I’ve been reconnoitered!

 Personal  4 Responses »
Mar 252010
 

Well, as you know, I try a number of things. Why not, life is short. So, now I need to find another guitar teacher in due course. I want/need something physical, though. I don’t remember when I first saw Tai Chi, but when I saw it, I thought that it might be for me. It looked peaceful.

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On Tuesday, I visited The Peaceful Dragon in Charlotte, NC. I had looked at it just before I went to Charleston. While I was in Charleston, I tried a Tai Chi DVD and, well, it just wasn’t happening. I couldn’t follow it. To continue, I met with Robert, on of the assistant instructors. Here, at The Peaceful Dragon, instructors must have a minimum of 10 years, yes, 10 years of training. Assistants, like Robert, must have a minimum of 5 years.

After an introductory video and some chat, Robert told me: I think that Tai Chi will go along well with your other artistic endeavors like photography, guitar playing, and meditation. Huh??? He smiled and said: I read your website. I laughed. I had been reconnoitered! Pretty funny.

Before giving me an introduction to Tai Chi, he asked me a question: What is the most important thing to sustain life. My first answer, food, was wrong. My second answer, water, was also wrong. I finally got it right on the third answer. Air. He said the rule of 3. Three weeks without food. Three days without water. Three minutes without air! That said, he taught me how to breath and then showed me three simple Tai Chi moves. Interestingly, and I mentioned it, the Tai Chi video mentioned nothing about the breath or breathing and that seems to be an essential part of the whole thing.

It was a good experience and I look forward to experiencing it fully. I looked into a class that was already in progress. They warm up for 30 minutes, at which point they are already sweating, then do the Tai Chi movements for 45. Robert says that I can make it as challenging as I want. Just because it looks smooth and effortless, doesn’t make it so. :-)

 Posted by at 21:19  Tagged with: , ,

Thanks all around!

 Personal  3 Responses »
Mar 172010
 

If you’ve ever looked at the insert on an album or perhaps the acknowledgements in a book, you’ll see that the artists always thank a multitude of people. I’d always taken that for granted … sure, there were people in the background.

Today, Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 is my last day with SAIC. As I go to close this chapter of the book that is my life, I want to say thanks to a lot of people who I’ve met along the way and who have given me tremendous support during this trying and uplifting time. If I have missed anyone, I assure you that it was not intentional at all!

I was reading, last night, Joseph Campbell’s: The Hero of a Thousand Faces. He talks a lot about ritual and how it is important to moving on to the next phase. I’ll make this my ritual of moving on. Saying thanks.
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Family

  • Vera – First and foremost, my wife. She had to bear the brunt of additional responsibilities when I was away. Tony had started a new school, 37 miles away from home and she had to take him and pick him up each day. She did it without complaint for an entire school year. It pained me to hear the exhaustion in her voice when I talked to her, but she did it. All the while, she never asked for me to return. She knew that this time apart was good for me, good for us, good for the family.
  • Tony – When I started, I missed his entire Junior year and now, most of his Senior year. I got to attend only about 30% of his basketball games, but he didn’t complain. He only showed appreciation for the games that I could attend.
  • Pedro – Pedro returned back from college to stay for a while until he could get his feet under him. He’s now on his own. I missed his entire return, save for a few weekends, but he was always happy to see me.
  • Hobbs – He always showed enthusiasm and great joy when I walked through the door. He didn’t get his customary walks, but he was still glad to see me.

Old Friends

  • Richard – We would talk almost every day and Richard always had a joke to share or some interesting story. In my down times, he would pump me up from time to time and show me that it wasn’t all bad.
  • Gordon – My bestest bud from high school – What can I say? This guy is a joy to talk to and I’m glad that I’ve known him for as long as I have. Certainly my privilege. He always had an understanding ear when I shared with him my trials and tribulations.

New Friends

  • Dennis A.K.A. Hawk, Vinny, Brandon – This was my superstar team for our project. We completed this project against all odds and ended up smelling like roses and being rock stars for a few minutes. :-) These guys helped to pull me more out of my introverted shell. The encouraged me to come out with them. We would go bowling. It was, and has been a great time. I even went over to Hawk’s house, they taught me how to play Texas Hold ‘em (Poker) and I cleaned ‘em out! :-) Thanks to them, I now drink 3x as much as I used to. Before, I’d drink one bottle of beer per year, now I’m up to 3, maybe more!
  • Kevin – What can you say about Kevin? The guy has a joke for everything. Kevin is the most entertaining guy that I have ever met. Around this guy, it’s just nonstop hilarity. I dare you have more than 3 or 4 serious minutes in a row!
  • Ulonda & Sabrina – Test goddesses! This was our testing team and they were flexible, nice, supportive, and just fun to be around. Not to mention that they were very, very, very easy on the eyes, too. :-)
  • Billy – Billy was my first friend in town. I think around the first or second week, we went to see a movie – Tropic Thunder. He really enjoyed it. He’s a fun guy to hang out with and he loves Thai food, so he can’t be all that bad!

Others

  • John R. – Thanks for your all of your help, your understanding, and your patience in helping me to discover my voice and find my own personal myth.
  • Craig – Thanks for teaching me guitar. Of course, I’ve still got a long, long way to go. I hope that we can find a way to work together across the miles.
  • Justin – Thanks for sharing your story with a complete stranger that was toting a camera.
  • Dave – It’s about respect! You certainly made my stay memorable.
  • Jessica & Clarissa – These were my apartment manager and assistant managers, respectively. They always treated me with respect and a warm smile every time that I went into the office to pick up a package. There was always time for talk to see how I was doing, how my family was doing, etc. I felt at home here, although home was some 210 miles to the north.
  • And last, but certainly not least, all of you who kept reading this blog entitled Paul Lester Photography, even when it had very little to do with photography and more to do with my thrashing about as I learned more about life, more about self.

And finally, to myself for taking this challenge and all that it entailed. I can say, honestly, that had I known what it would have contained, I might have turned down the offer, but I’m glad to have experienced it. Just look at all of the friendships that I formed and the cool people that I met and the layers that I have been able to peel away and being able to find that voice that has been missing for so very many years. It was worth it!

Let’s see what’s next!

 Posted by at 00:00  Tagged with:

Winter: It’s a wrap

 Personal, Photography  4 Responses »
Jan 312010
 

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Though I did not brave the icy streets in my car, like my friend Earl did on his Winter Tour; I don’t have a four-wheel drive. I did go for a walk this morning with Hobbs, of course. The temperature was about 15° F, but the sun was shining brightly. I did have fun watching Hobbs slip and slide on the ice. I saw him take several nose-first dives to the ice. He’s short, so not to far to go from head to ground. :-)

Today’s forecast called for clear skies, abundant sunshine, and rapidly rising temperatures. They indicated that the temperature would reach into the mid 30′s by about 2:00 PM. It is now 12:05 and the temperature has increased some 21 degrees. It is now 36 degrees outside and rising. I would imagine that it might hit 40.
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The neighborhood kids are trying to get their last rides on the sleds. They can go down the street for a while, then they hit the slush and have to push themselves. I would imagine that they have about 30 more minutes. The snow is no longer crunchy, but is glistening a bit.

Hobbs, as usual, is doing his bit to welcome the sun back. He can enjoy himself in any type of weather … except rain! As far as winter goes in these parts, that’s probably a wrap, though old man Winter could drop by for a surprise visit, but who knows.

 Posted by at 12:17  Tagged with: ,

A non-snow photo for Paul M.

 Humor, Personal, Photography  2 Responses »
Jan 092010
 

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In his post, I can dream, can’t I?, Paul Maxim was lamenting the cold weather and subsequent photos posted on various blogs of cold, snowy places. He posted a beautiful shot of Middleton Place, one of the tourist areas in the Charleston area. A place that I’ve never been.

So, I just thought that I post a nice shot of the Ashley River that I took the other day. There is no snow. Mind you, the wind was blowing and the temperature was plummeting, but you can’t tell that from the photo, so it’s OK.

The weather here in Charleston, SC has been pretty chilly. We’ve had 20 degree temperatures most every morning. Right now it’s 27 degrees outside, but fortunately, we’ve not had any of the white stuff. I can hardly imagine what would happen here if the flakes started to fall. I think that it would be worse then Charlotte. Last year in Charlotte they closed some of the schools because there was a FORECAST of snow!!! No actual snow fell, but the schools were still closed. Amazing!

Anyway, here’s a non-snow photo just for your Paul M. Just doing my little bit to help out against S.A.D.

Oh, and about that T.V. watching. I’ve not had a T.V. for months and months. This morning, I was at a hotel in Fayetteville, NC, in the lobby. The television was on. I could only stay near it for about 5 minutes, before I had to leave. I thought that I was going to go insane! I don’t miss the boob tube!

 Posted by at 20:58  Tagged with:

Stats and stuff

 Personal  3 Responses »
Jan 042010
 

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Nope! It’s still free!

I’ve mentioned before that I have a Google Analytics account. For the most part, I ignore it. There are times when I’m curious about what has happened over the last X period of time. I think that it is rather natural to have a look back at the previous year and see how things looked.

As I’ve been running Google Analytics for about 2 years, I had something to compare. I compared 2009 to 2008 and found that this blog is remarkably consistent. Remarkably! Both years, on nearly every statistic were very close. Now, in this super-duper-grow-grow-grow American economic ideal, this is a very bad thing, indeed. Very bad. My blog has been tagged with the “S” word. Stagnant! Well, that’s not entirely true. My visits were up 25% but my page views/visit was down by about 3%.

I don’t get all wrapped up in these things, but they are interesting. I guess that the blog is showing growth. The one thing that was consistent through both years, visitor loyalty (THANK YOU!). That is, 60% of my visitors are repeat visitors. I’m not sure if this is a good or not good thing. I think that it is good. So, I’m keeping a steady flow of new visitors as well as keeping a good number of the ones who stop by.

A good amount of traffic was driven here by SoFoBoMo. People really like the Taking Basketball Photos article. It’s among the favorites, along with D300 Auto Focus.

This is the beginning of year 5 and I have no plans to make any major changes, or even minor ones for that matter, but who knows?

I heard a quote yesterday: If you want to prove that god has a sense of humor, make a plan and try to stick with it! :-)

 Posted by at 00:00

Middle age/Middle Passage

 Personal  21 Responses »
Jul 292009
 


I used to laugh when I saw the stereotypical middle aged guy portrayed in Hollywood movie. A classic example of this was in the movie, American Beauty. At the time that I watched it, I could not appreciate the story line beyond the surface; however, now that I’m smack in the middle of the middle passage, I can understand a bit better. Kevin Spacey turns in an excellent performance as a guy who is trying to navigate this middle passage the best that he can. He’s reached a point in his life where he’s done all the right things, said all the right things, been the best dad, husband, etc. that he can be, but there is deep dissatisfaction. I think that I’ll put the movie in my Netflix queue to watch it again.

I’m a big fan of Robert Longpre’s website, Through a Jungian Lens. Robert made a comment the other day on one of my posts. In it he said:

I can see it:”He said all the right things to all the right people, always with a gentle smile. He made us all feel loved, valued and at the center of the world. He was focused on us. Trouble is, we never, ever got to know him. He was like the perfect mirror for us. I wonder what he was really like, you know, who was he?”

This quote, I think, sums up the deep feelings in the middle passage, or mid-life crisis. Somewhere between 40 and 60, you reach this point. I’m 47 and haven’t a single clue as to who I am. Sure, I’ve worn various roles: Father, husband, caretaker, friend, etc. With respect to culture, etc., I’m a kind, considerate, polite person. I was taught that. In some ways, as Robert put it, the perfect mirror. However, in the second half of life, middle age, other feelings start to emerge. That shadow side that was suppressed for so long wants to assert itself. The other side that we disavow, but that really completes us. That part that wants something more from life than to just be a yes man, to have the right job, right house, right spouse, the smile on the face. There is a hunger, a deep hunger, to discover one’s true nature and desires. The earthquakes of the soul begin.

This is a time of intense growth and necessary suffering that goes along with it. Thinking back to my SoFoBoMo book, In Retrospect, it rather reminds me of middle school. That was a tough transitional age, but totally necessary.

In the evening, when all is quiet, the questions arise: Is this what you want? Why are you still doing this type of job? What about your photography? What about the things that you want from life? Have I simply ‘settled’ all of my life? Sometimes I just want to yell from the rooftop: “Who the hell am I and what is the purpose of all of this?!!!”.

I know that this growth is necessary and it is a gift; however, sometimes, I just want to know where I can exchange this gift or get a refund! If you are interested in this, a great book is: The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife by Dr. John Hollis. I have it as an audio book and have listened to it a couple of times already. The book talks mainly about how this time is a time to have a great relationship with yourself, your true self, whoever that is. It’s about taking responsibility for yourself and knowing that no one, absolutely no one, can make you happy in this life. That’s up to you, but first you have to dig a bit and find that quiet voice, all the while removing layers and layers. This excavation is tiring work, but rewarding.

I cannot possibly state in words how much I have changed in the past year. I can probably state that it was probably the very small tip of a very large iceberg, however. I think that there is a lot more to come. Still learning …

 Posted by at 12:46

Connections

 Personal  4 Responses »
Apr 122009
 


It is always very meaningful to me when a new blogger stops by my blog. I always wonder how they found me on all of the cyber noise. It’s really nice when they decide to post a comment, or two, or three. But what is even more rewarding is when shortly after they appear here and I am reading their blog that I see some of my old familiar blog family posting there a day or two later. I like that!

Such is the case with Chris Klug’s blog, Patterns of Light n’ Dark. Chris stopped by for the first time, I believe, last week, made some nice posts, and hung in there when my Spam Karma 2 kept telling him that he was a spammer and refusing to post his comments. Well, SK2 and I finally came to an understanding, I think, and now Chris can post.

Chris was, in a former career, a lighting designer and his photographs have beautiful lighting. I’ve been looking at them and trying to see what I can learn from them.

Now that I’m going on year 4, which hard to believe, I can think of many of the people who have dropped by and visited during that time. Sometimes I go back through old posts and see their names, click on their links, and a lot of times am disappointed because they are no longer blogging. However, there always seems to be someone new to come along, for a season, and add a new dimension to this blog.

I just love it! It’s one of the things that makes blogging very much worthwhile.

 Posted by at 21:32  Tagged with: , ,
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