by Matt | Jan 15, 2006 | Aggravation, Travel
Just past a billboard for CitiBank that either pisses me off or is just generally dumb.
Its a solid white board with black letters that read:
“Don’t let your checkbook balance you.”
What the hell is that supposed to imply?
Come bank with us, we balance your life? If you run out of money come see us, we’l help you out? Stressing over money, we’re help to help?
Bullshit, the bank would never do that. So “helping me” is out. What’s left? That I’m stupid or I’m poor?
If I can’t balance my checkbook I must be stupid. CitiBank wants stupid customers?
If my checkbook is unbalanced I must need money. Why would a bank want poor customers?
My brain hurts with the stupidity of that add. Why not say something like “balancing your checkbook made easy”, implying they had some easy, stressfree way of doing something. Or maybe “overdraft protection makes checkbooks happy” implying that if you typically run out of money they might be able to help prevent overdraft damage.
Offering me fortune cookie-esque wisdom does not make me want to bank with you. Morons.
by Matt | Jan 15, 2006 | Travel, Work
Well, I’m on my way back from a wedding in Lubbock TX. One of our long time clients wanted us to photograph her wedding.
I’m actually feeling pretty good about what I shot yesterday. Everything went well and I was on my game in terms of shooting. It makes me feel good and even validated as a photographer when I can look at some of the stuff I shot and go “yeah, I like that”.
Its really hard to do what you love and get paid for it. If I was independently wealthy I certainly wouldn’t be doing weddings, I don’t think anyone would. So it falls under the “for the paycheck” category. Knowing that its “a job” and not some you express “want” sometimes can detract from the artistic aspects of it.
Having said that, when I look at stuff I shot and I think that its really good, that makes me feel good as an artist.
Anyway, we heading back to Houston. Its a pretty borring 8hr drive. We’ll stop here and there for some tasty Whataburger and possibly some jerky at this little place in Centerville that makes the worlds best.
In other news, right before I left we got our Canon SD550. Its a sweet little camera. Wallet sized 7.1mpx camera with tons of features. I let you guys know when I put stuff up on flickr.
I hope I’m awake enough to enjoy dancing tonight (I mentioned we were taking swing lessons again right?). We left at 6am. So hopefully we’ll be back around 3-4pm. Dancing is at 7:30 so I’m hoping to catch a quick nap. We’ll see.
Out.
by Matt | Dec 4, 2005 | Friends and Family, Personal, Travel
At this very moment I’m waking up on Ashley’s couch after a long night of dancing. Lauren and I came up to College Station (Texas A&M) to visit Ashley and because they were having a swing dance sponsored by the Aggie Swing Cats (college dance club). It was actually very enjoyable. We got all dresses up and spent the night dancing and talking and having fun. We were also talking to members of a larger group, the Houston Swing Dance Society, which I think Lauren and I are going to want to join. They have lessons and dances every Sunday. Its a yearly membership fee but it includes the lessions and stuff. There’s also a workshop in the spring called Lindy Fest that’s a 3 day focus on just the Lindy Hop, something Lauren and I have always wanted to learn.
Anyway, we even dragged out Ashleys Canon 20D, so we have pictures to share. When I get home tonight I’ll try and open a Flickr account or something.
Just a quick note along similar lines, Lauren and I decided to not get each other a crazy ammount of presents this year, but rather to get a consumer digital camera for ourselves, so, it’s likely they’ll be regular photo uploads after the new year.
Out.
ps: sidekick blogging ownz
by Matt | Nov 12, 2005 | Travel
After a long week of work, a party last night and church tomorrow, I was looking forward to relaxing on Monday. I was all excited when I opened the mail box too. Sitting there were my copies of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer Games and Computer Gaming World… but tucked between copies of video game goodness was a small manila card with my full name printed on it and a logo declairing it official from Brazoria County. I have jury duty.
“Isn’t that just swell” I thought to myself as I looked at it again. But it get’s better. Not only do I have jury duty, I have jury duty THIS MONDAY. Lucky me.
Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be home at a reasonable time. The last time Lauren went for jury duty she waited around all day and then had to come back the next day because she was selected. Sigh. Well, here’s hoping I don’t get a 3 month murder trial.
by Matt | Sep 27, 2005 | Travel
Well, it was a hell of a week. Having left on Wednesday, it seems like we’ve been gone forever. Our place is fine, no damage, just a few downed trees here and there. I can’t even tell if it rained. Our last place had some leakage issues with the window panes but our new place seems to have weathered the storm nicely.
Pearland was a bit crazy. The nearest supermarket didn’t have anything. I went in to get some spagetti for dinner and came out with that and some Ramen… and it took 30 minutes to get it. One gas station was out of everything, the other only has unleaded and there was a considerable line.
Things should be back to normal in a day or two, once gas and food is more widely distributed.
The trip home was a bit shorter than our trip out to San Antonio. It was scary to see all the abandoned cars along the road, especially the ones pointed in the wrong direction from when they opened up the other lanes of the highway. Gas was definatly in short supply on the way home, but luckily the traffic was at least moving and we didn’t get stuck.
The stay at the ranch went well. I think everyone was one everyone else’s last nerve by the end of the week, but murder was avoided. We had her parents and brother, her two grandparents, and three dogs. The dogs did well, with the exception of eating strait through a phone book, they seemed to be ok so long as they were fed well.
Life is returning back to normal. I’m back at work today and we’re cleaning up the yard and hooking computers back up.
I’m very tired and my back hurts from sleeping on a paper-thin matrise all weekend.
I do want to say thank you to Jason for the offer to stay with him in Memphis and to Chris and Nagle for thinking about us. I appreciated it very much and it was a great feeling to know that my friends would be there for me if I was in trouble. Thanks guys. You rock.
by Matt | Sep 24, 2005 | Personal, Travel
Well, day three and we’re still waiting. The crazy media machine has made it next to impossible to stop watching the coverage.
We’re still here at the ranch, dry and bored.
Luckily the storm went east in the last few hours, missing Houston by about 80 miles. Of course, 50 miles isn’t a whole lot when the storm is about 120 miles wide. The Texas Louisanna boarder took the brunt of it. Houston was luckily on the clean / weaker side of the storm. Power is out in most of the area, and that’s to be expected, so no one is headed back to town yet. Geting 2 million people out was a pain, but they had 3 days. Letting 2 million back IN tonight and tomorrow will be insane.
Thankfully, I don’t work Mondays and no one else seems to care about heading back right away, so I think we might wait, let the crazies go home, and head back Monday night.
Looks like everything worked out.
Later.
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