Novato

Novato, CA

John and I went on a little road trip tonight. (Check out the map) We stopped in Novato for dinner.

Bowling

Antioch, CA

I was feeling depressed and John was feeling stressed - so we went bowling. Nothing like beating the heck out of a bunch of Red Necks to improve your mood.

The Scores were Sean/John:
103/93
106/51
93/91

That's right - I won every game.

(Beyond the Cut)

Random Thoughts from sean

Johnny Daimon is a traitor. Still.

Looking for work does not build character. It's just frustrating.

If you are not guilty, don't plead guilty. This recent Larry Craig episode is so annoying. Larry Craig is an idiot and thankfully won't get reelected.

Closer, My Boys, Mad Men almost fulfill my need for the Office, but not quite yet. I'm anxiously awaiting the return of the Office in September.

I'm very tempted to travel to San Fran on Thursday. In California (with 12 million plus people around the bay area) sometimes pollution gets so bad that they have "spare the air" days. On those days all public transportation is free in the morning. So I could literally go to SF for free in the morning and as long as I left The City by 12:30pm, I could get home for free as well. I could take all the pictures I wanted and see all of the sites as long as I was out by 12:30 PM. Very tempting.

I don't understand it when I get rejection letters that say that I am qualified for the position, but they don't want to interview me. Why the hell not?

I kind of got a job offer today. I got a letter from Marin county today telling me that while I had applied for the full time position, I had been put on the on-call list as a drug counselor assistant. When they need me I'll get called in to help clients in a residential setting. I'll help them with their daily activities, help with intake and help observe unitary tests.

Running a photo a day blog is hard. Some days (like Thursday) I may take 100 pictures of San Fransisco, but I can only post one of them. Then the next day I may totally forget about taking my camera with me and at 11:45 PM I'm taking pictures of my fridge or be taking pictures of wood carving projects I've been working on. And then on days like today when I'm grumpy and depressed, I still have to take a picture and I feel a sense of duty to do something at least some what entertaining. Then there are days where I see the perfect shot, but I'm gong down the freeway at 75 miles per hour and I have to miss the shot because there's no way to pull over and take the shot. Then there are the problems with my camera...the shutter problem, the broken LCD, and the lack of detail allowed in the shots. I desperately need a job so I can afford a better camera so that I can take pictures of insects up close or of belt buckles or even belly buttons. I love the camera my dad got me, don't get me wrong. It was a nice step up from the throw away cameras I was using. But in true family form - I just have to have the next better up gadget.

I don't date smokers for reasons other than my religion. Recently I was talking to a friend and we saw this really cute girl and I was noticing her (Just noticing her Nina. Hi Dear) when suddenly we saw her smoking. I said Oh well and moved on. My friend said that as a Mormon that was the only reason I didn't care about the girl. This is not true. My religion has nothing to do with whom I date. I would have dated non-members in Rexburg if there were any that weren't also clients of mine at the same time. No, actually, the reason I don't date smokers is because I consider smoking to be a cancer stick. And I refuse to voluntarily watch yet another loved one go through cancer. I have watched cancer destroy the lives of so many loved ones - I refuse to go through that again. We ALL know that cigarettes lead to lung cancer. It is a preventable thing we can all do to avoid cancer. DON'T SMOKE. And if a girl is willingly saying "I don't care if I get cancer" - well then -I don't want to date her.

On the cancer thought - Skin cancer runs in my family. If you see me at the pool and I've got my shirt on - it's not because I'm trying to hide the rolls of fat I have. (You can ask any roommate - I proudly show those off.) It's because I don't want skin cancer. I don't care how much it slows me down in the pool. i don't want skin cancer.

I think that does it for my random thoughts this week. I swear - as soon as the research is done, I will write the next installment in the dead animal series. Please just have patience.

Moon

In the universe somewhere (picture taken in Antioch, CA)

Evidently yesterday was some big lunar event. I wouldn't know. KNJ & I spend almost all of the 2 years we spent dating having very different opinions on which was more important: Space Exploration or Oceanography Exploration. I really truly believe that the cure for every disease on earth is on earth. If we cut NASA's budget by a third and put that money instead into the search of the ocean I think we could bless more people.

But either way, here is a picture of the moon for you.

Crosses for Iraq

Lafayette, CA

These crosses are on a hill in Lafayette. The hill is right next to a BART station and a major freeway. Each cross represents a soldier that has died in Iraq since we invaded. There is a controversy here over the meaning behind the crosses. The conservative Californians say that is an Anti -war demonstration. The California liberals say that it is for the good of the country as it reminds people of what the war is costing us. Oh and that this (Free speech) is what those soldiers are fighting for. The owners just say they are looking for a way for people to remember our fallen soldiers.

You can find more info here and here.

(A note of why it is blurry: I have been having increased trouble with my shutter. I'm not sure why the problem is getting worse, but I promise one of these days I'll be employed and I will be able to go to e-bay and buy a new camera. In the meantime, every now and then you'll have a blurry shot. Sorry)

Autograph ball

Antioch, CA

My dad got me an autographed baseball. My dad is my biggest hero, so he could have signed it and I would have been happy, but instead he got Rollie Fingers to sign it.

Beyond the Cut - I never intended to use it, but there is a self portrait of me on my other blog.

I'm feeling vain

I went to get my hair cut this morning. I've had the same stylist for a year now and it was really weird to have someone else's hands in my hair that weren't Molly's. (I think I will have the same problem once I get a massage. I had Hannah's hands all over me for almost 2 years.) Molly was spectacular and worked with me to help me figure out what works best for me. In High school I used to shave all three sides of my head to avoid the feeling of hair. While KNJ & I were dating she told me that I needed to grow out my sideburns if people were to take me seriously. Molly worked with me to help me see that I had sideburns that didn't irritate me.

Today while getting my hair cut the lady asked me if I wanted to trim my eye brows while I was at it. This brought back a memory from when Nina and I first started dating. I don't remember how it got brought up (I think my crazy roommates were doing something with hair removal.), but Nina made a really good point about my eyebrow situation:

Sean - What's wrong with my eye brows?

Nina - Well, Sean, most people have two, not just one.
(And she smiled that adorable smile she gets when she's being flirty and sinister at the same time.)

I denied the lady cutting my hair an opportunity to trim or shape my eyebrows, but the whole ride home got me thinking - do I need to do something with my eyebrows so, like KNJ said, I can be taken seriously? How does one go about trimming and shaping his eye brows? Waxing? Shaving? Lazer? Plucking? Nuclear Bomb?

I've got a lot to think about. I guess my top priority is to decide whether or not I need to have two eyebrows or just one. What do you think?

Go Fish

Antioch, CA

I carved this fish for my cousin. Yes yes I know it looks liked a bloated dolphin, but this was only my fourth carving experience. I will get better with time.

Traffic

Benicia, CA
This picture is significant for three reasons:

1. I've been trying to get a traffic shot for about a month now and finally got one.
2. I was one of the last few people to use this bridge. Tonight at 10 PM, people going Northbound on 680 freeway started using the new bridge that is to the right in the picture. The bridge I was on was 2 way until 10 PM. It is now one way.
3. You may notice a concrete line underneath the Mustang in front of me. The third lane on this bridge wasn't supposed to be a lane. It was built as an emergency turn off. But after the Loma Prita earthquake in 1989 that destroyed a section of the Bay Bridge and made the Bay Bridge unusable, the third lane was opened. I always hated being in this lane, knowing that it is not technically a car supported part of the bridge. No longer will I need to worry as I drive over it The new bridge is fully supported.

(Beyond the Cut - Tech Party 2007)

Foreground and background

(Beyond the Cut - stairs)
(Beyond the Cut - Water - for Gu)
(Beyond the Cut - Original Book of Mormon)

My Fridge for Katie

Antioch, CA

I keep wanting to respond to Katie's novel post, but I haven't yet. If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, this should work.

(Sorry Gu - I didn't get a pic of the Cowboy Spuds we made for dinner tonight. The Sister Missionaries inhaled them.)

Christ

Or, at least a suplture that looks just like him.

Clean-up on Isle 4

Antioch, CA
Don't you just hate it when that industrial size 4-pak of pianos falls on your head.

Or I guess I could look at it the other way - Don't you hate it when you're in the firehouse crapper and you realize you there is a need for more Toilet Paper.

My old Roommates

This video is just a sampling of the fun I had for the last 8 months I was at school. Activities like this were pretty often. I always watched and never participated, which makes this video that much more fun.

Sunset over Contra Loma Reserve

Antioch, CA
My editor liked the one with the star. I liked the one with more lake water. So you get both.

green

Antioch, CA

Nina and I were having a conversation a few days ago about my lackluster opinion of white walls. I've had to live with white walls for almost 6 years. I'm ready for multi color walls. One of the rooms in my apartment has green walls. Finally something different, and not white.

Food storage

Antioch, CA

John and I unpacked my 2 1/2 boxes of food storage this week and got it all stored away today.

Mirror Ball

Tonight John and I went to an OSA** dance and they had this cool mirror ball on the ceiling.

(Beyond the Cut)

**When it comes to dancing there are three age categories in the LDS Church:
18 - 30 or the Young Single Adults (or the grapes)
26 - 42 or the Mid Singles
30 - Death or the Old Single Adults (or the Raisins) (And I do mean death. I had a 93 year old woman flirt with me tonight)

Just like Idaho

Brentwood, CA
Tomorrow I'm going to Donny World, so John and I went looking for where it was and ran across this road. It reminded me of Idaho, but not as green as Idaho.

Mathmatically challenged Cats

Last year I brought to your attention the horror and destruction that is brought to our country by the actions of Terrorists Jack Rabbits. Later on I showcased the plight of the depressed deer committing suicide at an alarming rate. I feel now it is time to discuss math and this country's low math scores and how it is affecting our local cat population.

As is no secret, our country routinely scores lower than most other countries when it comes to math and science. Furthermore, our country is so lacking in math and science teachers that the federal government will actually pay you to become a high school math or science teacher. (They will pay for some of your schooling and you get extra bonus checks after graduating.)

I think this is a time to mention that I too, suck at math. I am a product of a California education that focussed on beach days, senior graffiti nights and trying desperately not to get your high school sweetheart pregnant or shot and killed. Math was definitely not my focus. I am very happy that on the fifth attempt to pass Statistics, I was able to get a satisfactory D-.

I lulled myself into a sense of security with the all too common phrase, "Not knowing math is only hurting anyone but myself. Where's the harm in that?" I have recently learned that there is incredible harm in that, and that my cavalier attitude toward math has had a devastating effect on my neighborhood cat.

There are some simple quick facts that are unanimously agreed upon when it comes to cats.

• Cats always land on their feet.
• Cats rule the home.
• Cats are jealous of any thing that distracts you from them.
• Curiosity kills cats
  
• Cats have 9 lives.

It is that last fact that has come to mean so much to me in recent days. Unfortunately, our bad math has rubbed off on our cats and they are suffering for it. My desire to go to the beach and not bring home my text books to study has affected the life of my cats. They are dumber because of my salty wave experiences. They don't know how to solve chi formulas or find the square root of and object four times its size and half its weight. Our cats can't even do simple math. And because of that - they are dying.

Because they don't learn simple math skills, they now litter our roads and freeways. So often, they miscount the number of times they have died. Because of their poor math skills, they unfortunately assume they still have one more life left so they feel it is okay to follow their friends the chickens and cross the road.

But bad math leads to smashed up cat. As they feel the final splat they quickly realize how poor their math skills are and how important it is to study our brought home textbooks.

And this means that for the sake of our cats, we must must MUST become better at math.

Mathmatically Challenged Cats

Last year I brought to your attention the horror and destruction that is brought to our country by the actions of Terrorists Jack Rabbits. Later on I showcased the plight of the depressed deer committing suicide at an alarming rate. I feel now it is time to discuss math and this country's low math scores and how it is affecting our local cat population.

As is no secret, our country routinely scores lower than most other countries when it comes to math and science. Furthermore, our country is so lacking in math and science teachers that the federal government will actually pay you to become a high school math or science teacher. (They will pay for some of your schooling and you get extra bonus checks after graduating.)

I think this is a time to mention that I too, suck at math. I am a product of a California education that focussed on beach days, senior graffiti nights and trying desperately not to get your high school sweetheart pregnant or shot and killed. Math was definitely not my focus. I am very happy that on the fifth attempt to pass Statistics, I was able to get a satisfactory D-.

I lulled myself into a sense of security with the all too common phrase, "Not knowing math is only hurting anyone but myself. Where's the harm in that?" I have recently learned that there is incredible harm in that, and that my cavalier attitude toward math has had a devastating effect on my neighborhood cat.

There are some simple quick facts that are unanimously agreed upon when it comes to cats.

• Cats always land on their feet.
• Cats rule the home.
• Cats are jealous of any thing that distracts you from them.
• Curiosity kills cats
  
• Cats have 9 lives.

It is that last fact that has come to mean so much to me in recent days. Unfortunately, our bad math has rubbed off on our cats and they are suffering for it. My desire to go to the beach and not bring home my text books to study has affected the life of my cats. They are dumber because of my salty wave experiences. They don't know how to solve chi formulas or find the square root of and object four times its size and half its weight. Our cats can't even do simple math. And because of that - they are dying.

Because they don't learn simple math skills, they now litter our roads and freeways. So often, they miscount the number of times they have died. Because of their poor math skills, they unfortunately assume they still have one more life left so they feel it is okay to follow their friends the chickens and cross the road.

But bad math leads to smashed up cat. As they feel the final splat they quickly realize how poor their math skills are and how important it is to study our brought home textbooks.

And this means that for the sake of our cats, we must must MUST become better at math.

BBQ Chicken

Antioch, CA

Tonight for dinner John and I are having BBQ chicken.

Steps

Antioch, CA

These steps lead to my apartment.

And the Survey Says

I'm not a big fan of surveys, but I thought I'd do this one just for fun.

What is your favorite color? black & blue

What is your favorite food? cinnamon rolls

Do you have any pets? Nope, but I want a beagle

If you could be any where right now where would you be? at work or in Yellowstone

What's a wild thing you have done? Moved to Oregon

Do you have a nickname? Bon Jovi, Tech, Bob

What's a pet peeve of yours? BYU-Idaho Honor Code

What's the name of your bff? John

What's your favorite song? Abide with me tis eventide

What's one of your talents? Gardening

What's a long term goal of yours? Visit New Zealand

What's your favorite movie? Garden State, Murderball, Imagine Me and You

What type of car do you drive? Truck

Have you ever been in love? yup

What's something your would like to do more of? vacation

What's something you would like to learn? spanish

What's one thing you look for in someone you want to date? sense of humor (Brown hair brown eyes is a plus)

What is something you are good at? listening

What is something you are bad at? getting work

What's your favorite book? The five people you meet in heaven

What is one thing you have accomplished that you are proud of? Graduating from BYU-Idaho and Ohlone

What is something you hold dear to you? my memories

What's your favorite past time? cycling & taking pictures

Would you rather be hot or cold? cold

What's your lucky number? I don't know but I have two very unlucky dates: July 30 & September 19.

The Delta at night

Antioch, CA
More water shots for Gu

New Closet

Antioch, CA

My father came up to my new place yesterday and helped me build a new closet for my room. I did all of my laundry last night and hung a majority of my clothes.

Oakland and San Francisco

I know I could count three bridges, I'm not sure if you can see the fourth.

Missing Hubcap

So funny story, I was turning onto one of the canyon roads in Sunol when I saw something in my rear view mirror. There were no other cars around so I knew that it was from me. It was one of my hubcaps rolling away. It popped off at such a speed that it went rolling back, then turned left, then hit a curb and had enough turning to it that it cleared the curb and flew down a ravine - never to be seen again. I went looking for it, but to no avail. It is gone. So now I'm missing two hubcaps, both on me back tires.

New Bed

Antioch, CA

I got a new bed for FREE from craigslist. It is an Ikea day bed that was still in it's original packaging.

Ticket to Ride

Antioch, CA

12 Years ago today I got my driver's licence. Oh, and by the way - I got a 95 out of 100 on the driving test. I've never had a ticket or been involved in an accident that caused by me.

Set Deconstruction

I helped some old co-"workers" tear down a theatre set tonight.

Vegging Out

Antioch, CA
John and I spent the evening watching TV. I'll try harder tomorrow.

Slide

(Beyond the Cut)

Fremont Festival of the Arts

I went to a street fair today. The first picture is of some of the booths. The second picture is of the Jesus Freaks, who used to come to my high school and call people to repentance - including Molly Mormon girls.

(Beyond the cut)


***On a personal note, last night I managed to shatter my LCD display on my camera. So I can't see what pictures I'm taking anymore except through the viewfinder which doesn't really tell me if the pictures are blurry. It's going to cost me about $50 to fix - and it's going to take a couple of weeks. Please be patient with PAD. I'll still post everyday - we may just have some unintentional blurry pictures.

Baseball Stitches

Installation art at Fremont Central Park. These are supposed to represent baseball stitches.

(A note on this picture: It's really tailored to three people - Dun, who loves sports; My sister who loves modern art; and my girlfriend who told me I couldn't take any more crappy pictures like yesterday's)

(Beyond the Cut)

Power Lines

Bank of America Building

John & I went on a walk tonight after dinner. The first is the flag pole in Concord. The second is the B of A building in Downtown Concord.

(Beyond the Cut - including some installation art for my sister)