So... luck. We define it as a force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities. Certain religions may refer to it as karma. Smart-ass business men refer to it as the intersection of preparedness and opportunity. Pfft. I'll stick with the original. I think luck comes down to right attitude+right place+right time = amazing new options in life. Here are three more action items from my list of 26 Golden Things for my golden year.
#4 - Relive Childhood; sledding at night.
#5 - Take a Chance; giving your number to a complete stranger.
#5 - Take a Chance; giving your number to a complete stranger.
#6 - Model; get paid for it.
What's that saying about March... in like a lion, out like a lamb? Usually that is one of those "oh, not in Wisconsin" things but this year it rings true. March started with a poop-show of a snowstorm that dumped a fair amount of inches on us, and by the middle of the month it was 80 degrees and sunny. The weather is kind of leveling out as I write this but the sentiment still rings true. The night of March 2nd, @caitcd posted a status on Facebook wondering if anyone would like to partake in a sledding adventure. Being the year of new experiences (and an unwillingness to say "no" to many many things,) I decided to join her.
It actually wasn't cold at all outside, come to think of it. I was sweating my ass off by the time we started our jaunt down the hills of Reid Golf Course. Since I am making a special little video that I will showcase at the end of the year, it is my sole duty to record my life and the day-to-day events that occupy it. For the most part they aren't very good video clips but this was a rare exception. When Reid ended up kinda sucking (the snow was so wet that it was just mush (too mushy in fact to gain any speed in our tubes)) we headed over to the Banta Bowl. After a couple grueling hikes up a hill, sledding down and frolicking in the snow, I decided to record my final trip for the night.
Well it didn't go exactly as... planned. I recorded @caitcd going down first, then plopped my fat (pre-shakeweight) ass down and started scooching (technical term) forward. If anyone ever wants to come to my house to watch the video, you are more than welcome.
At first you can hear me saying "ohhhh god, ohhhh god," and then you can tell I am rocketing down the hill. Then my joyful shout turns into a blood curdling scream as I hit a JUMP at the bottom of the hill. The camera, having been very steady up to the point, happened to aim itself at the streets lights; it is at that point the world goes careening and spinning wildly around as I jack-knife in a tumble across the snowy landscape. The video ends with @caitcd screaming in laughter. Still, it was a good night!
Okay, got that one out of the way so now we move on to the more exciting of the Golden Things, that being giving my number out to a total stranger. I'd like to preface this with a very quick history: I had seen him a year earlier at a restaurant and thought of him often.
Told you it'd be quick.
We flash forward a couple days to March 3rd, a whole day later! I am out on the town with @klreynol and @caitcd for the latter's brother's birthday, when the latter's brother's girlfriend's friend's (following me?) from work show up. One happens to be said cute guy from the restaurant a year earlier. So we start making flirty-eyes (coined phrase, natch) through the night and eventually the group moves on to another bar (sans cute guy.) At the end of the evening I was walking back to the car with @klreynol and decided to see if said cute guy was still in the original bar, and indeed, he was.
With the prodding of my bestie I went inside and we ordered drinks. I wrote my name and number on receipt tape. Plan firmly in place, things are feeling good; I'm also terrified, having never given my number out to anyone EVER. Well... save for a waiter at The Olive Garden when I was 17 but that so totally does NOT count. That dude never called, by the way. So... whatever. Anyway, feeling good, looking good, and then @klreynol points out that cute guy is getting ready to leave.
I don't know how to explain the surge of adrenaline that rushes through you when you decide to let go of the past and barrel forward into the future. To release a childish inhibition and throw caution to the wind, knowing that the action you are about to take is solely for your own peace of mind and no one else's. It was the one year anniversary of breaking up with the dreaded ex; time to make a change. I marched right up to him, looked him in the eye (he was surprised,) grabbed his wrist and placed my number in the palm of his hand. And then I bolted... and he didn't let go of my hand so I kind of tore it away and shot for the exit. I never said I had a good follow-through.
Needless to say he texted me, and we went out. And have gone out a couple times since. And that's where I end that bit, and it is for two reasons; Reason 1.) I don't want to jinx it. Reason 2.) Maybe some things are better left unsaid... doing so leaves them in a special place and provides a sense of privacy I tend to abandon in these blogs. Mooooooving on.
St. Patrick's Day. I'm Irish, I love being Irish, and I suppose it is the... shall we say luck of the Irish... that I found myself at a photo shoot for the green holiday this year. @MarkStyleMe and I were going to be spending the holiday weekend together this year, as I had it off from work and he did as well. We have a rather colored history with this specific day of the year, one of which involved running up and down College Avenue, holding fairly mean conversations with overly-drunk women that didn't realize it and me getting dollar bills stuffed down my green polo shirt. True story.
@MarkStyleMe works with David E. Jackson, a photographer from the area, as a stylist for some of his photo shoots and was in contact with him in regards to a lighting seminar he was holding. The purpose of the seminar was to teach photographers from all over the country some tips and tricks in regards to lighting your pictures with light boxes, light umbrellas, natural light, etc., and he needed a few models for it. Enter my 6'4" frame and smiling face (which David said looked like Matt Damon's (#winning.) There were four models all together (@MarkStyleMe and myself included) and we quickly broke off into groups of photographers. Truth be told I was incredibly nervous. I've been in plenty of pictures and I've taken plenty of pictures, so you'd think that the natural progression of that would be that I would know exactly what to do in this scenario.
I didn't. Enter David E. Jackson.
He came to our group first and just grabbed the reigns, arranging the lights and arranging me. Tilt your head; tilt a little more; squint a little; squint a little more; do something with your hands; keep them moving; lean forward; squint some more; give me a smirk. With the easiest of directions it just... fell into place. I guess I fell into place, and then fell into a pace as well. What started as unease turned into extreme comfort and then it became sort of a defining moment.
I have never WANTED to be a model. It's too easy for me to cast that aside in terms of "You know you're too tall, you know you don't have a six-pack, you know your jaw isn't that amazing." But if it was only for a day to feel special, and to feel like I was important... it was worth it. I doubt I'll ever forget how it felt to have cars slow down to watch what was happening. And probably to wonder who the fuck I was. I haven't gotten any pictures back from the other photographers save for one taken by the wonderful Sarah Laux from La Bella Vie Photography in Milwaukee.
Update: Here are two of the pictures taken by David E. Jackson.
Taking my new found "skills" in how to pose for pictures, I took a couple of my own this past weekend. Technically they are just for my "Dicking with Photoshop" album on the good 'ol Facebook, but they were also to see if I could continue to elevate my self-portrait skills. Maybe eventually I will move on to other living creatures... aside from my cats. Sad life, wa-waaa-waaaaaaa.
Well that's all of the self-promoting I've got in me for the evening. And that rounds out three more new and exciting things I have done this year. The first had to do with shaping circumstances (a crazy snow-storm.) The second dealt with a shaping event (running into a guy I've thought of over the last year and in the least likely place.) The third had to do with a shaping opportunity (photo shoot run by a commercial photographer.) Wait a minute, I just outline the definition of LUCK! Look at me bringin' this bitch full cirlce, hey-o! Let's recap what we have all learned tonight through my three latest Golden Things, shall we?
#4 - Relive Childhood; a wonderful night of sledding in the dark with @caitcd.
#5 - Take a Chance; gave my number for the first time ever to a really hot guy in what could only be described as a serendipitous encounter.
#6 - Model; for the first time, maybe the last time (NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!) and collect a happy 'lil check at the end.
I hope you all enjoyed this... at least more than I enjoyed writing it. Sometimes I start these little fuckers and lose steam half way through. It doesn't help that I've been awake since 5:15 this morning and it is now creeping past 10:44. I know, boo-hoo, but whatever. Have a great night (c:
What's that saying about March... in like a lion, out like a lamb? Usually that is one of those "oh, not in Wisconsin" things but this year it rings true. March started with a poop-show of a snowstorm that dumped a fair amount of inches on us, and by the middle of the month it was 80 degrees and sunny. The weather is kind of leveling out as I write this but the sentiment still rings true. The night of March 2nd, @caitcd posted a status on Facebook wondering if anyone would like to partake in a sledding adventure. Being the year of new experiences (and an unwillingness to say "no" to many many things,) I decided to join her.
It actually wasn't cold at all outside, come to think of it. I was sweating my ass off by the time we started our jaunt down the hills of Reid Golf Course. Since I am making a special little video that I will showcase at the end of the year, it is my sole duty to record my life and the day-to-day events that occupy it. For the most part they aren't very good video clips but this was a rare exception. When Reid ended up kinda sucking (the snow was so wet that it was just mush (too mushy in fact to gain any speed in our tubes)) we headed over to the Banta Bowl. After a couple grueling hikes up a hill, sledding down and frolicking in the snow, I decided to record my final trip for the night.Well it didn't go exactly as... planned. I recorded @caitcd going down first, then plopped my fat (pre-shakeweight) ass down and started scooching (technical term) forward. If anyone ever wants to come to my house to watch the video, you are more than welcome.
At first you can hear me saying "ohhhh god, ohhhh god," and then you can tell I am rocketing down the hill. Then my joyful shout turns into a blood curdling scream as I hit a JUMP at the bottom of the hill. The camera, having been very steady up to the point, happened to aim itself at the streets lights; it is at that point the world goes careening and spinning wildly around as I jack-knife in a tumble across the snowy landscape. The video ends with @caitcd screaming in laughter. Still, it was a good night!
Okay, got that one out of the way so now we move on to the more exciting of the Golden Things, that being giving my number out to a total stranger. I'd like to preface this with a very quick history: I had seen him a year earlier at a restaurant and thought of him often.
Told you it'd be quick.
We flash forward a couple days to March 3rd, a whole day later! I am out on the town with @klreynol and @caitcd for the latter's brother's birthday, when the latter's brother's girlfriend's friend's (following me?) from work show up. One happens to be said cute guy from the restaurant a year earlier. So we start making flirty-eyes (coined phrase, natch) through the night and eventually the group moves on to another bar (sans cute guy.) At the end of the evening I was walking back to the car with @klreynol and decided to see if said cute guy was still in the original bar, and indeed, he was.
With the prodding of my bestie I went inside and we ordered drinks. I wrote my name and number on receipt tape. Plan firmly in place, things are feeling good; I'm also terrified, having never given my number out to anyone EVER. Well... save for a waiter at The Olive Garden when I was 17 but that so totally does NOT count. That dude never called, by the way. So... whatever. Anyway, feeling good, looking good, and then @klreynol points out that cute guy is getting ready to leave.
I don't know how to explain the surge of adrenaline that rushes through you when you decide to let go of the past and barrel forward into the future. To release a childish inhibition and throw caution to the wind, knowing that the action you are about to take is solely for your own peace of mind and no one else's. It was the one year anniversary of breaking up with the dreaded ex; time to make a change. I marched right up to him, looked him in the eye (he was surprised,) grabbed his wrist and placed my number in the palm of his hand. And then I bolted... and he didn't let go of my hand so I kind of tore it away and shot for the exit. I never said I had a good follow-through.
Needless to say he texted me, and we went out. And have gone out a couple times since. And that's where I end that bit, and it is for two reasons; Reason 1.) I don't want to jinx it. Reason 2.) Maybe some things are better left unsaid... doing so leaves them in a special place and provides a sense of privacy I tend to abandon in these blogs. Mooooooving on.
St. Patrick's Day. I'm Irish, I love being Irish, and I suppose it is the... shall we say luck of the Irish... that I found myself at a photo shoot for the green holiday this year. @MarkStyleMe and I were going to be spending the holiday weekend together this year, as I had it off from work and he did as well. We have a rather colored history with this specific day of the year, one of which involved running up and down College Avenue, holding fairly mean conversations with overly-drunk women that didn't realize it and me getting dollar bills stuffed down my green polo shirt. True story.
@MarkStyleMe works with David E. Jackson, a photographer from the area, as a stylist for some of his photo shoots and was in contact with him in regards to a lighting seminar he was holding. The purpose of the seminar was to teach photographers from all over the country some tips and tricks in regards to lighting your pictures with light boxes, light umbrellas, natural light, etc., and he needed a few models for it. Enter my 6'4" frame and smiling face (which David said looked like Matt Damon's (#winning.) There were four models all together (@MarkStyleMe and myself included) and we quickly broke off into groups of photographers. Truth be told I was incredibly nervous. I've been in plenty of pictures and I've taken plenty of pictures, so you'd think that the natural progression of that would be that I would know exactly what to do in this scenario.
I didn't. Enter David E. Jackson.
He came to our group first and just grabbed the reigns, arranging the lights and arranging me. Tilt your head; tilt a little more; squint a little; squint a little more; do something with your hands; keep them moving; lean forward; squint some more; give me a smirk. With the easiest of directions it just... fell into place. I guess I fell into place, and then fell into a pace as well. What started as unease turned into extreme comfort and then it became sort of a defining moment.
I have never WANTED to be a model. It's too easy for me to cast that aside in terms of "You know you're too tall, you know you don't have a six-pack, you know your jaw isn't that amazing." But if it was only for a day to feel special, and to feel like I was important... it was worth it. I doubt I'll ever forget how it felt to have cars slow down to watch what was happening. And probably to wonder who the fuck I was. I haven't gotten any pictures back from the other photographers save for one taken by the wonderful Sarah Laux from La Bella Vie Photography in Milwaukee.
Update: Here are two of the pictures taken by David E. Jackson.
Well that's all of the self-promoting I've got in me for the evening. And that rounds out three more new and exciting things I have done this year. The first had to do with shaping circumstances (a crazy snow-storm.) The second dealt with a shaping event (running into a guy I've thought of over the last year and in the least likely place.) The third had to do with a shaping opportunity (photo shoot run by a commercial photographer.) Wait a minute, I just outline the definition of LUCK! Look at me bringin' this bitch full cirlce, hey-o! Let's recap what we have all learned tonight through my three latest Golden Things, shall we?
#4 - Relive Childhood; a wonderful night of sledding in the dark with @caitcd.
#5 - Take a Chance; gave my number for the first time ever to a really hot guy in what could only be described as a serendipitous encounter.
#6 - Model; for the first time, maybe the last time (NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!) and collect a happy 'lil check at the end.
I hope you all enjoyed this... at least more than I enjoyed writing it. Sometimes I start these little fuckers and lose steam half way through. It doesn't help that I've been awake since 5:15 this morning and it is now creeping past 10:44. I know, boo-hoo, but whatever. Have a great night (c:
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