Newer pursuits: Photography

Yes I've been doing some wedding photography here and there as some of you may already know. Mostly for friends. Well I've just launched a brand new website to support my photography services www.pearsonfoto.com and the blog www.pearsonfoto.blogspot.com. Familytree is still my main source of income and personal satisfaction, but photography has always had a special place in my heart as well. So why not get paid to do it?

25 things about me... according to facebook

1. I started this thing a while ago, and really don't know if I'll be able to get to 25. I think at most I have about 15 qualities so we'll see how far this gets and go from there.

2. I collect things: like, old cameras, pictures of dudes with mustaches, and hot sauce. I want to start a collection of old toys and old pinup paintings. This collector quality also has it's downfalls... like the fact I can't throw stuff away. Underneath my bed and all closets in my home are pretty scary. (sidenote: useful for tax purposes)

3. Two words. Righteous Indignation. I have a highly developed sense of justice. Case in point: when I was 5 years old my dad explained to me the concept of borrowing money with interest. I was angered and appalled.

4. I was born 50 years too late. I love old things, old processes, and old ways of thinking.

5. I have ZERO musical talent. I can't sing or play any instuments, not even fake Rockband instruments. Oddly enough when I was 19 I was convinced I could sing, and wanted to be in a band. You should be glad that never happened.

6. Even though I can't make the music... I can dance to it. I can lay down some serious dance moves. I may look like Gumby or Napoleon Dynamite doing it, but I can do it nonetheless.

7. People have said that I look like Jim Carey, Jemaine Clement, and Billy-Bob Thornton.

8. I don't believe in doing anything half-hearted. Even if it's cleaning the bathtub. I take serious pride in the things I like to do, and try to outdo myself every time. I guess I have a little bit of a competitive spirit, but it really is a competition with myself, and no one else. With exception sometimes if I feel like I can't do something I get discouraged, and don't really bother with it, like music.

9. I am somewhat of a social chameleon. I don't fake my personality or interests, but I like making people comfortable, and often adjust my behavior according to who I'm with. I also find myself filling the hole that needs to be filled. If you are indecisive then I will lead. If you are assertive and like to be in control, then I fall back and go with the flow. (This is also a manifestation of #10).

10. I think there is nothing in the world that I hate more than confrontation. I'm not sure yet if this is a positive or a negative. Actually it's both. Positive, because it keeps me out of fights, but negative when there is an uncomfortable issue that needs to be addressed.

10.5. If you are interested in something I hate, but you really love it and are passionate about it, I still like to hear about it, at least once. I think I can get along with 99.9% of the human population, and there are very few people who dislike me.

11. I'm pretty sure people who don't know me or just see me in passing are intimidated by me. I really don't mean this in a bragging way at all. I never find myself getting in friendly conversations with strangers. I think it's because when I'm alone, I don't give off an approachable vibe. I'm pretty much down to business and act serious. I'm trying to work on this, because I'm jealous of people who get along with strangers.

12. On the flip side of #11, when I'm with friends I am a total goof, and love to make people laugh (which may include dancing, voices, hats, wigs and so forth). So if you know me well, you probably know I'm a little bit of an entertainer.

13. I cannot drink alcohol in uncomfortable situations. Most people would prefer to be drinking, but for me it makes an out-of-my-control situation even more out of my control. I also don't like drinking around my parents or other people's parents.

14. One time I shaved my head and left my sideburns.

15. I think Back to the Future had a deep impact on my early childhood development.

16. If I appear confident I'm probably faking. Deep down I am still a nerdy little kid that wants to play with legos and draw.

17. Today a four year old told me her brother informed her that I was a grownup. I informed her I am a very tall kid.

17.5. I think most kids know about #16 and 17. They're on to me. They know I would rather be playing with their toys than doing grownup stuff. Hence kids love me. Which works out well because I love them. The only problem is that if I do actually try and tell a child what to do... it's like they're hearing it from a 5 year old.

18. I really hope I never go blind. I just love looking at things.

19. I may or may not have a man crush on my brother Ben. I think he's probably the coolest and funniest person I know. Rewind 15 years ago... I hated him. My parents used to actually read me scriptures about not hating your brother... it was that bad. In my defense he did get sick joy out of purposely irritating me.

20. I think if I had a beard I would be 20% better in all aspects of life.

21. Some people describe me as creative. I disagree. I like creating art, film, photography, graphic design. But I really don't think I'm that creative, I just refuse to do a poor job (refer back to #8).

22. If anyone tells me I look like Don Draper I will be very happy.

25. I'm tired of this.

I haven't changed much

My mom brought over 3 or 4 trash bags of stuff that was all jammed in a closet in my old room the other day. I spent a couple hours going through old forgotten gems. This is from a test I took when I was in 8th grade. I was 14. The jobs groups suggested based on my interest and abilities were 1) Technology Professional 2) Arts Professional 3) Science Professional 4) Arts Skilled. If that doesn't have "Graphic Designer" written all over it... then I don't know what does. I guess I picked the right job.

I am a cartoon character

Yeah I'm sure this is really old, considering the movie came out quite a while ago, but I just found the website where you can make yourself as a simpsons character, I did a little tweaks myself in photoshop.

Have I lost my mind?

Those of you who know me personally know that I am a little bit of a coffee snob. I try not to force my views on others, but I just don't stand for bad coffee. I realize if all you've ever had is foldgers then there may be no reason for you to ever upgrade. It will at least save you some money. It's like if all you've ever driven is a 1987 Honda Civic and it still runs, why upgrade to a BMW? I purchase my beans from local Nashville roaster Bongo Java (at this point Starbucks isn't even good enough any more), and that's pretty much all I drink. It seems to me that Americans, although somewhat late, are starting to learn the value of good coffee. Case in point Starbucks recent mysterious afternoon closing, and falling off of customer base. They've realized that as a major American company they have been responsible for broadcasting the coffee culture from coast to coast. And now we've learned that there is better coffee out there. Coffee like Bongo Java's. So when McDonald's began their ads for their new Iced Coffee, I simply laughed. Ok when did Starbucks begin popping up on every corner? About ten years ago! Maybe 7-8 if you live in a rural area. I couldn't believe how stupid this seemed. As if in a McDonald's board meeting this summer, some executive realized, "Hey you know people seem to want better coffee these days. Maybe we should do something about that." Or maybe they've been building this drink in the McLaboratory since the year 2000. Maybe that coffee lab was the only thing affected by the Y2K bug. I don't know, but what I do know is that I broke down and tried it. No less than 2 hours ago, and I'm somewhat ashamed to say... I really liked it. Have I lost my mind?