Behind the Eight Ball

I first started playing pool in college and I think my gpa would have been better had I not spend so much time in the pool hall. But I was addicted and it was a good way to make new friends. I could walk into the pool hall at the Tivoli any time of the day and know someone there that I could play with.

When I wasn't playing at the Tivoli I'd be at Table Steaks, Rack'em, Paradise or Tarantulas; it all depended on who I was playing with and the time of day. I had even played in three different pool halls in the Philippines, one of which was where I played the greatest game I can remember playing. It was against a new found friend I'd met in the Philippines in the back VIP area of a pool hall that was partly owned by my cousin. It was a close game but I'd won the race to 5 wins.

Toward my senior year a lot of the friends I made from pool all started to go their separate ways. I became busy as well as my classes became more of a concern as I neared graduation. Then after graduation life took over and what was an almost daily activity became non-existent. I still try to play every now and then, but not as much as I used to. I might not ever be as good as I once was, but once a ninja always a ninja.

Photo was taken at Fox & Hound, Westminster, CO.

The Kung Fu Grip

Mountain climbing is something I'll probably never try. From mountain biking I understand the thrill of pushing yourself both mentally and physically to conquer getting up different mountain sides, but the possibility of dying never crosses my mind when I ride...at least 99% of the time. Its probably the same way for the people who actually do it and are comfortable with their safety gear, but I'm also afraid of heights too so I don't think it would be fun for me like biking is. All I know is that it definitely takes some ninja skills to do it!

This photo was taken at the Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO.

Jungle Fever

This shot was obtained by mounting the camera on a fellow ninja descending into a Cambodian jungle on a recent mission. Due to the ninja's catlike reflexes the camera was not harmed in the shooting of this photo. It added a nice background for my logo and gave it a nice commercial appeal.

Why You Mean Muggin'?

Look I found a real life ninja! He didn't talk too much though, which I thought was rude. He just stared at me when I asked him if he had any smoke bombs to spare; but whatever its cool, I see how it is. Hiding in the shadows not only made this dude super pale but socially awkward as well. I decided to leave him alone as it looked like he was getting ready to smack me.

Photo was taken at a top secret location in Washington, DC that does not allow pictures. Special thanks to my brother for being on the lookout for security while I shot this.

My Baby

No I don't actually have a little ninja running around, but I have something I really care about which is my car. I gave up my automatic CRV and bought a WRX so I would force myself to learn to drive manual and it worked! I've had it for a little over a year now and I still love it, it is so fun to drive and fast. So far I've upgraded speakers, added lowering springs, and put on some 18" Gram Lights wrapped in BFGs.

Photo was taken at Red Rocks, Morrison, CO.

Mad Ninja Skills

This tribute is to my older sister Karen, one of the greatest ninjas I know. She was always on the lookout for me growing up a young ninja making sure I was safe from the dangers of the world. She would let me practice essential moves like the mighty palm, hammer fist and shadow kick on her to make sure my techniques were perfect! She was also my first encounter with the technique of the "Female Mind", which I have still yet to understand despite the number of scrolls I've read.

She has been a role model to me growing up but now that we are both adults she is still inspiring. Making a career in the US Air Force has taken her to places all around the world. She has gone from looking out for my safety to looking out for the safety of the American people. She has climbed the ranks in record time, now a Senior Master Sergeant at 34 years of age there is no doubting she has some mad ninja skills!

Thanks to my sister for posing for this, you did awesome. Photo was taken in Reston, VA.

Washington DC: Day 4

Now we reach the last day of my trip to Washington DC, the thought of having to come back to work slowly creeps into my mind and just makes me sad. My only consolidation is knowing that Monday is a holiday and I'll have an extra day to relax. The day started off just getting everything together and packing our bags as we wouldn't be returning to my sister's house after we finished up with our ventures for the day. We had a late afternoon flight so we still had some time to check out a few more places

Once we left our first stop was...Burger King! We got there at 10:55 am and apparently that is too late to still get served breakfast so my dreams of getting a sausage croissanwich were smashed as I had to settle for a chicken sandwich; shenanighans. But once we left there our next stop was the U.S. Botanic Gardens. I find taking pictures of flowers to be kind of girlie but its pretty easy to get some satisfying shots. I'd recommend any amateur photographer start off by taking pictures of flowers as they don't move around, are usually in good lighting, easy to get close to and provide pictures with lots of color.

Our next stop was Arlington National Cemetery which we had tried to visit on an earlier night but was unfortunately closed at the time. During the day however there were many visitors and traffic so we ended up just getting out of the car on the highway off ramp while my sister's husband stayed with the car. I was really shocked at how many graves there were, it was a very emotional place to be. We visited John F. Kennedy's grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which were hard to take pictures of with all of the visitors trying to do the same thing. It was a good experience visiting the Arlington National Cemetery and a good way to end the trip honoring those who have served this great country.

From there it was off to the Ronald Reagan National Airport to go back to Denver. We said our goodbyes and I hope to visit my sister and her husband again sometime. Special thanks to my sister Karen for planning the itinerary for the trip and her husband for driving us around, it would not have been the trip it was without you two; see you soon.

Washington...err I Mean Baltimore, Maryland: Day 3

We didn't spend any time in Washington DC on the third day, we had our sights set to visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I hadn't packed any shorts for the trip which I regretted once I got there and realized the heat we'd be experiencing. But the day before I had picked up a pair but fortunately things started cooling down and we even got some rain. We had a slow start to the morning as everyone was feeling tired from all the touring we'd been doing which involved a lot of walking.

We made a stop in Reston, Virginia to get something to eat while my sister's husband took care of work related tasks. From there it took maybe over an hour to get to Baltimore, I'm not entirely sure as I slept for maybe half of the ride. I'm really glad my sister has a huge Excursion so we weren't crammed into a small suv or something; I had the back seat entirely to myself! I was excited to visit Maryland simply because this was the first year I'd visited more than one state and this one marked the fifth this year!

The National Aquarium was pretty nice, there was a lot to see more than just fish. I had been to the Montery Bay Aquarium in California when I was thirteen and I recall that being pretty neat too but it was too long ago to compare the two. All I know is that both are definitely better than the aquarium we have in Denver, but oh well; a city can't have everything. We caught some shows as well which included a 4D documentary on the animals of the Arctic and a dolphin show. I was pretty surprised by the 4D show because you are watching a 3D movie but the fourth dimension involves wind blowing, spraying water, and jabs to your side from the seat among other things. I was freaked about about being poked by the seat though, I wasn't expecting that and it kind of pissed me off; I thought I was going to have to karate chop someone. The dolphin show was cool, but it always weirds me out that they can make these large fish do such things on command.

We finished up at the aquarium and ate at P.F. Chang's! I really like it there, I always seem to leave satisfied. It was dark now and before we headed to the car I wanted to get a night shot of this Coast Guard boat. I had to improvise a supporting surface for the long exposure to prevent camera shake, so I laid my camera along the side of the dock and hoped I wouldn't drop it in the water. It took about four tries before I was satisfied with the shot. I still think it kind of sucks but I wasn't going to stay there all night trying to take the picture.

The ride home was shorter as there was less traffic but the rain was coming down pretty hard. We got home to clean up and then headed to the movie to see Iron Man 2 which was pretty cool. I went to bed pretty late as I packed up all my stuff to get ready to leave the next day. Just like the way you dread Mondays as the first day of work, I was dreading my last day of my vacation; all good things come to an end.