a wet, rocky median

a wet, rocky median, originally uploaded by billaday.

I snapped this quick shot at a stop light. I like the atmosphere, so I made this the photo-a-day. I finessed this one second exposure in Photoshop, adding selective lighting, sharpening, vignetting, and blurring. It's not perfect, but it has the feel I was going for.

Day 47

X marks the strike

X marks the strike, originally uploaded by billaday.

At The Block in Orange, again with my buddy Brent. I've still never bowled here, but the building just looks so cool at night (and dusk, too).

I spent a while subtly bringing out the column detail above the X, but I think it's took subtle. I guess we'll see. Either way, this is the first photo in a while I've been stoked to edit. When you take one picture every day, inspiration isn't always there. Today it was (in the post processing).

Day 46

Hello TiVo guy

Hello TiVo guy, originally uploaded by billaday.

TiVo is wonderful. Go get one. And don't get some junky-cable-company-wannabe-DVR, you have to get TiVo. It's like saying you have a MacBook when you have an offbrand (dell, Fisher Price) laptop. Don't do it. But do get a TiVo. Now. Go. Oh yeah... I like the depth of field in this shot. Fancy/dorky photographers just write DoF, fyi.

Day 45

Looking through the wine glass

Looking through the wine glass, originally uploaded by billaday.

The upside down reflections in the wine caught my eye. As is often the case with me, I took many shots, and chose the first one.

I'm working through some video tutorials in Photoshop, to try to keep up/improve my Photoshop chops. I picked out the blues and the wine, threw those on separate layers (selective color), then used the channel mixer to convert the photo to black and white. Finally, I added a lens blur mask to (fake) widen the aperture. Yeah.

btw, here's the same kitchen, different glass.

Dedicated to distantblue. He left a comment before I could even add a description, and always has great insight. So check out his stuff.

Day 44

This is my 8 year old bass case

This is my 8 year old bass case, originally uploaded by billaday.

I started putting stickers on this case 8 years ago now. Most are falling off now, but I don't feel punk rock enough to go out, get more stickers, and cover up the case again. At one point, I had played with (or recorded (or been in)) every band on this case.

Day 43

Moonday

Moonday, originally uploaded by billaday.

In America, we named Monday after the moon. We also named this stuff after Monday (please use the accent of Bubba from Forrest Gump):
Black Monday
Blue Monday
Clean Monday
Ash Monday
Cyber Monday
Easter Monday
First Monday
Handsel Monday
Miracle Monday
Plough Monday
Wet Monday
Whit Monday
Big Monday
Weather Market Monday
Monday Club
Monday demonstrations
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Wars
Monday Night Raw

Day 42

tetanus

tetanus, originally uploaded by billaday.

Don't let this lamppost cut you. You could die, or need to get a painful shot. btw, this screw is part of the same post. Maybe I should stop parking under this lamp every Sunday.

Day 41

a plane wall

a plane wall, originally uploaded by billaday.

I didn't mean to trick anybody with the thumbnail. This is painted on the wall, but the propellor is real/3D. This is officially the coolest alley I've found in life (so far). Check out the downtown Monrovia set here.

Day 40

hazard

hazard, originally uploaded by billaday.

push this button in case of an emergency.

Day 39

ShadowCase

ShadowCase, originally uploaded by billaday.

Steal this photo and add your own cheesy photoshopped text on the case.

Note: specially designed for (secret) spies. I am not one.

Day 38

this sucks.

this sucks., originally uploaded by billaday.

I must admit, I'm a fan of the straw. Drinks taste bubblier and cooler. I highly recommend incorporating the straw into your beverage consumption habits.

However, as Demetri Martin reminds us, there are inherent dangers... the straw is your friend, until you lose eye contact with the straw. Then he will betray you and make you look like an idiot.

Day 37

Sole Doubt

Sole Doubt, originally uploaded by billaday.

Sing along if you know it (let the puns continue):
Sometimes I feel my life is going 'round in circles
Beneath my eyes are bluish black
There's nothing new, no one I wanna talk to
Nothing I wanna think about, I got soul doubt.

Day 36

PowerBook lit

PowerBook lit, originally uploaded by billaday.

Sure, it's not the new MacBook Air, but you gotta be happy with what you've got. I still have a fond place in my heart for my PowerBook G4, and my heart is growing (to make room for a new MacBook Pro). Dorky, I know, but seriously, have you seen the new laptops!?

Day 35

Les is more

Les is more, originally uploaded by billaday.

My buddy Ryan is letting me borrow his Les Paul Studio. It had a great tone for lead stuff (that means solos). It's been lots of fun to play guitar lately. I might get one of my own some day.

Day 34

(G4 x 3) +5

(G4 x 3) +5, originally uploaded by billaday.

That 5 G12's, if you solve this lame algebra joke problem.

Pat donated 8 G4 towers to our school. Here's 3 of them getting wheeled over to my classroom. Pat rocks. These computers rock. And now, I will rock.

Day 33

Granville has tasty food

Granville has tasty food, originally uploaded by billaday.

Granville is a rockin restaurant in Burbank. They have a DJ that streams a cool playlist from home, so you hear Blink and Oingo Bongo while eating Lobster Bisk. Plus, their menu has a wooden etched insert that looks super cool. It was incredibly dark at our table, so I'm surprised this photo came out at al

Day 32

Pant ironing sunrise

Pant ironing sunrise, originally uploaded by billaday.

I stepped outside to iron my pants in the morning (don't ask), and I saw some amazing colors as the sun was rising. This almost makes it worth waking up early... almost.

Day 31

Light my candle

Light my candle, originally uploaded by billaday.

If you haven't seen the play "Rent", go do it. You could see the movie, too, but it's not nearly as moving.

If you have seen it, you're probably singing the song in your head now. Dedicated to Annie (my little sister), living it up in Indonesia... "Just haven't eaten much today
At least the room stopped spinning." (She's afraid to eat most of the food (and those are lyrics from the song)).

(Sorry this is incoherent. I'm tired. It makes sense to me.)

Day 30

"new"

"new", originally uploaded by billaday.

Modern "art" spoiler: don't read this (semi-interesting) description if you want the mysteriousness of this shot gone.

So, our new media center at my school is 2 years old. It's really not new anymore; after all, you wouldn't eat pizza that's 700 days old. It is still under construction, though. I took a photo of the roof, with the sky above, and some construction paper masking out spots for painting (again).

On a side note, I've begun tagging photos as "Zel", if they remind me of the master photographer Zel Nunes. My friend and I use him name now as an adjective (not noun), as in, "Dude, that's totally a Zel picture."

Day 29

Makin' Copies

Makin' Copies, originally uploaded by billaday.

The copy man. Copy-tola. The copinator. Waitin'-for-the-copies-to-pass-through-the-machine-guy.

Well, this may not be the most exciting photo, but the description is funny (to me), and it's a good stock photo.

Day 28