This may totally shock you but I do have a life outside of loving NASCAR…shut up I actually do!   I LOVE to write. And I LOVE photography. And I LOVE crafting of all types.  I write daily (not necessarily here or in a public arena really even) so you will just have to trust me when I tell you that.   Every single day- I have done some sort of writing.  I am taking photography classes to get better there- so I don’t do it daily but usually weekly because I have an assignment or five to turn in.  So naturally crafting has kind of taken a back seat lately only because I do have a real job too and and Roxy and two adorable nephews that I love to play with and you know…sleep which is also good. Oh and did I mention I have this thing for baking too? I do. I love to bake because it’s an exact science of measuring and following directions  (unless you are my dad- who is the only person I know who can throw stuff in a mixing bowl haphazardly and end up with delicious cookies no matter what he throws in the bowl or how much).  Ok so technically sometimes the love of writing and the photography thing intermix with NASCAR but they are actually also totally independent of each other.  Really!

Anyway- today I got a little crazy and signed up for an online CROCHET-ALONG where  we will get weekly clues as to what to crochet and by the time it’s over we will have made a blanket. No problem right? I mean I know how to crochet.  I haven’t actually crocheted anything in over a year or maybe even more now that I think about it. But I have been wanting to pick up a hook again.  I mean why NOT?  So maybe I haven’t EVER made anything as big as an afghan before- there is always a first time for everything right?

Well that is what my crazy right-brain side of me is saying anyway.  The smart (albeit slightly anal) left-side brain is screaming things like DUDE ARE YOU SERIOUS? Another project? Really? It’s not like you don’t have FIVE different things you are currently writing (including this blog), and don’t you have THREE different photography assignments you are working on? And when do you plan to sleep?  Because this is actually the BUSY TIME of the year at work and they just included you on that new assignment that will probably be a lot of work.  CRAZY! YOU ARE CRAZY! Oh and did you not forget that you are going to races in October and November AND champions week in Vegas? When will you have the time? When??????

So yeah- I am slightly crazy and added another thing to my plate but this will be FUN! And an ADVENTURE!  Because not only have I not made anything as big as an afghan before BUT I also haven’t ever crocheted anything without a solid pattern (with pictures) before I started. So it will be odd.  Not knowing what it’s suppose to look like while I am actually making it…so it could all go really wrong.  I will keep you all updated on my progress.

These are the things that I planned to do this weekend:

1. Write at least three posts for Badgroove.
2. Write my next post for Racing In America.
3. Do my photography class assignment (what? You didn’t know I was taking a photography class…you would have if I had completed number one).
4. Upload said assignment into my online classroom.
5. Change my sheets.
6. Wash the dog’s blanket.
7. Save a bunch of writing and photos onto my external hard drive.
8. Work on some fiction I am writing.

What I actually completed from that list:

1. Do my photography class assignment

What I did this weekend:

Took nearly 12 Gigs of photos in my adventures over the course of two days that took me to a parade:

To the staging for the parade:

A local state park that I had never been to before:

To a cemetery overrun with deer:

Saw the USS Mobile Bay anchored away in the bay:

And while I was at the wharf I saw:

Had a great time but I ended up with a nasty sunburn. It was a great way to waste the weekend. I am such a procrastinator.

Some of the best advice I ever got from a co-worker (at my real job) was  “Never apologize for doing your job…if you screw up sure apologize but do not apologize for something you were suppose to do.”  I pretty much have taken that to heart…which is easier said than done when you work in customer service/technical support like I do.  However I am going to apologize to you because I feel that I haven’t been doing a very good job here.  I feel my blogging has been incredibly uninspired…and dare I say forced.  And frankly I blame that on me- as I have been uninspired.  I do not know why or what is up with it…I just basically pretty much am forcing myself to blog because otherwise? I wouldn’t update but once a week…and that is NOT me…nor is it badgroove.com.  Maybe I am being too hard on myself as I have a huge tendency towards self-depreciation…but yeah…stick with me ok? It’ll come back.  The mojo, inspiration, muse, whatever you call it. Trust me it just isn’t here that is suffering from this lack-o-inspiration so it’s got to come home and soon.

In a desperate attempt to get some of the inspiration back I took a little road trip on Sunday since the race was on Saturday…I ended up at the zoo without meaning to.  I mean..by the time I got there I meant to be there but when I left the house in the morning I didn’t intend to be at the zoo. My dad and I love to go on “photo” outings…cameras in tow and my mom will often come for the ride.  Usually my dad drives and thus he picks where we go.  This time my parents and I had taken off with cameras in tote (five cameras between three people NOT including cell phone cameras) and since I was driving this time- I decided to head north on Highway 1 since we usually head south.  One thing lead to another and we ended up at the SF Zoo (ok basically my dad begged me to take him to the zoo).  Now I LOVE zoos. LOVE THEM!!!  Unfortunately the SF Zoo isn’t the best of Zoos but still I got some ok shots:

Baby Giraffe. Photo By Me

Gorilla. Photo by Me!

Lion resting in the shade. Photo by me

Swimming Penguin Photo By Me

I also took some flower pictures at the zoo:

Ruby Pinchshion Photo By Me

Some sort of purple flower. Photo by me.

On the way home we stopped to snap a few shots of the Point Pigeon lighthouse:

Point Pigeon Lighthouse Photo by me.

Point Pigeon Lighthouse Photo by me

And also on the way how we stopped and took some pictures of people kite boarding:

Kite Boarder getting some air on the pacific. Photo by me.

You can see the best of my pictures from Saturday’s adventures in my SF Zoo and NorCal Coast Flickr set.

So not only was there a lovely time change last weekend – it was one of those rare “OFF” NASCAR weekends where they don’t race.  I hope the drivers and crews got a chance to do a little something for themselves whether it be spend time with family, hang out with friends, sleep in, do something they enjoy.

I myself found myself with extra time on my hands this weekend as I wasn’t glued to a TV for several hours watching the race.  So I used my time to get out and get creative.  If you know me you know I love to take pictures.  Right before I left for Vegas I actually bought myself a new camera.  A Canon Rebel t1i.  Did I get rid of my 20D? No!!!  I just wanted something new. All of my dSLR cameras have been hand-me-downs from my dad as he as moved up  (his newest is a Mark 5d or something like that- I know I always want to call it a MARK 5 as in the Lincoln so…it’s something like that). We do our version of a photowalk which is really just my dad, me and sometimes my mom where we go somewhere and just walk around and take pictures.

During the off weekend we went to Pebble Beach, CA.  An exclusive community where if you aren’t a resident or there to play golf you have to pay nearly 10 bucks for the honor to go down there. We paid.  It was a great day though and I got some great ocean shots:

(Photos After The Jump)

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Three hundred thirty three.  That is the number of pictures I took this last weekend. When it’s nice and sunny out I like to go out and take pictures.  This weekend we ended up back at the park in Monterey checking out some new goslings:

The goslings follow momma in the lake.

Goslings Take A Break

Then we were off to the Coast Guard Pier where we found lots of sea lions:

Basking Sea Lion

Arguing Sea Lions

Some Pelicans:

Pelicans

And of course some ships:

The Skully Bones sits in the harbor

A sail boat in the bay

Just be glad I am not making you look at all 333 pictures!

Ok…so I have been experimenting with the DSLR camera I was given…and here are some of the results:

So what do you think?

Last weekend I got to spend a day at the park with my nephew. It was so fun watching him explore the equipment (with help from his mom). It was overcast and cold but we still had fun. Here are some pictures I snapped:

Here he is attempting to taste the park equipment much to our chagrin.

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One of my earliest memories revolves around cars and cameras. Both of them are still loves of mine today.  My dad has always loved photography and from the time I was very young would put a camera in my hand.  The first picture I ever took was at age three or four- it’s of my parents bending over waving because I wasn’t pointing it up at them- standing in front of our pontiac sunbird. Going to the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway really got the photographer juices flowing through me again.  Part of it has to do with it being spring-type weather and the light was great at the track most of the time.  On friday when I was walking around the Neon Garage I saw lots of “official” race photographers.  They were easy to spot- they wore roadwork type vests that said PHOTO on them.  And don’t think I didn’t have camera envy too.  I remember wandering around the garage area and my head whipping around- to check out a camera or seven.  Yeah a little embarassing I admit but it’s totally true.

During Friday I used my trusty Canon I5 IS that I LOVE- it’s not a dslr- but its more than just your average point and shoot).  I am completely self taught (as is my dad I must tell you and he takes great pictures) and mostly do that by trial and error and let me tell you it was definitely a trial and error type of day.  I got some great pictures and some horrendous pictures (blurry, out of focus, etc).

Let me give you some examples:

While visiting Tony’s garage stall I saw him get out of the car during practice, talk to crew chief Darian Grubb and then go check out something under the front splitter. These were my pictures (keep in mind that these are from the upstairs viewing galley through the glass windows):

Tony Peeks Under the Splitter- obvious auto-focus problem- focused on the beam and the glare and not on Tony -causing blur)

Close-up of Tony peeking under the splitter (image degradation due to being taken through window coupled with digital zoom -crispness loss).

Now here is the same shot (kinda) being taken by a professional photographer (of course realize also that this picture is not taken through glass and is at the ground level obviously in Tony’s garage stall):

See the difference? Way better. Of course this photographer is more than likely standing right in his garage stall so access is different). THIS IS NOT MY PHOTO- it's from tonystewart.com

Now I know in my heart that the reason my pictures are crummy in comparison are:

1. I am not a professional nor do I have the kind of equipment those guys (and girls) carry around (how they do it I don’t know- it about killed my neck carrying around the Digital Rebel I used on Sunday).  My dad and I were looking at a professional lens the other day? 8 grand! Like I told my dad when he told me I could get it for him for his birthday: Yeah let me pull that kinda money outta my butt cuz I sure don’t have it in the bank.

2. I am not a professional and do not have the kind of access these guys (and girls) have to get the shot.

3. I am a self-taught, shoot-from-the-hip kinda person. I don’t take time to set up a shot. And while I have an awareness of concepts like the rules of three- I don’t often take the time to consider it and set up the shot accordingly. Usually I am more of a “Oh that’s a great picture opportunity” and start snapping.

I did get some good pictures that day.  This is my favorite:

Tony gets out of the car during a practice break. Why did this one come out so much better? I have no clue. Angle maybe reduced glare through window? There was slight blur of motion towards the bottom because he was swinging his leg out of the car.

Of course as I said that is one of my favorites that I took that day (and definitely my favorite Tony Stewart shot that day). However this is my favorite of other people’s shots from that day. It was another one I found on the Tony Stewart website:

Tony looks either perplexed or determined I can't decide which. (photo is NOT MINE. From: tonystewart.com)

What is it that I love about this shot? Well first of all the vivid red. The car in the forground yet slightly out of focus- but not out of focus so much as to not be able to recognize its parts. The hood up. The expression on Tony’s face. This is a picture I wish I had taken.