Wow it's been a year already

Since planning the last festival, and boy did this one come with its challenges.  The weather did not cooperate at all, between flying umbrellas and then almost being impaled by one (that was fun), it turned out OK.  It most definitely could have been better but that is a discussion I don't want to get into.  Now the moment of truth, I'm no longer going to be a foot soldier for the festival, I'll be taking it over.  What am I getting myself into?  Can I do it, do I have the time or patience for it?  I have no idea, all I know is I will be asking my friends for help and support to get it done.  Some of you have already come out and told me that you will support me and believe I can do it, well it's time to find out if I can.

In another story I'm slightly becoming more and more tired of the dead end and lack of advancement for my job, so much so as to submit resumes and talk to friends about other employment opportunities.  And for the first time in my 27 year life, I've finally gotten a rejection letter, boy those are fun. Oh well I guess I'll keep looking, and asking around. Well I guess that's all for this mini update, until next time.

Started a new blog

To keep work stuff off this blog, or only the occasional story, I have decided to start a new blog.  Hopefully I can update it more frequently.

Check it out My adventures in accidental librarianship.

The ultimate plan for a career change?

Apparently this is my annual rant about whether or not I enjoy what I do for a living.

I am a librarian, and yes that does include all the glitz and glamor that you imagine.  I am a keeper of information, I can find information more efficiently than most.  I also hear many interesting questions and see many interesting things. And I do this all for a very very low price, FREE!  If you are looking to go into librarianship it is a very rewarding profession, you actually can see yourself making a difference in your community and in others.  (Personal opinion: do not become a librarian if you do not like reading, books, or helping others.)  Also do not think you are doing this for huge amounts of money either, it is a job that is low pay and high rewards.  I enjoy what I do, yet I want more.After working in a library for many years many tasks become mundane.

I have had a few talks with people about this, for some reason I'm looked upon as an heir apparent to the so-called throne where I work.  People want me to take over and to leave a lasting legacy.  I'm currently working on leaving a lasting legacy, but not so much to enjoy in my years of employment, but more so as a parting gift for my departure.  It will be my swan song for librarianship, I have put it upon myself to finish a project that has been in the works for years, and yet not much of anything has been done with it.  I truly enjoy what I do, don't mistake this as a talk about how my work sucks, but I need a change, I need to get away, and I think I've found my way to do just that.

Although if I ultimately decide to do what I want it will also be one of the most difficult decisions I'll have to make.  I've become more involved in my community, and in other organizations, I've made lifelong friends, and people that I now consider family.  How will I just be able to uproot and move every few years for a job? The job I'm looking at requires constant travel and moving, I won't be able to plant roots anywhere for long.  Yet I somehow find this idea intriguing, I can see the world and still do good things, and as an added bonus with a much bigger increase in income.  (I'm not doing this for the money, that's a bonus.)  I have spoken to my director about this and this is the first time that even she thinks that I would enjoy that change and fully supports my decision if I make it.  This is from the person who would not accept my resignation, at the time I found that odd, and now I thank her for that.

So now leads the time in life where I have to figure out what I really want to do; do I stay on the course I'm on, or do I decide that a drastic change in my life is necessary?  I've brought this up to a few close friends and the reactions have varied, but ultimately it's my decision to make.  Now I'm left in a state of limbo, and this limbo will last for at least another 2-3 years.  How does one leave a job they love and people he cares for? Can I actually go through with it? With which choice will I have the most impact on others?  Would I be considered a quitter on my community if I left for another opportunity? These are all the questions I'm struggling with already, I can't wait to see what it will be like if/when I actually try to change careers.

I might go out too much, or I need a better memory

So either my reputation precedes me or I have the worst memory of anyone I know.  I see a nice looking lady that I have absolutely no recollection of whatsoever, so I go and try to start a conversation, apparently this is the awkward moment where she knows who I am, we've talked before, and I do not remember a single second of it. At a local drinking establishment a friend wants to introduce me to a blond lady, I say whatever, she comes over he introduces me and she knows me.  How she knows me I'm not sure, but she knows my name, where I went to school and what I do for a living, all things that I do not know about her.  Also I would like to take this opportunity to ask my friends to stop calling me a slut, hell my sister has referred to me as that before and this is just odd.

I'm not sure what I can do about this, when I thought I went out too much I put myself on self-imposed sanctions to stay in more, I broke my own sanctions the same night.  But that was a fun night and well worth breaking my own rules. So I have decided to just keep rolling with the punches and embarrassment of not remembering people, it's what I'm good at. But at least I'm using my own name now.

Life is hectic, but some of that is my own doing.

Ahh the eternal struggle of having fun vs. working, and I need to find the proper balance between the two.  I've become friends with bar owners, which until you hang out with them you don't realize have no sense of time; to them the night starts at about 1-2 in the morning not winds down.  You can't continuously keep doing that when you have a 9-5 job and it not take a toll on you. I have been able to finish everything at work and still do more than I'm asked or should, I help out in my community via festivals, parties, community gardens, help friends with various tasks and what nots, and I still have fun on my own.  But what is this doing to me?

Can I really sleep 4 hours a night and keep going? Can I do this for 13 days in a row (my version of 13 days is so much less dramatic)? I had to take a break recently, not because my body was telling me to but my better sense was. I turned down a pass for free beer at a beer festival and for those that know me, know that is no small task.  I have ignored calls texts and messages after a certain time of day, this is less effective when it is a friend calling.  But what I was doing before really had no toll on my body and I did not suffer any job performance issues and no one even seemed to notice that I was lagging.  So seriously how long can one person go before it all catches up to them.

There are things I want to do, I'm angry that I started sailing so late in the sailing season, but that's only one thing. I've been too busy to pursue a passion of mine in photography and have been to busy with one of the side projects where I screwed up being able to sell certain photos at a store, when I yelled at the owner, oops.  But hopefully it all works out at the end, but right now I'm ending it because the guy in the coffee shop asking his ex why she dumped him is annoying me right now. So that's all for now.

Wow, blogs...are these things still around?

Not going to lie, I have been terribly busy.  The festival, photography, work, and my new hobby sailing.  The festival was one of the most successful festivals in it's thirty year history, this makes all of us feel good.  Even the city feels good about it, hell the city manager has given us a green light for anything we want to try to bring in people/money; so in October we're having a Fall Fest/Oktoberfest.

Photography has taken a backseat recently due to my hectic schedule, but I still have a chance to take some photos.  I've met a new gallery owner and he's interested in my stuff. 

Sailing, my one and only true get away from everything.  My phone stays off, I take no electronics and I get to get away from it all.  It's just the wind that carries you.  I'm not going to lie, the first time I went out I was scared out of my mind.  We went on a windy/gusty day where the boat was nearly sideways most of the time, but I loved it. I've been asked to join the race team, but the festival schedule prevented me from doing this, and there's no way in hell I'll be missing the team next year.  It's just pure unadulterated fun on the boat.  I only wish I could do it more.

Life is good and fun at the moment and I'm still flying high on the success of our festival, wait till next year though we plan on bigger and better.  We put this together in 8 weeks, now we have a year to plan it.  You think we did an awesome job this year??? You won't even believe what you'll see next time. So stay tuned for a good time.

ARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Why can't days be 30 or even 36 hours long? I need more time to do more things and to get more sleep.  Who do I write to about changing this?  Oh well, I know it can't change, damn you science! And yes my rambling continues, but I swear to you I am sane, for now.  Met up with an old friend recently it's fun to catch up, and met up with some good friends too.  Poker run was a smashing success, thank you to everyone who attended.  The festival fundraiser was fun, successful and a great time, again thanks to everyone, but you all totally got your money's worth on this one, and anyone who missed it, too bad but it was one hell of a party.  Now I have to go back to work, one of the 3 that I have right now.  But hey when you're in demand how can you complain?

Long time no update

So I've been really busy lately, between work, traveling for work, photography and planning a festival, and you know trying to have a social life, I don't have much extra time on my hands.  But I'm not going to complain I'm actually enjoying life.  My life is one real big whirlwind right now and I'm not quite sure where it's taking me, but I'm hanging on for the ride.  Not much to complain about other than the occasionally burn out days, I get hit every once in a while, from the lack of sleep, with a day that I'm completely tired and dead to the world.  The only good thing is this allows me to take naps during the day, something I have been completely unable to do for years. 

My incoherent babble on here is probably due to a lack of sleep, but I somehow restarted my workouts at 1am again, I know not the smartest thing, but I need to do it.  I have enjoyed losing weight over the past year and a half, but the major downside is that my pants and belts are too big, and I don't want to go shopping for new stuff.

So the work travel took me to New Orleans for free, and they even put me up in an executive suite at the Hilton, fancy. New Orleans is fun, until you get food poisoning, but I needed a good reason to go back, and dammit I would have come up with a reason anyways.  I'm thinking I might go back in January, maybe.  Also to all the people I have met the past two months, I apologize in advance that I will not remember your name, please do not be offended but I don't really remember anyone's name, and if I do manage to remember your name, you must really be special.  But just because you remember my name don't get mad that I have to ask for yours, I have an odd name that's easily remembered you don't, I meet a lot of people, apparently you don't...so stop whining! Alright enough with the incoherent babble, this was all the free time I had, my break's over, I'm out of coffee and I need to go back to work. Have fun everyone.

I'm just like all the other photographers...

...when we get bored we all take photos of the same things around here.  We call it urban exploration, that is just a nice way of saying we break into abandoned buildings.  It's fun we have to look for cops make a few sweeps around the building to check security and find an entrance point, and then hide bums' weapons.  Yes I did say hide the bums weapons, we only moved the knife under his mattress, we didn't steal it or throw it out, that would have been mean.  Abandoned buildings have the most broken glass you've ever seen, also there's an old high school with the most amount of chemistry labs I have ever seen. Detroit should have been the capital for chemists the way the school was designed.  But back to the broken glass, summers suck for urbex photography, and I normally wear jeans and boots, but wore shorts, and that explains the cut on my leg and arms.  Hopefully all the chemicals from the old chemistry room where it happened have disappeared by now.  I did learn to go with a friend and another photographer, and damn is photography a cut throat business, we don't share secrets or photo spots, and we hate it when others try and take the same photos we have, but the payoff of it is fantastic.  I'm actually happy that I got into photography, now back to the other side of photography the selling portion, and the most important part I learned is to stop caring about trying to sell photos and just take pictures of stuff I like.  Hell it's what got me to where people want photos, and dammit it is what I'm going to keep doing.

I'm still here and doing great!

Not much really to say just updating for the sake of updating and letting the few of you that read this something new.  So I've been having a fantastic time recently and you know what, that's not going to change anytime soon, maybe around sometime later (some of you know what that means).  I've been working my ass off but it has been fun and rewarding, I've been taking some pretty cool shots, and I'm even volunteering to help run a festival.  Damn I'm not going to have much time this summer, and I'm going to New Orleans for free in July, damn how cool is that?

Just to keep this idiotic thought train going, I totally cannot party like a rockstar for long anymore, 2 nights in a row staying out till 3AM is not much fun unless you keep it going, no rest for the wicked.  If you decide to try and make it up you get screwed.  Well that's all for now, and remember go out and have fun!  Hit me up if you want to have a fun time out here, I can take you to a lot of places.

Come together right now

About time things finally started to come together.  So this whole photo thing is finally taking off, finally.  Selling photos, working on an exhibit, and there's a store/gallery that wants to put my stuff up and sell them.  Good for me, now comes my biggest headache: pricing.  There are 3 different pricing schemes: friends, strangers, and galleries. The cheapest is for friends, I barely make anything from this, for strangers I make a decent profit, for galleries you get ripped off, but they take a decent cut out of every sale so photos need to cost more.  I'm almost at 32,000 views on Flickr and I'm getting more and more complements for my photos, now who's got an upcoming event that isn't really important and wants photos taken?  I need more work with objects that run away or move.  But I'm feeling good about this. Now to keep trying to figure out pricing.  Well enough of that time to go watch mindless explosions and go see Iron Man 2.

Everyone come and drink with me!

I'm writing this on the Wi-fi I intalled at the bar (Go me!). It's been a while since I've posted and I've had a few shots and beers but WTF! I'm saying that to the what the hell is going on? I've ran into 4 previous (can't say exes) in a 4 day span.  Is there some sort of I hate Konrad support group that I'm not aware of, and if there is can you give me a warning so I can avoid all of you.  Seriously there was one where I was out taking photos for a paper and was like shit, but I'm still friends with your best friend and we talk.  Well I handled that as well as anyone could I asked and I quote "would you like your photo taken?" your friend laughed you looked like you wanted to kill me.  I remember this stare from the last time we talked, and damn you you've somehow improved it.  Oh well please come visit me at Donovan's Pub.

To post or not to post that is the question these days...

I've been having more fun and taking this photography thing slightly more seriously than before, now that has led to the problem of me having pictures that I'm not sure what to do with.  I do enjoy going out as many of you know and most of these places serve alcohol, and seeing that I almost always have a camera around I do manage to get some interesting photos.  Which leads me to the conundrum that the title of this posts asks, do I publish these photos or do I sit here laughing at them?

Ahh pre-social networking days you just showed these photos to your friends, or at parties and go look how stupid so and so was or how drunk he/she was, now within 5 minutes everyone can find out about your idiotic dance moves, or what new and inventive way you've come up to hurt yourself.  Speaking with other photogs I've learned that almost everyone likes the camera guy and yes it does make it easier to approach certain ladies, albeit these ladies are usually attention whores who you would never bother to call back.  But seriously what is one to do with such photos, do you go up to the people and go look hahaha we were so funny and stupid, now can I post these for the world to see? I shall sit here lamenting with my choices and at the same time be thankful that I am the one behind the camera and not in front of it.

I need to refocus my attention

I now see why so many people don't do exhibits, or at least people with my attention span don't do them.  I love taking pictures and I love seeing how they come out, and am beginning to like the post production parts of it too.  My main problem is I want to keep going out to take more pictures of different things and not work on actually getting my photos ready for an exhibit.  I've actually agreed to an exhibit at a library, but I haven't actually taken the time to sit down and go through my photos and decide what I want shown.  I keep going out and taking more photos of new things, and this is complicating the process.  I love taking photos of urban decay and of Detroit in general, but then there's my nature shots that are pretty good too and seem to go over real well. 

Hmmm what to do, what to do? Do I keep postponing my exhibit, like I've been doing for months? Do I actually sit down and decide what the hell I have to do, or do I cop out and do a contrast of urban living in Detroit, and the serene peaceful nature of northern Michigan.  The beauty of destruction vs. the beauty of nature.  Well I'll figure something out and let everyone know, but most likely I'll cop out and do a split exhibit of my work, it's my show and I can do what I want!

Urban exploration is interesting

I found out this weekend that from now on I should not do it alone.  Walking around the abandoned Packard plant in Detroit, I got a nice little surprise turning the corner into a vacated office space and I that nice little surprise is a big homeless guy in a hoodie.  And when I say surprise I mean I was scared shitless, said I'm sorry and got the f*ck out of that building, the only good thing was the guy was as scared as I was when he saw me.  I really don't want to be another story on the local news so I just might find someone who will go exploring with me, hell a few people even offered to go and now I'll give them a call.

In other news a damn facebook note has gotten way too much recognition and been shared about 1000 times too many.  I cannot take credit for writing the note but that still hasn't stopped me from getting friend requests and messages in my inbox.  To the right wing nut jobs thanks for asking me if I have no balls because I follow government laws.  Also because I went to a catholic school it does not mean that you and I should be friends or that I share the same values as you do, and if I support the health care reform legislation it does not mean that I believe in a lawless government as you suggested.  Now to the left wingers, seriously stop telling me you are like me, stop telling me because we are in the same profession we should be friends, and stop sharing that damn note!

My banter about myself again

St. Patty's Day weekend in Detroit is always fun, first it starts on Sunday for the St. Patty's Day Parade and absolute insanity in Corktown; and yes I do mean absolute insanity.  It was a fun time with some fun people and I took a few good photos.  The place was packed with people, maybe not so much along the parade route but definitely in the bars, at Nemo's you could not move unless of course you just pushed your way through and everyone else just started to follow you.

But here are some of the highlights of the parade:



















and the one I call "Help me Obi-wan Kenobi you're our only...holy hell what happened to you?"


After the parade I ended up at a friends bar and late night we decided to go venturing out and see the abandoned beauty of Detroit, first to an old mechanic shop and then up the 14 stories of Michigan Central Station.  That was an interesting trip I was told to do it without a flashlight at night, then to only use the flashlight when absolutely necessary.  This might explain why someone needed stitches but never got them.  I slipped on the roof over the grand hall and that explains the bruised knee in the morning and scraped elbow, it took a second to figure out where the blood on my jeans and coat came from but I was ok, so it was my friend's blood.

And then on Wed. St. Patrick's Day, had breakfast and then spent too much money at the Old Shillelagh in Detroit, then had lunch at the Detroit Beer Co.  Some friends went to take a nap and I headed back to Donovan's Pub for  a few more and to hang out with some interesting people.  I learned that Howard's nickname is Mandingo...I will end the story there.  Then up to meet up with some more friends for a night cap and TOTS!!!!

In other news I got published in the Metro Times for my photo "Before the North wall Fell." Here is a link to the article: Metro Times
and here's a link to the photo:


Well that's all I'm going to say for now, I do have other stories but some just aren't meant to be told on here.

Blowout was awesome

I somehow survived this year's onslaught known as the blowout. Yes I did close out the bars every night, even though I worked 2 out of the 3 mornings of the blowout. It was an interesting series of events. The music was actually pretty good, hey I will blame the sound at the Gates for that one band, and then there was the unexpected, odd, holy hell am I doing drugs band known as Spaceband, imagine some 50-60 year olds who more than likely still live in their parents' basements wearing painters jumpsuits, beehive suits, a 1960s McDonald's uniform with werewolf mask, some sort of horned creature drummer and a wizard robe wearing triceratops mask lead singer, who also plays a mean fisher price saxophone. Best part of that band was that they actually sounded decent.

Then came work on Saturday morning, and holy hell I felt fine, to the annoyance of some and a surprise to others to see as they put it my "chipper mood." Story time had one of the funniest moments I've experienced in quite some time when the seven year old was asked what he wanted to wish for for his birthday and he said "I want to win the lottery," priceless!

Saturday after work I said I would take a nap, nope didn't happen and this was the last night of the blowout time to go full speed party mode on. Note to everyone if you challenge me in almost anything I will take the challenge no matter how stupid it may sound. If you challenge me to a beer drinking race I will finish my PBR in under 10 seconds (also this is a new challenge for the Olympics Bar Crawl, beer chugging) yes it will make my eyes water but I shall not lose a challenge. One problem I've noticed about knowing people at a bar before your friends show up is you can be 7-9 beers in before your group actually shows up, no more stopping by early for one drink for me. This also was the case on Monday when I stopped by for one drink at a Mexicantown bar and within 20 minutes had 2 people buy me another beer, it would have been three but this time I actually had the time to say no. Back to Blowout, apparently I also like to carry around and try to move signs.

But this is leading up to one of the best and most interesting parts of the Blowout, the unknown Detroit Marching band, which were awesome.

And yes she did play with the beer can on the drum.

Their next appearance is supposedly crashing the St. Patty's Day parade, I will be bringing my real camera to that one.

The night ended with some craziness at the Whiskey but not before some chair moving hi jinks to park at the Gates, thank you for driving Kasia.  So who's up for next year?

The last post needs some explanation

So the search warrant was at work not for me, some sheriff's deputies came to get some information on a patron and I said we can't and won't give anything without a search warrant. I told them they can make a request for information but it won't necessarily be honored, so two days later they came back with a court ordered search warrant. Lovely. I get to deal with two deputies about technology who have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, so I have to dumb everything down and explain how things on computers work. The other tech was trying to do the same thing to them but alas if a person does not understand technology you cannot really explain it to them in a few minutes.

In other news I'm hopefully going to get published in the Metro Times. I sent some photos in and the Arts & Culture editor wants to use mine along with some other photographers photos in an upcoming issue. HELL YEAH! Now if only I could figure out a way of making some steady income from this photography thing it would be even better. I have a friend who's helping me meet and talk with different photographers so recently I have met a Free Press photographer, a really cool combat photographer who got back to the states not too long ago, and a bunch of local photographers. By the way Detroit has many interesting/weird things to photograph with our art crowd here, and once you get to know them you keep getting invited to weirder and weirder things. I love this city.

Also so much to look forward to the Blowout, the Muse Concert, St. Patty's Parade in Corktown, St. Patty's day all over metro Detroit and after all that hopefully some sleep, rest and relaxation...but who am I kidding, I won't get any of the latter.

Recap of the past few days.

Paczki Day, horrible start great ending. I almost die in the morning in a nice accident on the highway to getting a few drinks and having fun in the afternoon into night. Unless you have experienced paczki day in Hamtramck you have nothing to talk about. So the almost dying part means spinning out on the highway and hitting the wall, thanks MI roads and your lack of salting!

So well that's not how the week started, on Monday it was a great day off from work to celebrating a friend's birthday at his bar. (how my liver is going to survive the rest of the week is beyond me) But his party was fun, and I can't remember a single time where I had an empty drink, great service from great staff having a great time with some truly fantastic people. So get home about 2:30, up by 6 to go start the paczki delivery system, after the second to last stop is where I had my adventure. But enough of that Paczki Day was fun as always and I swear I was sober the entire day ;-), I swear! The video of me dancing is of me sober, I dance like a drunk white guy when sober too so you have no basis in your argument.

I have to get up early the next day for an appointment with a doctor, but the joy is I get to sleep in on Thursday morning, and that's when the phone rang early. FML! I cannot blame my friend but today was not the day I wanted to go on a pre-dawn photo shoot, any other week I would love to go, but all it means is that I got an early start to the day and am completely running on fumes right now. But there is still a few days left in this week, and even though I almost broke my finger at work today, I really do want to see what else can happen this week.

Have fun everyone, remember life is short live without regrets.

Anger is my motivation

To the guy who looked at my photos a few months ago and told me in not so many words they sucked F*CK You, and thank you. It was you who made me go out and hone my "skills," it was you who led me to go take pictures of anything and everything. It was your stupid little words that were in the back of my head every time I took a photo. I realized I needed to improve and your damn "talk" did it for me. Failure is not an option for me, and because of who I am I will make damn sure to prove you wrong if you tell me I can't do something. I will do everything humanly possible to prove you wrong if you tell me I will fail. There is no real reason for this post other than to vent and remember me going through my photos with a prick who told me I'll never get anywhere with my photography. Now I have two offers for exhibits an invitation to join an art collective and having a hell of a time doing what I'm doing. So to you good sir who said I would fail thank you for the motivation I needed to prove you wrong.