PhotoBlog - Christmas Day 2007

Unfortunately, although the name implies it, this PhotoBlog actually has little to do with Christmas other than the fact that these photos were taken on Christmas Day. Even so, I managed to shoot an number of publish-worthy pics of our Christmas afternoon trip to the beach, during which we moseyed along the coastline and did a little tide-pooling. On with the show!































Yes, I know this last pic is overexposed, but I thought it looked kinda cool, so I included it.

Anyway, those are my Christmas beach pictures. I must say it wasn't pleasant at all shooting in those tidepools, as I constantly had to be careful with my camera. Getting arround rocks was a pain. Oh well.

And now for an update on my present condition: I am currently up in the mountains and plan to set out on a snowshoe excursion tomorrow. I'll be bringing my camera along, so hopefully I'll get some good shots. We'll see how hard it is to shoot in the snow. Look for an update in the next few days.

That's all for now. I gotta get back to a Scrabble game.
T.H. Excellence

I Love Post-Christmas Sales

I'm not a shopper. Maybe it's because I'm not a woman. But whatever the case may be, I'm not a shopper. I don't go out for hours on end to browse through endless racks and shelves of merchandise. If I happen to be in a shopping location of some sort, I might briefly examine any items of interest, such as movies, music, or books, but I typically will not spend more than fifteen minutes doing so. That being said, it should be of no surprise that I am a stranger to the post-Christmas sales.

Stranger no more.

Today I went to Barnes and Noble with a $25 gift card in tow, intending to find a fun read for the extent of my winter break. After reading Marvel's Civil War series for a couple of hours (amazing series, by the way - check it out!), I began searching for books to fulfill my quota. I managed to find two publications of great interest: Superman: Sunday Classics and Batman: Sunday Classics, which contain reprints of the Golden Age Sunday strips that featured these fine superheroes. I was incredibly pleased to find both of these, and was even more pleased to discover them both on sale. These collections are typically priced at $14.95. Due to the post-Christmas pricing, I was able to acquire both for under twelve bucks!

So anyway, that's what I spent my day doing. You can guess what I'll be spending my evening doing.

Up, up, and away!
T.H. Excellence

A Very Merry PhotoBlog

Merry Christmas everyone!

In honor of the holiday, I'm posting a very merry PhotoBlog featuring my seasonal photographic work. I took a variety of pictures over the month of December, and now I'm sharing them with you. On with the festivities!













And to conclude, here is my signature reflection shot, this time taken with a bright red tree ornament.

I hope you enjoyed that look at my Christmastime photographic work. Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Never forget the reason for the season, and that reason is Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Merry Christmas, everyone
T.H. Excellence

Film Fest Friday! - Mickey's Good Deed

For the last week before Christmas, here's a very old black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoon titled "Mickey's Good Deed". In this short, Mickey goes the extra mile to give a family in poverty a very special Christmas, and even receives a little surprise of his own.



Gosh, they don't make cartoons like they used to.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and remember, tis the season for a Reason
T.H. Excellence

A Commentary on Comic Books

A while back my mother asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Superhero enthusiast that I am, the number one item on my list was the Invincible Iron Man: Complete Collection DVD-ROM. But since I stayed up until 4 a.m. one night reading Spider-Man (I swear I only did that once), mom thinks I'm addicted to comic books, so that idea was rejected.

Pretty much anytime I bring up comic books now, mom says they're a waste of time. Quite honestly, I'm not so sure. I mean, yeah, they can be addicting, and they have got to be one of the lowest forms of reading on this planet, but I think there's a bit more depth to comic books than most parents will give 'em credit for.

How so? Here's how so. Even though they're dealing with super-powered events of epic proportions, comic books somehow are still able to regularly reflect the real lives of everyday people and present true-to-life issues. In the early 70's, Amazing Spider-Man #96-98 were written with the sole intent of showing the negative, unglamorous affects that drugs can have. Much of the X-Men franchise, particularly early on during the Silver and Bronze Ages, demonstrated the inclusion of many social and racial minorities with the introductions of various new heroes from these various classes. These are real problems in the real world, and they've been reflected on in fantasy epics.

But wait - there's more! Though they don't do it regularly, comic books do occasionally touch on current events, such as 9/11. But what I really want to mention is a more recent event - Marvel's Civil War.

Obviously this is not an event that took place in real life, but it is a strong reflection on how the government has been edging in on our privacy more and more. The events that led up to Civil War began when the government sought to implant the Superhero Registration Act. When implanted, every super-powered individual would be required to reveal his or her identity to the government and register with them. Some heroes are for it. Some are against. Naturally this causes a major conflict, and the fighting erupts when Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man), an advocate of the act, announces that all resisting superheroes will be hunted down, subdued, and placed under arrest.

How does it end? Honestly I don't know. The series has come to a close, but I don't make a habit of picking up comic books regularly, so I have yet to finish the story. I left off with Spider-Man locked in combat with Captain America. Epic beyond belief.

Is this really a commentary on our politics?
Obviously.

Exaggerated?
Probably.

Impacting?
Yes!

Civil War may only be a comic book series, but I think it would be almost impossible for anyone to read it without giving though to what's going on in Washington these days.

So much conflict... so many issues.
Heroes had it easy in the old days. They just had to fight somebody with cosmic powers. They never had to fight legislature.

Or each other.

Epic
T.H. Excellence