact that probably a couple thousand of these where printed off maybe just maybe you could have not over looked that fact.

Ok I step off of my box and move on too the pics that  Igot of the event. They aren’t great but it was a panel discussion which is just a boring thing to capture anyway.

Panel members Mark Cisson (l), Dianne Munns (c), Wayne White (r), discuss alternative energy topics.

The public affairs conference brought in several students to find out about sustainability.

On April 22nd MSU starts the Public Affairs Conference on Sustainability.

I don’t know if you can tell in the photo above but I tried to go for a part black and white part color photo…

This is the two against one. Wayne White an organic fruit and beef farmer looks on at the other panel members. I love capturing emotion when they look like they hate things...

The competition...

Well it is Earth day .I’m hungry. And need to turn off these damn electronics and hit the road on my bike so catch you all later.

A Kauffman walk-through

While I wish I would have remembered my camera for this occasion I didn’t so all of these pics came from my T-Mobile G1 phone…gotta do what you gotta do right? So forgive me for some shots that need zoom or are straight up just to close nothing I could really do about it but I think I made some of them work.

I went to the recent Royals vs. Yankees game on April 11th at 6:10pm. It was my first time to the new Kauffman Stadium since the 250 million dollar remodeling and I have to say I feel like they got much of it right. From all the different food vendors and beer vendors which seriously feels like they have a vendor of some sort every 15 feet…which means no waiting in lines and I’m always OK with that. To truly being able to enjoy every aspect of the game for only 7 bucks. That is right you can purchase a 7 dollar GA seat and sit basically anywhere in the outfield have access to the Rivals Sports Bar and whole outfield concourse leading me to the conclusion that I won’t pay more than 7 bucks this season for a Royals game because I saw no reason to Saturday night…

Sec. 417 Row. MM Seat 6

Standing room only seats...

These standing room only seats are sprinkled throughout the outfield the fence line is among grass area with a bar shelf for you to rest your food,drinks,or arms.

Budlight party deck...aka Rivals Sports Bar

The Bud-light party deck is the Rivals Sports Bar it appears to be a “private” event but actually if you walk around to the stair case you realize it is a restaurant for everyone that opens 2hours before game time.

Interior of Rivals Sports Bar

One thing that I took away from my visit to Kauffman is how much you can do at the stadium that doesn’t envolve the game it really seems to be twothingism…which I like.

Mini Rivals in outfield area by the resturant has a condensed menu of what the offer in the resturant.

Kids area in left field. Consists of the Little K, Mini Golf, Carosel, Pitch Challenge and Batting Cages.

I wanted to play mini – golf really bad it wasn’t very busy and looked like a lot of fun..But we decided not too.

9 hole mini-golf

The new and improved Little K with astro turf.

I was very excited to see all the activities for Families it really makes it a fun experience for everyone.

Brand new Royals Hall of Fame which will open in June and be a interactive venue.

The hall of fame is in center left field one area is where the venue will be the rest is suites for hall of famers and suites for fans.

Hall of Fame suites for fans and players.

Just one of several food vendors in the outfield area...Plus a little KC flavor.

A picnic area off of the food court in the outfield even away from the field fans can still catch the game.

A closed area for fans that features a full service buffet...we couldn't get in they had a body guard.

A freakin Irish Pub...they have like 5 of them...I had a Harp. 8 bucks really isn't bad for a beer import at a ballpark

Exterior of Kauffman Stadium.

I would have liked to capture more photos but my G1 battery eventually died and nothing else could be done. I’ve always loved Kauffman stadium and I was so excited they chose to just remodel then to build new. I think they really thought of everything and I can’t wait to visit it more.

Sports Photography?!?

The exciting world of sports has a variety of different variations of what exactly it is. For some we find that the competition of Cheese rolling is considered a sport.

For others the American past time of baseball and hitting a homerun is considered sport.

So, when I looked around this week and tried to decide what I wanted to take pictures of for sports photography. I took advantage of a lovely spring afternoon in Springfield, Missouri and chose the game of Washers. It also didn’t help that apparently every Missouri State athletic team was away this week literally everyteam left on Wednesday and won’t come back until Tuesday…

On a warm and sunny April 4th afternoon I found three gentlemen participating in the game of Washers in the park across from my apartment this is what I captured.

John Rainford, (22) has been playing Washers for nearly 4 years now.

Dane Montgomery, (23) is new to the game of washers and hoping to learn from Rainfords experience.

After an exhausting 35 minute match Montgomery shows experience doesn't always matter winning 11 - 9

Kevin Price, (22) a wily veteran gets his time to shine.

The world of sports is an adventorous one and as you can tell it doesn’t really matter what you call sports as long as you are having fun. With that thought I will leave you with this.

I want my DTV

Wait for it…little longer. Alright now that we’ve gotten the Dire Strait- Money for Nothing out of our heads we can move on.

Before I start my rant I want to state that this post is exactly that (a rant), I realize that several factors went into the decision that was made but being a person that studies media it just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I have been a supporter of this administration and realize that it is all a growing process. I just found something for the first time since I have studied this man and his ideals that didn’t make sense to me or seem to match his process. But I digress.

As I sit in the buckle of the Bible Belt I’m never quite surprised what happens in Springfield but every once in awhile I do get a little jump start and I’m actually able to applaud the place I have called home in the past 4 years, which is exactly what started this no pun intended delayed rant. As I thumbed through my daily newspaper routine which consists of the USA Today New York Times and Springfield Newsleader. I noticed the top of the fold of the Newsleader was talking about the DTV transition. I thought oh well this should be fun but to my surprise I saw that all Springfield Stations will be switching to DTV on April 2nd, with the exception of KSPR who is switching Feb 27th. While I knew they had talked about it I wasn’t sure they would in fact do it because even Kansas City backed out because they “didn’t want to upset the new president” <- I still can’t figure out this quote. But I guess it would make sense why Springfield did decided to switch maybe they just thought hey why not.

I think that is what I find so profound because when I hear that 20 million poor, rural, and elderly don’t have a converter box or digital capabilities and that is why they are delaying I think of Springfield, Missouri. With stations that reach up to Humansville and dip down towards Harrison Arkansas I can only imagine while I don’t have a number that a good piece of that 20 million is right here in the southern mid-west. So what is the point? You can switch but you don’t have to…sorry you spent all this money on getting it ready but now you have a few more months. Its just plethora of things that don’t add up to me.

The United States is in a economic crisis and yet we can still find the money to throw out the year and a half of nearly 2 million dollars in PSA’s warning people of the switch just to find out we have more time, which in my opinion makes it more chaotic that switching and having screens go black.

We can make this bailout package climb and climb just give everyone a big hug and say OK will get your back (which I do support a healthy portion of the bailout). But what I do not support is another $650,000 dollars on funding the dtv converter coupon program. If you didn’t get the converter by now or take the steps to transition you aren’t going to do it by June 12 either.

I realize I’m on the outside looking in a way because I do find myself technologically savvy in some sort of way I think it would just be better if everyone would have just bitten the bullet. The government as a whole has been tip toeing around digital tv for nearly 40 years and is just soo afraid of freeing up the airwaves. But technology is a fine line and its full of growing pains and sometimes you just have to jump in even if the water is cold.