Self Portrait Challenge - October (Week #2)

Take the October Self Portrait Challenge!

Look beyond the surface of your life, dig into your imperfect self and reveal it to us. I want to see the down and dirty you, the messy, gross and ugly you, the side of yourself that you always try to hide, give us some insight into your dreadful secrets. This can be your physical self or your personal space or within your wider life. Be not afraid!

For years I've held on to a number of insecurities and self-doubts about my true talents and skills.

By profession, I'm a computer programmer. By avocation I'm a musician. I've enjoyed some moderate success in both over the years, rising to the position of website coordinator for a local hospital system. I've also managed to use my abilities to play the piano, direct theatre and act into a satisfactory body of work for local shows. To most anyone's eyes I would be considered a success at not only making a good living at being creative in designing websites, but fulfilling dreams of musical and theatrical creativity and self-expression.

But self-assessments of my own skills and talents continue to leave me feeling quite fortunate in where I am and what I've accomplished. I feel sometimes as if life has been a series of fortunate breaks, right-place-at-the-right-time opportunities and pleas for help from those at the end of their rope.

I fear I don't have the programming skills necesary to truly produce work output that at the end of the day I can be proud of in its creativity, user-friendliness or thoroughness. I feel my web programming skills stopped evolving several years ago and I'm getting by on past glories. I don't want to own my own web design company, but I feel I've come to a rock and can go no further even within my own ambitions.

I am also a fair pianist, but make more than my fair share of mistakes. Truly accomplished musicians come and go through my sphere of influence and I see where my futures might lie had I truly enough talent, drive and expertise to succeed. I don't desire to perform to Broadway, but feel have been unable to overcome the hard places that keep me from pursuin more attainable goals.

Therefore, the second of the "hidden challenges", a part of me I try to hide, is my lack of confidence in my own professional and creative abilities.

The Two Sides of the Keyboard.

Self Portrait Challenge - October (Week #1)

This month's Self Portrait Challenge is going to be tough...

Look beyond the surface of your life, dig into your imperfect self and reveal it to us. I want to see the down and dirty you, the messy, gross and ugly you, the side of yourself that you always try to hide, give us some insight into your dreadful secrets. This can be your physical self or your personal space or within your wider life. Be not afraid!

Below is why I like to wear baseball caps (even though Somebody says I wear them too high). This is what makes me look like a combination of Frasier Crane and Josh Lyman from "The West Wing". I love my dad, but it's all his fault.



The high forehead - yes, there it is. The bane of my existence. Well, one of them.

Interestingly, I was going to crop out the poster of Malificent on the wall behind me, but the gout of flame she's breathing forth right on the top of my head was way too apropos...

Self Portrait Challenge - September (Week 4)

For the final Self Portrait Challenge of September, I have a photo of myself with the most important people in the world - my family.


(I call this shot our Meet the Beatles shot)

Another, slightly more serious version hangs on the wall in our home. These three folks are precious to me in more ways than I can possibly say. Our lives revolve around each other in such a way that we are so intertwined, when one is happy we're all happy, and when one's upset, we're all upset. When one laughs, we all laugh.

All for one and one for all.

Take the Self Portrait Challenge!


UPDATE: Oh, by the way - we go on tour next month:

SPC Coming...

My final Self-Portrait Challenge for September is delayed, but I'll have it up tonight (as if you were actually wondering where it was). This one is special, if I can get it scanned in good enough quality and I think you'll like it.

Self Portrait Challenge - September (Week 3)

Yesterday my family and I spent the pre-UT/Florida game hours with a trip to Dollywood. If you've never been there, Dollywood is about the most laid back amusement park you could ever visit, doesn't take itself too seriously and is usually a pretty relaxing way to spend a day.

In fact, the train ride around the part is one of the best ways to unwind, especially when you take the trip with my kids...


I also finally rode Thunderhead, the great new wooden roller coaster, and I loved it. 55 mph, 100' drop, hairpin turn right out of the gate and a station pass through in the middle of the ride - awesome.

See if you can find me in the photo below - me with my fellow roller-coaster enthusiasts. You'll probably want to click on the picture for the full version.


Take the Self Portrait Challenge!

Self Portrait Challenge - September (Week 2)

This month's Self Portrait Challenge is "with someone...". A couple days ago I posted a long meme about blogging, and one of the topics touched on was the people you meet while blogging.

I'm fortunate to have met some great people while blogging, as well as getting back in touch with folks I haven't seen in a while. So this week's Self Portrait Challenge entry is "with...blogger buddies".

Here's me and Tish after lunch at the Mellow Mushroom on the strip this past Friday.



Then here's me and Big Orange Michael at the UT game yesterday:



And finally here's me and Becky from last year when we she came to Tennessee for a visit:



I may have another couple of "With...blogger buddies" to post soon...

UPDATE: Yep, and here's me and Teresa (Hatamaran):

Self Portrait Challenge - September (Week 1)

This month the challenge is "with someone". I've got some good ideas for this month, including "with" other bloggers, my family, and who knows who else. But for the first one I'm going to go back in time.

In 1972 I was 5 years old, and two of my absolute favorite things to do in the world were watch H.R. Pufnstuf and Lidsville on Saturday mornings, and to go to Six Flags over Georgia in Atlanta every summer with my family.

For a few years, those worlds collided. Sid & Marty Krofft, creators of H.R. Pufnstuf and Lidsville had a Puppet Theatre in Six Flags, and joy of joys, the characters from the shows would occasionally walk around the park.

Here I am with my hero, the Mayor of Living Island himself, H.R. Pufnstuf.



That's me in the red shirt and white hat. Also seen "horning" in on the action is Ms. Party Hat from Lidsville.

I also got pretty chummy with The Colonel from Lidsville as well.



Apparently I had one pose for all pictures. I remember good ole' Colonel scaring the good old' bejeebus out of me, so I stood as far from him as I could but still stay in the shot.

You know, watching those guys on TV is great. Seeing them in person, they just look like misshapen mutants...

Anyway.

I'm happy my parents kept the old photos, and transferred them to CD so I can enjoy them forever.

Since I'm in a charitable, nostalgic mood, here's a picture I found just for my former roommate Gary and and his brother Phillip:



Magic World in Pigeon Forge, circa 1976. Eat your hearts out, guys...I was there first.

Note: In searching the CD's for these particular pictures, I found a bunch of 1982 World's Fair pictures. I'll be posting them on my 25th Anniversary Site soon.

The Next Self Portrait Challenge

I can't quite get a straight answer on whether we're supposed to do a fifth-week version of the August "Enclosed Spaces" Self Portrait Challenge so I'm just going to hold off and wait till the end of the week with the first September challenge.

August Self-Portrait Challenge #4

Enclosed Spaces

One of the most enclosed feelings one can have is when something is wrapped around your head.

Here is what I go through every night:



I'm wearing here my CPAP (Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure) unit, used for treating severe sleep apnea. Which I have, in spades. Pressured air is generated through the unit on the little table to the right, then forced through a hose and into the breather under my nose. A constant stream of air is pushed into my lungs during the night, keeping me from snoring and giving me a steady amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. I'm not claustrophobic so it doesn't bother me in that way, although most mornings my nose if very sore when I wake up, as if I had a bad cold and had been sneezing all night. The soreness does go away fairly quickly, though.

Unfortunately I don't always wear it all the through the night. If I wake up in between two of my sleep cycles, it's sometimes very difficult to get back to sleep. I often end up tearing off the mask and accompanying chinstrap, flinging them to the floor and turning off the air unit - sometimes between 4:30 and 6:30am.

Those early morning hours when I do wake up and cannot get back to sleep, I look like this:



For more information:

My Sleep Study (Feb 2005) - Part 1 and Part 2

Sleep Study Followup

August Self-Portrait Challenge #3

Well, I'm moving up in the world.

However I seem to be having some...maturity issues.

I finally got out of the doghouse, so progress is being made... My wife, however, feels I still have a little too much childishness in me as you will see. While I did get a new toy a couple weeks ago, well, it seems all I want to do is play with the box.


Help me. Help me, please....





Take the Self Portrait Challenge!

Taking it Easy

I'm home sick from work today, getting a chance to blog from here. I'm going to take it easy and get over whatever sinus thing that's got me.

I never really mentioned the problem we had with Skie the kitten over the weekend. He got really lethargic and sleepy Sunday and Monday and just wouldn't move much. He would eat fine if placed in front of his bowl and otherwise looked and sounded healthy, just like he was totally depressed or wiped out. Took him to the vet Tuesday to find out he had a virus - they're thinking it was taxoplasmosis, which is a respitory disease humans can get, too, which is especially dangerous to pregnant women and is carried by cats. So he's gotten antibiotics and perked right back up yesterday... we'll know the blood test results tomorrow.

I hope everyone is enjoying the Self-Portrait Challenge photos - they're a blast to take.

There's not much blog-worthy these days without dipping into current events, which I don't want to do.

Suffice to say this person is leaving my office tomorrow for good and I'm pretty bummed. I've worked fairly closely with her since I started my job (and have known her for several years before that) and I'll miss her a lot.

August Self-Portrait Challenge #2

Well, last week's "Enclosed Spaces" Self-Portrait Challenge landed me in a bit of trouble.

Seems my wife was less-than-enthusiastic with the threat of exposing my, um, tender mercies to the internet audience. Sometimes an artist is unappreciated in his own family. Scandalous, I know.

Anyway, I have had to play the penitent husband and accept my punishment like a man.

Or, as it were, like a dog.

August Self-Portrait Challenge #1

The Self Portrait Challenge for August is "Enclosed Spaces":

First - Use an enclosed environment‚ a space that has the confines and restrictions of the photo-booth.

The shower in my bathroom is ridiculously small...my kids and the guest room have a bigger shower than we do. Sometimes the walls just close in....

Self-Portrait Challenge 2

This is my second entry in the Self-Portrait Challenge: Me and the cat.


I was napping on the couch, and Skie crawled up and settled on my shoulder. Laura *BrainyBoy was sufficiently sneaky enough to take our picture. I was, however, awake enough to notice the sneakiness...



* - I was informed by said Brainyboy that it was him taking the picture, not Laura. I stand corrected at the threat of a tantrum.

Fun in the Sun

Vacation pics from Ft. Lauderdale

(Note: This first photo is now my initial entry into the Self-Portrait Challenge! Welcome to all those new readers...)



Tink, Brainboy v10.5 and me sitting on the edge of the pool at the condo, next to a cool waterfall/fountain thing. Presently the waterfall is going down the back of my trunks. Laura took all the photos, so she's not in the pictures..


At Wannado City, Tink's a fire fighter.


Also at Wannado City, Brainyboy's working in the Coca Cola Bottling Plant


On the Airboat in the Everglades. Note the earplugs to keep out the deafening noise of the propeller fans. For some reason I look very stern... My t-shirt says, "One Fine Scotsman - Measured, Weighed, and Found Fit"


A denizen of the swamp. The guide threw wadded up pieces of grass at him...


Space Shuttle and fireworks photos were taken with the print camera, so those'll come later...