Shoes for the aisle

As you might suspect this is a wedding photo. I've been wanting to post this one for a while. It comes from Pam and Andrew's wedding back in December. Before the wedding I explored several wedding photographers' websites to see what kind of photos professionals were taking and what seemed to be the "most have" photos. Well, photos of the bride's shoes were one of those must haves. So while Pam was getting ready I stole her shoes and put them on the window sill for a little bit of natural lighting. It didn't turn out too bad.

Looking for zen

Today there will be zen. Even if it takes a couple extra gigs of RAM. I will be zen with Revit. If you don't know what I'm talking about read my post "Not responding" to be brought up to speed. Maybe I need a little rock garden at work, so I can rake my computer blues away with sand and tiny pebbles. Here's to another day.

Not responding

What a day, what a day. I came to work this morning and I really felt like I was making some head-way on what I needed to be doing. I was feeling some "project zen" as I told my friends at work. I probably shouldn't have said anything or at least knocked on wood when I did because this afternoon my computer began to act up, as it tends to do about 4:30PM. Well, Revit (for those of you who don't know this, Revit is the building information modeling program we use at work), Revit decided it wasn't in the mood to work anymore and checked out for happy hour. I got the dreaded "Not Responding". Oh really, Revit? I despise that phase.

What if we humans used that phrase? Someone asks you a question and you say, "not responding." Ya, that would go over real well. So, why do our computer programs say this to us? Why not, "We're having a little trouble right now" or "can I get back to you on this later?" or hell even, "Now's not a good time." We all have our moments, I get it. But, the "Not responding" that just pisses me off.

Well, as you would guess, Revit never decided to come answer the door for me. So, I had to shut it down. And with it went a couple hours of my "very-zen" work (that's right, I didn't save for a while, trust me I'm aggrevated about that too.) But, okay, no big deal, I did it once, I can do it again, and the second time around it will be much faster, but sheesh! Needless to say my afternoon was a complete 180 from this morning.

So, what did I do to put my troubles behind me?

I made breakfast tacos.

It ain't easy being green

This weekend, for many, was all about St. Patty's day celebrations. While they were wearing green and drinking green beer I was studying green principles for my Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) exam. Oh how I was so bummed driving down McKinney Avenue on Saturday when I went to grab lunch. Everyone had been to the parade on Greenville and was now making their way to the pubs, and I was only a few hours into a long day and night of studying.

But, my redemption came Sunday morning when I passed the test and can now call myself a LEED accredited professional. I think I'll have a green beer on Tuesday (St. Patrick's Day proper) in celebration, now that I've earned it.

So, why the photo of bamboo? Well, bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource. Rapidly renewable resources are defined by the U.S. Green Building Council as those with a lifecycle of 10 years or less. Bamboo is used to create flooring and other building materials. In short, it's green.

Pre-flight with the birds

Last week before my flight back from Baltimore, I jetted off (no pun intended) to Washington to kill some pre-flight time. Washington is about 45 minutes from Baltimore with traffic. It was an overcast day which is great for photography. I knew it would be very hard to park in DC, so I had a pocket full of quaters ready to go. I found a parallel metered spot on the National Mall, 7th street I think. I thought I had parked pretty close to the Capital, but the walk from my spot to the steps of the Capital was still about 15 or 20 minutes. If you've been to the National Mall, you know what I'm talking about. While it seems it will be a relatively quick trip between the three major monuments on the mall (Capital, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial), it is not.

When I arrived at the reflecting pond just shy of the Capital I made friends with the birds there. I probably took more photos of them than anything else. It was the strangest thing. First, I couldn't scare them off no matter how close I got. They were brave little things. And, they would stand on one leg. They would walk on two legs of course, but then stand on one. Strange little birds.

She's a beauty

Christmas a couple years ago we went out to Aunt Leila's. While I was exploring with my camera I made friends with the horses. I went up to the fence where they were all standing and started shooting away. Well they noticed me and started heading my way. I got better and better photos as they got closer. One of them got very friendly with me. I started petting this one's nose as I was taking her photograph. I love how her head is slightly turned, she's quite the model.

Old fashioned hello

I think we are due a door photograph, so how about the front door of Hopkins. This front door has a rich heritage. I read an interesting story about this door while researching last week. At the turn of the century there was a fellow that for nearly 50 years greeted all those who entered the hospital. He was a member of the custodial crew keeping the front door grounds in shape. He was also the self-appointed chief executive welcomer. The book I found this story in had a photograph of this gentleman, taken right here on these steps. Broom in hand and apron tied tight, he wore a big smile. I imagine this was the same smile he greeted Hopkins' visitors with each day.

With all the digital greetings and automated customer service we get these days, it's nice to think about the days when an old fashioned hello was the norm. Say hello to someone today. It'll do you and them some good.