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This Friday evening, August 6th, at First Friday in Raleigh will be the opening for Series 1 of the Portraits of Raleigh exhibit at the Raleigh City Museum. I’ve been privileged enough to be selected for the exhibition. The opening reception will be from 6pm-9pm and will be on display until November 27th, 2010. There will be a “Sir Walter Award” given to the photograph selected as favorite by the reception attendees. So please stop by and vote!

In addition to my piece some good friends of mine have also been selected. Look for pieces from James Gries and Abby Nardo as well.

I wanted to write a bit about this image for one main reason.  It’s completely out of my comfort zone for photography.  Ninety-Five percent of everything I shoot is some object, in close and tight, or a “portrait”.  This is kind of landscape, kind of still-life.  Regardless, VERY happy with the shot.  I really struggle with “complex” backgrounds and finding a way to make the photo have focus.  The chairs are kind of cheating, but it worked.  Very pleased.

Post was limited to conversion to grayscale and some mild tinting of the image for a more old-timey look.  The shot was taken when I went out for a walk one morning and found these chairs in the back yard of a house on Oberlin Rd in Raleigh.  Good sunlight out helps with shadows.

Ever been awake late at night stuck with insomnia?  Maybe you just need a good book to read to settle the mind.  Then the age old problem of where to go to get a book late at night.  You’ve already recycled all those books on the shelves three times over.  If you are in the NC State\Hillsborough St. area of Raleigh then The Reader’s Corner is your answer.

They have a pretty substantial selection of used books lining the outside of the store.  On the left is a lot of reference material and hardbacks that will run you 25 cents a piece.  To the right is lighter reading and softcovers.  Tough call if you are trying to go to sleep.  The reference might be just the trick to put you to sleep.

I meandered through the shelves for a while today looking for any good pickups.  I love movie\book crossovers and they happened to have The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum.  They actually had two copies of The Bourne Supremacy, each with a slightly different cover.  When I got home to break out  the first in the series, Identity, I noticed that instead of putting back one of the copies of Supremacy, I had returned Identity.  So I am now the proud owner of two copies of the same book.  I need to go back to swap out the duplicate, didn’t see much use in having two copies.

Just remember to drop your money in the drop slot before you leave.  I’m curious how many people leave exact change.  I know that I just threw in a dollar for the books I grabbed.  Total value, 20 cents.

Reader’s Corner is located at: 3201 Hillsborough St.  Raleigh, NC 27607

I wouldn’t say that I am a dedicated video gamer anymore, but I still fire up the 360 from time to time to play a little GTA4 or Forza2.  I once was addicted to World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike before that.  Also being a software developer I can’t say I haven’t thought about making the jump from enterprise software development at my current position over to game development.  I’m not sure that I have the chops for the development side of things when it comes to gaming.  My native development skills are not the sharpest these days and my math could use a serious sharpening I would guess.  Maybe project management?  Did I just say that?  Yikes.

A friend of mine in the Charlotte area had turned me on to a business that has really taken off in the area.  It’s a service called Two Guys and a Ride that will send a car with two drivers to wherever you, and your car, are at.  Then one of their drivers will drive you and your car wherever you want while the other driver follows in  the “chase car”.  The cost varies a bit, and the memories are fuzzy, but I think the cost is about what a cab alone would cost plus around 15 dollars depending on distance traveled.  It’s a brilliant service that is convenient and safe for everyone involved.  Bravo!

I am currently challenged with how to get to the Jimmy Buffett concert at Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek and get everyone home safely.  Two Guys and a Ride sadly does not exist in Raleigh.  However, through the magic of the internet, and a suggestion from Cecil over at the Urban Planet forums, I found Safe Ride Home.  My prayers are answered!  I plan to call later today and set up an appointment to get all of my friends, myself, our car, and all our tailgating goodness safely home after teh concert.

I really cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be responsible when out partying and galavantic around.  Please designate a driver, take a cab, walk, bike, crawl, cab-it, or find a Safe Ride Home.

Update: I just spoke with Safe Ride Home and we are all set for a ride home after the concert back to downtown for some after party!  The cost is 10 dollar vehicle delivery fee and 3 dollar per mile up to 10 miles.  What a great deal for safe delivery of people and vehicle!