QJ's Blog

January 21, 2009 - Day 21 of my Project 365   Last night I shot a friend's band again. This time they were at Momo's (will be there again on Friday 1/24) and it was another great show!     

Ben Mallott at Momo's - Austin, TX  

Check out more photos from the show and hear songs of Ben Mallott and his band here on their MySpace page . Ben Mallott and his band will be performing during SXSW this year and were mentioned in the Austin Chronicle as one of "nine local bands poised to break out at SXSW 09." Listen to some of the tunes from the album "Look Good, Feel Good" and you may just end up buying it! 

The Band:

Ben Mallott - Guitar and Lead Vocals
Jason Myers - Keys, Trumpet, Vocals
Steve Thompson - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Daniel Curry - Drums
Taylor Payne - Bass

Check out more about Ben Mallot on his website: www.benmallot.com 

Enjoy!

Last week I posted the video, "Computer Friends" [Stack The Memory] by the Sniper Twins . I contacted them after watching it to see if the would like to do an interview for Quirkee.com. Want to learn more about the duo? Check out this 20 Questions interview with Barry Flanagan and Dax Martinez-Vargas - the Sniper Twins!

Barry and Dax are originally from Austin but are now living in New York City. Click the image above or click Quirkee.com to read more.

Do you ever have those moments when you kick yourself for not having your camera with you? Last week was one of those times for me. Luckily I had my cell phone so at least I was able to capture some decent shots (and video) of a hot air balloon that landed in the parking lot at the HEB on Slaughter Lane and Manchaca Road.

I was making a quick run to the store to pick up stuff for dinner when I noticed the balloon descending into what looked like traffic on Slaughter Lane.

As I drove to the other end of the parking lot I realized they were setting it down behind the McDonald's. Tight squeeze but he made it. Apparently he can land that thing in the back of the truck, which was the plan until the truck couldn't get to him because of all the curious onlookers (myself included) headed towards the balloon.

There was a pretty large group of people gathering around at this point, many of them kids. The pilot hopped the balloon away from the trees and asked people if they could move their cars so he could lay it down and let the air out.

 

Video on flickr.

Not bad video for a cell phone! The kids and (and a few adults) lent a helping hand deflating and holding the balloon as the pilot bagged it up. It was surely the highlight of their day!

 

After they were done the pilot and crew got a group shot with all the kids. They each took turns standing in the basket, too. 

Here is an interview I found with him on YouTube that was done by News 8 Austin back in 2003.

Phillip Macnutt, the pilot of the balloon (with the black cowboy hat), is a member of Central Texas Ballooning Association .

He said I should come check them out sometime. I haven't been up in a hot air balloon since I was a kid. It was amazing! I will definitely remember to have a better camera with me in case I wind up in one of those baskets. It's a long shot but I will be prepared!

Snow in Austin, TX, is a rare sight! Here are a few of the photos I shot last night. I was tempted to wake up the kids but it soon started sleeting again, and well, sleet is just a smaller version of hail. They have seen that here before.

killed my back porch froggy buddy....




and then he ate him right in front of me.








Froggy Buddy: 2007?-2008

RIP

(No, I did not kill the snake)

Where did the time go?

Today my son jumped out of bed when he heard me get in the shower at 6:30 AM and came into the bathroom just minutes later already dressed with a big smile on his face. He was excited to start school! We woke up his sister and got her dressed then headed downstairs. He quickly consumed his Cheerios and orange juice, ran upstairs to brush his teeth, then put on a belt to hold his shorts up, grabbed his lunchbox, and darted out the front door to the truck to buckle himself in for the ride to school.

We met Mama down the street from the school since she was coming from the gym around the corner. Walking up to the school you could see he was sizing up the crowd with intensity. This school is much bigger than his preschool and way many more kids!

Right after I took this photo the batteries in my camera died. I brought the pocket Nikon L12 since it also shoots video and I was hoping to get some of him walking away to his class. While we were waiting in the gym with all of the other kindergartners and their parents I was able to turn it on and shoot one more before it decided to die completely.

 

It's probably a good thing the camera died after that shot. It was pretty much the last smile we saw from him. When the time came for his class to leave the gym and go to their room (without parents) he started to walk away then turned around and darted back to us all sad and not wanting to go. A new big school and all those unfamiliar faces (only one kid from his preschool is there but not in his class) surely frightened him a little. Leaving Mom & Dad for the whole day to continue his journey into boyhood is a big step that is scary and exciting for us all.

On the way home from dropping him off my daughter said she missed him. She'll probably forget about that next week when she starts preschool for the first time. That will be another frightening and exciting day as she begins her journey out into the world of school.

Again, where did the time go?

Here I am playing catch-up again from a busy week of not posting.

 

Aug 6, 212/366

My neighbor's softball game at Krieg Field.

 

Aug 7, 213/366

Camera shot for the Daddyshack Scavenger Hunt.

I got this Nikon N80 35mm camera about 4 years ago to use for class. It hasn't seen a roll of film in almost 2 years but I can't bring myself to part with it since it was my first real camera body that wasn't a point and shoot.  



Aug 8, 214/366

Lady Bird Lake and downtown Austin, Texas 

 

Aug 9, 215/366

My wife and daughter (she didn't want to smile) at the Austin Ice Cream Festival.

  
Aug 10, 216/366

The Daddyshack Scavenger Hunt list for the week.

flickr.com/groups/daddyshack/


  
Aug 11, 217/366

Triumph. 30 second shutter speed outside of Opal Divine's on 6th Street.  


Aug 12, 218/366

Happy and Family shot for the Daddyshack Scavenger Hunt.

Jumping off the back of the couch makes them happy.  

 
Aug 13, 219/366

Little Bit at Home Depot with my cell phone camera.   


Aug 14, 220/366

Night Steps on the University of Texas campus across from DKR Memorial Stadium.


  
Aug 15, 221/366

Textured shot for the Daddyshack Scavenger Hunt. This little guy was catching some shade in a stack of chairs outside in the backyard.

flickr.com/groups/daddyshack/

August 3rd - 9th

These were supposed to be posted last Sunday but better late than never, right?

 

Austin Ice Cream Festival! My daughter didn't want to smile.

Full on swan moon!

Shadow lines at Lou Neff Point, Lady Bird Lake

Floating down the lake

The Number Seven

Long Ball

Dead on

Krieg Field - Austin, TX

She's a swan

It was so hot outside that the water wasn't cold

 

View more Weekly Winners over at Sarcastic Mom's blog!

but an off-duty Travis County Sheriff's Deputy verbally assaulted me in front of my kids today in a parking lot at HEB. This guy was stopped near the front doors at HEB to pick up somebody so I passed him on he left. He didn't care for that much apparently.

He also didn't think much of the way I pulled into a parking spot after dropping my wife off near another front door of the store. I saw a front row spot and pulled down the row to get it so she would see where we were when she came back out. The spot was on a row for cars coming the other way (there were none coming at that time) so I pulled in, backed up, and straightened out the car in the spot.

A few minutes went by, I loaded a CD to play, then I heard a *tap tap* on my window. I rolled it down to see what this man wanted and that's when he laid into me about my driving and parking skills. He told me he was an off-duty Sheriff's Deputy and continued to yell at me. I told him to stop talking to me like that in front of my kids and he needed to leave. That's when he decided to start cussing and told me if he had a squad car nearby he would call it.

That made me mad and I almost unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car to get in his face. Instead I said, "You definitely do not talk to me like that in front of my kids and now you need to leave!"

I got his name and badge # to file a complaint. He said, "I'm taking your plate # with me, too," to which I replied, "Please do!"

Sure, I could have driven around to get that parking spot from the right direction. But did I deserve to be verbally assaulted by an off-duty deputy in front of my kids for it?

I think not.

From the Quirkee Knowledge 2008 Calendar:

Only 3 weeks to go!

That's a lot of cans!

I sat in front of a big flat screen TV all by myself and watched some preseason Sunday Night Football for about an hour.

"Hellooooo?"

Golfing at the Harvey Penick Golf Campus

Used this shot for my header title at Daddyshack.