The almost enormous mistake.

Which, even though it is not the best portmanteau I've come up with, I want to call it a 'megastake'... you know, a really big mistake. It was simple oversight to be sure. Something anybody could have done. But it would have been quite disastrous for me if it was not fixed through the caring efforts of my parents as it had been. Simply put, don't leave your main tool of work operation behind... ever... that is all.

Oh, the illness abides.

But it's mostly just all kinds of coughy more than anything. That lingering itch that doesn't really produce anything positive most of the time. It's alright, though. I have a great deal of increased patience for this kind of thing now since I am not usually accustomed to it and this one came so close to my most recent one... so I guess that's good. Ha. I just look forward to normalcy once again... some day... hopefully soonish.

People dyin' all over the place!

And even though we found out today it was actually closer to two weeks ago that my friend Larry Huffines passed away. I call him a friend because he was friendly to me and my family but I didn't really know him all that well. He started as a regular customer when I worked at the camera shop and eventually came to be an occasional visit until his passing. He was in his early to mid-nineties and had lived a very full, very interesting life. I am sad I didn't say goodbye when I intended to... yet another lesson that every person in your life is only there for sure when you see them.

Rest in peace, Larry, old friend. Your legacy will live on in your memory.

Feverish and fanatical.

I guess I came upon another piece of illness that has hit me pretty hard these last couple days. I am quite unused to getting even a little sick more than once in a year but I know I'm not impervious. Luckily, it has not been very oppressive. I just have to move a bit slower and have a bit more sensitivity to light... and the aches... can't forget the aches. But I can't complain. I'm just glad I can still do the things that need doing!

A long day of mostly travel.

Though, this time it was pretty much all in a car. And it rained pretty intensely about half the time. It was still beautiful weather the other half of the time, though, so that was pretty cool. I have a ton of work to do this weekend so I will be in full-production mode for the foreseeable future. Hopefully this minor illness(that I am now mentioning for the first time) will pass quickly.

Travel back to reality.

Which is not such a bad reality, really. Life is good for the most part. And I look forward to all the good things that are happening or are on the horizon. Sure, there's all the pesky trials and stuff but that's really the best part about it all once you get past/through them. Like running through an airport to catch another plane... though, that's actually fun when you're doing it, too... so that is probably a bad example. Ha.

Wrapping up with a bow on top.

I am quite impressed how clean the main living area became. The emotional weight that must have been lifted from her would be tremendous! Everything just seemed lighter. I think all the support of the family and our crew really made a positive impact, despite the many exceptional bumps along the way.

Just trying to do the right thing.

And it feels like I succeed in many ways. There are times when I seem to fall miserably short of that goal... but I know the effort is still important. Lately, I am feeling quite lucky to be a part of all that I am. It is a privilege and an honor to be a part of the work I currently am.

Beautiful weather.

It actually makes for a much better day, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically. There's likely a fairly deep reason why it becomes the topic of small talk so often, despite the almost rote frequency and often blasé engagement in said topic. It moves us... in ways we often don't realize. And I am thankful what it has done for me today.

Life lingers on.

Of that which remains.
Shambling and un-spun.
Back-falls and gains.
Silence is silver.
The still-breaking heart.
Flinching forever.
Un-further from start.
Broadly it spans.
Encompassed embrace.
Gifted to know him.
The laughter-loved face.

The passing of a cherished friend.

I learned the sad news today that a good, long-time friend, Brad Senatore, had passed away in an unfortunate accident at the beach a couple days ago. I had not been very closely connected to him over the last decade or so but am still deeply moved by this news.

Brad was one of the great people I have met in my life. He was a fiercely unique, incomparably loyal, and deeply loving individual whose example encouraged me to truly become a better person. His memory has never been, nor will ever be, tarnished with age as I sincerely feel the weight of his passing as if we had only seen each other yesterday. I am grateful to have known such a great person and sad for the world's loss as his influence will sorely be missed.

It is easy to relax into flowery statements of grandeur and compliment when referencing those who have passed before us... my statements, however, are not made lightly or inauthentically in any way. If my tears could be properly rendered in my typed word here they would certainly reflect the truth of my statements.

Rest in peace, my brother, Brad Senatore. May your reunion with your earthly father, long passed before you, be a glorious one.

The calm before the hoard.

It was a nice day of travel followed by a nice, relaxing dinner. The crew is pleasant and ready and looks to be as top notch as it comes. The weather even looks to be mostly pleasant which is somewhat of a nice change up. The simple statement that I really enjoy my job would definitely fall very short of expressing what I actually experience while doing it.

Ready to roll out.

And the new shoot comes just fast enough... a mix of patience and anticipation holding the reigns this time. It should be a grand experience, as they all have been, and I look forward to seeing how things will be different. And seeing a new place is always cool.

Ramping up for production.

It is always exciting to get things ready for the shoot. All the little details and ideas that accumulate for the big day tend to get caught in the imagination with higher and higher frequency. This all makes sense since it is one of my greater life passions... but it also comes due to its relative newness in my life. I've only really been doing this sort of thing for a couple or so years in this sort of professional-style way. And, despite it being more work than play, I still find it incredibly fun! Boom!

Table tennis is a real thing.

And even though I haven't played much of it for the better part of this last decade(very sadly, I might add) I am still quite sure it is one of the best sports out there. The mental, emotional, and physical workout I am able to enjoy through its awesomeness is basically incomparable. Plus, my body does not feel like I was the victim in a vehicular man-slaughter attempt... so that's nice. Ya... I just need to play table tennis FAR more often than I do. For reals.

Stupid phone, no more.

Not that I was particularly displeased with its non-'smart'ness... but the broken screen was certainly working against it. So... smartphone it is. It was very cheap but it seems to be doing the job well enough. I am still somewhat resistant to its glitz and glam(or so the world attempts to make me believe) but its functionality seems useful. I guess time will be the judge of my general resistance level. It feels deep-seated but I might be a learning creature, after all.

Staying busy... constantly.

But mostly from the chair closest to the computer I am working on at the time. It basically means I am slowly turning into a vegetable. I am a much more active person by nature, however, and I really need to get my career swinging toward the camera operating side of things soon. For my health, if not for my creative desires alone.

The beautiful couple.

I am quite appreciative of the opportunity to shoot my nephews wedding today. The weather was interesting, the people were fun, and atmosphere was highly enjoyable. I have been to literally hundreds of weddings/receptions over the years.('literally' being and entirely honest estimate) I suppose I could go add them up in my journal sometime since I am pretty sure I would likely comment on every one that I have been to... I just need to find all my journals. Anyway, having that sort of wedding frequency under my belt, you'd think I would either be more jaded about it or simply uninterested in something so common.(well... I'd think it, anyway) Perhaps it is my more personal connection to this one... anyway, I really enjoyed it. And shooting it might have been the best way for me to enjoy it, even.

Three days out of four with basketball intensity.

My body hurts. Mostly my right big toe and my left lower calf muscle. It's not necessarily a good kind of pain but I suppose it isn't too bad, really. I know I am tired and ready for bed... and I guess I need to rely on my computer alarm clock now that my silly phone only shows a blank white screen. Probably get a new one soon.

Still getting adjusted.

The new computer is quite the sweet thing for sure. It does come with a few growing pains, though, and I suppose I should have realized it a little better having gone through this kind of thing pretty much every single time I get a new computer. From the way you navigate around its user interface(even though they might ostensibly be pretty much the same), to the quirks of how different programs run on it, to the feeling of the keyboard and "mouse"... it's a different game now. A newer, funner, more complex, more powerful game. Something I'll get used to without reluctance.

The glorious/ignominious pain of basketball.

If I am ever to lose weight it will likely come through my efforts to engage in one of my favorite sports of all-time. And even though it definitely brings with it a somewhat considerable level of pain I somehow feel like it is always 100% worth the effort. The crushed toenails, body aches, occasional joint pains, bloody achilles tendon skin, and occasional pride damage(when performance is very poor) are somehow worth it for the minor successes that come along with it... because, ultimately, the future me will be quite thankful to be what I have become because of it all.

Burn out is possible.

But, despite the level of busy I have been enjoying lately, I don't expect to burn out anytime real soon. And if I am smart about it I will take a breather sometime in the next week or so. I will also get some decent sleep to stave it off. And maybe I will eat smarter... that seems more helpful than I probably give it credit for.

Busy, busy, busy.

Pretty much all, all, all, of the time, time, time. My head is kind of spinning from it. Not in a necessarily bad way but I do feel a bit constrained by it. My time has very little discretionary time included if I am to keep all of my commitments. I don't even feel like I have been over-committing myself lately... maybe I have been procrastinating more than I realize? Anyway, I need to get on top of things quickly so I can breath a little more sometime soon. That would be nice.

A long, busy day of stuff.

I have been prepping for the edit basically non-stop, all day long, outside of the times that I did my other busy work. Picking up and later working on my car as well as a productive business meeting for upcoming projects. All in all, a highly encouraging experience that I would recommend to anyone... and especially to myself, for when those lazy days creep up on me.

Tired enough to sleep earlier than usual.

And I think it makes my bed seem that much more awesome, too. Delirium can be a helpful thing, on occasion. Like now. I am really tired.

Attempted basketball.

I actually went to the court for some pick-up ball but it was being used for the championship game of the men's league for this year's season... so I watched that instead. I obviously would have preferred to play but was quite entertained and motivated by watching what turned out to be a very hard-fought contest that went into double-overtime. You don't get to see that very often. So, now I am really looking forward to next Tuesday night. My body needs it!

Back in action.

Now I am back in the homestead and reeling with excitement over the new iMac I have recently acquired. It is only a tool but it will be for a grand, challenging, delightful sort of work as I have the movie edit looming before me. Now, I can do it in style with competence and confidence it will be the best it can be.

Final working day in Ohio.

I think it all turned out pretty well today. The place looked pretty good, the people seemed pretty happy, and the weather was totally sweet. The gal we helped was so young I am not entirely sure our help will have the lasting effect one would hope for... but I think we did help make some sort of valuable difference. If not for her then for her family or friends a bit at least. Things have definitely been improved in one way or another.