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Category Archives: Blog
I’m Sorry.
Oops. I was trying to get something working and accidently deleted everything in my DB folder. which means all the posts posted after Aug 8th are missing. *sigh* not all that bad considering i had only posted one post and i can get that from my google reader archive. but it also means i have to restore all the photos i posted last night… gah. so um. bummer.
Ancestry and Famous People I am Probably Related To According to the One World Tree on Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com has a new feature that will tell you famous people you are
probably related to based on the information in the OneWorldTree
compiled from member trees. Information is only as accurate as the
individual trees, so we all take this with a grain of salt, but still.
Its fun to dream.
Below is the list generated for me. Some
relations are more fun than others. That I’m related to a couple famous
poets, a number of famous writers, and a couple founding fathers and
presidents is pretty cool. On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is my 8th
Cousin twice removed. Oh well, nobody’s family is perfect. ;)
- Richard Lovelace (1618-1657) English Poet
- Richard Lovelace was an English Nobleman and poet. His “Lucasta” poems brought him fame.
- Relationship: 9th Great Grand Uncle
- Angelica Van Buren* (1818-1877)First Lady
- Angelica
Van Buren was the daughter-in-law of President Van Buren. His wife
passed away several years before his presidency, so she assumed the
role of First Lady and White House hostess. - Relationship: 4th Cousin 4 times removed
- Angelica
- Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman (1885-1982) First Lady
- Elizabeth
Wallace Truman, often called “Bess Truman”, struggled with the lack of
privacy that surrounded the family of the president. However, her sense
of duty prevailed and she supported her husband in his duties. - Relationship: 6th Cousin 2 times removed
- Elizabeth
- Frank James (1843-1915) American Outlaw
- Alexander
Franklin James was the older brother of Jesse James, and an outlaw in
his own right. James became an outlaw during the American Civil War
after he was captured and then released by Union soldiers. He joined a
gang and was involved in several robberies and murders. - Relationship: 5th Cousin 4 times removed
- Alexander
- William Williams (1731-1811) Connecticut Representative
- William
Williams, a merchant and politician from Connecticut, signed the
Declaration of Independence. He was a Harvard graduate who studied
theology. - Relationship: 3rd Cousin 8 times removed
- William
- Helen Adams Keller (1880-1968) American author and activist
- Relationship: 6th Cousin 3 times removed
- Lucy Ware Webb Hayes (1831-1889) First Lady
- Lucy
Ware Webb Hayes convinced her husband, Rutherford B. Hayes, to fight in
the Union army and to oppose slavery. He later became an influential
part of the abolitionist cause. - Relationship: 6th Cousin 3 times removed
- Lucy
- Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734-1797) Virginia Representative
- Francis
Lightfoot Lee was a radical patriot during the revolution. He worked
with Patrick Henry to oppose the Stamp Act. He later signed the
Declaration of Independence. - Relationship: 2nd Cousin 11 times removed
- Francis
- Sam Walton (1918-1992) Amercian Businessman
- Samuel
Moore Walton founded Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. From the very beginnings
of his store owning years, he made sure to have a variety of goods at
low prices. - Relationship: 7th Cousin 2 times removed
- Samuel
- Edward “Ned” Kelly (1854-1880) Outlaw
- Ned
Kelly is the most famous Australian bushranger of the 19th century. He
was a cattle rustler and bank robber, and became a folk hero for his
defiance of colonial authorities. He is immortalized in numerous books,
films and songs. - Relationship: 6th Cousin 4 times removed
- Ned
- Mark Twain (1835-1910 American Author
- Samuel
Langhorne Clemens thought of his pen name, “Mark Twain,” while working
on a riverboat. This humorist’s works include Adventures of Tom Sawyer. - Relationship: 6th Cousin 4 times removed
- Samuel
- Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919) American Activist and Surgeon
- Dr.
Mary Edwards Walker was a feminist Union surgeon. She was given a Medal
of Honor after the Civil War for her bravery as a prisoner of war,
making her the only woman to have received this medal. - Relationship: 8th Cousin
- Dr.
- James Abram Garfield (1831-1881) 20th President of the United States of America
- Serving
the second shortest term in U. S. history (only 6 months), James
Garfield was the second President of the United States to be
assassinated. - Relationship: 8th Cousin
- Serving
- Samuel Adams (1722-1803) Massachusetts Representative
- Samuel Adams helped to organize the Boston Tea Party. From the beginning he was a loud voice for independence.
- Relationship: 4th Cousin 8 times removed
- Mae West (1893-1980) American Actress, Screenwriter, and Playwright
- Mae
West, born Mary Jane West, is considered one of the most controversial
stars of the 1930′s. Her scripts often endured huge amounts censorship,
but also huge success with audiences. She wrote and starred in She Done
Him Wrong and I’m No Angel. - Relationship: 8th Cousin 1 times removed
- Mae
- Willa Cather (1873-1947) American Author
- Willa
Cather has been called one of the most eminent American Authors. A
muckraking journalist at first, she penned the famous My Antonia. - Relationship: 6th Cousin 5 times removed
- Willa
- Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915)
- American educator, political leader, author
Booker
T. Washington was born as a slave but was freed at the age of 9. He
received national attention as a spokesperson for African American
citizens. - Relationship: 7th Cousin 3 times removed
- American educator, political leader, author
- Pretty Boy Floyd (1904-1934) American Outlaw
- American
bank robber and alleged murderer, Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd robbed so
many banks in the 1930s that there was a $56,000 reward on his head. - Relationship: 8th Cousin 1 times removed
- Ray Bradbury (1920-) American Author
- Ray
Bradbury is an American horror, science fiction, and mystery writer
best known for his books Martian Chronicles and Farenheit 451. - Relationship: 8th Cousin 2 times removed
- American
- Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947-) First Lady
- Hillary
Rodham Clinton is the wife of former President Bill Clinton. She was
the first First Lady to be elected to public office. She remains
committed to women’s rights and children’s issues. - Relationship: 8th Cousin 2 times removed
- Hillary
- Gerald Ford (1913-) 38th President of the United States of America
- President
Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. became President after the resignation of
President Nixon. He struggled through economic problems and even a few
assassination attempts. - Relationship: 8th Cousin 2 times removed
- President
- Judy Garland (1922-1969) American Actress
- Judy
Garland, born Frances Ethyl Gumm, was a child prodigy who’s singing and
acting career soared after The Wizard of Oz. Her untimely death at 47
was caused by a drug overdose. - Relationship: 9th Cousin 1 times removed
- Judy
- William Faulkner (1897-1962) American Author
- Mississippi
native William Cuthbert Faulkner was known for his long, winding
sentences. Some of his famous novels include Go Down Moses and As I lay
Dying. - Relationship: 9th Cousin 1 times removed
- Mississippi
- John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) 35th President of the United States
- Irish-American
politician John F. Kennedy is an icon of American liberalism. His
presidency saw the beginnings of racial integration the Space Race and
the Cuban missile Crisis. He was assassinated while in Texas. - Relationship: 9th Cousin 2 times removed
- Irish-American
- Agatha Christie (1890-1976) English Author
- English
writer Dame Agatha Christie is the world’s best known crime-fiction
writer in the world. She wrote the famous mysteries “Death on the Nile”
and “The Mousetrap”. - Relationship: 9th Cousin 2 times removed
- English
- John F. Kennedy, Jr. (1960-1999) American Icon
- John
F. Kennedy, Jr. was a lawyer, journalist, socialite, and publisher. The
son of President John F. Kennedy, John Jr. grew up mainly on the Upper
East Side of Manhattan. On July 16, 1999, John Jr. along with his wife
and sister-in-law, were killed in a plane accident over the Atlantic
Ocean. - Relationship: 10th Cousin 1 times removed
- John
- John Cage (1912-1992) American Composer
- John
Milton Cage was an American experimental music composer, writer, and
visual artist. He is most widely known for his 1952 composition 4’33″,
whose three movements are performed without playing a single note. - Relationship: 10th Cousin 1 times removed
- John
- George Orwell (1903-1950) British Author
- Eric
Arthur Blair is most commonly recognized by his pen name, George
Orwell. His political commentary is a major theme in his most famous
works: “1984″, “Animal Farm”, and “Down and Out in Paris and London”. - Relationship: 9th Cousin 4 times removed
- Eric
- Button Gwinnett (1735?-1777) Georgia Representative
- Button
Gwinnett has one of the most famous signatures in American history.
This signer of the Declaration of Independence has a Georgia county
named for him. - Relationship: 9th Cousin 7 times removed
- Button
Review of Historic Photos of Saint Louis
A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by the Turner Publishing Company about my interest in recieving a copy of a book coming out soon called, Historic Photos of Saint Louis. The copy was free, they asked my to review the book if I wanted, but was under no obligation. So I told them I’d be happy too, and two day later I received my copy.
I’m a fan of Saint Louis history, and its architecture in particular. I’ve purchased a couple of photo books about Saint Louis for this very reason.
So after taking some time to look through the book, and then taking some time to try and catch up on my life, here is what I like about Historic Photos of St. Louis.
1) Broad selection of photographic types. In addition to photos of historic buildings, they included photos of major events (worlds fair) and not so major events (building openings, people on the street).
2) Good captions. This is a photo book and the photography takes center stage, but the captions included with the photographs strike just the right balance of information, giving addresses, and telling you a bit about whats going on.
3) Good binding. Its a solid book, 10×10 with a nice dust jacket.
4) They divided the photos into 4 major historical periods.
All in all, I found myself enjoying it more than I expected. I work downtown and have photographed a lot of the architecture around the city myself. I particularly enjoyed seeing photos of buildings that still stand, and what the intersections looked like back then. So go pick up the book. I would recommend it.
Meme
I don’t do memes as a general rule. I don’t know why. There’s something very stubborn in me that resists following the crowd (though I follow the crowd in a great many things, so the stubbornness isn’t really rational).
but today i felt like it. so here:
Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Bicycle Repairman
2. Painter
3. Janitor
4. Music Director
Four movies I’ve watched more than once:
1. The Princess Bride
2. Lord of the Rings (extended cut, Jackson version, all three)
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Monty Python and The Holy Grail
Four places I have lived:
1. The house in Arlington, Texas, where I got saved, and first kissed a girl (we were four, and i was gullible)
2. The house in Fort Worth, with the trails at the end of the block, with the stream where i cut my foot open and had to get stitches.
3. Missouri Baptist College Dorms
4. Manhassett Village, my first apartment.
Four T.V. shows that I watch:
1. Stargate Atlantis
2. CSI:Miami
3. Num3ers
4. Eli Stone
Four places I have been:
1. Galway, Ireland
2. Washington, D.C.
3. Soroti, Uganda
4. San Francisco, CA
Four of my favorite foods:
1. Chili (of any sort)
2. Steak
3. Lasagna
4. Fried okra
Four places I would like to visit:
1. Venice
2. A South Pacific Island (Samoa or one of the less populated islands of Hawaii)
3. Potsdam, NY
4. Rockies (the mountain range)
I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Traveling, somewhere
2. Autumn
3. A visit from the Bergeys (i hope)
4. this one I’ll leave a mystery. ;)
The Inexplicable Act of God
I’ve had Grace on my mind. Its Jonathan’s fault really. He got me talking about Les Miserables, and that started me thinking about the rich imagery portrayed in the play, how Jean Valjean and Javier so epitomize the difference between the Covenant of the Law and the Covenant of Grace.
Sometimes… When i think about it. I get that feeling. you know the one? I have to stop what i’m doing, and pause for a moment. Because my eyes start to get warm, and emotion wells up from my stomach in a rush. Because Grace is that powerful. Its so rich.
I wish I was better at explaining it to people. I think about my own life, and consider my failures. Because there are so many. A world full of sinners, and a God so holy even the smallest mistake is enough to render us unworthy to even be in His presence. And I consider a love so deep, His love, that it wasn’t enough just to let us fall away, punished righteously. He created me, knowing I would fail, and then gave up His own life for me.
Valjean was a man beaten by the law. you can’t win against it. Its harsh, unyielding and it doesn’t matter why you did what you did. The law doesn’t care. The law doesn’t forgive. The law has no mercy. The law made Valjean bitter, and though he was a prisoner for stealing bread to feed his starving family, he served 20 years.
But Grace. Grace cares. It cares more for you than it does for itself. The Law made Valjean a thief, stealing silver from the one man who had shown him kindness. And that man, a man who understood Grace, being wronged, did not just forgive, but gave of himself beyond anything that could be required. An act inexplicable really. Grace is inexplicable. Grace extends mercy when mercy doesn’t make sense. Grace loves the loveless. Grace will take a man who is bitter, angry, and broken, and make him like itself. Grace made Valjean an honest man, a man who would sacrifice himself on the behalf of others. A man who would know love, who would extend mercy to his greatest enemy, and who would give his life in exchange for the happiness of those he cared about.
And that Grace. It has been extended to us. to me. to you.
Pectus Excavatum: The Last Step
For the last two years I’ve been carrying a steel bar in my chest. It looked like this:
Last friday, I had it removed. It was the last step in the Nuss Procudure. Having had two years for the bones and cartilage of my rib cage to set in the new position, the bar was no longer necessary.
Here are some thoughts. The incisions hurt far far less than the broken bones. Recovery this time around has been orders of magnitude less difficult. Like last year, I have a cough during this process. I don’t recommend getting sick before your surgery.
Between the two incisions and the cough, I’ve been more tired than usual. You don’t realize how much work your body is doing just repairing itself.
If you’re interested in more about this procedure, I’ve written several posts a couple years ago detailing the process. you can find those posts here: Pop Goes the Sternum! or How I Had My Pectus Excavatum Corrected, the Aftermath.
In other news:
My life has been a complicated and tangled mass of stuff lately. I’d like to tell you all about it, but I can’t. Lets suffice it to say that if I appear distracted, its not you. I’ve just had a lot on my mind. Work has been busy, Church has been busy, and my Life has been busy (photography business, surgery, etc…).
I feel rather emotionally raw.
I’ve lost sleep. I’ve watched more tv/movies than is good for any normal human being. I’ve written moody poetry, some of which I actually like. I’ve seen God do amazing things. And last night, I cried three times watching Amistad. Take of that what you will.
I’m told I don’t write very often
Its true. I do not. I responded that I don’t consider myself a writer, perse. A poet, but not really a writer. Writers are concerned with a far larger scope in language.
I like to think of myself as an artist. A photographer and a poet, both mediums serve as a foil for helping me articulate and explore life. And while photography remains a pastime I hope to make my living from, poetry is the craft I hope to keep to myself.
There is a phenomenon in experience, when you do something you love, but pursue it for the purpose of gain, where you have to give up a part of your love for the craft in order to share it with someone else. Bloggers who have gone pro have complained of the phenomenon, seeking for a balance between pleasing their readership, and holding onto the joy that drove them to blog before it became about money.
I’m willing to subject myself to that dilemma with my photography, because I believe the joy of being able to use my camera every day without the distraction of another field is worth sharing myself with the public.
But poetry is my private conceit. I write my poetry for myself, and unlike other aspects of my creativity, I enjoy reading my own verse, more so than many greater in this craft than I. This may make me egotistical, perhaps a bit narcissistic, but thats ok. Because its mine you see.
I reveal this to you, not to drive you away. I like your attentions dear reader. I like showing you my poems, and I sincerely hope you find them of worth. But I write them on my own timetable. And I fear to try and rush them. I don’t want to make my poetry about expectations, yours or my own, for expectations rob me of the joy of discovery.
Rejiggered
I think its time to redo the whole walljm site. from scratch. admin, design, architecture, rss, all of it.
I tell you this, because I assume you are interested in the minutia. and because publishing is free. and because i’ll probably not do it otherwise. and because i needed to post something new. ;)
I got tired of looking at the last post. :)
What to say really. That is the eternal question on the bloggers mind. Me, i mostly ignore it, as evidenced by my infrequent posts. You see, i hate to water down my content, and I’ve been uninspired. Dry spells, they come and go. And what do you to overcome them? Sometimes, you can get away with simply talking about the dry spell. Like I’m doing now, but that only works once, then you need to post something of substance.
I’d like to blame it on the winter. Theres a good chance she is the culprit. But the truth is, emotionally, I’ve felt pretty good, and lets all be honest. Contentment is a poor muse. The best thoughts, the poetic ones, the deep and interesting ones, those stem from extremes. Emotional highs and lows, drama, peaks and valleys. But its winter and cold. Nature is boring. Work is good, not too much, not too little. Church is busy (as always), and on a good keel. Life is bland. :) and I like it.
Photography will resume more in earnest in the spring, when i have a chance to get outside without feeling like a Popsicle. I have a new computer, which has greatly reduced the amount of time i have to wait for photoshop to do simple things like, you know, open. ;)
I’ve rambled. And I’ve bored you. I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better next time.
Happy Birthday to Walljm.com
Today is my blogs 6th birthday. Back in February 15th, 2002, I posted my first blog post. humble as it is. I’ve grown a bit. Feel free to look around my early archives, see whats changed in the last few days.
Languishing
I’m writing free form here. I have no idea what I want to say. I know only that the need to say something is more urgent than my natural desire to remain unheard. There is a kind of mood, a certain melancholy, brought on by anxiety and hints of disappointment. It settles like a thick blanket over your heart, which beats slowly, almost sluggishly in your chest. Times like these come and go. A time to question. It isn’t a moment wholly disliked. There is a part of you that finds value in the mental state, motivation to create, and insight into a rich world of substance and emotion.
Phrases float in and out of your mind. Rage against the machine, you view the world philosophically, can I, will I, am I? Eventually your heart settles on certain facts. Not expressed in concrete forms such as words, but the Idea of Him. That’s enough most times. Just the thought of Him, His being there. In this world, questions, conclusions, battles, victories and defeats are played out in brief moments, with emotions that move and beat against each other like waves in an ocean, not violently, connected, testing the lines, pulling, pushing, praying, resting.
Moments like this breed discontent, cravings for release from pressure, solitude, company, companionable silence. Worlds of art, like the soft glow of candles, flicker and flame, breathing, growing, pulsing, fading. In the end, you take a deep breath, and the outside world asserts itself. Your mark is what is left behind, the output of a drifting mind, a free form stream of language, like liquid, languishing on the page.
Goings On, eek, ack, uck, and urk.
Its been a dizzying few weeks. All sorts of emotionally stretching activities. Being an entrepreneur is emotionally hard. ;) at least, at first.
So. the ads at theknot.com have been up since last Friday. it has been almost a week, and I have received two email inquiries (from the knot i believe), one which i met with yesterday. And one call from a bridesmaid of a couple whose wedding i shot 3 years ago. Three contacts in a week. not bad. :)
This should make me excited, and it does. Very. :) but unexpectedly, I found myself up against feelings of doubt and personal ego. I found myself feeling that they might not like me. and feeling the pressure to perform up to expectations, expectations i had less a firm grasp upon than I liked.
This all, I think, will pass. I’m new to this kind of situation. I want so badly for things to go really well (and honestly, I believe they will. don’t mistake this for a pity party.) that I feel more pressure than normal.
It has revealed to me a side of myself I wasn’t fully aware of though. I’m a worrier. ;) I come from a long line of worriers. I don’t worry in the traditional sense, but I do tend to dwell on things much longer than is profitable, wondering how it will turn out, and feeling unsettled by the prospects of it going a direction I don’t like.
This is something I think has had its subtle fingers in my life for a long time, and frankly, I welcome the opportunity to dig it out. I can’t sleep when I travel because I’m afraid I’ll miss something. I tend to meddle in places too long when I shouldn’t because I don’t like not being in control of my own destiny. I don’t like to trust God, or other people, until I know where they are heading, because I want to be in control, and when I’m not, I worry.
My natural tendency, when confronted with this problem is to stop caring. Thats a clever way of avoiding the problem I think. It doesn’t build anything, doesn’t strengthen anything. No risk, no reward.
So heres to practice. practicing trusting God, not by giving up, but by accepting that what God is going to do is going to be good, and whatever the circumstances, those i can simply enjoy as experiences, no more, no less.
So. Very. Full.
2007 was a big year. At least, I think it was. *thinks* Yes. Yes it was. Don’t ask me to iterate why. I can’t recall the specifics. I’m bad at that.
Reading Jennifer’s blog made me want to write something. Because she put my blog on her links list (yay!) and I don’t want to be the blog on the link list that hasn’t been updated in forever. :)
I can’t remember exactly what I was doing early this year. I don’t recall it being all that important. I do remember Jon leaving for Dallas in early February, and driving through the worst ice storm in years. Warren and Athena got married that same weekend and I spent 35 hours driving in 3 days.
2007 was the first year I have lived alone. My whole life. I discovered, after a brief few months that I didn’t like it. But I adjusted and am pretty happy with things.
I bought the last of the necessary equipment for my professional photography, put up a Professional Photo Site advertising my work, and after one false start, started advertising on the Knot. Ads should be up today. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve been talking and planning and working on getting this started for years, and it looks like things may finally take off.
I get out more. I had to. For several months, I hardly left my apartment, and though I enjoyed catching up on years worth of lost TV :), I was a little depressed. But I have great friends, who I found I had to make some effort to keep in touch with.
I discovered that I don’t like living without the internet. I spent 6 months without it, from Nov 2006 – Mar 2007. I found it cut me off from people I care about. I know people (mostly techy snobs (i love you guys)) say that Facebook is evil, but truth told, it prevents my family and friends from retreating into their little holes.
Because, I come from a family of Introverts (mostly all of us, to one degree or another), and many many of my best friends are introverts. Without the internet, we don’t speak to each other. Much. ;)
I’ve discovered that more than Facebook, I really really like Twitter. Best app ever. Honest. When my Grandma died this Fall, half my extended family got hooked up. It was the best way to keep track of a dozen or more families, and keep them updated about her and the funeral arrangements. And now that most of them are on, I hear and know about whats going on with them in ways I simply never would have otherwise. And, they are talking more to each other.
The naysayers seriously underestimate the damage distance can have on relationships. Twitter makes me feel close to people I consider important, when they live halfway across the country.
I traveled some this year. Not overseas, but I did go to Louisville to see Tamara (had so much fun) and went down to South Carolina to see the Bergeys and meet Drew for the first time. I had really missed the Bergeys. For a couple I’ve only met three times in person, the Bergeys are some of my very best friends. The first two times I met them (Jenn’s graduation, then Daniel for the first time and Jenn for the second time at their wedding) was hectic and busy. But this time, I got them all to myself, had time to relax, talk and just enjoy company. I consider it the highlight of my year. :)
Well. I’ve spoken long. I did more, but these are the really important things. At least, the important things to me.
STL Holiday Meetup
I have for a long time wanted to participate in the STL Bloggers meetups, but for the longest time they were scheduled on Wed nights, a time that is permanently booked for me. So I was pretty excited when they scheduled one on a Friday, last night.
I met some neat folks. And if you are one of those neat folks dropping by, let me first offer you my apologies for the mess. ;) I started redesigning walljm.com a few months ago, and err, got stalled. So part of walljm.com is different than the rest.
In the spirit of linkyness, here are the websites of people I met:
The State of Discontent is Jaelithe (her real name!), a writer. Very cool, who apparently has a sister (i think) who is getting married. Send her my way! (JasonWallPhoto.com).
Courtey Watson makes bracelets out of data wire. Crafty. I met her only briefly at the end. You can buy those cool little wire bracelets here on her etsy shopping site.
The Cupcake Project girl is named Stef (full name i don’t remember, sorry!). Her husband is getting into photography professionally also. The cupcake site is a great concept. very cool.
Dwight is a wannabe writer and blogger (so he says). Wears a leather jacket and swaggers. ;) He writes thrillers in novel form. Sweet.
Nothing Gained and Nothing Lost is the blog of Farrel, a single mommy with reddish hair. I didn’t get to speak much with her, but she writes technical manuals for a software development firm.
Bill Streeter runs LoFi Saint Louis, a video blog centered around bands and music mostly. Cool guy. One of the first video bloggers on the vlog scene.
Susanisk i met only briefly also. She works for a PR firm, beyond that, you’ll have to visit her blog.
So great fun. There were 25-30 people there, a number of which i didn’t meet, and some who i didn’t get websites for. Here’s to keeping in touch!
Me, Myself, and Aye!
Every so often, here on walljm.com, its time for me to talk about myself, to let all my adoring fans know what goes on in my life. I write these only sporadically, because to be terribly honest, my life, albeit busy, is pretty awfully boring. :)
Here at walljm.com we are busily ignoring the fact that Christmas seems to be just around the corner. There are things afoot here, but I’ll not tell you about them now. What I will instead tell you about is my job. Which I have come to dislike much less than in past years. During this last year I worked on three different projects, found out that a project I worked on 4 years ago and despaired of ever seeing come to fruition was finally put into production. Hurrah!! I’ve found I still don’t really like Java, but that I understand it better now than I used to. Hmm? Maybe I’m getting better as a developer.
This doesn’t mean I’m giving up on becoming a full time photographer. On the contrary. I’m really close to thrusting myself out into the cold cold world of entrepreneurialism. In fact, you can see my first tentative step by going to JasonWallPhoto.com and checking me out. I had planned to start advertising in Saint Louis in November, but a series of things kept me from achieving that goal. Not to be deterred, I plan to launch myself in January. So Saint Louis Brides pay attention. You’ll be seeing my name soon. :)
If you’re a Family or a Senior from High School or College, or just a guy or girl looking to have a nice photo taken, don’t feel left out. I have room for you too!
And, because I’m such a cool guy (really, I am.) I also do product photography. So if you’re a business needing good photos of items, give me a call, or if you’re just an average joe trying to sell something online or on Ebay or Amazon.com and need good photos to compliment your great products, give me call. I can help.
I can’t think of much else to say. No major life changes here. My grandmother went home to be with the Lord two weeks ago, and I will write more about that later. My extended family has discovered Twitter! Yay! And this will do I think.
Blond
She had straight blond hair and sharp features. She was writing in her journal. Her penmanship was a neat rounded print, and she was curled up in the seat of the metro car. She had a brown leather bag the color of burnt autumn leaves. She wore a black dress that hung between her knees propped up against the seat ahead of her. She had grey stockings and boots the color of her travel bag. Her face had the far away look of the travel weary. She would stare out the window in between writing in her journal.
Thoughts on Music and Poetry recently posted to Twitter
-
good harmony anticipates the melody, at times encouraging it, at times resisting it, but always anticipating it.
like harmony, the purpose of rhyme, meter, pattern and other poetic elements in verse is to anticipate the meaning.
harmony should never follow the melody blindly. in this way, it is like a marriage relationship. the melody should love the harmony, and the harmony should submit to the melody.
what separates poetry from prose is the explicit form. we use rhyme, alliteration, repetition and patterns to focus and add potency and meaning to the words. often this lets us be more concise, relying on the form to fill in the blanks.
New Word: Effusence
ef-fu-sence (ĭ-fyū’zhənce) pronunciation
n.
1. The state of unrestrained outpouring of feeling.
2. Being in the grip of a feeling that makes you want to effuse.
Welcome to the New Me
Walljm.com has slowly been evolving through the last 7 years that I’ve been blogging. This represents the 6th version and a slightly new philosophy of presentation.
At this point, none of the sub pages have been converted yet, a task that I will get to when time permits and I’ve been able to think out how I want them to look exactly. I’ve wanted to implement something using a bigger footer for some time, but hadn’t been able to come up with something I liked.
The new face of walljm.com is one post per page. This reflects the slower nature of my posting style. I’ve removed the linklog from the normal stream and put it down below, but I’ll probably include it in the archives. The most recent photo and/or regular post will appear on the front page. I’ll probably add some navigational aids below the post for jumping either to the archive for that month, or for clicking through posts one at a time.
I hope you like it. I do. :)