Posts Tagged ‘Personal’
Snow in Columbia!
We got snow! Snow!
Yes, on Tuesday night a tiny dusting of snow fell on us here in Columbia, SC. Many of us stayed up late constantly refreshing the school closings page on WISTV.com, only to be met with sadness and frustration. Still, it was a nice reminder of the snow we had in February, and so I thought today I’d post a few pictures Wendy and I took back then.
There aren’t a whole lot of pictures because (1) while I can handle the cold and wet it doesn’t seem ideal for cameras and (2) it’s all well and good to take pictures, but when you get snow in Columbia it’s important to put the camera down and play in it, so that’s what we did.
Since most of us in South Carolina aren’t very familiar with snow, I’ve prepared a brief primer on proper snow behavior. Let’s start with Snow 101: Snowflake catching.
Next, stand in awe upon realizing that it’s actually snowing.
Next, simply delight in the snow.
After that, realize you’re freezing because you have no clothing appropriate for snow and go inside.
Finally, after you’ve had a chance to warm up, forget that you have no appropriate clothing, raid your kitchen, and go outside and build a snowman.
Our snowman featured a real corn-cob pipe (well, a real corn-cob left over from Chili’s, anyway), a cucumber nose, and two eyes (and a mouth) made out of coffee beans. We felt he represented us well.
We hope our fellow South Carolinians enjoyed the snow and that you’ll all come back tomorrow for the Friday edition of FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING.
Snow in Columbia!
We got snow! Snow!
Yes, on Tuesday night a tiny dusting of snow fell on us here in Columbia, SC. Many of us stayed up late constantly refreshing the school closings page on WISTV.com, only to be met with sadness and frustration. Still, it was a nice reminder of the snow we had in February, and so I thought today I’d post a few pictures Wendy and I took back then.
There aren’t a whole lot of pictures because (1) while I can handle the cold and wet it doesn’t seem ideal for cameras and (2) it’s all well and good to take pictures, but when you get snow in Columbia it’s important to put the camera down and play in it, so that’s what we did.
Since most of us in South Carolina aren’t very familiar with snow, I’ve prepared a brief primer on proper snow behavior. Let’s start with Snow 101: Snowflake catching.
Next, stand in awe upon realizing that it’s actually snowing.
Next, simply delight in the snow.
After that, realize you’re freezing because you have no clothing appropriate for snow and go inside.
Finally, after you’ve had a chance to warm up, forget that you have no appropriate clothing, raid your kitchen, and go outside and build a snowman.
Our snowman featured a real corn-cob pipe (well, a real corn-cob left over from Chili’s, anyway), a cucumber nose, and two eyes (and a mouth) made out of coffee beans. We felt he represented us well.
We hope our fellow South Carolinians enjoyed the snow and that you’ll all come back tomorrow for the Friday edition of FIVE (business) DAYS OF BLOGGING.
Christmas in Maryland
We have delayed far too long in posting pics from our Christmas visit to Maryland. After waiting out one of this year’s infamous snow storms, J.P. and I finally made it to the home of my big sis, bro-in-law, and favorite kids. Get ready for the cuteness!
Meet Ethan. Ethan loves to read and play, and he insists on giving you a full tour of the toy box as soon as you walk through the door.
I love this next picture Loren took of Ethan watching J.P. juggle some blocks. At the time, I was helping my mom prepare for our family photo. Just look at those bright eyes and that smile!
Here he is opening up some cardboard blocks that took the adults about half an hour to assemble (actually, I’m not sure how long it took us, but those blocks are not coming apart again for some time… too many little cardboard teeth).
Ethan wasn’t as excited about the shark poncho we picked out as he was the blocks, books and puzzles. I can’t blame the kid, but I sure am glad we got this picture out of it.
This is Brooke, Ethan’s beautiful baby sister. She is sweet and sociable and thinks Ethan is the funniest thing around. Brooke’s laugh alone is enough to make my day (this is what I’m talking about).
Here’s Poppy snoozing with little Brooke…
…and Pop holding Brooke after her nap.
Ethan is a wonderful big brother who will frequently bring his little sis toys to hold and even try to make sure she’s present for story time. But even the best older siblings will sometimes compete for attention…
The trip was awesome! Mainly, we lounged around, played with the kids, hung out with Betsy and Loren, and ate their food. My mom and dad were there, too, so we had some bonus family time consisting of caroling, continued eating, and of course a family photo shoot.
Betsy and Loren are amazing parents and, honestly, first class human beings. They are family and friends we continue to look up to.
Currently, Loren, Betsy, Ethan and Brooke are reunited after Loren’s recent trip to help out in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. You can view some of his pictures from the trip here. Welcome home, Loren! We love you!
Snuggie: The Blanket With Sleeves (That Solves All Life’s Problems)
This post comes with a story, so please bear with me.
Among other things I do, I (J.P.) teach Rhetoric. Rhetoric, simply, is the art of persuasive speech. In my class, the students primarily study Aristotle’s aptly-named Rhetoric, but sometimes I want to share with them something a little more contemporary, something that truly speaks to their generation. I think that infomercials are one of the best modern examples of persuasive communication and it’s for this reason I introduced them to the Snuggieâ„¢: the blanket with sleeves.
The students seemed to appreciate the simple structure of the commercial:
1) Present a problem: “You want to stay warm without raising your heating bill and you are incapable of performing mundane tasks like answering the phone while entombed in the shroud-like confines of a blanket. Also, for some reason, everything is in black and white.”
2) Offer a solution while footage switches to color and peppy music begins: “Now, you can own a Snuggie! You’ll be able to stay warm while enjoying a wide range of activities!”
3) Show how the benefits of the solution makes life amazing!
Little did I know how much they had appreciated it…
Two days after my birthday, just as I was getting ready to begin Rhetoric, our headmaster called me down to his office to help him with a computer problem. I asked a student to tell the rest of the class what the day’s assignment was and to have them begin on it, and followed the headmaster. After talking with me for a few minutes, the headmaster walked with me back to my classroom so I could retrieve a USB drive that contained some diagnostic utilities. When I got back to the room, the lights were off, the kids had their heads down on their desks and I was led by the headmaster to the far side of the room.
What followed was nothing less than amazing. My students has remixed and personalized the Snuggie commercial for me: “Mr. Stephens, do you find it miserable teaching in a freezing cold classroom? Do you find it difficult to write on the board when your hands have frostbite on them?” After presenting the problem, the lights came on, the music started (“Wannabe” by the Spice Girls), and the dancing and singing began. Oh yeah, and one student burst from the closet skating on a scooter while wearing a leopard-print Snuggie.
They didn’t skimp on the benefits of the solution, either. “Mr. Stephens, with your new Snuggie, you’ll be healthier, taller, stronger, more athletic, smarter…your hands will be nice and warm and you’ll be able to give us all A’s!” “You could even make it the official costume of Lunch Money!” At this point the students all dropped to their knees (approximating Lunch Money fan height) and waved their hands in the air while screaming “I love Lunch Money!”
In the end, I was presented with an awesome card, my new Snuggie…
…a DVD copy of The Iron Giant (they may have felt sorry for me after I showed them my copy on VHS)…
…a handmade Snuggie user’s guide…
(Note the chart.)
…and a cookie as big as my head!
At this point, it’s probably gratuitous to say that I have the greatest Rhetoric class ever. That’s one thing about Rhetoric, if the suck up this well, then they’re obviously getting the idea! As a small thank you to them, I will now conclude with a photo that I hope captures the magnificence of my birthday celebration, my students, and of course, my Snuggie.
P.S.- If any potential clients are reading this and you’re interested in a Snuggie-themed engagement shoot please contact us–we are definitely the photographers for you!
P.P.S.- After lecturing my students about copyright, I should probably mention that the first, second, and fourth pictures were taken by students and they retain all rights to them.
Happy Halloween from Lumos Studio!
Let me begin with a little explanation of Wendy’s costume, because it’s somewhat conceptual. Okay, it’s totally conceptual, but follow along with me… Wendy is “Christmas Creep”, which is the practice stores have of putting out Christmas decorations and promotions earlier and earlier each year (hence the “creep” part). In my experience, the best Halloween costumes are scary and maybe even a little nauseating. If seeing a bunch of wreathes hanging next to zombie masks in Target doesn’t give you that feeling, you have a stronger stomach that me. (By the way, you can’t see them in the picture, but her necklace alternates Christmas ornaments and rats, and she has Christmas lights around her waist that really light up–though when we took the picture we didn’t have batteries.)
Read more about Christmas Creep at Consumerist and be sure to check out this awesome cartoon from Hallmark that captures the spirit of the costume perfectly.
In case you don’t know, this is Dr. Cockroach from “Monsters vs. Aliens”. I came up with the idea of using a giant pair of sunglasses to replicate his eyes, and then Wendy pretty much went to town from there. She. Is. Awesome. My antennae, by the way, are made from fall foliage found at Michaels. Big thanks to Molly from Lunch Money for getting her dad to loan me a lab coat used for real actual science.
Here are a couple more pics for the road:
Lollapalooza 2009: Day 1
Lollapalooza 2009 was a three-day music festival held August 7-9 in Chicago’s Grant Park. Lunch Money got to be a part of this extravaganza of awesomeness, playing two shows on the Kidzapalooza stage. What follows is a brief photographic journey through our first day, with posts for days 2 and 3 to come.
We (maybe I should say Jay) drove into Chicago at around 12:30am on Friday morning.
Chicago’s finest came out to greet the crowd.
Although Lollapalooza is pretty much packed with music fans of every age, Kidzapalooza aims at a decidedly younger (and more adorable) demographic.
Yeah, I know. I’m pushing into Cute Overload territory.
That’s Henry rocking out as he plays his part in “HEY! YOU’RE A ROCK STAR!â€, a short interactive play put on by The Cool Table, a Chicago improv comedy troupe. Henry was the guitarist in “Sponge Blue Square Blue”, the greatest rock band the world has ever known.
The little guy above didn’t have a role in “HEY! YOU’RE A ROCK STAR!â€, but he played his part by watching from the sidelines and having excellent hair.
Meanwhile, the child below practiced for a life of indie rock shows by looking vaguely put-upon by the whole affair.
In addition to the adorableness, though, there was also awesome kids music to be heard.
There was Frances England, who I got to meet for the first time (she’s awesome!):
…and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo always gets the crowd on its feet…
At the end of the day, Lunch Money played, and it was every bit as warm and toasty as it looks.
But fortunately Lucy figured out the key to a good first day at Lollapalooza–a good umbrella.
By the time we finished playing at the end of day 1, we were all pretty worn out, so that’s about it for pictures from that day. Come back soon, though, for pictures from the second and third days of Lollapalooza, including more kiddie cuteness and even a band or two.
