It All Comes Together

I know it has been a long time but things have been a little crazy around here the last few weeks and spare time has become a commodity that is in demand.  Needless to say there has been a lot going on. Over the course of the last month each of the areas mentioned in the title of my blog has been greatly impacted and has started creating a change in me that can be felt and will soon be seen.  So, we are going to dive right in.

Photography

I start with photography because there have been great strides in this area.  The Shutter Release Project was an amazing event to be a part of.  I didn't win the grand prize but at the same time I didn't expect to.  The reason I decided to participate in the event was to meet other photographers, see there work and see how my work is compared to theirs.  What I learned is that I am a good photographer.  Through nothing but trial and error I have learned many key photographic concepts such as lighting and shot composition.  The judges were very impressed with my work considering the short amount of time I have been involved in the craft and I received some great compliments on a few of my shots.  I was also able to meet a few very good photographers and implement parts of their style into my work.  The organizers of the event are planning on having a Shutter Release about 3 times a year and I have offered to help plan and organize future events.  This will allow me to get to know even more photographers while learning the nuances of event planning.  I still have much to learn in the world of photography but this was an awesome stepping stone and something I am eternally grateful to have been a part of.

Fitness

This was an area of my life that was starting to drag a little bit.  My trainer, Crazy Eyed Ellen, moved back to Washington state over a month ago and I wasn't able to start with a new trainer until 2 days ago.  However, the longest period of time I went without a gym visit was only about a week and a half.  During this time I have also started adding cardio to my routine and I am already seeing great results.  Over the course of the last week I have been killing it at the gym.  I have incredible motivation right now.  I also started with my new trainer a couple of days ago and he was brutal.  My legs have not been sore like this for a long time.  I am really going to like working with him.  All in all I have my eyes on my weight loss goal and I am going to achieve it.

God

God has been doing a great work in me over the course of the last few weeks.  I was going through a serious spiritual dry spell around the time of the Shutter Release.  There were a couple of weeks where I didn't want to go to church and when I was at church I was completely shut off.  On a daily basis I was being filled with anger for not reason in particular.  Last week everything clicked right back into place.  There was a guest speaker at our church that has been there several times before that I really like.  The whole sermon it was like he was speaking directly to me.  I bought his book and after a few chapters I really started to feel my outlook on my life change.  Our worship was incredible last week as well.  We sang an amazing song list that got everyone in the church pumped up for the Lord.  Great experience.

Rando

So, given everything that has happened, what does this all mean for Rando?  Over the course of the last month I have really grown to hate my job.  It isn't that I am not grateful for having one but I just don't feel right with what I am doing.  I was not built to sit at a desk all day and talk to people on the phone.  Although I am good at it my job is far from my passion.  On top of that I sit next to a bunch of people in their 20's without college degrees that make the same amount of money as me.  Needless to say I am looking for a new job.  I am hoping to get a job at Arizona State University's West campus since I went to school there and it is so close to my home.  I have applied for 3 jobs there so hopefully something will work out. If that doesn't work I will continue my search.  This next job is only going to be temporary though.  I am calling it my bridge job.  It's purpose is to bridge the gap between my first 8 years of full time employment that has left me unsatisfied and at times totally depressed to my true passion of photography.  As of this week I am starting my plan of being a professional photographer.  There are way too many signs that this is the direction my life is supposed to go.  First of all, I didn't even have to buy my camera.  It was given to my as a Christmas gift from my mom.  Second, I didn't have to purchase any lenses for it.  My dad gave me 7 old lenses he used when he was a photographer that fit my camera and take amazing pictures.  Third, I love the photo editing process.  You can do some amazing things when you edit and I love paying attention to those details.  Fourth, I seem to have good natural ability when it comes to photography.  I have a well trained eye and am very patient when I look at my raw photos to see if there is something special in the image.  Lastly, photography is my true passion.  I think about taking pictures constantly.  When I am driving around the city I see things that I will drive back to later with my camera to photograph it.  I have a dream of capturing the essence of everything I photograph and will someday capture an image that will be seen by people around the world that will change the way they view themselves and their surroundings.  I am ready for the world to see my vision and know what I am about.  My vision of simplicity. That is exactly what I am going to name my business, Vision of Simplicity Photography.  When you do what you love, what you love will reward you.  My next step is to learn the art of portrait photography so I can start off with that.  I already have some family members that are going to allow me to practice with them.  I have also started doing some reading on the subject and learning the nuances.  This is going to be an incredible adventure and I know I will be successful. 

I shot this random picture of my cat Umberto one morning and it turned out to be a great picture.  It looks as if he is peering into your soul.

The Decision Has Been Made and Immediately Affirmed

This was an amazing week for me.  The best part is most of it wasn't even that good for me.  Everything started off great.  After work on Monday I had my training session and was very happy to hear from my trainer that she thought I would make a good trainer because I have the ability to push myself.  This is a path I have thought about taking over the last few months but have been a little self conscious about.  I was able to attend a Phoenix Coyotes playoff hockey game in which they won and closed out a series on Monday night.  That was one of the most memorable live sporting events I have ever been to.  There was a major drawback to being able to attend the game though.  I wake up at 4am during the week so I can be at work at 5:30am.  The game wasn't over until around 10pm and then there was the matter of getting out of the crowded parking lot, dropping some friends off and getting dropped off as home myself.  Needless to say I did not get much sleep that night and it affected me the rest of the week.  By the time Wednesday rolled around I was extremely tired.  Wednesday morning was when it happened.  I was on my third angry screaming customer call of the day when it finally hit me.  I am going to have to go into a little background for this next part so bear with me.  A few months ago one of my wife Jessica's cousins posted a link on her Facebook about a local photography competition open to all photographers in the Phoenix area.  Jessica was really pushing me to enter but I was very hesitant since I have only been taking pictures since Christmas.  Over the last couple of months I had been going back and forth in my head about doing it but never really reached a clear decision.  Jessica even stopped asking me about it because she wanted me to make the decision for myself.  Finally, on Wednesday while I was getting yelled at by a cranky lady in New Hampshire about a lapsed life insurance policy the decision was made.  See, I work in customer service, a call center to be exact.  I hate call centers and I hate customer service but for some reason I am good at it and my bills need to be paid so you do what you've gotta do.  In the middle of this ladies pointless rant I realized that this is not what I want to do with my life.  In fact, it is pretty far from what I want to do.  That was when I made the decision to participate in The Shutter Release Project.  When I got home that afternoon I filled out the enrollment form and submitted it with a sample photo.  A couple of hours later one of the organizers called me to welcome me aboard and also gave me the good news that there was a sponsor available that will donate $100 toward my entry so I will only have to sell 10 tickets instead of 20.  He also let me know that the following day they were going to meet and do a walk through at the venue.  I immediately knew I made the right decision.  Unfortunately for me I came down with the stomach flu the next day and was absolutely miserable at work.  I toughed it out though and was able to go to see the venue and meet some of the other photographers.  I am so excited to be participating in this event and can't wait to see everyone's work. 

This is going to be a great opportunity to meet and mingle with people in the photography business in the Phoenix area and compare my work to other artists.  It would be a dream come true to somehow get into the photography industry and out of a call center.  The greatest thing is I will have a small platform to display my vision and how I see the world even if it is only for a few hours on one Saturday night.

This photo is my favorite I have taken so far.  The wind chime was purchased by Jessica and I on our honeymoon 7 years ago.  It has weathered several storms just like we have and continues to creates beauty even when conditions are not perfect.

40 Days In The Word and Running for my Goal

My wife and I have begun a bible study program through our church called 40 Days In The Word. The goal is to teach participants how to study The Bible more effectively and with more purpose. We are a few days in but already I am amazed how much more I am getting out of books that I have read several times before. It is true that The Bible is a living text and will mean different things to you at different times in your life. I am really looking forward to the next 35 days or so as I continue learning and applying the techniques taught in the program.

In exercise related news I have started to incorporate walking/running into my routine. There is a park about a quarter mile from my house that I walk to in the evening and then alternate running and walking around the park before finally walking back home. I was amazed how much better of a runner I am since I am in better shape. With all of the strength training I have done over the last 10 months my legs are much stronger than they were the last time I ran. The amazing thing is that I have much better awareness of my muscles now. When I run I can feel each individual muscle in my legs while they are working. It is pretty awesome. Although I have started slowly I plan on increasing my run distance over time to eventually run a 5k or longer. My current goal is to participate in Pat's Run next year. It is a 4.2 mile run in honor of Pat Tillman, a former ASU and Arizona Cardinals football player who joined the Army and was killed in combat. this years run was last weekend so I have a year to train for it.

I also found out this week that my trainer will be leaving at the end of May. I knew she would be leaving soon but I find myself a little sad since she has really fine tuned my workouts over the last few weeks and is starting to kick my butt hardcore. Hopefully my next trainer will be able to tune on and work me to the max. All in all I actually work myself very hard when I go in on my own so I shouldn't be phased by the change.

I haven't had much of an opportunity to take pictures over the last few weeks, things have been very busy. I am planning on going out this weekend to get some captures and if I get anything good I will make sure to shore.

Filled With Emotion

This week we suffered our third miscarriage. This also happened to be the second in 9 months. It has been very hard on us. Our desire to start a family is very strong and we feel that we would make good parents. The whole situation has taught me to really appreciate the blessings on my life. Although things can be tough at times I am still blessed to have what I have. The beautiful thing about tragedy is that it can cause the best to come out of you. I fully intend to channel this frustration, anger and sadness into my fitness goals. If I can't push the emotions down I might as well put them to work on something constructive.

Today I hit some golf balls with my dad. What a difference packing on some muscle and losing some weight can do. I am going to be a beast on the golf course as I get in better shape.

Since I am posting this from my iPhone I will leave with a picture I took while driving home one day.

Change Is In The Air

After months of great strength training I have decided it is time for some serious cardio.  In order to spend more time outside (at least while the weather is nice) I will start a routine of walking, running and biking.  I have been weary of starting a running program as it is commonly known that running can cause knee problems.  However, there are plenty of people out there that run all the time and don't have problems.  The key is not to push yourself too far just like with anything in life.  I will also be purchasing a new bike seat to make my rides more comfortable.  I have not been riding as much as I should because my butt gets sore due to the crappy seat on my bike.  Walking it pretty standard as it is one of the best cardiovascular and safest exercised you can do.  The cardio will help me to slim down even more and work on my next goal.  After some consideration I have decided to really tone my muscles and make them show.  My first trainer told me that I am built perfectly for body building.  After actually building some muscle mass and losing some fat I can see what she saw.  My frame is ideal of really packing on some muscle.  Now, my goal is not to go overboard and become a giant mass of muscles and veins.  I am looking for a built but cut look.  I want excellent muscle definition that everyone can see and enjoy.  Of course I will have to get a tan as well but that will come in time.

With spring finally here another one of my favorite hobbies is taking up some of my time, yard work!  I know this may seem crazy but I absolutely love having a great looking yard.  When I was growing up my dad kept the most pristine lawn on our street.  He always told me that he was winning the competition for best lawn even though none of the other neighbors knew there was a competition.  Well, the year I am going to win the competition.  I started watering once it warmed up and it is greening up nicely.  I am taking this summer to make sure the lawn is well established and I will be planting vines along the side of the house in the fall.  I also have a flower bed that has roses written all over it.

Someday I will be all buff like Brandon Magee (#8)

This guy just happened to bloom on a rainy day

I can't hold it in anymore!

After some serious thought I have come to the conclusion that I can't hold the crazy in anymore.  The world seriously annoys the crap out of me and I am having a hard time handling it.  Thank God for the first three things in the title of this blog because they all hold the last thing together.  If I didn't have those three things I would just be filled with anger all the time.  The beautiful thing is that blogs exist as an outlet to let it all out.  So, not only will I be sharing my faith, fitness goals and pictures, but I will also be sharing a little bit of my worldview.  Now, it might get a scary at times and there is a very good chance you will not agree with the way I see things.  It's all good though, I scare myself sometimes.

The first issue I want to bring to everyone's attention is the role corporate BS plays in our lives.  Regardless of where you work or live you are up to your eyeballs in corporate BS.  Here is a prime example:  Have you ever gone through a drive through and been asked to pull ahead so they can bring your food to your car even though there is no one behind you?  Well, some big shot at the corporate office read a bunch of customer surveys that brought wait times in the drive through to his attention.  Rather than giving some in depth thought to the causes of this problem such as staffing or workflow processes that allow food to be made more efficiently and faster he decides to give each restaurant in the chain a time limit they absolutely must meet for each drive through visitor.  If you happen to be a manager of one of these restaurants you better meet this goal or you will be looking for a new job.  The manager in turn looks at the problem the same way as the corporate bigshot, why improve processes or increase staffing when you can come up with a way around the new time limit?  The end result is that the customer waits the same amount of time if not longer for their food with the added inconvenience of having to park somewhere else to wait for it.  The worst part of this whole scenario you ask?  Mr. corporate bigshot is hailed for his idea and eventually given a raise.  Mr. restaurant manager is hailed for his ability to meet the objective set in front of him and is promoted.  Mr. customer gets worse service while paying more money all because a bunch of idiots are in management positions without the ability to solve a simple problem.  The sad reality is that nearly all companies are run in this fashion.  Knee jerk reaction after knee jerk reaction that leads to customer frustration.  This is why I hate corporations.  We will end up going a little deeper into this topic in the future.

Luckily I have an escape from the world of corporate BS, I have muscles that need to pay for their crimes.  Working out has been going amazing.  I have dropped a pants size in the last couple of months and all of my shirts fit me better.  I am also becoming much stronger and my ego is being affected in a positive way.  I can sense the awesome of old coming back and it is good.  Crazy eyed Ellen has been working me like a champ.  Once she got to know me and see what I can do she started piling on the weight and kicking my butt like no business.  The whole time I am in the gym I smile like crazy because I know I am finally achieving the goal I have had for so long.  On top of working out, I have been watching what I eat.  Soda and I are no longer friends and only meet on rate occasions.  I have also been much better at bringing my lunch to work.  As the pounds melt away I can't help be feel incredibly good about myself.  There is a small part of me that wants to get out there and help people like me find that motivation to finally stop killing themselves.  It feels so good to care about myself for a change instead of feeling sorry for myself.

I haven't been able to take many pictures lately but I have been playing around with photoshop and am very pleased with the results.  I haven't been doing anything crazy, mostly just slight color changes and touch ups but I have really enjoyed getting into the post production part of photography.  I will leave with some pictures that I really like and hope you like too.

This is one of that walkways through the gardens at the Arizona Center.  I took this picture on my birthday and touched it up in Photoshop.  I really like the color in this photo.

This picture is of the fountain that is in front of the church I attend.  I was just out taking random pictures after service and really liked this shot afterward.

Back To Working Out!

This week I had the pleasure of meeting my new personal trainer.  It has been a little over a month since my last session with my previous trainer and I have been a quite lazy.  That all ended this week.  My first session with Ellen was Thursday night and I am sore as crap today.  However, that didn't stop me from waking up early and hitting the gym this beautiful Saturday morning.  Back to Thursday though, the new trainer has a different philosophy than my old one did.  We used to use lighter weights with longer sets run in circuits.  There was very little rest in between exercises.  The new system is heavier weights with more rest.  After my first session I wasn't sure if I was going to be a believer.  I didn't feel as tired afterward than I was used to.  It wasn't until I got in my car to drive home that I realized what had happened.  It literally hurt to turn the steering wheel of my car.  For the last two days my arms and chest have been ridiculously sore and I love it.  So, this morning I decided to blast my legs.  What a workout!  I don't believe in working out for hours.  I go in with a plan of what I am going to do and I work the plan.  I was in and out in 35 minutes this morning and I can barely walk.  I take so little time because I do not throw any cardio in on days when I am weight training.  I like to do my cardio on my off days.  It feels great to be back in the gym habit!  When I walked out this morning I was grinning from ear to ear.  I have also done very well eating better the last couple of weeks.  I have managed to bring my lunch to work everyday for 2 weeks.  Jessica and I have also been goo about not going out to eat and cooking at home.  This excites me because it was the first change I wanted to make this year and so far it is all going according to plan.  My goal of losing 60 pounds this year is within reach and it will feel amazing when I achieve it!

Church has been going great as well.  The first few months of the year I have taken a leave from the ministries I volunteer in and so far the break has been amazingly refreshing.  I really needed to step back and work out some things that have been going on in my life and nagging at me.  We have had some amazing messages at our church so far this year.  Jessica and I even made a pledge to start giving offerings above our normal tithe.  We have already been so blessed that last 3 years although everything was not going perfect in our lives.  I trust in God though, he will provide for all of our needs as long as we put our trust in Him.  The tithe is the best way to show that trust to Him.  In the world it is very difficult for people to part with their money.  From an early age we are taught to get as much as we can and hold onto it.  However, The Bible clearly states that money as well as all of our possessions do not belong to us.  With this in mind it is easy to freely give what we have to help others.  God only asks for 10% and if we are faithful in giving he will be faithful in providing more than we need.

My photography has been going very well.  I purchased a tripod as well as Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 so I can touch up my pictures.  I am still in the process of learning Photoshop and quite honestly could manage my time better to practice.  My dad let me borrow one of his vintage Nikon lenses to play with and it has been fun.  The lens is a Micro-Nikkor 1:3.5f 55mm and it is amazing for close up pictures.  Using the old lens has really made me learn to use the manual setting on the camera.  The images I get with it are sharp as a tack.  I have also been playing with long exposures in low light using my tripod.  I love night photography so this has been a lot of fun.

Since it has been a couple of weeks I will post 2 pictures for your viewing pleasure.