Zach's World

does it work?

2010-02-18T19:13:00.002-05:00

TV Test

2010-02-09T11:13:00.002-05:00

TV Test

2010-02-09T11:13:00.000-05:00

TOP 10 BANDS

2010-01-05T13:30:00.010-05:00

So here are the Top 10 Bands that I'm currently listening to. Maybe you've heard of them, maybe you haven't. Hopefully you haven't heard of any of them and you'll at least check out a few. These are really great bands that aren't to be missed.

Just click on the name of the band to start enjoying their music!

Miike Snow

Ra Ra Riot

As Tall As Lions

Wild Beasts

Grizzly Bear

Pierre De Reeder

Jason Lytle

Company of Thieves

Fleet Foxes

Wild Sweet Orange

Makaylah's Baptism Party

2009-10-20T07:49:00.003-04:00

I still haven't uploaded the pictures or actual video of the Baptism but here are a couple videos I shot at the Baptism party at the clubhouse.

Makaylah's first taste of cake:

I have a Canon T1i that shoots pictures and video. Most people don't know that the camera shoots video so they were very unsuspecting and surprised when I said "you're on video" because they expect that I'm taking photos, lol. It's fun to watch what everyone was doing and everyone's reaction to the camera.

North Carolina Sewer Blob

2009-10-19T16:05:00.003-04:00

This is all taking place just miles away from where I live.

Please watch the below video first:

The below is taken from: http://www.uforadar.com/2009/09/north-carolina-sewer-blob-update/

Original article

Blobophiles,

Well a lot has happened in the 8 weeks since I naively unleashed the blob on the world, not knowing that my life would never be the same, beginning the very next morning. 7.1 million views, a bunch of interviews, a crashed uforadar server due to a million+ hits, City of Raleigh’s citizens going apeshit, German TV invading the cafe with cameras looking for yours truly.. etc etc etc, yeah its been a hell of a summer!

So the bottom line, hype aside, is what in the hell is the mystery blob and is my water safe? It seems that the bigger news outlets have bought the ‘colony of tubificid’ explanation that the Raleigh Dept. of Public Works gave to try to put the story to rest, but if you dig deeper its not so clear that they even believe it. My requests to gain access to the pipes under Cameron Village were denied, so a second investigation and trapping of the creature is, for now at least, out of the question. Ed Buchan, environmental coordinator at the Raleigh Public Utilities Department, is quoted as saying staff biologists were taken aback by the blob sacs and were at a loss to explain. He then suggested that it was likely colonial tubifex worms and that was that. North Carolina’s News 14 bought it and ran the story with a “solved!” headline, and peace was restored in Gotham. Unfortunately, the case isn’t closed at all, and I still believe that we may be seeing smoking gun evidence of intergalactic-sourced egg sacs.

Another scientific body that disagrees with Buchan’s tubifex theory is N.C. State University’s biology dept, who understandably jumped on the story. Professor Tom Kwak, the poor guy stuck with explaining the blob and an actual unbiased biologist who doesn’t work for the city, doesn’t think its Tubifex worms at all. I respect his opinion more than the cities, but I disagree with his explanation too.

“I think it’s a colony of bryozoans,” Kwak said. “They are small animals like a hydra that live together in colonies, and they stick out tentacles to feed. And when they’re disturbed, they withdraw into small tubes that they built.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, and I’d love to interview Tom about this, but aren’t Bryozoans tiny colonial animals that generally build themselves stoney skeletons out of calcium carbonate? Almost like sea coral?

A classic bryozoan:

Tubifex worms:

Now if you contrast those with the sewer blob, there are notable discrepencies. A major one being that there isn’t a single lone worm on or around any of the three sacs on film. They are a complete cyst with a smooth surface, and the blob recoils and throbs as a single unit, not as a colony of loose worms.

The blob heard ’round the world:

So as you can see, the tubifex worm theory just doesn’t hold water. Any of us that have been fishing have at some point bought tubifex worms (bass love them by the way), and while they clump together at times it just looks nothing like this. Its understandable why the city of Raleigh would want this to go away, but the international media is still covering this and we absolutely have not explained this one yet.

Enter the alien egg sac theory (pulls another espresso):

First off, N = N* fp ne fl fi fc fL <——read it and weep. Aliens exist, and the universe is teeming with them. Absolutely teeming.

Second off, they are here and have been for a long time. The proof is all around us, its now a question of getting the US government to come clean with what they have in Wright-Patterson AFB’s blue room and beneath Groom Lake (Area 51).

I could go on and on about the ET visitation issue, and uforadar is my soapbox so I have/will, but the bottom line with the North Carolina Blob is that this is the first (possible) smoking gun proof of something rumored about for years; aliens breeding in our planets water, and under our cities. Its no secret that the serious UFO community has galvanized around the idea that the intergalactic-source theory, while true on a long enough timeline, may be outdated and that “the Greys” may be colonized under the North Atlantic Ocean. Ask any of the 1958 crew of the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA-42 and you’ll get an earfull of USO facts. There have been sightings of strange ET phenomena in our sewers for decades (New York and Denver are the most documented), and with this totally unidentified new creature strongly resembling an egg sac, we may have proof. Unfortunately I can’t get in there to extract and operate on one of these things, so my hands are temporarily tied. As always, anybody that has an ‘in’ on this story you can reach me at studiomacleod@yahoo.com. Lets talk.

More updates to come, the coffee is wearing off.

Girl Scouts Motivational Poster

2009-10-09T11:02:00.002-04:00

I got this in an email from my friend Lilly today. It was too funny to dismiss so I thought I'd share it with you all. LOL!

Banksy Vs. Bristol Museum

2009-10-07T14:40:00.003-04:00

Avett Brothers on the Late Late Show

2009-10-07T14:28:00.002-04:00

The Avett Brothers performed “Laundry Room” on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I didn't stay up to watch it but I DVR'd it and woke up at 6am to watch it before work. They performed wonderfully. Watch for Joe Kwon's glasses to fly off from all the rockin!

Avett Brothers - I&L&Y - Listening Party

2009-10-06T07:51:00.001-04:00

So after a super long extra week wait I finally got my deluxe box set of the new Avett Brothers alubm "I and Love and You". It made me so happy to get the album that I wanted to share the happiness with my whole family. My mother cooked Chicken Tetrazzini and I got flowers for my love to surprise her when she got home. We enjoyed a nice dinner and listened to the whole album. Lots of Avett fun!

Anniyah's 4th Birthday!

2009-10-04T17:30:00.002-04:00

Anniyah turned 4 yesterday! We all went out to Red Robin to celebrate. I'll upload some video tomorrow.

It's not her party, but she'll cry if she wants to!

The Avett Brothers - Live Broadcast

2009-10-02T16:10:00.003-04:00

The Avett Brothers are being broadcast live as of right now 4:14PM EST 10/2/09 and I thought I'd share some screen shots for anyone that misses it.

Here's the streaming link: http://www.theavettbrothers.com/austincitylimits

Makaylah's First Bouncer

2009-10-02T11:46:00.002-04:00

My baby girl just turned 3 months old this past Tuesday (9/29/09) and a good friend of mine (Steve) gave us this baby bouncer that he had for his daughter who is now over a year old. She really loves this little bouncer because she's been trying to sit up and is very tired of just laying around. I'm so glad that she has her own little entertainment center now. I shot this video this morning before heading off to work and wanted to share it with everyone. TGIF!

Sprint - You're my Hero!

2009-09-30T12:53:00.002-04:00

Sprint announced that the release date for their new HTC Hero Android phone will be Oct. 11th!

I heard about this phone a few months ago and have been waiting anxiously ever since. Check out some hands on video reviews below by Michael Oryl from MobileBurn.com

Also check out a little taste of the really cool Apps already developed by Android that are being used on T-Mobile

Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise

2009-09-29T16:58:00.002-04:00

So I was waiting all day for my Deluxe copy of The Avett Brothers' new album to arrive today. I had a "head full of doubt" that it would arrive. Well, I just found out that I'm not going to get it until next Monday.

Apparently I failed to read the part about my card not being charged until they were ready to ship the package. Aaaaaand apparently they charged my card the day before I got paid, so I did not have enough money in the bank to pay for the product.

Also, I neglected to read the email that they sent me on 9/24 informing me that my card was declined.

I'm just beside myself right now... I can't believe the series of events that have kept me from getting my hands on the Deluxe copy for another week...

However, the "road" is "full of promise" as my order was confirmed today and the girl at customer service said I could possibly even receive it this Saturday.

So, all you Avett fans enjoy your glorious, shiny, crisp, new copies of the album... I envy you!

Avett Brothers New Album - "I and Love and You"

2009-09-29T10:57:00.003-04:00

That's right folks! The Avett Brothers' new album "I and Love and You" was released today! I pre-ordered the deluxe box set so I still don't have my copy yet (hurry up postal service!!!).

Check out their performance below on The Late Show with David Letterman last night!

I thought I'd share their latest music video of their title song from their new album.

Also, in case you didn't know, I attended the recording of this video in Charlotte. Check out this video of Scott Avett diving out into the crowd!

Now what are you waiting for? Go out and buy this album immediately!!!

http://www.theavettbrothers.com/

Dinosaurs on Sunday - Back to work on Monday

2009-09-28T08:43:00.005-04:00

I do indeed have a case of the Muuundays. (Office Space reference)

Well here I am sitting back at my desk again with a workload staring back at me through my computer screen. *sigh*

This weekend was great though! Sunday before we left the beach, we took Dominic to see a Dinosaur movie at the Imax 3D movie theatre. Check out the photos below of the movie advertisements. Seeing the movie in 3D was really amazing!

LIFE'S A BEACH

2009-09-26T20:35:00.010-04:00

This weekend we went to visit my grandmother in Little River, SC. She's been dying to see Makaylah since she hasn't seen her since she was two weeks old. So she watched the little one while Michelle, Dominic, and I snuck off to Cherry Grove Beach!

After the beach we headed off to eat lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe at Broadway at the Beach.

Meeting Dan Aykroyd - Crystal Head Vodka Signing

2009-09-25T16:45:00.002-04:00

He was worried about the pink lunch box so he had security remove the innocent mystery package. "Don't touch it! Don't Touch It!" lol

He signed my artwork! That was so awesome!!!!

I'M BACK!

2009-09-25T16:04:00.003-04:00

I've been gone for a while but I'm back in action! I've revamped the site a little and hope to keep this blog continuously updated.

Last time I updated I was on Myspace and have since left that for Facebook. Also, I'm kinda cheating on Facebook with Twitter. It started off as just a fling... but one thing led to another and now I'm in love with Twitter as well.

You can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/ZachsWorld

Also, last time I posted I was not yet a father. Well... times have changed and I'm a proud father now!

Her name is Makaylah Marie Stamey and she'll be three months old on Monday! Here she is with her big brother Dominic.
Well I have lots of big things on the way so stay tuned...

Cookies Are My Drug

2009-04-15T17:32:00.001-04:00

After Hours

2009-01-22T18:39:00.001-05:00

Meteor over Edmonton, Canada

2008-11-26T07:30:00.001-05:00

Meteor Caught On Dashboard Camera

Search is on for meteor that lit sky over western Canada

MONTREAL (AFP) — Scientists and amateur astronomers have been combing the prairies in western Canada for a 10-ton meteorite that lit the sky and exploded with the force of 300 tons of dynamite, according to experts from the Canadian Space Agency.

The meteorite, seen on Thursday by thousands of people in a 700 kilometer (435-mile) radius, fell southeast of Lloydminster, near the border between Saskatchewan and Alberta provinces, astrophysicists Alan Hildebrand and Peter Brown said in a statement.

At the moment it entered the atmosphere, the asteroid fragment weighed approximately 10 tonnes, from an energy estimate derived from infrasound records, said Brown, professor of meteor physics at University of Western Ontario.

"The indicated energy is approximately one third of a kiloton of TNT," he added.

Hundreds of fragments of the meteorite weighing more than 50 grams (1.76 ounces) were likely strewn over a wide area since its the speed of entry, some 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) per second, was well below the average 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) per second of most meteorites, said University of Calgary researcher Hildebrand.

Most meteorites fall to earth at such a high speed that they burn up completely before reaching the ground.

The fireball enveloping the chunks of meteorites, which Hildebrand likened to a billion-watt lightbulb shining in the sky, was filmed by several people, whom researchers have been tracking down since Friday in the area.

"We are now trying to get all the transient information about the fireball before it is lost," Hildebrand said.

"Many motels and gas stations only keep their security recordings for one week or less, so we urge everyone to check their systems to see if they recorded the fireball or the moving shadows that it cast," he added.

Hildebrand and Brown are members of the Small Bodies Discipline Working Group that is funded by the Canadian Space Agency.

Article taken from http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g4U-x8owROa9La2KiPZzbP_DIlDA

Road Trip to Jersey...

2008-11-10T17:06:00.015-05:00

It's Friday morning, early, and we've already had breakfast at Bojangles and the girls (Lilly & Dana) are all fueled up on Starbucks. We're driving up I-95 in Virginia through the endless array of autumn painted forests. The air is cool and the skies are clear. We're heading to Jersey; we're heading to Kevin Smith.Kevin Smith a.k.a "Silent Bob" (for any of you who have been living under a rock for the last 14 years) is a writer, director, actor, producer, editor, and all around cool cat. He's directed movies such as: Clerks., Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks II, and the latest Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

It's been two hours and we are mid ways through Virginia. It's time to stop off at a gas station, stretch, stock up on snacks, and switch drivers.

Michelle guided us through the next 2 hours as the girls fell in and out of sleep. I pulled out the camera and started shooting some photos of our journey.It's getting later now. Dana's already driven us through Maryland and Deleware. I'm making the long haul up to Jersey.We finally reach the Jersey Turnpike and stop off for Nathan's Famous Hotdogs. First time for me but for Michelle and the girls it tastes like home; like Long Island.
Lunch is over and the trip is close to follow suit. Back in the truck we go and off to Red Bank!

Finally we reach our destination, The Courtyard by Marriott Lincroft Red Bank. The girls go inside to get settled in to the room. I can't get settled until I have my hands on our tickets for the Count Basie Theatre, where Kevin Smith will be performing later in the night.I'm almost at the theatre when Dana calls.

"Hello?"

"We just me Kevin Smith!!!"

"what...?"

"Yeah we took the elevator up to the third floor and when the doors opened, he was standing right there with his wife!"

"Shut up. I fucking hate you guys." (lol)

"Yeah it was awesome! And blah blah blah blah"

The rest was pretty hard to make out as she was understandably excited to have just met Kevin Smith. However, it was not "Silent Bob" who was "Silent" it was Lilly Scarpinito who was silent. She froze up and not a single word came out. She finally pulled it together and told him we were coming to see him at the theatre. He replied "Righ on." and made the gentlemanly gesture for the girls to exit the elevator as his wife and him were looking to enter the elevator. Finally the ice around their feet gave way and they were able to move.

Back at the theatre I just picked up our tickets and Michelle and I are on our way back to the hotel.

We all take a little cat nap as Lilly takes a shower and gets ready.

Now we are up and alert and ready to see the man himself, Kevin freakin Smith!

Heading back to that same elevator, *ding* the doors open, we pile in. Who is this? No... It's Kevin Smith's wife! Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, who acted in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks II, and even Zack and Miri was in the very same elevator as my entourage and me. It was crazy.

So we go to the Q & A at the Count Basie Theatre just 5 minutes up the road. It was a great night of entertainment, however hot as hell it was.The theatre is filled with laughter and applause and another Evening with Kevin Smith has passed. We rejoice and find ourselves walking the cold streets of Jersey heading back to the truck. The rumble of the crowds followed us back and into our bellies as we were all starving.Whoa! Does that sign say "Cluck-U-Chicken"? It does! I don't know what it is, but I have to eat there.

So Cluck-U it is with 20 hot wings to go please!

A quick stop at the local 7/11 and we're off to our rooms. Blasted by the strong aroma of marijuana as I entered the third floor, I nearly lost my balance. "It smells like Kevin Smith on this floor", I said loudly.

I was exausted, Michelle was exausted, we were all exausted. After finishing half of my wings I'm beat, it's time for bed. Talk to you in the morning...

It's 9am and I'm already stoked about the day. Kevin Smith is going to be doing a signing at his very own personal comic shop today, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, from 2-5.

Naturally, we've decided to go a little early; 10AM!

Dana parts ways with us at this point to go visit a friend in NY. Little did she know, she was about to miss the greatest part of the whole adventure.

*Slam* *Slam* *Slam*

We all get out of the truck and start walkin. The smell and sound of fallen gold leaves under our feet as we venture off; it brings back memories of childhood for Michelle and Lilly.

The atmosphere is electric as men hang garlin from lamp posts and familys cross streets with smiles and excitement. The steam floats off a man's coffee cup and pours out of his mouth as he speaks.

Just up ahead we can see the Stash and there's not a soul in line! Hot damn!
We slide right in to the shop and browse around lookin at all the wonderful goodies the View Askew crew has to offer.

I make my purchases and realize that there actually is a line and that it's already half a block long. It's 10 fucking 30 man! Half a block!?

Whatever, it wasnt that long and we joined the devoted fans in what was to be a long day.

5 1/2 hours we stood. Waiting, talking, laughing at the Jay and Silent Bob impersonators, taking rain showers, freezing and eating.It was wonderful.

They came around and took our photos. Some restaurant owners capitolized on our position as we could not, or would not, move from our position in line. They took our orders for breakfast and hand delivered it to us.
We made friends with fans and waited for hours.
Finally, FINALLY! We start to move. We come around the corner where we wait some more; and wait some more...

This is it, we are going in. We are told there will be no photos, which sucked but I snuck one anyway.

First up, Lilly. She reminds him that she was the girl in the elevator that saw him. He says "Oh right. Not a word..." ha ha. She tells him she was nerveous and he tells her it's all good. After complimenting him on his wife he signs her merch and she's on her way.

Next up is Michelle and she gets our theatre ticket signed, made out to Zach and Michelle. She tells him how much Dominic would love his store and then she's on her way.

Lastly I walk up to the man and tell him how much of an honor it is to meet him. I shake the bear-like paw of Silent Bob and he asks who to make it out to. I tell him the same as Michelle. Make it out to Zach and Michelle please. He makes it out to Zach and Michelle and then writes below it "Now you can never split up" Awesome! I love it.

We are giddy. We pick up our rain soaked chairs from around the corner and head back to the parking deck.

This is where I found Jesus...

I found Jesus on the sidewalk in Jersey, manifested.

Shrugged our shoulders and headed up to the truck where it was dry and warm. It's time to make the long ass drive home. We decide to cut out our detour to the "Quick Stop" where the movie Clerks was filmed; I'm still depressed about that. But you do what you have to and we were all tired and ready to go home.
Cold, we decided to stop off at Arby's and scarf down a warm meal.

The trip home was pretty decent, minus the last long ass leg through Virginia. Nothing to look at but the road and the moon, with a barrage of trees on either side, my eyes are heavy and delusion sets in. I start to swerve so I pull over on the side of I-95 in the middle of nowhere and get out to stretch. Seeing this as a photo-op I pull out the point-and-shoot and snap a 15sec exposure of some fellow travelers.We eventually make it home after two movies and 800+ miles.

This was the story of our Road Trip to Jersey.

I've been Scammed!

2008-10-15T17:41:00.002-04:00

Here's the story...

September 8th

I searched the internet for a Canon 40D.
I found a website by the alias "www.thecameraprofessionals.com"
I found a great bargain kit! Canon 40D, two lenses, 4GB Memory card, tripod, camera case, etc.
I placed my order for $1,060.00 to have it shipped next day air.
I promptly received an email...

Dear Zachary Stamey,
Thank you for contacting TheCameraProfessionals.com.
To estimate when your order will be delivered please take into account, for security purposes and as a protection to our customers, all online orders are subject to credit card authorization and verification with the credit cardholder and issuing bank prior to processing.
Your order is currently pending approval. Please call us at 800-496-0227 within the next 48 business hours to verify your billing information. Office hours are Monday thru Thursday 10am - 7pm, Friday 10am - 3:00pm, Sunday 11am - 5pm. All times are EST. Please have the credit card used to place this order available.
If we do not receive a reply within the specified time frame, your order will be delayed.
Thank you for your attention. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
If we may be of further assistance, please call us at 800-496-0227 or email us at info@thecameraprofessionals.com.
Sincerely,
TheCameraProfessionals.com

I called the 800 number and finally got to speak with someone after waiting 15 minutes
The person on the phone looked up my order and said that it did not come with a battery and asked if I would like to purchase a battery now.
I found it odd that the brand new camera did not come with a battery but declined to purchase this as I could find one cheaper somewhere else.
The person then asked if I wanted any kind of waranty and when I said no, they said "Ok your camera will ship in 5-6 weeks. Have a nice day" and then he hung up.
...
I called back and waited another 10 minutes or so and finally got to speak with another customer service rep.
I told them that I ordered the overnight shipping (an extra $50 cost) and the guy told me it would be 5-6 weeks.
She looked up my order and said that it was out of stock (even though the website says "in stock") and that it would take 5-6 weeks to order it.
I asked her to remove the $50 overnight shipping cost, (I dont think they were going to remove it unless I had asked) and confirmed the new price of $969.00
The customer service rep told me that the money would be charged to my card once it ships.

September 29th

3 weeks later, I decide to call them back. I just wanted to check on the status of the order.
The rep on the phone told me that they showed that they'd receive the camera on October 10th and ship it out to me to have by the 15th. She also told me to call back on the 10th to verify that they'd shipped it.

October 10th

I called them to confirm that they had shipped my camera only to find that they had not even received it yet.
They claimed that there was some kind of mess up at the Canon warehouse and they wouldn't receive it until October 15th and that I wouldnt receive it until October 20th.

October 15th

I called today to confirm that my camera was shipped... no answer.
Hmm...
Called again later. The recording says "Thank you for calling TheCameraProfessionals.com. We are currently closed but you can access our website 24 hours a day at www.thecameraprofessionals.com. Thank you."
That's it... No reason of why they are closed. No other number to call for support or questions.
I went to the Better Business Bureau to check them out.
Oh Shit...
The below information is copied straight from the BBB's website:

"This business has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB"

"Consumers have informed the BBB that TheCameraProfessionals.com is employing bait and switch tactics in order to sell extra and/or higher priced merchandise to customers. Consumers report that after they place an order on-line they are instructed to call the company to confirm their order over the phone and that while confirming the firm tries to intimidate the consumer into "upgrading". Consumers are told that “in stock” items are not in stock when they refuse to purchase the extra products."

Additional Business Names:

Best Digital Online
HD Camera World
HDCameraWorld
Pay Less Digital
The Camera Pros
UB Digital

Additional Web Sites:

www.bestdigitalonline.com
www.thecamerapros.com

Additional Numbers:

(800) 496-0227
(800) 577-6791
(718) 431-0610
(718) 265-9777

"In October, 2007, the BBB sent correspondence to this firm regarding its advertising practices. The firm did not respond."

This firm also does business at the following locations.
212 Highlawn Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11201-1122
4718 18th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11204
1006 Avenue P
Brooklyn, NY 11223
1151 McDonald Avenue
Brooklyn , NY 11230
Copyright © 2008 BBB of Metropolitan New York, Inc.

I googled HD Camera World and the first result I find is "HD Camera World: Scam on CNET"
Great...

I won't quote the entire forum, but I will post some of the user quotes here:

"Misleading answers about shipping dates and availability of product"
"I called them and they tried to push me into buying an extra battery for either $39 or $79."
"WARNING!!! DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY, IT IS A SCAM OF THE HIGHEST ORDER AND IF THERE ARE ANY ATTORNEYS LOOKING FOR A CLASS ACTION LAWSUITE, YOU GOT ONE HERE."
"You place your order and get an email saying "Call to Confirm", which you do and find yourself being hasseled by Professional Husselers" who want to sell you a AA Battery for $30 each."
"DO NOT BUY FROM THESE CHEATS THE OWNERS ARE COMPLETE SCAM ARTISTS."
"I looked up this address on google maps, street view and I cannot find a business building with this companys name on it."
"When I ask for a cancellation email he said cancelled and hung up on me. I tried calling back but they had already blocked my phone #."
"The manager (who I waited half an hour to speak to) on the phone was an asshole, and when I told him the company had lots of negative reviews on the internet, he claimed that it was because no one reported the good things, just the bad ones."

Damn...

I have been caught up in a fucking Scam. Those assholes. I had to call my bank today and have them cancel my card, and send me a new one. I cannot believe that I fell for such a shitty scam.

At least I cut off access to my card before they were able to hit it. Because I couldn't exactly call to cancel my order with them being conveniently closed today...

BEWARE

www.TheCameraProfessionals.com will scam you out of your money.

Always check any and all websites that you are going to make a purchase from, with the BBB.

Albannach - Raleigh, NC

2008-10-09T13:06:00.004-04:00

A warm night accompanied by a cool breeze and the sounds of bagpipes and roaring Scotsmen pounding on drums at a pleasingly deafening volume from an Irish Pub downtown in the middle of the city that's light on their feet as they jump and scream war cries in an attempt to set free their stress and give way to the freedom of the music.

I present to you...

ALBANNACH

It's Snowing on Mars...

2008-09-30T11:01:00.002-04:00

Phoenix Mars Lander "Sees" Falling Snow

Anne Minard for National Geographic News September 29, 2008

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has dug up new clues to the red planet's wet past and has witnessed what could be a current water cycle in the form of falling snow, scientists announced today.
From its landing site near Mars's north pole, the lander has collected and analyzed soil samples that show minerals on Mars that are associated with liquid water on Earth.
Phoenix also recorded the planet's real-time transition from summer to fall, which revealed tantalizing evidence of an ongoing hydrological cycle, said Peter Smith, Phoenix's principal investigator based at the University of Arizona.
Jim Whiteway, lead scientist for the Phoenix Meteorological Station, said that instruments on board the craft recorded rising temperatures and humidity in the two months leading up to the Martian summer solstice in July.
Temperatures have been falling ever since.
"In the second half of the mission we saw frost, ground fog, and clouds. This is now occurring every night," Whiteway said.
Ice crystals were detected coming from clouds about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above the spacecraft's landing site. The crystals are most likely water-based, the scientists said, because it's not yet cold enough on Mars for carbon-dioxide snow to form.
The team hopes Phoenix will help confirm whether the snow hits the ground before the craft—which has already survived beyond its expected lifespan—freezes up forever during the cold Martian winter.
"We're going to be watching very closely for the next months to see if the snow is falling on the Martian surface," Whiteway said.

Rewriting Mars's Geochemistry
The latest soil data from Phoenix have confirmed the presence of calcium carbonates, common clays found in wet environments on Earth.
Lack of carbonates on the Martian surface once sparked theories that ancient Mars had acidic oceans.
But the Phoenix mission has found so much evidence of carbonate clays that Michael Hecht, a Phoenix scientist based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), thinks carbonates account for not less than one percent of the Martian surface.
"We really have enough information to begin rewriting the book of Martian geochemistry," he said.
And the presence of carbonates suggests that water was a dominant force in Mars's early chemistry. (Related: "NASA Images Add a Billion Years to Mars's Wet Period?" [September 26, 2008].)
Among other implications, Hecht said, the finding means that water likely played a role in the regulation of surface acidity, which researchers had previously attributed to other chemicals.
William Boynton, of the University of Arizona, said the mission has indicated, but not confirmed, the presence of silicates, minerals rich in silicon and oxygen that are also typically associated with liquid water.
In addition, Phoenix found more evidence for perchlorates, oxidizing salts that had been spotted previously and were thought to be possible contaminants brought with the lander from Earth.
Perchlorates are used in rocket fuels and explosives, and they lower the freezing point of water.
If the chemicals occurred with water on Mars, perchlorates may have collected in low-lying areas and formed briny deposits, JPL's Hecht said. They may also serve as an energy source for yet-to-be-discovered Martian microbes.

Winding Down
Still, one mission objective continues to elude the research teams: detection of organics—compounds mostly made of carbon and hydrogen—on the Martian surface. Further analysis could reveal the presence of organics, but the researchers aren't optimistic.
Phoenix, which landed on Mars on May 25, officially ended its prime mission on August 26 and is now in extended operations.
Barry Goldstein, the Phoenix project manager at JPL, said the lander remains strong.
"Every day it's waking up on command and communicating with Odyssey," he said, referring to the NASA Mars orbiter. But with each passing Martian day, or sol, the sun is staying below the horizon longer.
"As Martian winter approaches, we lose sunlight," Goldstein said.
Eventually the temperature will approach -238 degrees Fahrenheit (-150 degrees Celsius), and Phoenix is not expected to produce enough solar power at that point to keep its instruments from freezing.
"Before the end of October, there won't be enough energy to keep using the robotic arm," Goldstein said.
"By the time we get to April, there will be no sun up there. That hurts the vehicle."
Analysis of data Phoenix has already collected will be ongoing, the researchers said, including the search for the hoped-for organics.
If Phoenix does survive the winter encased in ice, it is programmed with a "Lazarus mode" that will prompt the craft to start collecting energy and eventually ping mission control.

The Avett Brothers...

2008-09-29T19:43:00.002-04:00

The Avett Brothers - November 1 - Greenville, SC

Today...

2008-09-22T10:03:00.003-04:00

Today marks 10 months since Michelle and I have been together. I love her more with each passing day. Today also marks the first day of Autumn! This is my favorite time of the whole year. The leaves start changing colors, the cold air pours in, I get to start wearing my blazers and coats. The smell of burning leaves in the air. Pumpkins, Thanksgiving, birthdays (Anniyah, Dominic, then me), and most importantly (on Nov. 22) is our 1 year anniversary.

Few other things...

New season of Heroes tonight.
3 new albums out tomorrow from, Cold War Kids, Kings of Leon, and Jose Gonzalez.

Also...
Last night's episode of Entourage was funny as hell. I loved it!

Pirattitude...

2008-09-19T14:37:00.003-04:00

Ahoy matey!

T'day marks the 2nd Annual ITLAPD (International Talk Like A Pirate Day) Celebration here where I work.

Last year caught me by surprise but this year I prevailed by winning the Pirattitude Award.

See the video below that had me shipmates' sides splittin'

Arrr!!!!

I'm a real Pirate now!!!

2008-09-14T10:41:00.001-04:00

Flying Spaghetti Montser

2008-09-12T17:58:00.002-04:00

This is crazy...

All of the below text was taken from Wikipedia.com

The Flying Spaghetti Monster (also known as the FSM) is the deity of a parody religion called The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its system of beliefs, "Pastafarianism".

The religion was founded in 2005 by Bobby Henderson to protest the decision by the Kansas State Board of Education to require the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to biological evolution. Intelligent design implies the existence of an intelligent but not necessarily omnipotent or omniscient designer, thus some, like Henderson, argue that this designer could be anything imaginable.

In an open letter sent to the education board, Henderson parodies the concept of an intelligent designer by professing belief in a supernatural creator called the Flying Spaghetti Monster which resembles spaghetti and meatballs.

He furthermore calls for the "Pastafarian" theory of creation to be taught in science classrooms.

Due to its recent popularity and media exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is often used by atheists, agnostics (known by Pastafarians as "spagnostics"), and others as a modern version of Russell's teapot and the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

----------------------

Read the Open Letter To Kansas School Board from Bobby Henderson.

----------------------

You may be asking me "Zach... Why do you care about this?" "How did this grab your attention?"

That's the best part! Read below:

According to the Pastafarian belief system, pirates are "absolute divine beings" and the original Pastafarians. Their image as "thieves and outcasts" is misinformation spread by Christian theologians in the Middle Ages and by Hare Krishnas. Pastafarianism says that they were in fact "peace-loving explorers and spreaders of good will" who distributed candy to small children, and adds that modern pirates are in no way similar to "the fun-loving buccaneers from history." Pastafarians celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19.

The inclusion of pirates in Pastafarianism was part of Henderson's original letter to the Kansas School Board. It illustrated that correlation does not imply causation. Henderson put forth the argument that "global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of pirates since the 1800s." A chart accompanying the letter shows that as the number of pirates decreased, global temperatures increased.

----------------------

The reason all this caught my attention is because someone made a comment about my photo of me as a pirate. Alexander Delapenha said "ahh the traditional pastafarian garb. praise his noodely appendage" I had no idea what to make of it and frankly I just forgot all about it. That is, until I found a video about pirates on youtube and someone commented about a "noodely appendage" again. I was like, what in the world are these people talking about??? That's where Wikipedia came in and hence this blog!

Hope someone enjoyed this as much as I'm enjoying this!

Avast Me Harties!

2008-09-11T13:42:00.005-04:00

Ye best be gettin' ye arses 'n ship shape fer Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Yarrr!!! Th' day be th' 19th Tide O' Septembarrr!

Pirate Speak Translator

More than he bargained for...

2008-09-10T23:27:00.004-04:00

Rage Against the RNC

2008-09-10T14:57:00.000-04:00

I fucking love RATM. Glad they're back and on the right side.

Skies

2008-09-09T19:43:00.003-04:00

Todd Tells The Truth

2008-09-09T19:18:00.002-04:00

Todd is a writer.

Todd is a nomad.

Todd tells the truth.

So I wrote a message on my myspace page asking if anyone on there comes here to read my shit.

This is Todd's message to me:

"So look here you fuck. Don't patronize us. We were all there for your 365 day project. And long after you stopped we were still checking daily hoping that that would be the day you'd finally decide to update. But it wasn't. And eventually we reluctantly gave up, and took to periodically making derogatory comments.

Your blog was that chick who will suck you off in a hot tub and then not come around for a few weeks, then just as you're getting over her, she calls saying she's lonely and horny and wants you back. And you go back, and it's like a porno but sluttier, then the next day she's gone. And you never see that bitch again. And you fucking hate her."

<><><><><><><><>

Yes, I did give up on my 365 Project. While I had fun doing it, it failed miserably. I started the project to get me back into taking photos. This worked, I was taking a lot of photos. But half of the photos I was taking, I hated; they felt so forced. Some days I just took a quick snap to have something for that day. Like a photo of a banana or a lego. It quickly started to feel like a waste of time to me, so... sorry to those of you that were following along like Todd.

I won't take the site down but I also won't be adding to it. I'm happy that the project gave me motivation to start taking photos on a regular basis and I'm happy that I don't feel obligated to do it now.

Also, thank you Todd for saying my photos, to you, were like a slutty porno. To me, your writing is like an orgy in the dark, you never know what you're gonna get. Maybe that's a box of chocolates...? Whatever...

Todd's Leaving Song

2008-09-09T19:03:00.005-04:00

This is a song I scribbled down for Todd as he was stealing all my music before he moved to Canada.

I wasn't going to record it because I can't sing and can only play the guitar halfway decent. But... I figured what the hell.

Song performed by Rip Van Winkle

Things in September

2008-09-09T12:22:00.013-04:00

Entourage - new season started 9/7/08. Watch it on Sundays at 10pm - HBO

Burn After Reading - new film from the Coen brothers in theaters 9/12/08

Righteous Kill - new film starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in theaters 9/12/08

Lakeview Terrace - new film starring Samuel L. Jackson and Patrick Wilson in theaters 9/19/08

International Talk Like A Pirate Day - 9/19/08

Cold War Kids - new album "Loyalty To Loyalty" in stores 9/23/08

Kings of Leon - new album "Only By The Night" in stores 9/23/08

Jose Gonzalez - new album "In Our Nature" in stores 9/25/08

Blindness - new film starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo in theaters 9/26/08

Miracle at St. Anna - new film from Spike Lee in theaters 9/26/08

Choke - new film starring Sam Rockwell in select theaters 9/26/08

Eagle Eye - new film starring Shia Labeouf in theaters 9/26/08

Popular Deviation...

2008-09-08T18:09:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone! I posted a photo last night on deviantART and to my surprise today, it was listed in the Most popular deviations in Photography submitted in the last 24 hours.
This is another deviantART first for me. Most of my photos take time to gain views and exposure. This one must have caught people's attention. The photo is of my girlfriend's son on the chair swing at Myrtle Beach, converted to B&W.

Here's a screen shot of it listed among the other popular photos. Take note at the things highlighted red.

Today...

2008-09-06T23:37:00.003-04:00

Was totally badass! Michelle and I met up with my mother in Greensboro at the Four Seasons Town Centre Mall; the only 3 story mall in NC. First we ate at Dunderbak's, my favorite German restaurant. Then we headed off to buy some stuff. :D I bought a new bracelet and Michelle bought a new ring. I picked up a gift for my friend and got myself a Beetlejuice action figure, which is badass! My mom got a new purse and some stuff for Olivia. We went to Aldo, 9 West, Spencer, Hot Topic, Victoria Secret, and a bunch of other places.

Back home, we met up with Lilly and Dana, who were trying to decide what to do for the day. We were all sitting around trying to come up with Halloween costume ideas and thought it'd be great to head over to Spirit Halloween store. To our dismay, the store had just closed. The girls wanted to head over to 9 West outlet store, so we proceeded. I picked out a great purse and pair of shoes for my love and she was very happy.

We got hungry and decided to go to P. F. Chang's for dinner. We wandered around the mall aimlessly while we waited for an hour for a table. It was so worth the wait. While we wandered, we stopped by the Halloween store in the mall and I got a new old man mask. It's pretty badass, I'll have to post some pictures soon. I'm thinking of using it for Pirate Day wich we celebrate where I work, I know... pretty badass right?

I won't say just yet what I'm going as for Halloween but I've already decided and Michelle is going to accompany me with her costume. I will say this... It is going to be from a cult classic film.

Stay tuned for more shiznit.

Peace-

I'm Back! Pt. 2

2008-09-05T17:34:00.002-04:00

In addition to what I said earlier, here is some of my recent art. Enjoy!

I'm Back!

2008-09-05T11:55:00.007-04:00

Blogger, my estranged lover. Glad to see you again. It sure has been quite some time since I've posted anything at all. I had some downtime at work (a.k.a I was/am goofing off) and I was reading through my older posts. Some of the latter material was just kinda junkie, but the original posts are what captivated my attention. As I was reading it, I was able to go back to that moment and remember those exact moments so vivid. This was the whole reason I started this! So that I could recall moments that I might have otherwise forgotten about altogether or in part. So... I'm Back! I will try my best to keep this updated with as much as I can. If not for anyone else but myself. I don't want to forget a thing. So let's see... Some updates maybe? Well I have a new high paying job, I'm married, I have 3 children, I drive a Lamborghini... Uh well... maybe those are just dreams for now. So here are some real updates since we've last met. Todd moved back to America from France. He lived in Lilly's room on the floor for like 3 or 4 months. While he was here we made some new videos, he inspired me to make some new music, he and Lilly wrote some great stories, we drank some sangria, and pretty much had great time all summer. Todd is one of those guys that tell it how it is, whether you like it or not, lol. He's a true inspiration, a great friend, and a fantastic writer. He's just recently left the states again to move up to Canada. This time he'll be gone for 2 years or more since he's in school. Michelle and I are doing so great. Our relationship has just grown to be something more wonderful and amazing than I could even hope for. She's such a strong individual that inspires me every day. She's a great mother and some day she will be my wife and the mother to my children. Places... Let's see...
We've been out to the Raleigh Times a bit and drank our fare share of sangria. We've gone to visit my family for the 4th of July. Michelle and I took Dominic down with us and he and Olivia has a blast playing together. I treated everyone to a day at the museum in Charlotte and a couple of movies at the Imax Theatre. The next day we went down to my old high school football stadium to watch fireworks. We were very close to the show and had a blast!

Michelle and I have been to see The Avett Brothers at the Koka Booth Ampitheatre. That was a phenominal show that had me singing along the whole way. We picked up some cool merch while we were there and since then we've picked up two more tickets to see them in Greenville, SC on November 1st.

We had tickets to see Journey, Heart, & Cheap Trick in Raleigh but Michelle came down with mono and it was a rainy day anyway, so that didnt really happen. Actually she was already sick, but I thought she'd recover by then, and it was my way of trying to pick up her spirits while she was sick.

What else...?

I've been in a wreck that totally screwed up things for me. I won't go into detail about that one because I'd like to just forget about it. Actually, I will say one thing. Michelle took me out to P.F. Changs, the night of, to treat me out for having a rough day. She loves me and knows that is my favorite place to eat.

Oh! One of my photos was featured as a Daily Deviation on a website called deviantART. I've been a member of this online art community for over 2 years now and I finally got some really great recognition and exposure for one of my favorite photos. That was a pretty exciting day for me.

Hmm... Well there are some things in the works that I can talk about.

In October we're going to see Cold War Kids at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill.
In November we're taking a road trip up to NJ to see Kevin Smith in Red Bank. It's gonna rock!
Two weeks and a day later will be mine and Michelle's 1 year Anniversary. Two days later is my birthday. Three days later is Thanksgiving!

So I've got some pretty exciting things lined up.

That's all I can think of right now.

I'm about to eat my lunch now. When I started typing this, it was around 11:30 and now it's 3:00 and time for my lunch.

ADIOS~

Knock-Out video...

2008-06-06T18:28:00.001-04:00

Super Slow Motion Punch Fest

Return of the Cocksaber

2008-05-18T12:34:00.003-04:00

Star Wars spoof shot at the Sharper Image!

The Most Amazing Thing Ever...

2008-05-16T08:49:00.001-04:00

www.blublu.org

Yet Another Instant Classic...

2008-05-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

...as TJ puts it.

Completely Out Of My Mind
Completely Out Of My Mind

Fish Eye Fun...

2008-05-15T08:25:00.000-04:00

Funny Kids...

2008-05-14T08:24:00.002-04:00

Wide Angle...

2008-05-13T23:41:00.003-04:00

This is my photo for Day 90 in my 365 Project. I followed a tutorial on building your own wide angle lens. It's pretty hard to focus but very fun to play around with. Built the lens for about $14.

Here's the link for the DIY wide angle lens

I won...

2008-05-13T16:53:00.002-04:00

Yep! I won the contest. Just got an email from them and they said they love it and asked for my address to send me my copy of the CD. Ha! I'm happy now!

Sun Domingo...

2008-05-12T21:49:00.004-04:00

Poster I designed for Sun Domingo. If they end up using it, then they'll send me a signed copy of their new cd. Plus it will be posted all over Charlotte for their show. Stay tuned and I'll keep you updated.

Lilly Driving...

2008-05-08T14:14:00.004-04:00

TJ put Lilly's car in neutral from the back seat. She freaks out as I'm yelling GO!!! GO!!!! When she finally realized what happened, she's laughing so hard she can't see to drive. This is where the video picks up...

"Am I on video!?"

Customer Hunter...

2008-05-08T08:47:00.002-04:00

Customer Hunter

Video shot when I worked for The Sharper Image. I can post this now because everyone has been fired and the company is sinking faster than the Titanic. Enjoy...

Free Lens Hoods...

2008-05-07T10:47:00.003-04:00

http://www.lenshoods.co.uk/

Wow. This is a wonderful site!

This site contains PDF documents that can be printed and cut out to make lens hoods for a variety of 35mm and digital SLR camera lenses. Lens hoods give better quality photographs by reducing flare caused by nonimageforming light.

Printable lens hoods offer a number of advantages over their costly counterparts:

Ultra compact - can be carried unfolded.
No waiting to order one - simply download, print, cut-out and attach.
Redundancy - don't worry if you lose one; just print another!
100% recyclable.
Can be modified to cater for different digital SLR sensor crop factors.
Available in both 'rounded' and 'petal' versions.

And best of all...

They're absolutely free!

Why not just buy a real lens hood?

A brand new replacement lens hood for the Canon EF 600mm f/4 L USM IS costs a whopping £439.99. Alternatively, you can download it from this site for free! Granted, the genuine item is likely to be a bit sturdier, but that's still £439.99 you're saving!

Even modest lens hoods are pretty expensive. For example, a replacement lens hood for the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L will set you back £45.99. Even the most basic lens such as the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II will cost you £17.99 if you want to add a lens hood. While these hoods are arguably of top quality compared with those available from this site, they all serve the same purpose at the end of the day.

Before and After...

2008-05-04T13:53:00.003-04:00

BEFORE
AFTER

Check the tutorial below to see how I did this.

Tutorial...

2008-05-04T13:32:00.004-04:00

I've never done a tutorial before with photoshop, so I hope this all makes sense.

This will take any ordinary photo and make it "pop." The first thing you need to know, is that every thing is done with layers and masks. Each time you create a new adjustment layer, it also has a mask that goes with it. The mask works like this. You create an adjustment layer to make things darker. Suppose you only want the background darker but not the face. You would then go to your mask, which is located directly next to the adjustment, and paint out the face. Why would you paint it? Because the mask works in black and white. White being the adjustment you've made and black basically erasing it and putting it back to the way it was. So if the face looks fine, then you'd just paint black on the areas you wouldn't want to be affected with the adjustment. Having said that, I usually make adjustments to selected parts of the photo at a time, as to be more precise. This means that if I want to change only the way the eyes look, I'd make the adjustment while focusing on the eyes. But wait, isn't everything affected? Yes. But, you will then go up to Image>Adjustments>Invert. This will cause the mask to the adjustment you've just made to go from white to black. Black being absolute zero. This makes the photo look as it was before you adjusted it. Now, all you have to do is go and paint the areas white that you want to be affected by the adjustment layer. So I would go and paint the the mask white where the eyes are.

As far as what to do with these levels and curves adjustment layers, that is up to you. You will just have to play around with the curves, levels, etc. to see what works best for you. You can click on any of the tutorial images below to enlarge them and study them to see what I have done.

When you have made all your adjustments and you have the image the way you want it to look, you may want to sharpen it. It is very important to use this sparingly. You do not want to over sharpen your image or it will look nasty. See my examples below to check what my settings were for this photo. Those are generally the settings you'd want to use for sharpening. And as with anything else, you can use a mask with it as well. For example, if you had a picture of a flower that you wanted to look sharper, but not the background, you'd use a mask. You would just paint out the background so that only the flower is affected. Thus, putting more focus on the flower and not the distracting background.

Hope this tutorial has been helpful. Let me know if you have any questions about anything!

Foul Ball...

2008-05-03T12:54:00.003-04:00

I forgot to post this. Monday I took Michelle and Dominic to the Durham Bulls game that was hosted by the company I work for. At the game I caught my first ever foul ball. I had no choice really. The ball flew directly at the stands, ricocheted off the barrier, sped towards my face, bounced off my hand as I attempted to catch it, and landed directly in Michelle's lap. I also caught a free t-shirt that was shot from a t-shirt gun. Guess it was my lucky night!

The Power of Photoshop...

2008-05-03T12:23:00.003-04:00

The human eye sees things differently than a camera lens can see. Our eyes are constantly adjusting to light so that we can see everything in a high dynamic range. When you take a photo, you only see it as it was captured. This is where photoshop comes in.

Photoshop is a very powerful program to have. Knowing the things you can do with photoshop will make you take photographs differently. Take the pictures below for example.

I saw that the sky was a beautiful color. Now I can take a photo of the sky and see it nice and clear, but I have to turn the exposure down on my camera to be able to photograph it properly. The problem is that you then can't see the field. I could take a photo of the field and the players but the sky would be blown out.

So, I know in photoshop you can use layers. I know you can use masks. So I take the photo to capture the sky. You choose this option because you can always pull the color back out of a dark photo, but you can't save a photo that has been blown out. By blown out, I mean that it is too bright and the white levels have washed out the detail.

Before

I took the photo so that the sky would show and the players are dark

After
I used layers with masks and curves to pull out the color from the field and the sky. Leaving me with this beautiful photo! :)

Sharper Image is Gay...

2008-05-02T20:57:00.002-04:00

If you can't see the video, click here

Last year, The Sharper Image fired me for posting videos on YouTube. I wish I could fire them for posting this. Oh wait! They are bankrupt! hahahahaha! With products and videos like these, it's no wonder. Way to go idiots!

Wolfmother...

2008-05-02T00:31:00.004-04:00

Today Lilly, TJ, and I rode together for lunch today. This is what happens when you put three really bored people together...

Song by Wolfmother. Awesome action by me.

More Art...

2008-05-01T23:55:00.003-04:00

A method for dissociation. This is the title of the story that inspired this picture. Go read Todd's story and see if you think this image fits well with the story.

Death Waits...

2008-05-01T10:05:00.003-04:00

Death stares Life in the face
Challenging Life to fight back.
Life is younger and not as strong as Death.
This is nothing new.
Death has always challenged Life.
Try as they might, they could never be friends.
The fear of Death subsides.
Life goes on.

Death waits.
Allowing time for Life to grow older
To grow weak.

Death Awakens
Thirsty for blood
Searching for a kill.
Death Knocks down Life's door.
Returning to finish off Life.
Life runs and hides
Crouched in a corner
Praying for help

Death finds Life.
Death ends Life.

A new Life is born.
Death waits.

Both Ends of the Spectrum...

2008-05-01T09:19:00.004-04:00

The Unlucky Part: I was playing my brand spankin' new Grand Theft Auto 4 game. Running a muck all over the city. When all of the sudden, FREEZE! No, that wasn't a cop yelling freeze. That was my game freezing, locking up, ceasing to exist. Yeah... Anyway, I turned the damn thing off and went to bed. While I was at work I pulled up google and searched for "GTA IV" only to find that a lot of people have been getting this same error. Great... So I go home and turn on my game. What do you think happens? NOTHING. The game is screwed. Well... yay.

The Lucky Part: So I call Gamestop in the mall and tell them that I know there are problems because I read it all over the internet. I tell them that my game is screwed and expect to hear nothing good from this guy on the phone. To my delight, he tells me to come right in and pick up another copy. Ok... That was easy. So I drive over to the mall, not to happy to be there, but I'm about to get a new game so whatever. Do the 'ol switch'a'roo. Then back to the house I go. The new game works perfect. But wait... What is this? What is this I have found in my game box??? Holy Hell! It's a coupon card with 1 Month of free XBOX Live gameplay! Hot damn! But wait... Why didn't I get this in the first game? You know, the game I waited in line for until MIDNIGHT to get. Yeah, why didn't I get it in that one? So, I called up the guy at Gamestop again.

"Hello sir. Is the new game not working either?"

"Oh no, it's working just fine. I'm killing people right now."

"Great!"

"But, why didn't I get this free card to play online in my other game?"

"Ohhh... Actually, you got very lucky."

"Very Lucky?"

"Yeah, those were only supposed to go in the Special Edition games. But they made a packaging mistake and put it in 1 out of 10 regular edition games."

"Ahhh! I see. So I was very unlucky at first, and now I'm very lucky."

"Uhm, yeah I guess so"

"Well, well, well. Things seem to work themselves out, I suppose."

So anyway, I guess I visited both ends of the spectrum dealing with this game. I got online last night with my friend Scott, and we killed people left and right. Oh yeah! Apparently, Scott got lucky too. He got one of those cards as well. So, HAHAHAHA! to all of you people that paid extra for the special addition! I gots mines fo free!!!

Art...

2008-04-29T23:40:00.002-04:00

So, my friends Todd and Lilly are amazing writers. They have a blog with all of their stuff posted on it. Anyway, we are going to put together a book with all the stories in it. Well, I wanted to add some illustrations to this book and some photos etc. The two photos below go with two different stories by Todd. The first is of a boy from "Pretending to Fly" and the second is of a man and a nun from the story "Maybe She Could Be." Check out their blog here.

Alien in My Pocket...

2008-04-29T11:29:00.004-04:00

GTA IV is awesome. I'm at a loss for words at how crazy cool the game is.

On another note. What is up with the Canadians having a 25 cent piece that is the same size and weight as the American quarter? I'm so pissed. How their money ends up in my pocket is beyond me. I grabbed, what I thought to be, 55 cents this morning to get a drink at work, only to find out later that I did not have 55 cents. Instead I had 30 cents and a 25 cent piece from Canada. Thanks Canada. Now I'm thirsty and shaking my fist in your general direction!

GTA IV...

2008-04-28T13:10:00.002-04:00

Check out these exclusive new clips from GTA IV as seen on G4 TV

I'll be playing this first hand after midnight tonight!

Today...

2008-04-27T14:43:00.005-04:00

Today it is so nice outside. I was cooking up on the roof, putting up shingles. Michelle, Lilly, and I went to Bojangles for breakfast. Michelle and I are trying to make this a little Sunday tradition. Last night I found out that one of my favorite bands, The Avett Brothers, is playing in Cary N.C. in July. They put out a special pre-sale online for people on their myspace friends list. This morning, thanks to Michelle, I have two tickets to the show in July!!!

Tomorrow we are going to the Durham Bulls game. My company paid for tickets for everyone to go and it will be catered. Then, at midnight I will be picking up my copy of GTAIV at the mall! I'm so excited. I'll post more about all this tomorrow.

Myspace...

2008-04-24T08:09:00.003-04:00

VIEW MYSPACE
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Lot's of new updates! I've updated the entire layout on my myspace page. I felt like it needed a more personal touch. I went on a little photo shoot last night to get the above image. I basically stood in front of my truck, using the head lights and the flash off my camera for lighting. I think it all turned out really nice. Also! I'm in the works of setting up my website. So, stay tuned for that!

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GTVONE...

2008-04-22T22:03:00.005-04:00

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SIMON POLLOCK
PHOTOGRAPHY | MAIN | BLOG
==================================

This is my tribute to Simon Pollock. He is a wonderful photographer. Click the link above to view his gallery. Also, check out his blog, he's got some really good stuff in there. Simon recently let me work on a photo of his with a little touch up and to my surprise, not only did he credit me, but he posted links to my flickr gallery and to this blog. He is the one that took the great photo, I was just playing around with photoshop to enhance it. Anyway, he seems to be a great guy, so you should definitely go check out what he's got.

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This is the photo that I retouched by Simon Pollock
==================================

When

2008-04-07T23:06:00.003-04:00

I wonder now only when it will happen,
when the young mother will hear the
noise like somebody's pressure cooker
down the block, going off. She'll go out in the yard,
hold her small daughter in her arms,
and there, above the end of the street, in the
air above the line of the trees,
she will see it rising, lifting up
over our horizon, the upper rim of the
gold ball, large as a giant
planet starting to lift up over ours.
She will stand there in the yard holding her daughter,
looking at it rise and glow and blossom and rise,
and the child will open her arms to it,
it will look so beautiful.

-Poem by Sharon Olds

I was reading "The Gold Cell" by Sharon Olds when I came across this poem. It really put a strong visual image into my head. I searched google for some images and photoshop'd them together to make the above photo. This poem really does make you wonder when things will hit home. When I was a child, everytime a plane would fly low over my house I would hear the loud rumble and think, "Is this it?" "Is this the atomic bomb?" Silly as it sounds, with the wandering imagination as a child, it is still very eerie to think of. This fear left me as I got older and realized that these roaring sounds were just low-flying airplanes. However, now that there is a fear that our government is possibly going to drag us into a war with Iran, this fear that I've surpressed has slightly returned. There's no real point to my writing other than to express myself and put my thoughts out there. Anyone who reads this can respond with their feelings or experiences...

More from Washington...

2008-03-17T08:34:00.003-04:00

This was the actual animatronic from TMNT III

This is the First Starbucks ever. Yippy...

My Washington Trip...

2008-03-14T18:51:00.002-04:00

This a small collection of the hundreds of photos I took over the few days that I visited my friend Mike in Washington.

Frozen Lake Ontario

Lots of snow in Ohio

Nothing to do now but wait for 6 hours...

Bridge in Tacoma, WA

Giant Japanese ant hills in the forests

Long, long, long roads... very long.

Gateway to the cult of the Lizard Lady

The world famous, Pike's Market

The Puget Sound

The Cascade Mountains

Large frozen lakes in Minnesota

My Little Buddy...

2008-03-04T08:10:00.002-05:00

It was only Monday but he seemed eager to get to work

He started right away helping me organize my desk

He helped me staple papers and answer the phones

He says he was helping... I think he was just drawing though

All that drawing made him tired

He woke up and searched for his orange that he brought for lunch

He wanted to use my phone to call for help

He was ready to go when 5 O'clock rolled around

He questioned me about my other little buddy the whole way home

I denied everything...

My Family...

2008-02-18T08:19:00.002-05:00

My 365 Project...

2008-02-15T09:10:00.003-05:00

Ok, for those of you following along at home, yesterday was day 1 in the chronicals of my life. 1 Photo Per Day, 365 Days. Head on over to my other blog to check it out.

http://zachstamey365.blogspot.com

Subject: Building Odor is back

2008-02-13T13:31:00.008-05:00

This was the email I received, from the Facilities Manager in my office, at 8:35 AM

I would like you all to know that I am aware of the fact that
the building odor is back. I have reported it to the building
manager. Hopefully it will be resolved quickly. I will update
you when I have more information. I apologize and appreciate your
patience.
Thank you.

I wore my lucky horse shoe necklace today... so much for that.

This Weekend...

2008-02-11T14:13:00.001-05:00

Michelle and I went to Charlotte, NC. We went to see my friend John who was having a "Battle of the Bands" at his club, Charlotte's Underground. We had tons of fun and a lot of great bands came out.

The next day we went to see my mom and Chris in Lincolnton. It was a complete surprise for her when she saw me at the retaurant. She cried forever, 5min, and had the death lock on me, haha. After lunch, we went back to their house and hung out. We shot some of Chris' guns. Michelle fired a shot gun for the first time and cut a tree in half, lol. (she meant to hit it...)

Later that night we went back out to Charlotte and hung out. The next day we slept 'till 3ish and then made our way back to Raleigh. It was another weekend for the records!

Check out the photos below~

Charlotte, NC...

2008-02-11T13:16:00.000-05:00

Weather...

2008-02-07T14:53:00.001-05:00

This is how the weather has developed within the past few days...

Life Through My Eyes...

2008-02-05T08:28:00.001-05:00

Gallery of my photos.

Song "Yer Bounda Fara"

by Ali Farka Toure

Some of the Havoc from this Weekend...

2008-02-05T08:18:00.001-05:00

Todd. Street Art.

Follow the link.

Cartoon...

2008-01-31T09:14:00.000-05:00

Hilarious Audio: Scott

Crap-Tastic Animation: Me

Smokey Todd...

2008-01-31T08:08:00.000-05:00

Stencil I created from a photo I took of Todd at Raleigh Times

This Amazing Weekend...

2008-01-28T13:47:00.000-05:00

Friday night we all went out to celebrate Todd moving to France. I was going to Charlotte Saturday so this was the last time I was gonna get to see Todd for a while. The list of deviants included: Lilly, Dana, Scott, Mark, Andre, Todd, and myself. We started the night off at a favorite restaurant of mine and Todd’s, Five Star.
Five Star is this really cool restaurant/bar that serves some of the most amazing and pricey chinese food that you can find.

I got the crispy sesame beef... yum.

A little back story… Todd and I have the same birthday. Back on our birthday, there was a screw up and only one cake got made when there was supposed to be one for each of us. “Happy Birthday Zach” had already been written all over the cake, so cupcakes were made for Todd. “T” “O” “D” “D” was written on four different cupcakes. Todd was like, “What the fuck is this? I’m not good enough for a cake too?” Haha. Anyway, we got Todd a cake for his celebration that just says: “Fuck Cupcakes.” Hahahaha.

Todd was happy.

After getting stuffed at Five Star we all, minus Andre, headed over to The Raleigh Times and drank sangria. We just sat around and drank sangria and mingled. This was possibly the last time that this same group of people would ever all be around e ach other again. Scott works very hard and is rarely seen. Todd’s moving to France and then to Englad shortly after his return. Mark is like sasquatch, you hear tell of him and there have been sightings, but does he really exist?

Me playing with Mark’s lighter.

Some stupid lady wearing sunglasses at night… and no she's not blind.

Some of the fine artwork we saw on the walk back to the parking deck. Gangsta Elmo, with his Crystal and gold grill ready to pimp smack a hoe on the rough streets of Sesame.

Todd sends his greetings from below.

WATCH FOR PEDESTRIANS

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This is the first photo of the start of my Saturday.

Saturday Michelle and I went to Charlotte to go see my friend John. This is the opening weekend of his new club called “Charlotte’s Underground.” On our 3 hour road trip up there we stopped off at Concord Mills mall. It’s a really huge mall right outside of Charlotte. I just wanted to show Michelle because it was one of my favorite malls to visit when I used to live near Charlotte. I bought a t-shirt from Hot Topic with the Joker’s face on it from the new Batman movie, in memory of Heath Ledger. I thought it’d be nice to sport that around the queen city.

Later after passing through Charlotte, we headed to South Carolina to Johns house. We hung out there for a while and played rockband, which is incredibly fun, and then headed off to the club.
It was really cool to see my design on the front door of John’s new club.

Now, Friday night was the actual opening night of the club and they do not have their alcohol license yet, so the place was actually dead on Saturday. They had done all of their promotions for Friday night, so there was not a big turnout. However, this was more fun for me because we could all hang out and play pool and not have to worry about other people. Plus, they just put in 3 brand new pool tables.

After shooting pool and signing the “wall of signatures” we went to uptown Charlotte. Have a Nice Day Café is where we spent the rest of our night.

Below are some before and after pictures of us taking shots of Irish whiskey.

On a scale from 1-10, 10 being tanked, how drunk am I at this point...? haha.

Too much rock for one hand!

I had an amazing time in Charlotte and can't wait to go back on the 8th.

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Sunday we crawled out of bed and got some Bojangles to fix us right up. Around noon we went to see my friend Chad preach at his church. After church Michelle and I made our way back to Raleigh. Along the way, we stopped to eat at Stool Pigeons in Charlotte.

Stool Pigeons is one of our favorite places to go. We are going to try to visit every Stool Pigeons location that they have, two down so far.

After lunch, we got back on the road to head home. We saw John Edwards as he was coming back from the South Carolina primary.

When we got back in town we were pretty hungry from all the traveling, so we stopped in to Duffy's and got some buffalo chicken. I had an amazing time this weekend and got to spend it with all of my favorite people.

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To Todd: "I'll miss ya man. I hope your travels are adventurous and you learn many great things. Take many photographs along the way and document it all. Stay creative. I hope to see you again soon."

Unseen Art...

2008-01-24T20:03:00.001-05:00

Abe's Painted Face

Random $5 bill that was in my coat pocket

Art is all around us. Sometimes you just have to be looking at something the right way or be in the right situation to be able to see it or appreciate it. I took notice at things of vibrant colors today as I sat at work in a drab colorless office.

Singled out

How did this one manage to slip in among the rest?

Sometimes you can find the most wonderful things if you just slow down to appreciate it for what it is. Today's art is brought to you by the letter "B."

Pour House...

2008-01-24T08:45:00.000-05:00

Last night Michelle and I went to the Pour House in downtown Raleigh to see some really amazing bands. Wednesday is mug night, so we got our mugs filled up and sat back and enjoyed the show. The Influence, Sun Domingo, and Honor by August all performed very well. Even though we went to see Honor by August, Sun Domingo was the headliner. They really know how to have fun on stage, like when the guitarist played the drums along side the drummer in a big drum solo during one of the songs. We had actually seen them when we went out to the Lincoln Theatre for 80s night; they were the opening act. Anyway, it was a blast and it was made all the better to be acompanied by the one I love.

Two Month Anniversary...

2008-01-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

Last night, Michelle and I went to Crowley's to celebrate our two month anniversary. We were sitting at Crowley’s on November 22nd, Thanksgiving night, when I first told Michelle that I loved her. I was very relieved when she told me she felt the same way and so our relationship began! It was very exciting and I have been happy ever since that moment. So, I figured what better way to celebrate our two month anniversary then to return to the place where I first proclaimed my love, haha. Anyway, we had a really nice time and tonight we will be going to see “Honor by August”, a band that we both discovered together and love, at The Pour House in downtown Raleigh. I’m really excited and cannot wait to see Michelle and go out! I'll post back tomorrow-

*Also a side note, Heath Ledger passed away yesterday. He was a great actor. He will be missed. Make sure you go check out the new Batman movie: The Dark Night, this summer in his memory. Click the image below to watch the trailer.

Click here to watch a memoriam on Current TV

This Weekend...

2008-01-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

Friday me, Michelle, Todd, and Lilly went to see Cloverfield. The movie was absolutely amazing. It was not an entirely new idea, but a completely original take on it. I don’t like to spoil anything with movies so I’ll just say that the movie is great from start to finish. After the movie we were all really excited and absolutely freezing as we walked over to Lynnwood Grill across from the Raleigh Grande. We had never been here before and there was some live music and a buzzing atmosphere, so it seemed promising. We walked in and quickly found no seats available so we moved to the outside where they had heat lamps, which felt really good. Now, this would have been a new favorite place of mine to go had the following not happened. Todd and I walked in to the bar to order some drinks. The bar tender asked to see both of our IDs and then took Todd’s order; Todd was ordering for Lilly and himself. She came back, delivered the beers, and then took off. I was like, “damn she just skipped right past me,” as me and Todd laughed about it, but it was soon no laughing matter. I waived her down as she looked at me in confusion. I told her that those were his beers and I still need to order. She looked kinda rattled but asked what I wanted. I placed my simple order for two beers and placed the twenty in her hand. She responded “Ok, I’m gonna need to see two IDs.” I said, “Oh no, haha, these are both for me.” She said, “If you are ordering two beers then I need to see two IDs" and handed me back my money. Whoa… Hold up. Is she really denying me to have two beers at once? Ok, play it cool. “Ok, tell ya what, hang on to this twenty and I’ll go get you the ID of the person that is with me.” She agreed. I went out and explained my situation to Michelle and she lended her ID, no problem, right? Wrong… “OK here you go, two IDs” She replied, “No. I can’t accept this. This could be anyone’s ID.” I said, “Anyone’s ID? Do you think just anyone would give me their ID to buy a second beer?” She responded, “I’m not going to give you the beer. You are going to have bring the person up here or I’ll send someone outside.” This would have been ok if she had been nice to me thus far and if I did not have to wait in this incredibly long ass line every time I came back in. Angry, I snatched my twenty out of her hand and told her to just send someone outside. Here’s the best part. She comes storming outside after me, THE CUSTOMER, and proceeds to tell me not to snatch money out of her hand and blah blah blah. She’s being irate at this point, in which case I had the right to be, not her. I did NOT want to talk to her any further so I responded, “OK. Just get someone else and send them out here!” and she shot me this “Go to Hell” look and responded, “Yes Sir! Mr. Bossman. Right away!” I have never been so pissed. I wanted to just leave, but she was not going to stop me from having a good time with Michelle and my friends. Since she obviously never sent anyone out to provide me with beer, me and Michelle just went inside to order some beers. I went to a guy this time but I was too late as I could over hear her telling him how she felt about me. Either way, I placed my order for 4 beers this time, fearing that I would not get another shot, plus the bar had become very packed by this time. The guy asked for both of our IDs and then had to escort us back outside with the 4 beers because obviously two people can’t drink 4 beers. When he saw that both Todd and Lilly had beer already, then he let us have the 4 beers all to ourselves. I gave him the twenty and they sent someone else out to give me my change. NEEDLESS to say, I will never return to a place that is so hard to get a damn beer. MAN! Haha. I didn’t even want to talk about it anymore, but felt like I had to at least blog it, lol.

Saturday was a very wet and cold rainy day. Michelle and I slept in a little and then went to Duffy’s for lunch later that day. After lunch we went back to play Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4, both of which are bad ass. We just took it easy and played games all day. Later that day it started to snow! We were excited and decided to go to Gandolfo’s Deli for lunch. However, Gandolfo’s was closed so we went to CiCi’s Pizza. I love that place! : ) We stuffed our faces with all the wonderful treats that CiCi’s had to offer, haha. After that it was starting to really come down outside, so we headed back home. On the way home we stopped to take some pictures.

Sunday, Michelle and I went to this fancy Chinese restaurant called P.F. Chang’s. The food was sooo good there, and it was Michelle’s first time. We ordered Chang’s Spicy Chicken, because I know she loves anything spicy. She ordered a Royal Poolside, or something like that haha, and I ordered a Nutty Uncle. I can’t remember what was in either drink, but they were both very yummy! Later on, we went to Sam Ash to pick up some strings for Michelle’s electric guitar and we played with some of the guitars as well. Guitar stores are so much fun to go into and play around in. Later on that evening after church, we went back to her place and I strung up her guitar for her. Once it was all done and tuned, it was time for me to head out. This weekend was another great one!

This coming week and weekend will also be amazing. Wednesday, Michelle and I are going to see a band called Honor by August, playing at the Pour House, for our 2 month anniversary, which is actually Tuesday. Saturday, we are going to Charlotte to see my friend John. He just opened up a new club called Charlotte’s Underground. I can’t wait to hit the road this weekend and see friends and family with Michelle by my side.

Stay tuned for the week ahead!

1/18/08...

2008-01-18T11:10:00.000-05:00

The day has finally come to see Cloverfield. A movie surrounded in mystery that has had me in anticipation since I laid eyes on the trailer last year. The movie is so bad ass that the trailer didn't even give a name for it, only a date... 1/18/08. This date has been burned into my memory since that time. I really hope this movie doesn't let me down. Todd and I just sat mesmerized as the date 1/18/08 appeared on the screen, leaving us helpless and with nowhere to look to for support. What was this trailer we just saw? How can we find out more about it? Luckily, there is much more information about it now and a slightly longer trailer for it. So I'm going to see it tonight, and I'll post back about it on Monday with my weekend recap.

Sitting At Work...

2008-01-17T15:42:00.001-05:00

I want to Escape.

My Day Off...

2008-01-17T08:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took a day off of work to relax. I woke up early to ensure that I got a full day of excitement in.

I was very eager to get going.

I had some things to take care of in the morning but then quickly headed off to go see Michelle at work. :)

Me and Michelle ate at this place called the Gallery in Zebulon and it was very tasty. It was really great to be able to see her right in the middle of the week and especially to go have lunch with her. After lunch I found some cheap gas and made way back home.

On the way home I saw this really awesome place. I have no idea what it is or what they do, but it's pretty bad ass. "Hi, I work at Dairy Queen where do you work?", "Devil-Dog." Yeah... bad ass.

After my quick stop for a photo op, I drove straight to Best Buy and bought Guitar Hero III! I'm stoked. I've wanted the game forever and finally have it within my grasp! Mwuahahahahahahaha!

Anyway...

Later that evening, after Rocking all day, Michelle and I went to Raleighwood to see "American Gangster" and eat hot wings! Yum! :) That movie was awesome and it was my first time going to Raleighwood, I'm really glad that I could go with Michelle.

The moral of the story is... It's nice to have a day off in the middle of the week.

My Love...

2008-01-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

I am free falling...

Floating in time.
Ever so carelessly
Caressing the idea
Of never returning.
I could live here,
In this moment,
For all eternity.
All I have longed for
Has been bestowed upon me.
My hopes…
My dreams…

My Love...

This Weekend...

2008-01-14T08:37:00.000-05:00

Friday night Michelle and I had set out to go see a Pink Floyd cover band for her birthday, at the Lincoln Theatre, however the ticket prices were just rediculous. Instead, we decided to go to this bar in downtown Raleigh called Stool Pigeons. It's a new favorite place of ours. We had a lot of fun and even drank some frozen sangria. When we were leaving we saw a fire truck and an ambulance and people buzzing about the streets; more than usual. Paramedics were flocking around this body in the streets as we walked by with curious eyes. Apparently this idiot stumbled his drunk ass out of a bar and right into the middle of the street, where he was promptly hit by a car.I saw this sign near by and found it amusing in light of what had just happened. :)

Saturday we woke up around 6:30AM and went to Shelly Lake to go jogging. Anyone that knows me would be shaking their head in disbelief at me right about now. I haven't been jogging since high school, and even then it was only because I was being forced, lol. Anyway, I've decided to start being more healthy, so I went with Michelle on her weekend jog. We first started jogging and I thought to myself "Hey, this isn't so bad. I could go for miles." A very short while later, I thought to myself "This sucks! I'm dying! Help Me!!!" lol. Needless to say, I didn't jog the whole way like Michelle did, but I did walk fast and sprint from time to time, and kept moving the entire 4 miles. So, I'm somewhat proud of myself and she was proud of me for not giving up, lol. We went home and made it a movie day after eating delicious french toast that Michelle made.

Sunday was just a day of rest and relaxation for me. I could feel everyone of my muscles begging me to just stay in bed. Me and Michelle just hung out all day again and I taught her a few things on the guitar. Later we went to church and then to her parents house for a ham dinner. After dinner we just hung out and played with her son and her niece. It was a nice relaxing weekend and now back to work...

I'll keep you posted...

I am new to blogging but not to the idea.

2008-01-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

I plan to document my days and travels through photos and short paragraphs. This is the start of something that will help me grow and learn with my photography as well as help me recall my favorite memories. In addition to this I also plan to start a "365 Days in the Life," where I will capture a single moment of my life every day for one year. I plan to start on Feb. 14th 2008 and look forward to the outcome!

-Zach Stamey