5-9, 9-5

Green Bay is officially eliminated from the NFL playoffs this season, and the Jets are still in contention.  Not that one man makes a huge difference on just the field, but lets just say, once again, I feel vindicated.

5-9 Packers and 9-5 Jets

These Hands

Companion (pt. 1)

This semester, as you might know, I was in a photo class.  The course, ARTS 260, at the University of Illinois, is the introductory photography class.  The first half of the semester involved learning basic techniques, styles, and how to shoot.  We turned in a midterm project based upon four major themes (light and shadow, perspective, depth of field, and motion).  Then the second half of the semester started, in which we were to create our own project with a theme.  This project was to be 10 shots that fit into this theme.

Months ago, while in the shower, thinking about my day, the idea came to me that I needed to tell The Gospel with these pictures.  In some way, th

is story, however I could do it, needed to be told, again and again.  As I thought and prayed, it felt more and more compelling to tell the Gospel story from this perspective of photography and art.  As well, it felt more and more necessary to tell them in a contemporary style.  I couldn't just reshoot in photo form the paintings of the Renaissance.

As the project came about and started to develop, the idea was presented to me to use part of the body to tell these stories.  This started with a great night of drawing the Parable of the Four Seeds on the skin of my friends.  It slowly evolved from this into me telling stories from the four Gospel books with the hands.  Gone was the seeds parable and in was the Good Samaritan.  Gone was using marker for drawing and in was using it to write Hebrew on the body.

I told five stories with these images and I'm still working on how exactly I would present them, but what I do know is that I now have told five tales with these images.  Each pair of images with the same name tells a story.  There is writing on Hebrew on the skin, and in the title of the photos is the meaning of the word.  I hope that this project may stimulate you, regardless of your lifestyle, beliefs, gender, color, or love/hate of art.  This project is dear and close to me, and I hope that you are able to see the effort I put into it, trying to create these situations and communicate as effectively as I can with just two images per story.

Companion (pt. 2)

Here is the flickr link to the art project "These Hands"

So Listen...

Remember how I told you to like, write Governor Blagojevich about the State Parks and Historical Sites? I told you that he really needed to change his mind on closing these fine facilities...

I'm thinking he might have be preoccupied for a while...

I wonder if after all of this dust settles, we can get our facilities back? Cuz there is corruption laden throughout that budget. I'm sure of it...

Finally, this situation totally reminds me of this...

The Greatest Empirical Evidence of All TIme

I was walking early this afternoon with my friend Scott from a restaurant on Green Street to the Illini Union.  While we were walking, we were talking and the remark that girls are loud when put together came up.  Basically, I was saying that when you get girls together, they are always loud.  No sooner was this said than a car with Lauren, Erin, and Suzie in it rolled by with them screaming out the window at us.  Fantastic.  I do not lie...

Sunset at the Springs

Sunset at the Springs, originally uploaded by | Orthogonal Photography |.

Weldon Springs State Recreation Area outside of Clinton, Illinois closed at 2 PM on November 30 as part of a larger plan of Governor Rod Blagojevich's plan to balance the budget. Here is a list of the closed facilities...

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/08/28/news/doc48b6ead84f1b8189593039.txt

This is basically the last photo I took of the park, and the sunset to me is somehow appropriate.

Finally, if you feel like there is a problem with this closing, and the others, (perhaps you feel like Rod's flights to and from Springfield and Chicago could be reduced to fund a park instead) write him a letter here...

www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm

Bowl Boycott

So, this year, we have the potential for 4 undefeated teams in college football.

As of right now, they are

Alabama

Utah

Boise State

Ball State

Two of these programs will probably go to BCS games.  Alabama at the very least, and maybe Utah as well.  Boise State and Ball State will probably be denied the right to play in these games.  Granted, you can make arguments about strength of schedule, blah de blah.  But they are in the same division.  If you want them to not have a right to play with the big dogs, create a new division that these schools CAN WIN.  It is garbage.

Therefore, I propose Boise State and Ball State (as per seeing a snippet of Around the Horn on ESPN today) boycott any bowl game invite and instead host their own bowl of undefeateds.  This would be a game that I'm sure somebody would want to pick up tv rights to and it would spit in the face of the bowl system.  And heck, if Utah doesn't make it, invite them, and a one loss team and hold your own mini-playoff.  Let's start a movement to change things.  Boise State has helped to keep the ball rolling by beating Oklahoma in epic fashion.  I hope this continues to be the case...

You know if you mention it, it'll probably happen

You know the moment.  You are talking about something, and then it goes down.

This happens a lot in sports.  Last night, they were remarking that Kyle Orton hadn't thrown an interception in over 200 passing attempts...Then he threw 3 picks.  Like seriously, why'd you bring it up?  Did you want him to fail?

As for me, I had a fantastic version of this today.  Whilst reading an entry in the flickr blog, I came across this expanded story.  Apparently this flickr user got an email asking if somebody could use his photo in a production.  Later on, after a few more calls, he found out it was a full length motion picture called Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr.

Pretty cool that his pictures on flickr got attention like that.  I've had a few blogs ask to use my stuff, which is kinda cool, but today, I was remarking that it would be so cool if something like that happened.  So what happens?  I get an email not even half an hour later asking me to get a photo published in an entertainment supplement to The Onion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin called Decider.  Pretty sweet.  They asked to use a photo of mine from a concert I did earlier this year from a band called Decibully.  It was pretty neat.  Totally fun to see photos I take being used.  I'm getting a copy of the issue sent to me.  Pretty sick!

Also, in other photo news.  Check out the217.com and the article on Hardy's Reindeer Ranch.  There are like 9 pictures I took on the page.  Pretty sweet.  Thanks Isaac and Matt for the opportunity and the posting of my pics.