Earning a Master's Degree

I recently earned my masters degree in school counseling and I am still working on my finishing my Pupil Personnel Service (PPS) credential.  I definitely feel I have accomplished something positive that will undoubtedly propel me forward.  It's like anything though, you get what you put in.  I learned a lot while going through the various courses but I could have learned more.  The more you pour in, the more you take out.  "You don't truly know someone unless you know what they want."  I heard that line in a movie I just watched.  It stuck with me because I agree.  It reminds me of something that was said in the show Game of Thrones recently, if nobody knows what you truly want then they do not know your weakness's.  Not that this applies to my life but in Hollywood thrillers and great HBO shows it seems like sage advice.  In real life, in modern times I think the saying "Once you have that piece of paper on the wall, there's no taking it away and that piece of paper can open doors for you."  It really is just a piece of paper, and while I'll be the first to admit I don't know everything there is to know about being a counselor,  I do find it very interesting and something I don't mind doing everyday.  I have always said that being a good listener is a rare talent, or finding a good listener is a rare find.  People who actually stop thinking about what they want to say next in the conversation and actually listen to the other person.  I think that I am a good listener and I believe that is a necessary trait for becoming a good counselor.

January 3rd, 2015 Happy Birthday Mom.

Today would be my mom's 61st birthday.  She passed away in 2005 and I can't believe it's almost been 10 years.  My mother's passing also marks the first year I began teaching.  So whenever someone asks me how long I've been a teacher I equate it to how long my mom has been gone.  Today was like any other and I don't feel sad or mad in anyway.  Grief is a process and it's different for everyone.  I didn't mark today as being special or especially hard as I no longer look at my mom's being gone as a bad thing.  It's like anything in life, you have to make the best of it.  If you choose to look at life's events in a negative light, well then it will be negative.  If you choose to look at life's events in a positive light, then it will be positive.  I spent the day in Modesto buying my son a new Build a Bear stuffed dog.  I owe a great deal of my success to my Mom.  She enjoyed these types of outings, she would have loved to come to Modesto to help Brody pick out a new Build-a-Bear.  In a way that makes me sad for a second but it also makes me happy that she passed on her love for children and her propensity to love unconditionally.  So at the end of the day I smile, I miss her everyday, not just on her birthday but anytime I feel sad or lonely I think of all the love she poured into me and how it's overflowing for my loved ones and for my family and friends.  I owe her for giving me a big heart.  I owe her for teaching me how important it is to love people as much as you can.  I am grateful for the 27 years I got to spend with her and I will continue to spread her legacy on to everyone I come into contact with.  She would have loved that.

Ed and the Educator's at Ollie's Pub in Lodi

I went to watch my friends band Ed and the Educators perform at Ollie's Pub in Lodi this past Friday night.  I took a few pictures and edited a couple in photoshop.  Below are the results of two of the shots I took and edited.  I am happy with how they turned out for the most part.  They are both basically experiments for me to see if I can do a more stylized photo.  I have a few other good shots that I'd like to continue to experiment on and some more stylized editing with different colors and what not.  The room they performed in was a big white tent which made the white balance really easy but it was pretty dark.  I definitely learned a few things from shooting and the edit's.  That being #1 make sure your batteries aren't about to die in your flash just before shooting in a dark room, #2 photoshop experiment and repetition is paying off.

Just discovering photoshop...

I know a lot of people have been using adobe photoshop for some time now but I am just starting to discover it.  I feel like learning how to use my camera is really only half the battle.  The other half is learning how to really enhance those pictures using photoshop.  Above is the Bank of Stockton building in downtown Stockton.  I took this on a overcast day.  I watched a few tutorials about how to make your sky more dramatic and did a few things to the photo.  Below is a portrait of Jacelyn and Brody.  I watched a few tutorials on how to touch up portraits and used some of those tricks on this picture.  I realize the background is kind of messy but I think the portrait came out nice.

Photography and what not...

So it has been a long time since I blogged and I've been super busy (that is my excuse for everything) but really I have been.  I have been busy with work (I am still a teacher, part time wedding DJ, and part time Longshoreman.  I think that one day I will look back at this time in my life and think "Man, I really had a lot of different jobs back then."

What I like about teaching is that I make a really big difference in a lot of people's lives.  Not too many jobs are like that.  Most jobs are kind of the same from day to day and are monotonous for people.  I like that I get to interact with young people, that I hopefully get to impart some life wisdom on them and that by the end of the year they have learned a thing or two about history.  I also really like the people I'm working with.

DJing wedding's is another part time job that I currently have.  We are finally out of wedding season and I haven't had to DJ all month, I did enjoy this past summer where I was DJing most weekends.  The downside to DJing is that sometimes people drink too much and can become really annoying and sometimes rude.  The upside is that most of the time everyone you come into contact with is happy and having a good time.  I will continue to DJ as it pays well and I have gotten pretty decent at it.

I am still a part-time casual in the ILWU Longshoreman Union.  I haven't worked very much in the last few months but I have picked up a shift here and there.  I like working at the port and some days are really smooth and easy and other days are complete train wrecks.  It really comes down to the competency and sobriety of the people your working with.  I have seen some REALLY unusual behavior by my fellow longshoreman but for the most party they are good hard working people.

My newest hobby has been photography.  I recently bought a Nikon D750 at the suggestion of a wedding photographer that I was working with during the summer.  He mentioned he had just picked one up and so far he really liked it.  I have been taking snap shots and trying to progress as a photographer.  Today I bought a Nikon speed-flash (SB700 for those that care), and have been experimenting with it ever since.  So far I am really loving both the camera and the flash and hopefully I'll have enough time to continue pursuing photography as much as I'd like.

The other time-suck that I currently eats up a lot of my time is the PPS/Masters degree program I am currently in.  I am working towards getting a Counseling credential and master's degree in school counseling in the hopes of becoming a counselor for the one. program.  So far I have enjoyed a majority of my classes and I am almost done with the course work.  I have a class in December and January and then I begin my internship and working on my thesis.

Hopefully I will be able to blog about something specific rather then just a general update in the near future.  In the mean time enjoy the pics!

True Detective

One of the underlying messages behind True Detective, in my opinion, is how important it is to know yourself.  Rust tells the detectives early on "I know who I am, their's a victory in that."  Something like that.  But he was intent on knowing himself and understanding himself and finding peace in that fact.  Marty never really knows himself.  He questions himself in the car in an early episode.  "Do you ever think your a bad man?"  He asks Rust.  Rust says "I don't think I'm a bad man, the world needs bad men.  Keeps the other bad men from the door."  Rust knew he was 'bad' and he was at peace with it.  Marty was 'bad' but he thought he was good.  Do I think Rust and Marty were 'bad' men?  No, they were not.  They were flawed but neither was truly bad.  Marty was a bad father and husband but as a human he was good.  Rust hated himself and being alive and most people but deep down he was a good person who wanted to protect others and catch truly bad men.  This was a great show.

Dia De Los Muertos: The Dead Lives Again! (almost)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Volkswagens.  My first car was a 1968 VW Beetle.  I continue to be drawn into the 'old volks' world again and again.  In the past few years I've owned two different bug's a 1964 and a 1966.  I enjoyed both and miss them both but I have a restless soul and I've moved on.

Several months ago as I was sifting through Craigslist I came across a car I knew.  Or at least I thought I knew.  The car in question was a 1960 Karmann Ghia coupe.  I had seen it before when I visited the owner who owns and operates a local VW suspension fabrication company.  It was his personal car that he had built a narrowed air bag beam for it.  It had an awesome patina to it and someone had clear coated over the patina to preserve it.  He had put VW Thing wheels and lower profile tires and an extremely unusual interior.  The interior is essentially a mexican blanket that was trimmed by a local upholstery shop to create a very colorful interior.  The interior, the patina and the stance 'make' the car.  It was special.

I saw the car listed and I contacted the owner.  I went to see the car and I brought a trailer and cash with me 'just in case' I decided to buy it.  Well I bought it.  My original thought was, it wasn't going to take much to get it on the road.  I was wrong.  It's taken a lot.

One of my friends who is an old school VW guy told me "Dude that this is a bigger project then your think it is and it's going to snowball on you and turn into a huge project."  He was right.  But even so, I love this car.  I am still in the process of resurrecting it and getting it back on the road.

The car needed the following: rear shocks, new wheel cylinders all the way around, new brake shoes on the front and back, new bearings, all the drums were turned, new brake lines all the way around.  The air ride beam and bag were installed but it needed everything else installed.  Luckily it came with most of the needed parts and luckily I have a friend who is extremely mechanically inclined. My friend set up the air-compressor, air tank, lines, solenoid, air tank, switch etc.  I bought a new battery and purchased a used 1300cc motor for the car as the original motor was seized.

The car is almost complete and I am really looking forward to driving it around town.  If I own it long enough it might make it to the 2014 Bugorama, but who knows.  Below are some pics of the car, enjoy!