In Life, Photos on
26 August 2010 tagged dog, house sitting, list with 2 comments
I’ve been home for almost a week after three weeks of house/dog sitting for Simon and Sarah. I was going to describe my times with Mork, but…no. I’ll just say that it feels good to sleep past 7am.
While I had an interesting time with Mork, I’ll miss his floppy ears, huge paws and awkward trot. I’m sure it won’t be my last time seeing him.
A huge thanks goes to Sarah’s mom and stepfather for taking the other puppy (Mindy).
What did I learn from that experience?
If you want a dog, watch a bunch of episodes of “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.” Owning and caring for a dog is a full-time job.
Get details of everything around the house. Here’s a list of questions to ask the owner.
- Where can I go? What may I use? What’s off limits?
- How do you work the electronic gadgets (TV, AV receiver, computer, etc.), dishwasher, washing machine, dryer?
- What’s the WiFi password?
- Who are the neighbors? Do they know about me?
- Where’s the emergency shut-off for gas and water? Circuit breaker?
- Is there parking enforcement?
- When is trash day?
- Do you want the plants watered?
- Are you expecting important mail or packages?
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In Photos, WordPress on
23 August 2010 tagged schwag, shirt, WordPress with no comments
A couple weeks/months ago, @photomatt included text on his contact form, stating that he’d send a shirt if you sent him your shirt size and mailing address. Last Friday, I got it! (I’m not alone. Jayvie got one, too.)
The main gift was the shirt, which is clutch because my black WordPress shirt is getting worn out.
Apparently, I’m also one of the three most important people in WordPress. 
Certificate transcription:
This certificate entitles the holder to a lifetime supply of free WordPresses, to be used at their discretion for life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, & the four Freedoms of the GPL.
Signed, Matt Mullenweg.
Thanks to my pal, Taylor, for taking my photo. I told him how to compose it.
View on Flickr 1 / 2
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In Photography on
12 August 2010 with 6 comments
I took engagement photos for a couple a few weeks ago. We had a blast and they loved the photos. I knew they loved the photos because I let them chimp a few times.
That was probably a bad move on my part.
While my contract doesn’t entitle them to get every single photo I took, they’re politely asking for all of them. You know, for posterity.
I already deleted a lot of the bad ones:
- blurry
- underexposed
- duplicates
- mid-blink or non-flattering photos
There’s a few left that I haven’t deleted, but I’d rank them between 1-2 out of 5. Not worthy.
I can’t think of an appropriate response or metaphor to help get my point across.
Wait, what’s your point?
Trust me, you don’t want all the photos. I don’t bat 1.000. Additionally, I wouldn’t want to be associated with those mediocre photos.
Any suggestions (for now or future encounters)?
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In Article, How-to, Video on
9 August 2010 tagged camera, Canon, Canon EOS 40D, The Scarlet Paradigm with 2 comments
After reading “Capture 720P HD With Any LiveView Capable Canon Camera,” I wanted to try recording a simple video to see if it works.
It really does!
Why is this relevant? Only a few Canon digital SLR cameras record video, regardless of Live View. EOS Camera Movie Record allows any Live View-capable Canon DSLR camera to record video onto a connected computer.
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In Life on
4 August 2010 tagged dogs, house sitting with 3 comments
Sunday evening, I started house and dog sitting for my friend’s sister and her fiancé (Sarah and Simon). They live near Victory Park in Pasadena.
This will be my first time house/dog sitting.
For reference, the name of the dogs are Mork and Mindy.
What’s cool?
- I can essentially do anything I want in the house. I could even throw a party or two.
- They left me “several” beers, along with some food.
- Two puppies! They’re trained to go outside for “business.”
- Large LCD television, DirecTV, surround sound, Sonos multi-room music system, Nintendo Wii (yay, Netflix!), 27-inch iMac.
What isn’t cool about the dogs:
- The “sit” command doesn’t work every time.
- They jump up to greet people, and sometimes nip.
- Mork can jump over the 3-foot indoor fence separating the living room and kitchen.
- They bark at anything. Squirrels (or chipmunks), birds, sounds of other dogs.
- Mork is slightly destructive.
- My first attempt to take both dogs for a walk only went 50 yards.
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