Yeah, I know I haven't been here a while. Been a whore for Facebook lately. But, you can't just type away your thoughts on FB on and on. So, here I am.

As a friend said the other day, I am soooo in "Say Anything" mode. Luckily for the person in question, I don't own a boom box...lol While it is a bit wonderful to feel that way, I do not know how the other person feels, and I am not sure she even knows how she feels. That's perfectly fine, given the circumstances. The best thing to do is to keep living life and what happens will happen.

My work is my own. I don't shoot it for anyone else. I am just a pervert who happens to be great at capturing moments in time of beautiful women. I have lost love because of it int he past, but, with the help of my friends, I have worked through that and survived. I have also spent time with some amazing people who nurtured my work over the years, and I thank you all dearly for that.

Usually no one person or event has caused me to create an image. I see a woman who has attributes I like, and I ask them if I can photograph them. My shoots are never really planned out. They or I supply the stockings, I pick a spot to shoot in, and I let them be themselves. I do have ideas for shoots, but I never say person x has to be in picture y. this past Thursday night, that all changed while talking to my friend, Ed, about how he uses music to work through things, I sometimes use images.

The above mentioned recent event caused an image to form in my brain. To make things weirder, I hardly ever title my photographs, let alone have a title in mind before it's shot. The word "neglected" was attached to this image in my mind. I felt that was too negative, and besides, I don't feel neglected at all. Maybe I feel the items in the images are being neglected. But, that's neither here nor there. A minute or two later, I remembered what a person recently called me, and that I think fits this image beautifully.

I had joked that I was going to revamp my self-portrait when I turn 40, as the one you all know and love was made when I was 30ish. Well, it's a year early. If you don't want to see my naked butt, don't open the link :-P ( Read more... )

TEST PRINT SALE!!!

I have a box of prints that need homes! In return, I will be using the money to go
to Montreal to show work at the Fetish Weekend there in September. Each print is
8x10 inches and was hand printed by me. Some are imperfect, but you would probably
never notice it.

Hang some lovely art on your walls and help an artist get his name out there at
the same time. $10 per print (discounts for quantity), plus $4.95 for priority
shipping in the US. Contact me for sales outside of the US.

Quantity

1 Print of your choice $10.00 3 Prints of your choice $25.00 6 Prints of your choice $50.00

Description of prints

It seems I have neglected LJ for a full month. That facebook snatched my attention with her fancy stockings. But now she's wearing the every day panties and I am loosing interest...lol

Life has been a bit strange, and just might get a bit stranger, but I am kinda liking the strange. I actually feel like the Jim I was years ago is finally showing his head. Let's hope it last this time...

I am helping a friend offload some books. I figured I would try here first. The prices next to them are what is on the book, not what we are asking for. Make an offer ;-)

Programming and hacker books

Advances SOAP for Web Development by Dan Livingston – 39.99
Sams Teach Yourself GTK+ Programming in 21 Days –39.99
Learning GNU Emacs by Debra Cameron, Bill Rosenblatt and Eric Raymond (includes desktop reference) - $34.95
SSL and TLS Essentials, Securing the Web by Stephen Thomas (includes reference CD) - $34.99
The Art of Deception by Kevin D. Mitnick, hardcover - $27.50
Code Complete, A Practical Handbook of Software Construction by Steven McConnell - $35.00
Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck - $29.95
Hack Proofing your Network by Ryan Russell and Stace Cunningham - $49.95
Professional C# 2nd Edition published by Wrox - $59.95
Writing Secure Code by Michael Howard and David LeBlanc - $39.95
Python, Programming on Win32 by Marc Hammond and Andy Robinson - $35.95
Dive into Python by Marc Pilgrim – $39.95
Python Cookbook by Alex Martelli, Anna Martelli Ravenscroft and David Ascher - $49.95
Flash MX for Dummies by Gurdy Leete and Ellen Finklstein (includes CD) - $24.99
XML for Dummies by Ed Tittel, Norbert Mikula and Ramesh Chandak (includes CD) - $29.95
Practical Java by Peter Haggar - $32.95
Secrets and Lies, Digital Security in a Networked World by Bruce Schneier - $29.99
Java Black Book by Steven Holzner (includes CD) - $49.95
Java Security (Java 1.2) by Scott Oaks - $32.95
Java 1.2 Developer’s Handbook by Philip Heller and Simon Roberts, hardcover (includes CD) - $87.95
Perl 5 Desktop Reference by Johan Vromans - $9.95

Misc

River Out of Eden, A Darwinian View of Life by Richard Dawkins - $13.00
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins - $13.00
Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins, hardcover - $25.00
Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear, hardcover - $24.00
The Zenith Angle by Bruce Sterling, hardcover – 24.95
Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland –
Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland, hardcover - $24.29
The Invisible Enemy, A Natural History of Viruses by Dorothy H. Crawford, hardcover - $25.00
100 Questions Every First Homebuyer Should Ask by Ilyce R. Glink, 2nd Edition - $18.00
Don’t Shoot the Dog, The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor, revised edition - $15.00
The Millennium Champagne & Sparkling Wine Guide by Tom Stevenson – $29.95
The Begginer’s Handbook of Electronics by George H. Olson, revised by Forrest M. Mims 3rd-
More Climbing Anchors by John Long and Bob Gaines - $10.95
Wine for Dummies by Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan - $16.99
Old English Sheepdogs by Beverly Pisano, hardcover - $4.00
Historical Atlas of the World by Rand McNally 1994 - $8.95
The Tea Book by Sara Perry - $25.00
Polaroids from the Dead by Douglas Coupland - $17.00


Games and Gambling

Basic Chess Openings by Gabor Kallai - $32.00
Seven Card Stud for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth and Ray Zee - $29.95
Fundamentals of Craps by Mason Malmuth and Linne Loomis - $5.95
Fundamentals of Video Poker by Mason Malmuth and Lynne Loomis - $5.95
High-Low-Split Poker, Seven-Card Stud and Omaha Eight-or-better for Advanced Players by Ray Zee - $34.95
Poker Wisdom of a Champion by Doyle Brunson (formerly titled According to Doyle) - $14.95
Ace on the River, An Advanced Poker Guide by Barry Greenstein - $25.00
Outplaying the Boys by Cat Hulbert – $12.95
In The Money, Strategies for winning Texas Hold ‘Em Cash Games by Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari - $15.95
Making the Final Table, No Limits Texas Hold ‘Em Winning Strategies for Surviving and Thriving by Erick Lindgren - $15.95
Poker Essays by Mason Malmuth - $24.95
Amarillo Slim in a World of Fat People, The Memoirs of the Greatest Gambler Who Ever Lived - $13.95
Tales from the Tiltboys by the Tiltboys - $19.95
Chess, 5334 problems, combinations and games by Laszlo Polgar, hardcover - $49.95
The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King, Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time by Michael Craig, hardcover - $24.95

I was told last week things were still being thought over at Graytone. I guess they came to a decision as I was just called and asked if I could go for training on the new machine somewhere on the east coast March 23-27. I guess I got the job? I wonder if I am going to be paid that week? Looks like it is in Andover, MA, which looks to be in the middle of nowhere. And I thought Boise was bad. Anyone know anything about that area?

"We regret to inform you that your work was not selected for this year's Juried Exhibition."

Like I said a week or two ago, erotica ain't what it used to be.

Please let it be a General Discharge.

So, here is a woman who, back in 2002, probably thought she was being patriotic and signed up for the Army, but most likely was interested in the free training and bonuses being paid. Now, if you actually read the CONTRACT you sign for any of the services, it states you have to do a minimum of eight years. That's right, eight years. No exceptions. Now, what happens is this, if you sign up for three years active duty, then you have to do five years inactive ready reserves. If you sign up for five years active, then you only have to three years IRR. EVERYONE who signs that CONTRACT has that obligation. Yes, some recruiters are only worried about their numbers, so they will tell you anything. It is YOUR responsibility to READ the CONTRACT YOU ARE SIGNING. My recruiter wasn't quite truthful about most of the things he told me, but he did tell me I was doing a total of eight and how that worked.

Now, during that time on IRR status, you CAN be called back into service at ANYTIME, even on the very last day. it's right there in the CONTRACT you SIGN with the government. I had a year of delayed entry program, five years active duty, and then two years of IRR. Yes, the delayed entry program actually counts towards time in service. While I left active duty on January 11, 1994, I did not leave the Navy until January of 1996, and retained a (then) pink reserve duty card, which, I am sure, this woman had, as well.

If you read the article, she states that someone told her that no one ever gets called back from IRR. I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn, too. Yes, before the Gulf War, that was true. But even after 9/11, people on IRR were being called back. It was in the news! Don't tell me you thought that after 9/11, and with the Army having huge problems keeping their numbers at sustainable levels and the US invading or talking about invading all those countries that you actually believed you might not be called back?!

And this is the problem with an all volunteer force. People think they are only doing two or three years to get money from the government for training and all these bonuses now, and not reading the actual contract they are signing. Instead of asking exactly what it is they are signing, they are asking where their bonus check is. If we had conscripted service, the numbers would be fine, especially with all these 5 and 6 children families. No bonuses given, saving billions of tax payer dollars that could be spent on things like armor to protect those troops. Well, I guess if you are too stupid to read your contract, then maybe we shouldn't protect you. It may just help bring the IQ level in this country back up. Or, even better, maybe instead of conscripted service, we should offer these people the choice of proper armor or the bonus. If they choose the bonus, then they better not bitch about the lightly armored vehicles they have to drive.

While I am happy that I can have an extra five points for being a veteran on most government job placement exams/applications, I would happily give it up for a country full of people who actually respected one another, respected people in other countries, and took responsibility for their actions. I know, I know. Many of you will argue that in countries where conscripted service is already in place, they do not necessarily respect people in other countries, or even of other religions, but that is a religion issue and we won't even get started with that. The French hate Americans almost as much as most Americans hate the French. But, I drove across northern France on my own as we invaded Iraq and had no problems. Why? Because I knew I was in their country. I learned a little of their language and didn't make an ass out of myself. People will be more open if you try to be more open. And yes, I did learn that in the Navy. No matter what service you choose, you are going to have to learn to deal with people from all over the US and from various backgrounds. And once yuo see how fucked up some of the people in your own country are, the people in other countries don't seem so different.

Things sound good, but I won't know until Monday or Tuesday. The original owners sold the business to another lab, so things are a bit different since I lat worked there. I'll be reinstated at my previous pay, and then a $1/hr raise after 90 days. Medical is paid by the company, and it is employee owned, meaning we get a bonus at the end of the year based on a percentage of the profits. If they get the newer machine, I'll have to go to Boise for two weeks again. I think the other choice is New Hampshire, but I don't remember. They can only offer me about 30-35 hrs a week, but since I know all the other equipment there, there is potential for making up hours in other departments. Either way, it is better than nothing and I can still help out the friends who offered to help me out. In times like this, you do what ya gotta do.

I have been a bit stressed out lately with the whole money situation. I got my last state check Monday, and it wasn't a full check. I put the application in for the federal extension and just have to wait and see what happens.

Usually, nothing good happens until things are almost at the breaking point. I've gotten so many "we're sorry, but we are going with another applicant" type letters that I could wallpaper my bathroom. I still have not heard anything back from this Rite Aid thing even though I have been on top of the job recruiters and even sent a resume directly to Rite Aid.

I was trying to decide whether to go out last night for Hell. I decided to hang some work and try to have some fun. I budgeted $40 for the night and just wanted to get out of the house. I am glad I did. Not only did I know I would be a clearer in the head for thinking about something other than getting a job, but I got a lead on helping out a friend with flexible hours who is willing to pay my off the books to be her assistant when she gets back in two weeks. Then, this morning, I get a call from Graytone, who I worked for before AAA. They are looking to get a better press and want me to come in and discuss working for them again. I've already been through the basic training program, but I might have to go through the class for this new machine if it is much different than the one they have now. The main reason I left there was lack of work. I was averaging 32 hrs a week an not making all my bills. If they can offer what I was making before and guarantee me 40 hrs a week, I think I might have a job Monday 8-) I am going over at 1:30 to discuss it. See, Hell isn't such a bad thing...LOL