On Sunday afternoon I caught wind of a few guys playing paintball out at the Canyon County Fairgrounds and since I didn't have anything on the budget for the day I decided to check it out. I ended making a video, which I thought turned out pretty fun. Take a look!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Some Spring Fun
On Monday I was able to escape out of the office at bit earlier than usual and because it was my Friday I decided to head for the hills for an evening ride. The ride was spectacular. The sun started to set as I began a 6 mile descent along some stellar singletrack, which made for some super long shadows and extremely warm light. I topped off the ride with a cold beer at the car which was a perfect end to a great day.
Afterwards I met up with some folks at the local bowling alley for a few games of discount bowling. A good time was had by all.
Afterwards I met up with some folks at the local bowling alley for a few games of discount bowling. A good time was had by all.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Some Recent Happenings
Well it has been almost a month since I last logged an update and in that time a ton of stuff has happened. Some good, some not so good.
So let's start from the top...
The weather is once again warming up and this weekend I reluctantly hung the skis up in the garage where they will sadly stay for the foreseeable future. With the exception of a few fantastic days in Utah, this ski season was, well, lets say marginal. I began to lose interest in early February as I began training for my first half marathon.
Billed as "The Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest" the Race to Robie Creek features a grueling 9 mile climb which gains almost 2,000 ft of elevation before dropping sharply downhill in the last 4 miles. Training for this race consumed much of my free time and as running became more and more fun for me I started skiing less and less.
So after about eight weeks of training I set out on Saturday to tackle the course alongside about 2,500 other runners and walkers. I had been struggling with a cold for much of the week before the race but by Saturday morning it had completely cleared up and all I wanted to do was run.
I cleared the course in just under two hours which was better than I had hoped to do. The great part about this particular race is that at the finish line free food and beer is provided to participants - which turned out to be a powerful motivator as I began to struggle around mile 10.
Now I am hooked and am looking forward to running in another half soon. Oh and to see some more photos check out my photostream on Flikr.
Another happening worth noting is that tough times have finally hit home at my paper. Like many newspapers across the country, revenues are down and in an attempt to cut costs earlier this month the publisher of the IPT took action and is imposing a one week furlough on all employees as well as a 2.5 hour reduction on all hourly employee's work weeks.
As you can probably imagine, this was tough to take. However, I will say that I am very happy to still have a job, unlike so many journalists across the country.
Beyond the change in workweek (and paycheck) things are by-in-large still the same. I'm still shooting as much if not more than I have been - which is why I have been away from the blog for so long.
So that's where I'm standing right now. I'll try and come back with a more picture-heavy post later in the week.
As always, thanks for checking in!
So let's start from the top...
The weather is once again warming up and this weekend I reluctantly hung the skis up in the garage where they will sadly stay for the foreseeable future. With the exception of a few fantastic days in Utah, this ski season was, well, lets say marginal. I began to lose interest in early February as I began training for my first half marathon.
Billed as "The Toughest Half Marathon in the Northwest" the Race to Robie Creek features a grueling 9 mile climb which gains almost 2,000 ft of elevation before dropping sharply downhill in the last 4 miles. Training for this race consumed much of my free time and as running became more and more fun for me I started skiing less and less.
So after about eight weeks of training I set out on Saturday to tackle the course alongside about 2,500 other runners and walkers. I had been struggling with a cold for much of the week before the race but by Saturday morning it had completely cleared up and all I wanted to do was run.
I cleared the course in just under two hours which was better than I had hoped to do. The great part about this particular race is that at the finish line free food and beer is provided to participants - which turned out to be a powerful motivator as I began to struggle around mile 10.
Now I am hooked and am looking forward to running in another half soon. Oh and to see some more photos check out my photostream on Flikr.
Another happening worth noting is that tough times have finally hit home at my paper. Like many newspapers across the country, revenues are down and in an attempt to cut costs earlier this month the publisher of the IPT took action and is imposing a one week furlough on all employees as well as a 2.5 hour reduction on all hourly employee's work weeks.
As you can probably imagine, this was tough to take. However, I will say that I am very happy to still have a job, unlike so many journalists across the country.
Beyond the change in workweek (and paycheck) things are by-in-large still the same. I'm still shooting as much if not more than I have been - which is why I have been away from the blog for so long.
So that's where I'm standing right now. I'll try and come back with a more picture-heavy post later in the week.
As always, thanks for checking in!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Madness: Round Two
As promised, here is an update from the second round action of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament in Boise. As hoped, the action from Sunday afternoon was quite exciting, with both games decently dramatic down the stretch.
The second game between Marquette and Missouri turned out to be very exciting after what was a less than exciting first half. Marquette stormed back to be within a shot with only five seconds left in the game until a player from Marquette stepped on the baseline while inbounding the ball, thus ruining any attempt at a last minute buzzer beater.
Even though the action from these games trumps any action I typically see while working the Sunday shift I have to say that I was left feeling a little disappointed as I was unable to find the time to take in the media taco bar which looked spectacular. As they say all work and no, well, eating? Wait I don't think that's what they say.
Anyways, if you'd like to see some more photos check out this quick slideshow I threw together.
Oh and one more thing... My Sunday actually started much earlier than usual as I rolled out of bed and headed down to the fairgrounds in Boise to cover the Idaho Cat Fanciers Cat Show. Yes, that's right, a cat show. After all, you're not a true community journalist until you've had the opportunity to cover a cat show. Check out the slideshow here.
The second game between Marquette and Missouri turned out to be very exciting after what was a less than exciting first half. Marquette stormed back to be within a shot with only five seconds left in the game until a player from Marquette stepped on the baseline while inbounding the ball, thus ruining any attempt at a last minute buzzer beater.
Even though the action from these games trumps any action I typically see while working the Sunday shift I have to say that I was left feeling a little disappointed as I was unable to find the time to take in the media taco bar which looked spectacular. As they say all work and no, well, eating? Wait I don't think that's what they say.
Anyways, if you'd like to see some more photos check out this quick slideshow I threw together.
Oh and one more thing... My Sunday actually started much earlier than usual as I rolled out of bed and headed down to the fairgrounds in Boise to cover the Idaho Cat Fanciers Cat Show. Yes, that's right, a cat show. After all, you're not a true community journalist until you've had the opportunity to cover a cat show. Check out the slideshow here.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Madness
As many of you are most likely aware, a few of the first and second round games of the Men's NCAA basketball tournament are being played in Boise this year. On Friday I had the opportunity to cover a couple of games, the most notable of which was the 61-59 overtime thriller between Wisconsin and Florida State.
It was a ton of fun (and a little unusual) to cover a game between two high flying athletic teams in an area not typically known for its basketball.
Fortunately for me the fun isn't over quite yet. On Sunday the four winning teams will advance to play in a pair of afternoon games. Check back Monday for updates from the second round...
It was a ton of fun (and a little unusual) to cover a game between two high flying athletic teams in an area not typically known for its basketball.
Fortunately for me the fun isn't over quite yet. On Sunday the four winning teams will advance to play in a pair of afternoon games. Check back Monday for updates from the second round...
Monday, March 16, 2009
A Bowler Says, What?
I don't think I could consider myself a bowler. I mean, I'm not in a bowling league, I don't own my own ball or my own shoes and although I do own a sharp retro bowling shirt, I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a bowler.
I do, however, thoroughly enjoy a game every now and again.
On Saturday, March 14th I traveled over to the Caldwell bowling alley to cover the first-annual Bowl Down Drugs community event. More than 60 children and their families came to the event, which focused on raising awareness about drug abuse prevention in the home.
As I watched these children and their families laugh and cheer as pins hit the hardwood I couldn't help but feel a small sense of jealousy swell up from within. Watching people have fun has always been a part of my job but for some reason this particular assignment drove me to action.
After clocking out later that evening I coerced a couple friends into heading down to the bowling alley to play a few games of our own. I came out playing some inspired bowling as I was able to string together a set of 5 strikes in a row in the first game, beating my personal record of 178ish with a score of 195.
My second game, however, did not go so well.
While photographing the children bowling earlier in the day I caught a little guy reacting to a missed spare attempt. As it would turn out, this image captured quite well the feeling I experienced that night when I bowled my best game ever and then turned around and posted my worst score in recent memory the very next game.
A 65. Yes, 65.
To add insult to the matter, we were bowling next to a group of high school girls who all were able to score higher than I and then made it abundantly clear to me just how pathetic the game had been. Feeling as though my own personal sense of dignity had been damaged I came back with vengeance, bowling a 188 in the third and final game.
So to those of you who may now be skeptical, I would like to make one thing abundantly clear. It has been said that the shoes make the man (or in this case the bowler). I roll in rental shoes so I, my friend, am no bowler. Just a dude in a tacky retro bowling shirt.
I do, however, thoroughly enjoy a game every now and again.
On Saturday, March 14th I traveled over to the Caldwell bowling alley to cover the first-annual Bowl Down Drugs community event. More than 60 children and their families came to the event, which focused on raising awareness about drug abuse prevention in the home.
As I watched these children and their families laugh and cheer as pins hit the hardwood I couldn't help but feel a small sense of jealousy swell up from within. Watching people have fun has always been a part of my job but for some reason this particular assignment drove me to action.
After clocking out later that evening I coerced a couple friends into heading down to the bowling alley to play a few games of our own. I came out playing some inspired bowling as I was able to string together a set of 5 strikes in a row in the first game, beating my personal record of 178ish with a score of 195.
My second game, however, did not go so well.
While photographing the children bowling earlier in the day I caught a little guy reacting to a missed spare attempt. As it would turn out, this image captured quite well the feeling I experienced that night when I bowled my best game ever and then turned around and posted my worst score in recent memory the very next game.
A 65. Yes, 65.
To add insult to the matter, we were bowling next to a group of high school girls who all were able to score higher than I and then made it abundantly clear to me just how pathetic the game had been. Feeling as though my own personal sense of dignity had been damaged I came back with vengeance, bowling a 188 in the third and final game.
So to those of you who may now be skeptical, I would like to make one thing abundantly clear. It has been said that the shoes make the man (or in this case the bowler). I roll in rental shoes so I, my friend, am no bowler. Just a dude in a tacky retro bowling shirt.
The Boys (and Girls) of Summer Are Back
As March Madness swings into full effect this week there is plenty to be excited about, however, the sport of baseball will likely be an afterthought at best for most sports fans.
The greatness that is the NCAA Men's basketball tournament has been well documented so I won't waste time to pander to those of you who are in agreement with this fact. Instead I want to remind you that as the days get longer and the landscape grows greener the passage from winter to spring and summer sports is something to get excited about.
This week I bought a bag of sunflower seeds and ventured out to the ball park to cover my first game of the season; an NAIA matchup between the College of Idaho and Concordia University at the newly constructed Wolfe Field in Caldwell. The weather was less than cooperative as a cool wind steadily blew through the ball park all afternoon and although it wasn't the true sunny spring Saturday I had hoped for on Friday night, it was still enjoyable.
So as your glued to the television praying for your 12 seed to upset that number 5 this week, take a minute to tune in to see what your favorite ball club is up to. Whether it be to a local high school, a minor league club or even an MLB squad, get out and catch a game. Who knows, you may even forget about that heartbreaking loss your number 5 seed dropped to that 12 seed.
The greatness that is the NCAA Men's basketball tournament has been well documented so I won't waste time to pander to those of you who are in agreement with this fact. Instead I want to remind you that as the days get longer and the landscape grows greener the passage from winter to spring and summer sports is something to get excited about.
This week I bought a bag of sunflower seeds and ventured out to the ball park to cover my first game of the season; an NAIA matchup between the College of Idaho and Concordia University at the newly constructed Wolfe Field in Caldwell. The weather was less than cooperative as a cool wind steadily blew through the ball park all afternoon and although it wasn't the true sunny spring Saturday I had hoped for on Friday night, it was still enjoyable.
So as your glued to the television praying for your 12 seed to upset that number 5 this week, take a minute to tune in to see what your favorite ball club is up to. Whether it be to a local high school, a minor league club or even an MLB squad, get out and catch a game. Who knows, you may even forget about that heartbreaking loss your number 5 seed dropped to that 12 seed.
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