Two New Paintings

I managed to finish two of the paintings I've been working on.  These were very refreshing for me.  It felt like I was getting back into the "Classic Todd" when I was doing these two.  

Recent Political Rallies

Just a couple of shots of Sarah Palin and Barack Obama.  I've shot 2 Sarah Palin rallies now and 1 Barack Obama.  I'd like to get more Barack, especially closer.  When I was there, they wouldn't let the local guys into the buffer, so I had to shoot from the risers.

New Featured Model Interview

I have a new Featured Model Interview posted on my web site at http://www.muskopf.org/how_to_model.htm  It's Megan Colley from Philadelphia, PA.  

Whi Bal Awol?

I tried to order a Whi Bal card from their site last night and the checkout cart crashed.  I sent them an email letting them know what happened.  It's now been about 14 hours since the email and I haven't gotten an acknowledgment that I'd even sent an email.

In today's internet-driven world, when a customer tries to order, then contacting you via a second manner (most would've just given up), it pays to try to help the customer give you their money.  14 hours with no "hey, got your email, sorry, we'll look into it", is just too long--unless their power is out for days and days like ours was a few weeks ago.

I'll have to check and see if they are having a hurricane make landfall where they are...

In the meantime, customer service is critical in today's crowded market.  I ordered my card through B&H.

Update:  It's now been 6 days and Whi Bal has not replied to my email.  My Whi Bal card from B&H arrived today.  I don't think I'll order the larger card now, unless this thing is amazing.

The Greed isn't only on Wall Street

I've heard a lot of people talking about corporate greed, bankers' greed, and such concerning this whole banking problem we're facing currently.

The root of the problem IS NOT with the bankers, it's with the people who couldn't afford things going to a bank to get a loan or a credit card to get money for something them.  These people got their homes they couldn't afford, so now we have bankruptcies.  These people couldn't afford the cars they bought, so they're being repossessed.  These people couldn't afford the big screen t.v.s, and all the other things they bought, not worrying about when or how they would pay them back.

It's OUR greed that caused this, but we're blaming the bankers who ALLOWED us to have  what WE WANTED.

I saw a photo in today's paper of a person outside some government agency with a sign that said "greed kills".  I suggest that this person should've been sitting outside of BEST BUY instead.

Folks, don't throw the blame at the big corporations, government, or Wall Street.  It may truly lie at your own door step.

We've already created The Matrix

I was watching my daughter sit on the couch flipping channels, complaining about how stupid things on TV were, but seemingly unable to get up and walk away.  Television is a Matrix for us.  A place where our body rests in a safe, comfortable area and our minds wander off in far away places.  We don't interact with anyone, we learn little (depends on what you watch), and our muscles are trained to sit.

Video games are similar, but at least they are not completely passive.  At least we make choices and are engaged in some mental exercise.  

One bite at a time

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.

When I get down on myself, it's almost always because I feel like I should be able to do everything--all the time.  I look back on the day and see what I've done, and get crazy because there are 30 other things that I wanted to get done as well, but couldn't fit.

I have been getting better about this.  I've rearranged my "to-do" list and now structure it like this.

Morning:  Pick 2 things which are vital and for "Immediate Action" and get them done before 11 a.m.  Sometimes these take more time, sometimes less, but this is the primary goal and if these things get done, I try not to get stressed about the other stuff.

I divided the other tasks into 4 categories:  Photography, Painting, Home, and Business.  I then try to make sure that I spend an hour or so on each category, then move on to the next, so that each day I'm able to touch on at least some of the things from each category that need to be done before the kids get home and things become more chaotic and unplannable.  (is that a new word?) 

It's tough when things take a long time and I have to decide whether to ignore the other categories or not, but I try not to.  I also try to limit things like checking email and the internet, leaving my home studio (because things always take 3 times longer once you step out the door than you think they will).  

One thing that I say to my students is that "Continual Improvement Equals Success".  In my situation, I suppose this is should be "Continual Forward Progress Equals Success".

Baby steps.