Guess where I'll be on Inauguration Day?

In one of these seats!


That's right. My lucky streak continues with two tickets to Barack Obama's Inauguration next Tuesday. I have no idea where we'll be sitting; we might even be standing on the sides. Either way, we'll be close to the epicenter of a new America. MILLIONS of people will be behind this scene, as the ticketless overflow of hopemongers will gather on the National Mall. And we're all going to be cold.

I wasn't lucky enough to score Parade tickets on Ticketmaster last week, but who knows what will happen next week. Something always comes up. It's going to be insane. The only time I had been to DC was in 1994. I remember museums, humid July heat, and me not being interested in looking out the car window to see the Watergate Hotel (sorry, Aunt Carol, I was a teenager!).

I'll be out of transponder range for the duration of next week. I might check email once or twice because I'll be out and about exploring DC with my 50D. Major photo safari planned. When I get back I'll roll out a nice little day-by-day, play-by-play analysis of my DC trip. Until then...

Firefox Fanatic tip of the day (workflow)

Ever type in your username or something in a text field and accidentally misspell it? You can actually delete those unwanted saved entries! It makes signing in much, much easier (it also helps if you're constantly entering new text into a certain text field and you want to keep the correct lines without having to clear your entire saved form history in Firefox).

1) Click in the text field.
2) Arrow down to highlight the line you want to delete (but don't click on it).
3) Hit Delete. (Or on a laptop, hold down Shift and hit Delete.)
4) Watch it go away forever!

Apparently this was common knowledge years ago, and I'm just joining the conga line now. Enjoy.

It hasn't snowed yet this holiday season

In Denver, the month of September is near perfect weather. The tail-end of summer feathers seamlessly with the approaching crisp autumn air. In October, we are in the throes of a colder, changing climate. Leaves fall; they tip-toe across streets with the wind. It usually snows at this time, but nothing in October this year!

It's now close to Thanksgiving, and all we've gotten in Denver is a morning dusting last week that melted instantly. A couple days ago, high temp. of 80 degrees. In November. This morning, Mother Nature was lazy and decided to just ice our cars. No snowflakey ballet and dance, just freezer burn. Last year by this time, Denver looked like this::


I blame it on the economy.
______________________________________________________________

Canon 50D now part of my arsenal. Photos coming soon...

In pace requiescat Mitch Mitchell (and my Rebel XT)

In sad news, the rock world lost another great today. Drummer Mitch Mitchell died Wednesday of natural causes. The name ID might not come to you immediately, but he was part of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, a short-lived yet immemorable glimpse into how music can reach beyond its limits.

Mozart. Salvador Dalì. Bob Dylan. Pablo Picasso. I'm convinced that these people were actually sent from another planet; aliens brought in to say, via their art, "This is what's possible when you use your whole brain!" It was more than easy genius. They transcended mortality.

Jimi Hendrix could only attract the most talented drummer and bassist to match him. They became this jazz-rock fusion power trio, decades ahead of their time. While imi fueled a musical hurricane like no other, Mitch drummed out complex explosions of rhythm, like they fed off each other's jams. Bassist Noel Redding was the eye of the storm—deceptively simple bass lines to balance the havoc around him.

The Experience lasted only three years, 1966-69. Sometimes you think whatcouldahappened... How Jimi's trio would have changed music if they had played on through the 70s... Could they have prevented disco? Through the 80s... Easy Listening? Hendrix + Guitar Hero. It would have been amazing.
________________________________________

I'm finally upgrading my camera body. Amazon be sending me Canon's 50D. I'm excited. I'm also upgrading my computer. It's time to get an iMac. I'm waiting for Macworld Expo in January because Apple's probably going to upgrade the iMac memory and whatnot. Who knows, they might go touch-screen on that thing. Amazing times...
________________________________________

It's been more than a week since Election Day and a few elections haven't been decided yet. A month ago I predicted how each state would go, red or blue. Turns out I was two states off. Like many people across the country, I underestimated the Obama ground game. Obama took Indiana and North Carolina? Seriously? That's a powerful message.

Cable Center wedding pictures | Bobby & Marie in Denver, Colorado

Getting married this year at the Cable Center? Email Chris to see if I'm available to photograph your wedding! The Cable Center is a pretty amazing place of photos.



It was a fine ceremony at the superbly renovated St. Thomas More Church in Littleton::


Everybody, I want you to meet my beautiful mother and handsome father, Annette and Valente::


He's been playing the violin like a master for decades, and it showed at the rehearsal dinner::



Details of a perfect day (I think that duck is an inside-joke)::


Family family everywhere::


Whatchyoulookinat? I used to hit these on my birthdays when I was a kid::


Byeeeeeee::


Thank you Robert and Marie for a wonderful day. Sorry if I hit that piñata before you had a chance to (I know it was your special day, but I couldn't help it ;).