Photos From The Weekend

Here are a few photos from this past weekend.

September To Remember

September is drawing to a close.

I am noticing a trend, weekends start fast and end even faster. I wait all week long for friday but as soon as it gets here, I blink and it's monday.

This past weekend was very relaxing. Friday night was simple, as it should always be.
Saturday, was of course, filled with couch time watching my favorite teams hit the grid iron. Tennessee lost again, but I still wear my hat with pride. Once a Vols fan, always a Vols fan. I made it to bed saturday night by 9pm. Believe it or not, I was actually happy to get to bed early. Sunday I woke up and cleaned the house a bit. My good friend Taylor Jones came and stayed the evening with me. He brought me all sorts of new camera equipment that he is no longer using. So, in order to pay him back I made him agree that he would let me buy his dinner. We also met up with another local photographer to chat about things and pretty much hang out. Pictures to come soon.
This morning came quickly. Woke up at 5:30 and headed to the Cracker Barrel. Mmmmmhmmm there is nothing like a good Southern breakfast to start the day. Taylor has an all day shoot with a band and then he is heading back to Birmingham, I have class today and then I am heading to the climbing gym with a few people. School this week is going to go by quickly but I have a feeling the professors are going to pack on assignments for us to complete over our Fall Break next week.
Speaking of which, I am taking Mike down to the coast for some fun in the sun. Hopefully we will get out on the boat for some off-shore fishing, which so happens to be my favorite part about going to the beach.

Oh, well I must be off to my classes.
I hope everyone enjoys their monday!

-Joel

Great Weekend 2.0

Saturday morning started out at 4:30 am wake up for me. See, as the pilot of the weekend, it was my duty to make sure that my passengers arrived at the destination in a safe and timely fashion. With these boundaries set, I knew my mission and took it very seriously. So, after showering and getting my things packed, at 5 am I woke up Dan (who slept on the couch) and Mike and threw them and their stuff in the car and headed on down the road. I will from now on refer to them as "the boys". The boys slept 90% of the 5 hour ride, but rest assure that I woke them up with Lynyrd Skynyrd's infamous Sweet Home Alabama as soon as we crossed the Tennessee-Alabama state line.

My good buddy Will Pierce and his brother were gracious enough to let the three amigos crash at their place for the night in Auburn, and I must say that the accommodations were much to our enjoyment. The boys showered up and before we knew it, 11:30 am and we were starting our tailgate under the blue skies of the plains. Will works for a school company and they were very generous and let us join the festivities with them. The boys and I soon realized we were in among good company. Of course I received a few comments on accounts of me wearing a Tennessee Volunteer hat, but I have to support my football team through thick and thin and they eased up after a bit and we all got a good laugh. Burgers, dogs, and potato chips were plentiful and the scenery was fantastic. Will did a great job on the grill, though the smell made me realize that I did miss my brother's cooking genius. After food and great company, Will gave the boys a campus tour with all the famous stops along the way. We found ourselves seeing sights that make Auburn and the South very unique... I'm sure you can all guess the types of stuff we saw. Jean shorts, cut-off tee's, mullets, you name a southern stereotype and it was probably found. But this isn't something we take offense to. No, we embraced it all and the boys loved it.

After walking around for a few hours in the sun, hearing music with fans dancing their shoes off, and receiving some more BBQ at a high school friend's house, it was game time! The crowds tailgaters erupted with Auburn fight songs and echoes from the stadium grew even louder. This was a big game. Perhaps SEC football at it's finest. Auburn facing LSU. It was a grudge match for the most part but in the end the LSU Tigers had defeated Auburn. At tailgate spot, we tried to keep the mood high and optimistic, but as the occasional fan passed by we could tell by the look on faces that we should probably just pack up and not think about the loss.

Now, I had to call it an early night because I had a severe headache stemming from the sinus infection I have had. The mixture of hot sun, 4:30 am wake-up call, and sinus troubles makes for a volatile cocktail for an early night for Joel. But, I got some much needed sleep and the boys enjoyed the rest of their night. In the morning, of course, I woke before everyone and tried to make myself useful by going to the grocery store and restocking the Pierce Brothers' fridge. I also bought donuts for the boys so they could munch on something when they finally got up. The boys arose and the donuts were a success, we packed our stuff and headed off to eat lunch somewhere unique to Auburn. Momma Goldburgs was a home run in my book. We enjoyed the food and company and stopped by Eric Love's new house to visit some good buddies before heading to Birmingham.

Mike was now seated co-pilot along side me while Dan snoozed in the back seat. Mike read short stories that he found on the internet via phone. It made the two hour car ride to Birmingham fly by. With parents at the door to welcome with open arms and Molly(the dog) present to bark as usual, I felt proud to have my friends come to see where I come from. It was a real treat to all sit around and gab a bit. Mom, the candles were a nice touch :-) . Molly became accustomed to her new visitors and also loved the company who bestowed upon her castle.

Hitting the road again, Mike continued the stories one after the other. This time Dan did not sleep because he too was soaked in. Before we knew it, three hours later we were pulling in to the parking lot of the 205 (if you did not know, we call our apartment the "205" simply because there is a giant 205 written on the side of the building). We unloaded the car and went our separate ways.
Dan- home to do laundry
Mike- off to an important meeting he was 5 minutes late for already (it's ok... he knew he was going to be late)
Me- dove into my art history book to study for a test

All in all, after all the chips were counted, our weekend was great and will not soon be forgotten. The boys made memories, met knew people and became a bit more cultured on the South. Very successful weekend in my opinion. I wouldn't change a thing about it! (except having a head cold the entire time, but I won't complain!)

Here are a few pictures from it.... Now I must be getting off to class!

At The Brink

Just as soon as I thought I was getting things school wise finished up before their deadlines, I start feeling on the sick side. I am not one to complain very much, in fact it is a rare sight, but with all of the pressures of test, deadlines, and projects I have going on, getting sick is the last thing I could possibly need. I am, however, proud of myself for completing a paper on postmodernism art and getting 90% of my photography prints completed before monday of next week. That was a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. Seems as though prayers are getting answered.

This weekend I am hitting the road to the Auburn vs. LSU football game and taking Mike, my right hand man, and who so happens to be my roommate, and Dan, who is the best guy I know from the West Coast of California. We have each selected music to occupy our 5 hour road trip in my car. And, just in time, today Mike purchased a new HD video camcorder so that we can document our travels and all the adventures we go on! I am excited for what's in store in the next few years.

I am putting much consideration into my future. I am starting to explore the idea of getting my Masters in Photography. This semester I am trying to think outside the box on many facets of the conventional ways I go about creating things. I won't go into much detail about this at all, but hear you me, my mind is going non-stop with ideas these days.

Here is what the rest of my night is going to consist of:
-clean my room/bathroom
-pop in a good movie
-sleep and pray I wake up feeling better in the morning

I hope everyone is realizing that Fall is just around the corner! My favorite time of the year!

-Joel

Tennessee, USA

Well, I decided today to go out to the country where the fresh air can fill my lungs and people give friendly hellos as you pass by. I took along my friend Dan, who is from California, and I showed him that life in Tennessee is mighty fine. He really enjoyed our adventure today. I also got to shoot a few rolls of film for my photo class. Today has been a good day. I wish everyone the best!

Busy

Hello everyone!

I have started to settle in to a routine, finally. I get up early each morning and I try to get to bed each night at a reasonable hour. I have a few photo projects that I am working on and I am excited to show people! So, be on the look out in the next month or two for some of my latest work.

best wishes,
Joel

Been A While

Hey everyone,

I know that it has been quite a while since I last updated you on my life. Rest assured, I will be back soon to writing down my life a few days at a time. I have been in a whirlwind of "getting back in the groove" of classes, classwork and working at my job. I really haven't had much of a set schedule lately. Like, for instance, this morning I woke up at 4 AM to work on a photography assignment detailing the feeling of emptiness a city can give you. This is a project that I will be working on for a few months and will outline a body of work for my photography class this semester. That gives you just a taste of how my schedule is going. Oh, yeah, and taking upper level art theory classes isn't cooling down my cup of coffee one bit. I am being challenged this semester from many different angles and I must say that I am ready for the long haul. Oh well, here it is almost 7 AM and I am off to the photo lab darkroom!


I stumbled across this yesterday. I wanted to share:
"Humble Hearts have humble desires" - George Herbert

Another taste of Ireland