Just Passing By

Sugarland

This evening I went to see Sugarland at the Bowl in Santa Barbara. My friend Amanda had an extra ticket so I went for it. Vonda Sheppard opened, (which was a blast from the past) My deciding to go turned out to be a wise decision! I danced and had a really great time. It was my first concert at the Bowl which is an outside venue. It was a great way to end my long session at Pacifica- exactly what I needed! My favorite songs were, ALready Gone and Something More. I felt the lyrics really spoke to me.

James Hillman

The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice--
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do--
determined to save
the only life you could save.

-Mary Oliver

Night Lights

Tension of the Opposites

Celebrating Life with Dear Friends

Now it's my turn. My friend Claudia asked me a few weeks ago if we would be able to get together in Santa Barbara to get some crab legs. Being the seafood lover that I am, I obliged to such a request. I did my research in effort to find on a reasonably priced restaurant and decided upon Moby Dicks Restaurant which is located on Stearns Wharf.

I was happy to hear a few days prior to Claudia's arrival that she was also bringing her son, Justice. So we put together a special night for her son filled with a pretend Birthday Celebration for him, cool presents and of course yummie food! Secretly it was my way of celebrating great friendships, new memories and my settling more in Santa Barbara. There is a good feeling when I am the one showing friends around Santa Barbara. Since being in Santa Barbara, it always feels like others are showing me around. Being able to do that really gives me a sense of being more grounded.

This past week I have been swamped with working at my Traineeship and getting prepared both physically and emotionally for the Spring Quarter at Pacifica. It is always pretty intense the week prior a long weekend session. It can be draining to be at school for so many hours, however I always look forward to seeing all my classmates. It is hard to believe that after this weekend I will only have three more sessions!

At any rate, the three of us really had a great time at dinner!

Bon Appetit!!!

Happy Unbirthday Justice!

Energy Psychology

Michael Rose/ Former Lead singer from Black Uhuru

It all began with a text from my girlfriend- and off I went to see Michael Rose Live at The SoHo in Santa Barbara. The place was packed with barely any room to dance however we made it up to the front to watch the show. Definitely, without a doubt money well spent!

Goleta Landscape

This morning I helped out a friend by taking her to her dentist appointment. It was in Goleta which is right North to Santa Barbara. On our way to her appointment, there was a incredible view of the clouds resting on the mountains just east of downtown Goleta. I of course took full advantage of capturing the beauty. It was so hard to go through all my shots, edit and pick out the ones that I liked the best.

I am finding so much joy of pursuing with my hobby of photography. Shooting really gets my mind focused and at ease. I love it! Thank you everyone who have emailed me with such great compliments about my work. It is strange, regardless of what compliments that have been made, I don't consider myself as a photographer but, why not, right! (TAKE THE COMPLIMENT CAROLINA!) I do plan to print and try to sell some of my work at the local art show in town. You just might never know, I may also one of these days enter my work in a local art competition in town. It's worth a shot!

Over the next couple of months I have some excursions planned for myself. Some work related and others just me taking a leisurely day with friends exploring. Regardless the reasons, I will be continue to document what all I see.

THE SHOES!

Birds of Paradise

I finally got a shot of one of my favorites that I see around here in Santa Barbara. Native to South Africa- Birds of Paradise. I look forward to capturing more of the plants and natural beauty.

ICY

And the Winner Is!!!!!

This past weekend, I took a drive out to Porterville, CA, which is about a three hour drive North of Santa Barbara. There, I visited with my friend Claudia and enjoyed having a cookout and just relaxing with her family. As a last minute decision, Claudia and her family thought it would be fantastic to rent a bounce house for two days. With it, came a set of gigantic boxing gloves which as you can see came in use. The first day, I participated however was more there to take photos and watch everyone have a good time boxing and jumping around.

The next morning was a different story. I decided to get in there before the kids and see what all the fun was about. Unfortunately it had rained the night prior which caused many little puddles all inside the bounce house. So I cleaned things up and made the inside spick and span. Perfect, I thought, so I went in and jumped and jumped. Eventually Claudia came out to join me. I challenged her to a boxing match. She was hesitant at first but I talked her into it.

As we begun, her son Justice was outside of the bounce house watching from afar to see who was going to get slaughtered. For awhile it went back and forth. I could not for the life of me, keep from laughing at the intense facial expression coming from Claudia..... that and the insane size of the gloves. Finally at one point while I was laughing, Claudia came at me with a right swing, I lost my balance I leaned on the side- Claudia's Son immediately ran to take cover thinking that the thing was going to tip. Instead of tipping, it just threw me to the ground- meanwhile the tarp from above which was holding the remainder of the excess water tipped and like a water fall it came down on me.

Here again, it was a priceless moment for me. I was in a ball on the ground laughing at what had just happened and at what it must had looked like to Claudia. Of course, here again, no camera just something that you just have to imagine and I am quite positive many of you can imagine this happening to me.

After our match, Claudia and her son, Justice had it out. As you can see, Justice took care of things for me!

Bouncing Around

Patterns

The Shadows

Church of Skatan

Blasphemy!!! This once use to be a Baptist Church and has been transformed to a skate shop. I did a double take when I first saw this. It was during the tour on the Landshark where I was first introduced to this skate shop. Right then and there, I knew that I needed to return to take some photos. I was somewhat happy with the results, however it became apparent to me that I will need to get a tripod for my camera. Some of the shots turned out slightly out of focus, but I guess for now, I just gotta go with what I got! Eventually I hope to get better shots where there will be less shadow. Possibly during sunset so that the lighting will turn out a tad bit better. I'm my own worse critic!

Feels Good to Laugh

Last week, during the mini road trip with my friend Natasha, I experienced what appeared to me as a near death experience. I refer this near death experience as "Death by Lemonade." First off, I will begin by saying that out of everybody I have met thus far in Santa Barbara, I need to say that Natasha is incredibly fun to be around. We share the same sense of humor and can find just about anything to laugh about.

That said, last week as we were switching from the 101 to route 1 on our way to Cambria, Natasha pulled out one of her one liners about something she saw in the car next to us. So I laughed. Somehow, during my laughter, I miscalculated exactly when to laugh and when to swallow my Lemonade that I was drinking. Lo and behold, I ended up breathing in Lemonade. When I say I breathed in Lemonade, I mean just that. I was drowning in Lemonade. Pulled the car over and I looked over to Natasha to find her laughing. All you heard from me was "gurgle gurgle gurgle." I couldn't even get a word out. All I wanted and needed to say, was "I can't breathe" Next thing I knew, there came a waterfall of lemonade that poured out of my mouth. I imagine what all that must have looked like to Natasha but clearly it was a site to behold. I was torn between laughter and this overwhelming feeling of powerlessness. All I wanted was to take my next breath. If only there was a camera to capture my moment of drowning. Hours later, I was still coughing up lemonade and each time I would laugh at myself.

So I ask, why is it when one witnesses another in struggle the first instinct is to laugh? Just minutes before my death by lemonade experience, while at a cafe, I witnessed Natasha throw her food down on her plat after realizing that the food she was about to consume had just burnt the inside of her mouth. Of course, all I did was sit there and laugh. Pulled out the whole reenactment so Natasha can see what I saw. It took awhile for me to get a word out between laughing. It's true, "It feels good to laugh" however, I found out the hard way that karma is a bitch.

I wonder if anyone at Pacifica has ever written a thesis about the uncomfortable laughter one experiences at another persons expense?

Stearns Wharf

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Over the past few days, I have been touring around Santa Barbara, checking out various restaurants, clubs and attractions. I consider myself very lucky to know that every morning when I wake up, I get to walk into the wonderful climate and outdoor fresh air of Santa Barbara. On clear days, which are often, I make time to walk down to the Wharf. There, you will find a selection of restaurants, gift shops and some great people watching. You can drive or take a stroll to get a great glimpse of Santa Barbara from afar. Here is just a snapshot of some the of the photos that I captured on the Wharf over this long holiday weekend. I really look forward to taking more photos in the near future but for now, this is what I was able to get.

Seaweed Jump Roping

From the Wharf, if you look directly down at the sand, there you will find spots where the homeless placed "sand wishing wells." Probably one of the most direct way to get some change. If you click on this photo, you can read clearly what the sign says. It is true, as we all know, jobs are hard to come by these days. This just reminds me of how grateful I am for having all I have in my life. When you think about it, it really does not take much of anything to lose what most take for granted.

There I am!

Random Shots of Santa Barbara

Hendry's Beach

View from Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara