Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I Can Find Anything Online


If it exists somewhere, I can find it. Guesses on who this is in all their fabulous 80's glory? I think I had a hat like that growing up. I'll have to look through the old family photos tonight...

On a side note, day four without power at home. If anyone is trying to reach me by phone, it's not that I don't want to talk, it's just that there is no cell service. Texts are somewhat reliable, but a few of those have gone astray as well.


I got this email today and it brought a smile to my face. I'm glad somebody is FINALLY going to teach me how to take professional pictures, although I'm not sure if I should really trust emails that come from "truckloadsoficecream.com". Then again, it sounds like they have the sort of dining hall I'd like. Fuck it, let's all go to Photography School! Who's with me? 

 I can't wait for their reply!!!


Monday, August 29, 2011

Tropical Storm Irene


The sunflowers took the brunt of the storm.

Milford made it! The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm before it hit Connecticut. It was noisy during the night with some strong winds and rain, but we didn't get hit nearly as hard as predicted. Unfortunately, the power went out at around 7 AM, and we're still without. My cell has been eating up its battery because it's searching so hard for a signal. I actually enjoyed the unplugging yesterday, even though I'm in the middle of redesigning my website and have tons of pictures to process. I'm back at work today, there's plenty of electricity in Shelton, so I'm sharing some of the pictures I took.




 Addy was thrilled to see the spider plant back in our room. I was not as excited because I had to constantly stop her from eating it.


Flags down at Walnut Beach with a down tree in the foreground.

Flooding down by the beach, but it drained relatively quickly. We didn't get nearly as much rain as the forecasters said.


The new condos right on the water suffered the most damage in my immediate neighborhood. These waves might not seem all that impressive, but for Milford and Long Island Sound, they're significant. The waves only come to your ankles on a normal day.


 It seemed like everyone in town came down to the beach with their cameras.


Driftwood


 More storm watchers


 Somewhere, a kid is crying over his lost sandcastle...


Even after the storm had gone, the winds were pretty significant down at the beach.


 Tree down


I was really surprised by the amount of stupid people that tried to drive down and through the massive pools of water. I had to take a picture of this one because it caused traffic to back up all the way up the street.


This is in front of the senior citizens center. There shouldn't be a lake here.


I was wondering about the birds and the squirrels during the storm. In case you're still keeping score, Sidewalk: 1, Buildings: 4, Birds: 1. I'm bad luck for birds; it's a long story...


On my way home, I noticed this awesome woody!


Addy got to lounge around while I helped clean up the yard. Although no massive limbs came down, there were plenty of sticks to pick up. No time like the present; the Napolitanos MUST have a perfect yard at all times.


By far, the best purchase I made was my book light and new books. I'm not sure how long it will be until we regain power, but I've got plenty to read.


Just so you don't think I'm a complete jerk,  I can easily include myself in those "stupid people" I mentioned earlier. I thought I could walk through one of those puddles unscathed because I didn't feel like walking around it. So for anyone that saw me fall as the ground dropped off under my feet, you're welcome! I'll be here all week! I was all grace as my left hand immediately shot to my camera and held it above water. Ah, the instincts of a photographer. Also, I cannot thank Crumpler enough. 


Their Tuft camera pouch says it's water resistant, and I'm here to tell you, they are 100% accurate on that. While I had my camera strapped around my neck, I put my cell phone in this pouch and clipped it onto my belt loop. It took a nice swim when I fell and my cell phone remained dry.

My soundtrack for exploring the damage was the first season of Lost. There is nothing better than trudging around on the beach to the walking theme from Lost, except for coming across that pigeon when the death theme was playing. I can't make this stuff up, y'all.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

It's Caturday: Hurricane Edition



I thought animals were supposed to act all strange right before a storm/natural disaster. This is typical behavior for Addy at around 5AM, when she thinks it's time for her to be fed. Just after this picture was taken, she attacked my feet, by the way. I'd also like to point out that my cat's eyes match my logo, and that wasn't planned because I didn't even pick out Addy.

See, just one more sign that nothing crazy is going to happen, but enjoy the tunage over on the sidebar. I've put together an impromptu hurricane playlist.


And in case you needed to know:  How to hurricane proof your cat

Friday, August 26, 2011

Hurricane Shmurricane

Egghead & Shively
This is a reference I think only 2 people reading my blog will get, but with all the talk of hurricanes and evacuations, it immediately popped into my head. I did some searching on the internets, and there really isn't anything out there. I've got an inside connection, so I have an actual DVD of Egghead & Shively, a puppet show from 1992 that aired on UCTV at UConn. One of Egghead's catch phrases was, "Oh! The wind and the rain!!!" I wish I could find something on youtube for you to watch, loyal readers, alas, you'll have to take my word for it, it was awesome!

So, it seems that the East Coast will deal with an earthquake and a hurricane all in the same week. I still don't believe the whole earthquake thing actually happened; I'm convinced it was all an elaborate facebook hoax! I'm really not concerned with Hurricane Irene's impending doom either. Maybe it's because I've seen so many hurricanes miss over my extensive 30 years. Every time, people make a big deal out of it and snatch up every single bottle of water, loaf of bread, gallon of milk, battery and flash light they can find. I'm not kidding, take a look at our front office from earlier today:


I love the fact that one of my coworkers actually stole the shopping cart instead of putting the water in their car. Is anyone else sick of everyone acting like is the end of the world? If this hurricane actually does hit, I'm pretty sure we'll all survive. Why can't we act like civilized human beings? It's pure chaos in stores today, and I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring. 

My hurricane prep? I went to Barnes and Nobles to pick up a couple new books and an LED book light that runs on AAA batteries. I stayed off the Post Road and traffic wasn't that bad, except when I tried to find a gas station that didn't have a line wrapped around the block. I ended up paying for more expensive gas, but trust me, it was worth it not having to deal with the crazies. My external hard drives and camera equipment have been packed up into water tight containers. That's about it. If I have to move to higher ground, I'm ready to go, but I highly doubt the Long Island Sound is going to get enough steam behind it to travel all the way up the hill that I live on. Hey, Mother Nature, if you want to prove me wrong, go for it. I've got my point and shoot camera ready for whatever you can throw at me!

I did notice this bumper sticker on my travels today and it cheered me up for about 5 seconds until the white SUV cut me off in the center of town in Milford. Thanks for that, jerk face, and I hope whatever store you were in a rush to get to was all sold out of whatever item you needed.

Sorry, my sarcasm is in full swing today. Everyone be safe and get through the storm. 




Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Officially Official



I've never seen anything more incredible than that in my life! Look! My name! My photos! On The Eels Official Webstie!

A friend joked that he wanted me to autograph the website, so I did. If you want to take a look, here's the link. They're a sampler of what I've posted on my blog, and my full set is over on my website, under gallery then under concerts. I swear, I took just as many pictures of E as I did of The Chet!

Hopefully, this is the first step of many for me! Thanks to all my friends that encouraged me to send my photos along to the right people; you know who you are. God damn right, it's a beautiful day!

Happy Birthday, James!


I have the most amazing nephew, who just turned four. Not a day goes by where I'm not utterly impressed by him. We did a family portrait session for his first birthday, which was the first appearance of the infamous stink eye. People tell me it was the sun in his eyes, but it's become his signature expression. As you can see, he's only getting better over time.


Recently, James has taken an interest in photography. I think it's great that he wants to do what I'm doing, so I've let him use my old canon g5. I'm thrilled to have found a use for it!


The boy can strike a pose! Right now, the majority of his pictures are of the ground, but he has a unique perspective. His favorite subject matter is...


Me! I'm not sure if he thinks it's funny to turn the tables on me or if he really likes taking my picture. I have to say, there aren't many of the photographer, so I'm flattered. I need to update my picture on my website and I kinda dig the second shot...How great would it be to have a 4 year old as a second shooter at a wedding? What would he take pictures of?


Happy Birthday, little man! I can't wait to see what you'll get into next!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Something's Coming


I have a hunch more people will be seeing my pictures. I'll let you know as soon as I can, but what I can tell you now is that I'm so excited, I'm doing a combination of the Carlton/Happy Happy Joy Joy/Ed Grimley dance. Need a visual?


P.S. I can't believe my parents let me watch the Ed Grimley Cartoon show!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Busy Weekend


Lack of posts always means lots of pictures! I'm back from my weekend "vacation" in Maine. I use the term vacation loosely, because the majority of it was spent in a car, driving. I celebrated family friends' 45th wedding anniversary and took a few pictures at that. There will be more pictures once I actually have a chance to process them. I then traveled straight from that to James' fourth birthday party. We like to keep birthday parties small so we don't overwhelm the little guy. 

 James with cousin Cassandra.

 Aria learning to smile for the camera.

Super cool Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cake!

After the cake, James told me no more pictures. I guess he's finally sick of the paparazzi...

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Hotel Lights CD Release Concert



Good morning loyal readers! I'm running on about 2 hours of sleep right now because I wanted to get these pictures processed and up before I'm gone for the weekend. Last night was the Hotel Lights concert in Brooklyn. Very different experience than my last journey, but equally enjoyable. As I've said before on here, Hotel Lights is one of my favorites, so I was really excited to see them perform as a band. I saw Darren play solo back in 2000 and it's great to see how much he's grown as an artist over the years. The new album, Girl Graffiti, is incredible. Beautiful melodies, instrumentation and lyrics that you need a few listens to fully appreciate.

Although a cozy environment, The Rock Shop didn't give me a whole lot of light to work with, so a lot of my pictures have been converted to black and white. Still, a nice set. I didn't have the chance to write down a full set list, but the music spanned all three albums, including, but not limited to: Girl Graffiti, Dave Sharkey To The Dance Floor, Anatole, Marvelous Truth, AM Slow Golden Hit, Amelia Bright, Chemical Clouds, All My Asshole Friends, Super 8MM, and Small Town Shit. Enjoy!








 








Thanks for a great concert, Darren! And now for a blast from the past...