No pop for 90 days

by Jason Prahl | Jan 30, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous

No pop, soda, Coke or whatever you call all of those carbonated, usually caffinated beverages, for 90 days. I did it once for 30 days and it wasn’t like getting off cocaine or anything, but it certainly wasn’t easy. Here are some statements I found on the web concerning drinking pop. Remember, these are just random places off the web. I make no claims to the validity of any of these statements.

So, I thought I’d try and go 90 days with no pop and see if I can tell the difference. Like I said, I went 30 days once about a year ago and in the end noticed a slight difference in energy. I decided to go 90 days this time to see if there’s more of a difference after the 30 days. I had a heck of a headache yesturday and the day before. The last time I drank any pop was 3 days ago, Friday the 27th at lunch. So far that’s the noticed difference and it’s quite irritating.

MIS Guys: Joke #1

by Jason Prahl | Jan 19, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous

Q: How many MIS guys does it take to change a light bulb?

A: MIS has received your request concerning your hardware problem and has assigned you request service number 39,712. Please use this number for any future references to this light-bulb issue.

** Found this joke on the web and thought it was funny **

Chicago

by Jason Prahl | Jan 4, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous

I’m not a big city guy. I like where I live, it’s not big, but it’s not too small either. If you ever get a chance to visit Chicago I highly recommend it! I get to go there at least once a year. Over the past couple of years I’ve gone 2 and 3 times a year. During our many visits I’ve done most of the museums and attractions. Michigan avenue is the shoppers paradise. Riding the subway is pretty fun.
We flew in yesturday and walked ourselves into pain! We fly out tommorrow, so you can probably guarantee you’ll see shots from there over the next week or so.
It’s way too big for me to live there, but visiting sure is fun!

Thanks to Brandon for the picture of the Chicago skyline. He’s also my fellow Chicago adventurer. He’s started posting some of the shots he got this time around as well.

• Camera: NIKON D70s
• Taken: 16 September, 2005
• Aperture: ƒ/13
• Focal length: 70mm
• Shutter speed: 1/640s

New years resolution

by Jason Prahl | Jan 2, 2006 | Blog, Miscellaneous

I’m not usually one for making New Year resolutions. They tend to not make it past the first week in January. But I decided this year to actually make one. Check out these definitions of resolution; resolving to do something (you aren’t supposed to use the word you are defining in the definition). A course of action determined or decided on (I like this one). A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion.
I think alot of people make New Years resolutions without a course of action. They say I’m going to exercise more or I’m going on a diet or I’m going to stop smoking, but there’s never a plan or thought to how they will achieve the goal.
My New Years resolution isn’t top on many people’s list. Some might ask why that, but it’s to read my Bible every day this year. I started my photoblog almost a year ago. February 5th will be one year of posting a picture a day and I’ve actually managed to do that. So I thought surely I can spend 15 to 20 minutes each day and read the Bible. I hope by making my decision public and telling others that I’ll build some accountability and outside incentive to keep to it.
What are your New Years resolutions? Do you have a plan or thought to how you will stick to it?

• Camera: NIKON D70
• Taken: 2 October, 2005
• Aperture: ƒ/5
• Focal length: 82mm
• Shutter speed: 1/80s

The end of Christmas as we know it…or is it?

by Jason Prahl | Dec 1, 2005 | Blog, Miscellaneous

It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.
REM penned these insightful words sometime around 1987 and these lyrics will forever be able to be used to describe the world we live in, at least it seems that way.
I keep hearing discussions about everyone being so afraid to give any religious association to the upcoming holiday season known as Christmas. Personally I don’t care if people call it Christmas or Winter Solstice or whatever. Those who embrace Jesus and allow Him to affect their lives shouldn’t be afraid to celebrate Jesus’ birth. How can we expect those who don’t know Jesus or care about Him and what he did for them to want to celebrate the same as us? How can we not expect them to try and seperate Jesus from this time of year, just the same as they seperate Him from Easter? As for my family? We give each other gifts, put up a tree and put decorations on it, we get together and have fun and celebrate life. We also put much emphasis on Jesus’ birth and remind our kids that Christmas is not only about giving gifts and Santa, but it’s also about the Son of God who cared so much for you and I that he left the riches and comfort of Heaven to be born in a manger as a little baby and live a human life and experience the trials and pains of humanity. Though he did it without sin and in so doing was able to die as a sacrifice for our sins. Don’t let the fact that Target or some other big chain company shy’s away from the word Christmas get you in a tizzy. If you look at the history of the Christmas holiday you’ll quickly see that it has always had controversial meanings to many different people. Just remember that it’s our responsibility to celebrate and teach our kids what Christmas is to us, not Target’s or Walmart’s or Dillard’s. Merry Christmas.

• Camera: NIKON D70
• Aperture: ƒ/1.8
• Focal length: 50mm
• ISO: 200
• Shutter speed: 1/60s

Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit

by Jason Prahl | Dec 1, 2005 | Blog, Miscellaneous

I don’t normally like to write a post about something I haven’t actually reviewed and tested yet, but it sounded so cool, I just had to write about it. I read today about a new tool from Microsoft to secure computers that are being used in a public environment.

For instance, we have a computer in the front area were I work so that people can sit down and schedule their next visit with us online. I used group policies to lock this machine down because I didn’t want it sitting there open on our network nor the internet wide open to who knows what. So, I locked it down pretty tight. This new tool is supposed to make locking down such shared computers even easier. I plan on giving this tool a run in the next couple of days and will let you know how it turns out, but it sounded so cool I just had to share! :)

• Camera: NIKON D70s
• Taken: 16 September, 2005
• Shutter speed: 1/320s

Casper the Friendly Ghost

by Jason Prahl | Nov 26, 2005 | Blog, Miscellaneous

My son’s birthday was a couple of days ago and he got a radio controlled hoover copter. It was interesting for a couple of minutes, but all it really did was go up and down and could only go a couple of minutes before it needed recharging. After two days it almost quit altogether, so we took it back to Walmart and he decided to get something different. He knew he had $15.00 to spend and wanted to get the most for his money. This is something he picked up from his mother I suppose. She is the queen at getting the most for her money whether it’s clothes or grocery shopping. So he got a Matchbox Semi-Truck, a Fly Wheel thing (pull the cord and a wheel that takes off, and he got 5 DVD’s with different cartoons all for $15.00! The cartoons are older ones, like Popeye, Mighty Mouse, Woody Woodpecker and Casper the Friendly Ghost. It was interesting watching these cartoons that I watched so many years ago. It’s funny how cartoons have changed. There are so many cartoons these days that I won’t let my kids watch. Shows like Sponge Bob Squarpants and others are just too crude. I find them amusing and I’m not so nieve to think that my kids will be protected from crudeness all their lives, but there are certain things that just aren’t appropiate. What I find so ironic is parents who let their kids watch that stuff and can’t figure out why they talk the way they do and do some of the things they do. Duh…

Early Thanksgiving

by Jason Prahl | Nov 21, 2005 | Blog, Miscellaneous

We had a Thanksgiving dinner at our Church for our College class. I teach our College aged Sunday School class and since many of them are going home this week we had a good meal. In preparation for this past Sunday’s lesson I researched Thanksgiving and learned some stuff I didn’t know. There are many stories as to the origin of Thanksgiving. The one I kept running across had to do with an Indian named Squanto. Legend goes that he was kidnapped and taken to England where he was taught English and was then used for interpreting. He returned to America and was promised to be returned to his tribe only to be kidnapped by another English Captain and taken to Spain. Some Spanish Friars heard about how Squanto and other Indians were being sold into slavery and they took them and taught them about Christianity. He then returned to America with another English Captain and returned to where his tribe had been 10 years previously only to find they had all died from a plague. Squanto then settled in near the Pilgrims that had come and ended up helping them with growing food, building homes and other things. That winter nearly half of the Pilgrims died and the following year they celebrated what is traditionally known as the first Thanksgiving feast after having good crops that season.
Like I said earlier, I’ve already had a really good turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls and apple pie meal. I’m thankful to God for how he has blessed my family and how he shows himself to me all the time through family, friends photography and many other avenues.

• Camera: NIKON D70
• Aperture: ƒ/3.2
• Focal length: 50mm
• ISO: 400
• Shutter speed: 1/40s

Ansel Adams

by Jason Prahl | Oct 24, 2005 | Blog, Miscellaneous

I’m reading a biography about Ansel Adams by Mary Street Alinder. I’m in no way aspiring to match or come close to Ansel’s photography skills, but I read a statement in the book that made me smile. “…when Ansel reached the peak of technical proficiency, he never made a perfect negative. Either some edge needed slight cropping or a rock or some other element had to be darkened by burning. There was always something.” There is hope for me yet. :) (The above image is one of Ansel’s incredible shots.

Inspiration

by Jason Prahl | Oct 22, 2005 | Blog, Miscellaneous

It’s definitely fall. The trees are changing all around us. Missouri is certainly a great place to experience a broad range of wonderful colors. I think this year I am more sensitive to the colors because it’s the first fall to go through where I tend to look around and see photographic opportunities even when I don’t have my camera. I purchased my Nikon D70 last December and shooting with a DSLR is different than your normal point and shoot variety. You know you have the photography bug when everywhere you turn you are thinking…”that would be a cool shot….oh, that would be a cool shot.” It’s cool how looking at other people’s photoblogs tends to fuel me on as well. Every now and then I think, why am I concerned with taking pictures and putting them on the web? I get no monetary return on the hours and hours of time spent looking for that perfect shot. But then I look at a shot that someone posts and I think “I want to go take pictures.” Sakana (I think that’s his name) got me thinking that tonight as I browsed his shots. Sometimes the things that make us happy and give us joy have nothing to do with making money.
On another note I was reading Ephesians 3 and found these verses to be really good. Eph3:17 & 18 “And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is.”
Wow

• Camera: NIKON D70
• Taken: 22 October, 2005
• Aperture: ƒ/5.6
• Focal length: 300mm
• Shutter speed: 1/1000s