I’m Alive in the Lone Star State

I’ve been busy working on my internship/job here in Texas.  Having a great time all the while but really missing home, Ryan, Mr. Belvedere and my friends.

Yeah, so working a lot, hanging with my grandparents who are fantastic and figuring out my future.

As of this moment, right now, as I lounge in bed watching Dead Like Me on Hulu… I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that it is completely feasible that as of this December, I will be motherfucking done with the University of Missouri.

Now, I don’t hate the university or anything, it’s just that it kinda hates me.  I figure, it’s best for both of us for me to get out, asap.

Therefore, by the end of this summer, I will have completed 12 hours of summer school.  Yes, the limit by statute of the University is 9 hours and that’s only if you get permission to take over 7.  I worked my way into it.

So yes, maybe I graduate in December.  Then?  Oh crap, that’s where I start to freak out.  The plan of course is to move back to the golden hills of California.

Yes, the beautiful hills of California. They’re golden because they’re starving for water, not because they’re full of gold.  That’s so California 1849.

Soon I should hear back from my advisor who will tell me if I graduated in December or May.  Either way, I’m getting the hell out of Dodge and moving on with my life with Ryan.  We’ve even casually looked at some homes to buy in the city!  Exciting right?

But what will I do for work?  Continue my work for the Agency?  Start my own company?  Do I even THINK about photography much less graduate school at Stanford?

Life is so full of questions, obligations and unknowns.

But… Let’s worry about those as they happen.  Right now I need to get back to bed.  Busy day ahead of me!

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The Beast Arrives

My new Epson Stylus Pro 3800 arrived on Tuesday.  It was very exciting.

This printer, for those who don’t know, is just abotu the best you can get in it’s class.  Actually, it is!  This Week in Photography (TWIP) reviewed it just last week as the number one 17″ wide printer with prints as high quality as it gets.

And though it is missing the Vivid Magenta that the 4880 has, I’m pretty damn happy with this printer.  And it’s BIG!

My Epson Stylus Pro 3800

Ryan and I had to rearrange the livingroom to fit it.

I used it to print the pictures for my photo critique on Thursday.  Almost everyone noted that there was a distinct difference in quality between my prints and what we have on campus (Epson Stylus Pro 2400s).  I was most impressed with the black and white reproduction.  Incredible.  I am so happy to be able to have this printer.

Though… I am a little bit nervous.  It costs around $500 to replace all nine 80mL ink cartidges.  Yikes.  Though they are about half the price per mL, they are also 4-8 times larger than most regular ink jet printers.  At least it isn’t the half liter inks you can get for some of the larger printers haha.

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Feast of Fools

Feast of Fools logoImage via Wikipedia

So, my friend Nick Starr had the chance to be the guest of honor on the Feast of Fools Podcast last week.

In the episode, they took a question from me which was, “Hey Nick, what would we be doing had I been able to go with you?”

Well they quoted me differently making it sound like I was going to sleep with Nick, maybe they read it wrong.  They also took out words that made me sound like I couldn’t write proper English.  Hmmm.  It’s ok, I figure they just got it wrong since it was live.

But what actually bothers me is the part where Nick says I’m hot.  Well that didn’t bother me haha, it was when they went to my site and right off the bat said I didn’t have any pictures.  (The second post is a picture of me…)

When they found the picture Fausto or Marc stated that yes, I was hot but also that my picture was heavily airbrushed.

Listen to it here
[audio:http://itsjustjustin.com/wp-content/wordpress/podcast/Feast%20of%20Fools.mp3]

And now, here’s the picture. Click it to go to the larger sized version at PiczarPhoto.com

Not Airbrushed

Argh!  Why does that bother me so much?  I didn’t airbrush myself.  Oh well. Mostly it was all compliments and I absolutely adore Marc and Fausto’s show, it’s been on my podcast playlist since Day 1.

Still, I wouldn’t argue with some of you guys letting ’em know that the reason I don’t have lines and wrinkles in that picture is because I don’t have lines and wrinkles!  I’m barely 24 years old! You can find the post specific to this episode here.

In the end though, it’s great to be heard on a podcast you love so much. I’m not on Dawn and Drew at all anymore, need to catch up with them… And anything with Keith and the Girl has been on the forms or email but never on the actual cast.

It’s a great feeling to have people talk about you, even with some of the bad parts (misquote/airbrush). But to be called sexy and hot for the whole world to hear, that’s empowering haha.

I want to thank Nick for being so nice and saying such wonderful things about me on the show, and for keeping it down to about two minutes, any more and who knows what might have been said tee hee.

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It’s My Birth Day

Twenty four years ago today my parents’ lives were changed forever.  They finally had the son they had always wanted.

Well, I guess that had happened about a year earlier but this time they had the son they…  Ok, ok, I was just the summer release sequel of the last year’s hit, Patrick.

I think I was a pretty cute kid, of course I’m partial to thinking so.  I think I was born to be a model, now I don’t dare claim to have grown into being a model, sadly, but I sure had the look.

Here I am pretending that I’m bulimic.  No, not really, but it’s anyone’s guess as to what the hell I was doing with my hand.

It is crazy to me that I have changed so much, but clearly, I have always been gay.  I mean, look at that picture, gay gay gay!

Today however, 24 years after birth, I’m headed home to Houston with my mom.  With Ryan in Tennessee and nothing really happening in Columbia, I figured, why not?  Sadly, I kinda ruined a surprise birthday from Micheal, Jenny and Co.  That sucks, if I had known I would not have purchased my return flight and just hung out in Columbia.  However, we are planning to do something when I get back in town and you are all invited!

As of right now we have about seven more hours of driving.  I’m lucky to only have the task of sitting in the car since I’m not insured on this rental car.

I’m hoping to be able to visit my cousins in Rockport Texas who I have seen once in like four years and will miss not seeing Joseph who now lives in Seoul Korea!  Joseph has always been the highlight of visiting Houston.

Well, that’s really it for now I guess, I need to read my blogroll which I am way behind in doing.  Catch you guys later!

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Moonshine and the Oasis

My grandmother and I went to Austin on Friday to pick Ryan up from the airport.  We had a scare as he nearly missed the flight out of Kansas city but he got in on time and with his bags, whew, what a relief.

From the airport we went to Moonshine, a great restaurant in Austin.  We shared a large selection of appetizers from spinach and artichoke fondue to grilled garlic cloves to polenta.  It was all so very tasty.

After lunch we drove to the capitol and around the downtown area before heading out of town, making one more stop at The Oasis on Lake Travis.

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It is very hard to capture the immense size of The Oasis in one shot.  It would probably require a few shots with my fish eye lens to accomplish that.

The Oasis is a restaurant on Lake Travis (as you might have surmised from the full name above).  Only a few years ago the place burned down to the ground.  Well the place has been rebuilt and the food improved and the view is every as stunning.  The guy behind it all is a friend of my grandmother’s best friend.  He’s a little tiny itsy bit rich.  Check out his home, it’s that giant one.  It looks like three homes, it’s one.  Just so you know…

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But like I said, the views are fabulous.  The only thing possibly close to being as good are the drinks.  Fun and funky margaritas and mixed drinks.

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We had a few drinks, took a few pictures and then headed to Horseshoe Bay where my grandparents live.

So it was a great day, amazing food, amazing drinks and beautiful scenery.

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The Piano Bar

Last night, while Ryan worked hard all night saving lives, Micheal and I joined Dustin, Annalee and Seema at the Piano bar for some good times.

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We drank a top hat.  It’s like Sangria plus hard liquor. It’s like heaven.  It’s $12.

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It’s really big and Micheal and Annalee drank it all.  (Well, not really)

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It was a really fun night.  I’m glad Micheal called me to go hang out.  🙂  We were txt messaging Jenny the entire time, sending pictures and our love.  Next week Micheal and I are going to Saint Louis to visit her and go to Showtune Tuesday.  How exciting!

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Renovation

Dad and I painted the living room today.  We didn’t finish but we got pretty close.  I am going from a dark orange and brown scheme (yick) to a bright white trim with creamy walls.

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It will be so much brighter in here and I imagine it will make the room seem larger and happier.  That’s the hope at least.

My parents come here and paint, it’s just what they do!