The Cameron Owens Experience

New Image

2008-10-19T08:31:00.003-07:00

Hey, sorry that I haven't updated this thing as much as my other places of residence. Things are going well here in China. The food is great, people are friendly, things are cheap, and most of all there are all kinds of things to experience. Thing of a hilarious note the other day was the classical example of how common sense is not all that common here in Shanghai China. So I ride the bus to and from work just because it seems to be faster than taking the metro and as with any form of public transportation, you can find all kinds of crazy stuff. Well, the other night I was on my way home and traffic was quite bad. It was a friday night and everyone was out doing something. Well, we get to Jing'an Temple area and there were these cars trying to make a right hand turn and here in China if the person is taking too long, you just go around them. Who cares if you're in the wrong lane, it's everyman for himself here in this country. So they were attempting to go around all of this other traffic. They were quickly met by the incoming traffic that was in the right lane, don't worry no accident. Then on top of the matter the bus was trying to turn right, being blocked by the cars that were going around to make the left hand turn and they were now consequently blocked in by everyone else trying to go around. Now the whole matter pinned on one taxi driver who was so close to the cars going around that they were trapped between him and the bus. There was no place for them to go, but the taxi driver didn't care and so he just put on the horn for several minutes. Here in China, the horn is just a sound for, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" The problem was that he was blocking the way for the cars to go so that they could get out of his way and he was not about to back up. I wonder if he had ever put his car into reverse before this. Well about after 5 min of us just sitting there he finally backed up and then traffic started to flow as normal. Before he moved, EVERYTHING was stopped. Traffic going any direction because everyone else was trying to go around them. It was like one of those scenes in the movies when total pandemonium breaks out and there are just cars everywhere. It's like that everyday here in China.

Well this image is just something that I played around with in Photoshop. I used to be really good at Photoshop but when I got home from my mission, I found out that I wasn't all that great so I'm playing around with it again. I hope that you enjoy this one Clint. It's kind of a tribute to the Sox heading to the Series.

New Image

2008-09-01T10:24:00.003-07:00

This is just a little something that I have been tinkering around with. I have some photos to load up that need to be tagged. I have been tagging my photos just to hopefuly ensure that they aren't being pirated.

"Leaving on a Jet Plane..."

2008-08-27T18:19:00.001-07:00

Actually to be completely correct, it should have been, "Left on a Jet Plane," because I have been here for about 36 hours in China and left my house in Arizona 48 hours plus. It was quite the day of traveling and by the time that it was all through, what I wanted most was just to brush my teeth. If I was thinking straight when I packed my travel on bag, I would have packed a toothbrush and some toothpaste. I should have thought about the fact that it was about 18 hours of travel time with all kinds of eating along the way. It seemed like the last time that I came here to the beloved country of China where the only things that we did was sit on a bus, sleep, and eat. My flight over here was the exact same thing.
I left home about 5 AM where one of my closest friends, Clint, came and took me to the airport because my mom is still unable to drive, Dr.'s orders. So I woke up at about 4:30, had a bowl of cereal and then brushed my teeth for the last time that day. Flew to San Fransisco. (Almost didn't make my flight because I was thinking that I was going to be flying via American instead of United which is at a completely different terminal at Sky Harbor.) Sat on a plane for about 2 hours trying to do some Calculus homework but still wasn't quite awake enough to really want to do anything. Once I got to SFO, I found out that my flight to China was delayed 2 hours, turning my 3 hour layover to a 5 hour one. It was SO BORING. Luckily I was able to get quite a bit of reading and other stuff done to catch up with what I should have done on my way to SFO.
Finally, the plane arrived. I ended up sharing a 3 seater isle with just another gentleman who was in the US doing business for his company. Mr. Yuan was his name. Quite cool guy. I have his e-mail and plan on getting in touch with him and maybe do some lunch or something. It was nice because I had the isle seat and no one was sitting behind me. Needless to say I slept a good deal of the way. The funny thing was, that I seemed to always wake up right as the flight attendants were coming through with the meals. Pretty nice huh? Go to sleep and wake up with a meal in front of you then repeat the whole process by going to sleep again. BAM! Another meal right in front of you. Oh such a stressful flight.
By the time that I finally got to Shanghai, I was glad to be here. I was starting to get excited to see my brother Garret whom I haven't seen for over 3 years. Just waiting for my baggage seemed like forever just because I wanted to get through and see him, but in reality it was only 10 min or so. Walking through customs we met up and then headed to his place.
Our travels began by riding an engineers dream, the MagLev train. A train that is completely frictionless because it floats on magnets. It was an incredibly smooth ride cruising along at 300km, about 180 mph. Then we went through the subways which was slightly difficult because of my large bags. Then we took a cab and before I knew it I was home.
It's so good to be here. Unfortunatly I didn't take as many pictures as some of you may wish, but a lot of them are on my phone and I forgot my cable to connect it to my laptop so I will have to a couple of tricks to get them off.

Family Dinner at David & Shanna's

2008-08-17T21:51:00.008-07:00

Here are the photos that I took at David & Shanna's on Sunday. These are not the originals so, if you would like a copy of the originals which are much larger files just let me know via comments or e-mail me or my mom. Sorry that they're not all that great.

The Cameron Owens Experience is going to be shutting down....

2008-07-28T00:16:00.004-07:00

Well, although I really don't wish to be a conformist and don't really appreciate being pushed around, I am throwing in the towel and closing down The Cameron Owens Experience. Due to people taking what I esteem as something of worth and what gave me an outlet to express myself as WHO I AM, people that are close to me have used it as a weapon, a source to pry into my life which I wish to have as MY OWN! Amanda, Jill, and Sheri, thank you for being down honest good friends and just taking my two cents for what they are but there are others out there who wish to not just give me advice but give it as a directive, disregarding the fact that I'm now an adult. HAPPY @#$$#$ BIRTHDAY TO ME, 22 years old today. (Thanks for ruining it, I really didn't mind you calling me, but not for you to interrogate me for two of the worst hours of my life. Just let me be me and accept that!) So sorry faithful readers. I'll find some other domain and let those whom I wish to see it know where to find it.
It really ticks me off when people want others to conform when that is against everything that they stand for. People should just let people be who they are and STOP trying to tell them what they think will make their lives better. Not everyone out there TRIES to make themselves different, that's just who they are and just learn to live with it.
Any who, here are my last photos that most of you will ever see so enjoy.

Tandoori Adventure...

2008-07-26T21:35:00.005-07:00

Well, as usual, it was a Saturday night and because I don't have any friends up here in Utah I decided to put down the remote (figure of speech. I don't really watch TV, compensating for my youth.) and go for a walk. At first it was a wonderful slightly stormy evening but because I wanted to stop at some place for dinner, an Indian restaurant on center st, I missed all of the action of the rain. I did get to walk home in the reminiscence of it though. Trying to become the better photo blogger I took my camera and here are some of my pics.

Good Ol American Television!

2008-07-26T17:27:00.005-07:00

From my perspective, everything in the world are slowly drifting to one extreme or the other, for better or for worse. Some out there is just down right horrible while some is just INCREDIBLE. Either directors out there have amazing talent while others seem to fall back flooding their movies or shows with what most mindless society is really interested unfortunately; sex, drugs, and more sex. My new favorite tv show is nothing near that. It's USA network's "Burn Notice,"
starring Jeffrey Donovan. It's my new favorite TV show. It's just down right amazing! It's like James Bond meets Fugitive and Discovery channel. Very entertaining as well as being somewhat educational. The story line is amazing and the whole show, cast, sets, and cinematography is amazing. You should check it out sometime. http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/video/fullep/

Gentlemen with Matches (Mountain Biking at Sundance)

2008-07-25T19:02:00.005-07:00

Oh, the joys of not having a thing to do on Fridays. I was originally planning on hopping onto a bus at about 9 AM today and heading up to SLC but, Nick wanted to go mountain biking and I wasn't about to turn down that for just going to take pictures. So, we headed out north bound on Provo Canyon rd. to find a cool place to go and we saw the sign for Sundance. In the end we took the road more traveled and went to go see what it was all about. When we got there we found out that it was $18 for an all day pass and after some deliberation we decided to stay since it was only noon. I wrecked only twice, hit some soft dirt and the bike wend down from underneath me both times. That's why at the end of my day, my face was covered in mud/dirt. Well without further adieu, here's what I came back from my adventure today.

Standing Up for Myself

2008-07-24T22:05:00.002-07:00

So, not to burn any bridges but there comes a point in everyone's life where their motives or decisions are questions and they are pushed back enough, not treated like the adult they are, and are just tired of being treated like they don't really know what they are talking about. In the past I was accused of being "un-american" because I said that I wished to live in Europe and didn't really care for American Futbol players. For those with less than compitent reading comprehension skills, I remember saying and I quote, "I thank my lucky stars that I have the great privilege of driving my Mini Cooper and that I do live in such a wonderful country such as this one..." Also, for those that have ever been around me when in the presence of members of any of the branches of the armed services would be able to testify that I always go out of my way to shake hands with them and thank them for what they do to preserve the freedoms that all too many of us take for granted all too often. Also, if you notice, I have included photos of such service men and women, the service man watching the dog whom I talked to.
Now of my dilemma of what school to go to, is in all reality a very important decision. It will shape who my friends will be, who I will come into contact with concerning future internships, the likelyhood of certain graduate schools accepting me, being accepted for certain jobs, and the type of education that I will receive. There is a lot associated with this decision. Certain companies usually look for certain types of people that have attended certain types of schools. My former English teacher at MCC, Jon Bendera who had his Doctorate from an Ivy League school, even has had some difficulty doing legal writing for certain companies when competing with other applicants because of the type of education he recieved. Not all universities are created equal no matter the program whether it be art, science, or even mathematics. The philosophies of ASU and BYU are quite different. One emphasizes on structure and going with what has been proven for years upon years. The other is slightly ore about innovation and experimentation. Both have their own drawbacks. By opening one door there are numerous that will be closed consequently.

Happy Pioneer Day! Great time for a walk about.

2008-07-24T15:49:00.008-07:00

Well, today is "Pioneer Day," which is like a national holiday up here in Utah. Just about everything shuts down and we all celebrate and remember our Latter-Day Saint heritage of the pioneers that crossed the plains. Since I didn't have anything else to do I decided to take a ride on my bike and to see if I could find anything to shoot and here's what I came up with. Please don't plagiarize. If you want any of my images just post me a comment with a way to get a hold of you and I'll be glad to send you a copy of the original file for FREE. This is a hobby of mine and all I ask is just a little recognition.

Forgotten Photos from My last walk about

2008-07-24T15:42:00.004-07:00

Well, last time I was in somewhat of a hurry upload some photos and didn't notice that some of the photos on my card weren't uploaded so here they are. Also, I really don't like plagiarism so please e-mail me and I'll send you a real copy of my photos for free. This is just something that I love and I just want the recognition.(The actual files can print up to a max size of 5ft by 3ft)

And the Teeter Totter Goes back and Forth...

2008-07-24T03:57:00.002-07:00

So, for the last couple of weeks I have been torn nearly in half trying to decide one of the most important decisions of my life thus far, "where to actually settle down and go to school?" Lately I have been up here in Provo, Utah and if I stay then I'll end up going to BYU. Sure it's a great school and all with a good environment but, it has its drawbacks like everything else in life. Then on the other hand there is good ole ASU. Not that I'm wanting to go there simply because of the fact that it's such a known party school but that it's home. Home is home. Right now it's 5:00 AM July 24th and I have yet to go to bed just thinking about this dilemma. I need to decide quick because the semesters are going to be starting really soon and I don't want to be caught sitting on the fence not able to get the classes that I want/need and being someplace that I don't exactly want to be. Why is it that life is so complicated. This one little decision is going to shape a very large portion of my life and I'm torn between the pros and cons of the situation.
ASU: Has the New Poly Tech campus, be home near familiar friends and family, NO SNOW or Utards,

BYU: Well accredited conservative school which large buisnesses and government jobs like, get to truly experience the college life, don't have to worry about stepping out of class to breath cigarette smoke, more likely to continue on with photography

The Effects of Boredome + Someone inspiring to Perfect My Hobby

2008-07-20T21:53:00.007-07:00

On Friday, since I didn't have much to do and it was going to be about 10 hours till the meet up for "Batman The Dark Night" I decided to pick up my camera and just drive around until I found something to photograph. I was planning on getting a little bit further to South Jordan where the theater was but, I found a park and walked around and here's what I found.

Instigator of Accidents

2008-07-16T19:54:00.003-07:00

As usual, after school I go down to this little futsal sized soccer field by this elementary school to go kick some goals and just tinker around with a soccer ball. Today when I arrived there was a fairly large group of hispanics that were gracious enough to let a "gwedo" like me play. So I joined in with their games playing fairly well although many of them were much better than me. During play I got off on a break away cutting in out of guys and put the ball between the legs of one of the guys who swung his leg at the ball right as it was going through his legs only making contact with my shin causing me to go down and roll my ankle pretty bad. The foul was non malicious and I was able to walk it off about 5 min so I kept on playing, but it's now really catching up with me (trying to keep it moving). Then later on one of the players on the other team was making his way up and since my ankle was feeling still a little tight I was playing defense most of the time. Well he got past one of my teammates and didn't even see me and as he was cutting around, ran straight into my forehead. I guess that's what you get when you're thinking a step or two ahead and stand just a couple of feet behind your other defender. When we collided both of us went down because when José, the player that ran into me, made the cut he was going into a sprint unaware that I was right there. It was a lucky thing that I wasn't able to build up much momentum or he would have been hurt possibly more seriously. In the end I only ended up with a bump but he split his lip wide open and is most likely going to end up with 2-4 stitches. I don't know what it is but, I am usually somehow involved when people get hurt. I'm just glad that it wasn't me that was hurt. Hopefully José is doing ok too.

Throwing in the towel.

2008-07-16T13:28:00.004-07:00

Well... As you might suspect, things here in Provo have been the worst thing ever that I have done. At first it was all going fairly well but, since being "released/let go" from my job because the store was robbed the final straw has landed and broken the camels back. I have never felt so unwanted as I do in my singles ward as I do here. Not that I have been a total recluse; I invite people over for dinner and to come and hang out, they do, but that's the last that I ever hear from them. I don't know what it is. I try to go out of my way to talk to people and I just get that look like "Who the Hell are you?" The count is up to the 6th consecutive girl that I ask out for just a casual date I have been shut down. I'm not doing anything too weird. I just sincerely say, "Hey, some friends of mine are going on a group date to go do such and such and I was wondering if I would be able to take you on a date?" Or, "What are you doing friday, well what about the two of us going out to eat/something like that." Then after usually long pauses there is some sort of excuse like, "oh I'm going to be doing something with my friends, sorry..." without even anything else like, "Sorry I'm busy that night but what about next Friday." It's just left at "sorry" and then the conversation is dropped. So, when I told people in the ward that I was moving home the first instinct was "Why?!" I honestly told them that most of the people are the biggest bigots, unfriendly, and I just feel so unwanted, there is just a look of shock on their faces and they then try to be my friend. I usually ask them, what are you doing, why are you SUDDENLY talking to me now? Before you knew that I was going to leave you didn't even acknowledge my presence. I sang in church, by myself and no one even said anything to me about it. Repeatedly I stood next to someone that spoke in church and they had no problem complimenting them on their talk but still, my presence was not even acknowledged.
Now you may be thinking that I'm over exaggerating this but I have yet to receive "hello," a "hi," or even anyone just "hey how are you doing?" No one has a problem with coming on by when there is a free ride of dinner or something else that is going to be provided by me, but after the fun and games I'm the only one left to clean up. I have tried to magnify my church calling in by repeatedly just checking in on my district of elders just to see how they are doing with their home-teaching, "Hey how's so and so doing?" The usual response is that they have yet to do it and then if I call there is no answer and never a reply to my message that I leave.
"Oh no, it's Cameron.. The BLACK PLAGUE!" The sad thing is that the only person that does acknowledge me is Katie Brenderburg, who is a teaching assistant for autistic children....

Why I wish I lived in Europe.

2008-06-21T22:28:00.004-07:00

For quite some time I have always believed that I should have grown up in Europe. Just about everything is better there from my perspective. The things in life that we Americans see as "exotic" and as an "import" are in reality are part of the common everyday experience for someone say from London. The flashy BMW's, for those of us that don't quite live in the most ritzy areas, artsy fashion, foreign films, stricter gun laws (sorry my extreme conservative side of the family, I love the sound of guns but, I think that there should be harder gun laws in place), good futbol games, and did I mention much better cars? I thank my lucky stars that I have the great privilege of driving my Mini Cooper and that I do live in such a wonderful country such as this one which seems to be going down the drain like the rest of the world. But, what would I not do to be able to see a REALLY GOOD futbol game in person. I LOVE soccer, as we Americans call it. But, we American's just don't know how to quite create the experience. Our players don't really know how to play (they're lazy!), the fans don't know how to be FANS, and it's just not quite the same as the way our brothers do it in Europe. After attending the Real Salt Lake game, I was reminded of these facts. There was some good futbolling but for the most part it wasn't all that entertaining. It's a good thing the Euro cup is going on right now so that I can wash the bad taste of american soccer out of my mouth with. (Tomorrow Spain vs Italy! GO ITALY!!!)

My new kicks that I have yet to tell y'all about.

2008-06-21T22:23:00.002-07:00

Well I have recently, Friday, got some new shoes that aren't really shoes, they're sandals that just seem to look like shoes. Just think of them as sandals that are undercover. They are from this sweet brand called Sanuk (www.sanuk.com) check them out. I absolutely love them. you can have the formality of wearing a shoe while having the comfort of a sandal. Just like in Taledaga Nights when one of the racers makes a comment about a certain individual wearing a tuxedo t-shirt so that he can still be formal while being here for the part. That's what it feels like wearing these shoe... sandals. It's like still being in the office while you're standing on the beaches of Hawaii or San Diego.

Late Night Fun

2008-06-20T23:26:00.004-07:00

Oh how I love Root Beer

2008-06-18T12:05:00.002-07:00

I love root beer. I truly do. I know how bad it is for me, but nevertheless, there is something just magical about it. I'm not sure if it's the slight burn of the carbination as it rolls down ones throat or if it is the nice bite that it has. I don't care, as long as it tastes good I'm happy.

One Hot Day to Go Running

2008-06-17T21:17:00.003-07:00

I know that I'm not all that great at keeping this thing up and going although I always say how much I want to change and just do it. I guess I just need to find the right impetus, find that motivation, and a routine that will work with my life. I'm slightly lazy, but I can change, if I have to, I guess....
Things are going well given current circumstances. C'est la vie eh? Everyone has their own bad days. It's just strange how everything bad seems to only happen on one day. For instance, take my new friend Courtney who I met through Nick Rampton. In the morning she starts hearing strange noises from her car, takes it in and finds out that to fix it is going to cost $400. During the diagnosis of her car she waits around and by the time that the problem is figured out, she's late for work and barely makes it into work at the MTC. Things don't go well because the Elders, just like any missionary that has been in the MTC for longer than 5 days, are already getting cabin fever so nothing much is accomplished. She goes along on her way with other little inconveniences happening along the way. Late at night she and Nick are out getting something to eat at Carl's JR. and Nick has her drive so that he can finish eating his monstrous burger (cow killer!) So she's driving along in Nick's car and she gets pulled over for not using her turn signal to pull into a grocery parking lot in the middle of nowhere at the early hours of the morning or late hours of the night getting nailed with a $84 dollar ticket! What a bad day I would say.
As for me, when I have my bad days it is usually because of a whole bunch of returns on repairs or parts not fixing the problems of the computers that I work on. And just like Courtney, they all seem to happen at once. I usually go about a week before I have a frustrating day like that. It's almost like it's a cycle or something. There seems to be some giant threshold that people reach where there Karma Dams seem to only be able to hold just so much back and then they burst, pouring out pandora's box upon them and then the cycle starts all over.
Fortunately, today was not one of those days. It was somewhat good with a bad start. Work was the usual although the other Cameron wasn't there so I was the only one there responsible of handling all of the repairs until 3pm. It wasn't bad, just stressful when you're trying to fix peoples computers as fast as possible because they act like cocaine addicts going into withdrawls without being able to surf the internet because everything they do is just all that important. Is anything we do THAT important? I don't think so. And then there are half a million people calling wanting to know what's up with the computer they just checked in an hour ago wondering why in the world you haven't had time to look at it yet, so egocentrical.
But, the light at the end of my daily tunnel was an afternoon run. I have been trying to get into better shape just because, let's face it, working at a tech bench inside all day isn't going to make you into any Brad Pitt over night. It's almost entertaining when you notice how pale some of the owners of MacDocs are. We're computer nerds and not afraid to let the world know it. I just want to maintain the fact that I'm an Apple computer nerd, You know the guys with the Hip, Cool, and Suave iphones, iMacs, iPods, and anything else electronic black, white, and silver, I'm one of the COOL NERDS that hasn't quite abandoned all hope of having style. BACK TO THE RUN. So when I got home from work today after doing some shopping at DI, it's a great way to recycle (reduce, REUSE, recycle). I quickly changed into my running gear, soccer shorts, black t-shirt, and my faithful running shoes. I began my jog without even knowing how warm it was today. It was a high of 96˙ and it felt like I went running at the hottest part of it. But, in the end it felt great. There is just something rewarding about knowing that you nearly brought yourself to the edge of collapsing out of exhaustion. Normally I try to do about 4 miles but, in order to change it up, I ran up THE HILL. It's only about a 2 mile loop but it's uphill and it felt like both ways were up. I'll let you see for yourself what it did to me.

Becoming the BYU 10th ward Activities Photographer

2008-05-28T22:38:00.020-07:00

Well I show up to the soccer game with my camera to take some pictures for my blog and then suddenly I am the pseudo makeshift photographer of all the events. Here's some pictures of the Girls Softball Game on tuesday.

New Hat+New Jacket+Walking around= New Photos.

2008-05-26T16:52:00.006-07:00

Team Tiger

2008-05-22T21:36:00.011-07:00

New Direction

2008-05-20T20:59:00.002-07:00

So, I have been thinking of what to do with this thing now that I don't ever have any time because I work all the time and yada yada yada. (The life story of a college student). There are a lot of things that I'm wanting to do with my life such as become more of a Maker (www.makezine.com) and start doing some tinkering and talk about that.
Well I think that my first project that I'm wanting to do is this crazy picture frame. Right now I'm doing some research of how to do it and if my current idea is going to work. The ETA for this project will be this saturday. I pretty much already have all of the resources so it's just a matter of seeing if it will work. So my next post will hopefully be of me assembling it and showing it off.
Things here are going well. As I said, all I do is either work, go to school, or try to have a social life though the latter doesn't seem to be going all that well. Hmm... Time to start stretching my creative muscle then.

Pictures of my new Home

2008-04-26T17:08:00.004-07:00

Well, as promised to some of you, here are some pictures of my new home and from my little walk around.

Change of Environments

2008-04-26T13:36:00.002-07:00

Hey, Sorry that I haven't had any posts lately. It's been a while. Things have had quite the change lately. I am now a resident of Provo, UT. I arrived yesterday around 6pm (daylight savings time) with my new roommate Nick Rampton. Though it was a long drive, it didn't seem all that long because Nick and I usually enjoy each others company. This is like going on my mission all over again. So far we have done just about everything together; went shopping, running around doing errands, and even dropped into his work. Don't worry, I don't plan on putting my tag on anytime soon. For as long as I have been up here, I think that I'm going to like it.

Going to Globe to Visit Cole

2008-04-14T19:09:00.001-07:00

Just tinkering around in me Garage.

2008-03-29T23:46:00.004-07:00

Hey everyone. There's not a whole lot new other than I might be going up to Utah for school this summer. I'm not quite sure. Depends on how things go tomorrow. I'll definitely let ya'll know first thing. Most of all I just wanted to get this thing up.

This one I call 3 wise men.

Don't give up on me.

2008-03-25T21:38:00.003-07:00

Today was a day of mixed feelings. Today was a great day. Something of great excitement is that I got a new tripod. Well not exactly new, more like used by a very careful photographer. It's a Boger tripod that the more I use the more I love. So tonight, the greatest time to use a tripod, a vital piece of equipment for night photography. The down side was while I was using one of my homegrown hot lights, a set of Husky Halogen Flood Work lights, the power cable was pulled on and they fell onto my car. Luckily my car wasn't harmed in the accident, (strange how we assign human emotions to inanimate objects.). Luckily there wasn't any real damage, I just felt like a dork. In the end no one was hurt and there wasn't any real damage done.
That of which brings me to my topic of discussion. As of lately there has been a big push in getting better in my hobby of photography and I have been putting together a studio in my garage. In doing some research I have found a great website DYIphotography.com which has given me some great tips on how to put together a great studio at a great price. That is where the work lights come in. There is a lot of debate on the matter and my decision is decided. Those who bash against the idea of using them are just plain snooty.

Back to School

2008-03-18T20:00:00.006-07:00

Just like most good things in life, everything has to come to an end and springbreak is one of those things which has come to an end for MCC students. What's most unfortunate was how I finished mine out, being sick with food-poisoning. Not fun in the least bit. I guess that at least we have this beautiful weather as a consolation of sorts. So here's some more pics. They were edited with iPhoto, nothing all that special. (I really should stop being so lazy and actually start working with these things to make them a lot better.) OH YEAH! Congrats to my sister Laurel for being able to name what the mystery photo was. It was a picture of a set of spines from a Saguaro cactus. Congrats, you get an A+. (On ANY of my photos if you ever want copies of the original files, 54' x 36'', just let me know.)

Adventures in Southern Arizona

2008-03-14T00:12:00.005-07:00

Well, at the request of my now red headed girlfriend, I have taken the time to update this thing. I really wish that there was this wonderful button that I could push and just make blogger update all of my pics. But, instead I have to go through them one by one loading them. It's more tedious that building a house of cards.
So the parentals and I went down to southern AZ on wednesday. It was a total blast. We first went to Tombstone, "The Town Too Tough To Die." The movie is better. The town was all overpriced and was the stereotypical tourist attraction. The highlight was going to this little town Bisbee Arizona. Well it's late so I better be off. Just check out the pics.

Things Have Been quite crazy lately.

2008-03-09T16:24:00.004-07:00

So, it's spring break and I finally have some time to be able to just sit back and take it easy for the next little while. Part of enjoying this coming week is for me to get everything back up and in order. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be able to clean up my room, do some reading, wash my car and hang out with my beautiful girlfriend, Sheri.
Speaking of which, the other day, I was requested to take some picture of her along with her mother and sister at the Easter Pageant. Every year, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints puts on the largest continuing Easter Pageant in North America, (http://www.easterpageant.org/). Sheri, along with some of her family have been honored by being chosen to be performers in the multitude.

While since my last update.

2008-03-06T20:55:00.002-07:00

Spring is in the air and the students all around have Spring Break on the brain. I am of course one of them. I can not even wait till the end of tomorrow. So, things have been getting pretty crazy lately. Today I had a physics test and I think that I did really well and tomorrow, in my last class of the day, I have another chemistry test which I'm not even prepared for. That of which means that I should be getting back to doing some homework and studying. But, I just wanted to update this little page of mine with some cool great stuff. First of which is my new found love for a musical group Tally Hall. They are so flippen cool. (That's right I used flippen!) Just youtube them and you'll find them. Good day is my fav. Also, today I was able to get a way and play with a macro lens of mine on my DSLR and so there is going to be a little bit of a contest. The first person that can tell me what this picture is of will earn an +A on their next report card. (Stange thing, you pronounce the +A as, A plus, but, it is written as plus A? Strange.) Well here is the pic.

Sweep me Under the Rug

2008-03-01T00:16:00.003-07:00

I don't quite know what it was, but today just wasn't my kind of day. It all started with me finding out that I was no longer enrolled in my English class. For some strange reason, I was dropped from it without any particular reason and the not quite lovely people of MCC, Mesa Community College, treated me like it was my problem and I was the one that had to go about it to fix it. And all of the other little nuances that come with daily life. I think that it just might be something with my medication. I should probably get that fixed. Well, here's what I would wish that people were looking forward to seeing.

My Relaxation

2008-02-28T20:34:00.005-07:00

Well, today was the same ol same ol. But, I was able to get away and play with my camera for a couple of hours and here's what I was able to come up with.

Touching Sight

2008-02-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

School life can be crazy. There is so much hustle and bustle. For me, often keeping up with all the homework that I have taking so many courses, I often am found just finishing up that days homework over breakfast in the cafeteria. One day while I was deeply immersed in my precalculus homework and sitting behind a stack of french toast and veggie omelet (the usual the cafeteria chef calls because he knows me. "He always gets that.") I had the pleasure of sharing my table with a very special young woman. I don't remember her name but I do remember that we talked about the greater need for handicap accessible tables and other amedities on campus. I didn't recognize it, but I was sitting at the only handicap table and the person sitting across the table from me was the one here in these pictures helping a blind young man around school campus. Though society may think that the handicaped may not be able to do much, these pictures speak for themselves.

IT has arrived!!

2008-02-25T22:22:00.001-07:00

After a little over two weeks of waiting less than patiently, my camera and all of it's accessories have arrived! So excited! I haven't had any really time to go out and play to see what I can find but, here is a few of the good ones that I took while playing around in my backyard while on the phone and playing with Albert, my families little dog. (When I say little I mean LITTLE, he's just a little bit bigger than a small rabbit, in fact a jack-rabbit is about twice his size.)

Posting of English Paper

2008-02-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Well, this is a paper that I did for my English class and I thought that it was fitting for the blog.

Cameron Owens
E102
February 21, 2008

"Fear is a weapon of Mass Destruction" –Faithless (No Roots)
Fear is perhaps the greatest of human emotions. It is an impetus that has motivated millions to give their lives. It was what motivated the ancient nation of China to build a structure of such massive proportions that it can been seem from outer space, the Great Wall of China. Fear is the rational which causes religious members of society to live lives of poverty in order to please Deity. In short, fear is often a weapon of mass destruction. It can be used for good to motivate individuals to engage themselves in productive activities, or, on the other side of the coin, it can drive others to spiral down the path of destruction, both physically as well as mentally.
For myself, I fall into the category of those whose lives are driven by fear. It is the type of fear that causes me to reach for the stars of the stars. Though it may not appear this way to the individual who is not fully acquainted with me, fear is often a the great motivator which drives me. It's not the type that immobilizes individuals, but rather the type of fear that causes people to run from that which they fear.
My fear is simple. In one word, it is failure. It is a fear that I won't ever quite measure up to the scrutinizing standard, which I hold myself up to. It is the fear that I won't ever be able to amount to anything of importance that would be of. benefit the world.
Often times that is what causes me to be creative. It is a constant metaphorical last seconds of a Stanley Cup game and the score is tied. It is that type of feeling that motivates me. That motivation is the fear of being known as the lesser of my competitors. This would explain why, internally, I am competitive by nature.
When faced with greater levels of intelligence and ability, I react with frustration and a drive to attain not only being the equal, but to be the better. That motivation And drive is the result of that inner fear of failure. When in the presence of higher levels of intelligence, that fear, of being the lesser, causes me to run in the opposite direction of failure and to the psychological safety net, found in achievement.
As compared to earlier, psychological fears are similar physical fears. A man is walking through the great expanses of northern Canada or Alaska and comes upon a Kodiak bear with her young spring born cub. The mother bear reacts with aggression, which is a natural response to protect offspring; and the natural effect and response of the man is to run away from the bear. This response is to run from danger to safety, the polar opposite. (Now in the perfect world, humans would be able to run from bears to safety and bears wouldn't have to be euthanized for killing a person. But, that is beside the point.) It is in human nature, when in danger, to run or go to the place of least danger or place of safety. Just as in the physical example, the same principle is relative to the psychological aspects of emotion. Psychologically, when one goes away from what they fear, they attempt to find harmony in achieving their ideal goal or objective. For me, that polar opposite of failure is to believe that I am doing something of importance and worth while. My ultimate dream goal is to, one day, if lady luck being willing, is to leave my mark in the world. I wish to change the in such a way that it would be a much better place for future generations. The type of change that I seek is to end world hunger, establish world peace, to find the cure for HIV and AIDS, and to stop pain, suffering, and hate. Though, this may be viewed as impossible by some, I don't see it as such. It just requires a sincere desire and heart-felt effort.
When encountered by those who believe that this ideal is impossible, or those who are arrogant, prideful, and/or less intelligent, as I see them, my initial response is disappointment and discouragement. That disappointment is because of the lack of faith of others that such ideals can be achieved. That disappointment is then followed by frustration, frustration that others won't allow themselves to even dream of such accomplishments.
All of this is why fear can be a weapon of mass destruction. It is not only an impetus that can motivate individuals to o things of great good but also, it is often what causes others to engage in destructive activities, psychological as well as physical. It can cause the destruction of buildings, establishments, societies, and even people’s sanity. Perhaps that is why they say that there is a fine line between sanity and insanity, or the motive of creation.

Coming to the End of a Long Day

2008-02-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

As I age and become slightly... more matured (HA more matured?!) As I become older and older with every passing day, it's strange how your entire being begins to change gears and become more and more like those who gave you life, aka your parents. I say this because after doing some studying in front of the computer and listening to some music, there came a point that I just didn't want to hear anything but the beauty of silence. It's crazy when you sit back and try to isolate yourself from all the noise to realize exactly how much noise there is. Even though I just turned off the music on the computer, I can still hear the late night news that my mother listens to religiously, the sound of running water, and another television going at the other end of the house. Why is it that we surround ourselves with so much? Maybe that's why we die at such an early age. We just get filled with so much stuff and they we just explode.

New Idea!!!

2008-02-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Hey People,
Well, the inevitable has come. Since sending out that "mass mailing e-mail," the number of people coming to visit this sorry excuse of a blog will increase and be on the uppitty up. Things are going well, school is my new life, and I just want to play around trying to get my side business started up. Until I officially get my camera and it is in my hands and while my dads is in the shop, I guess that all I can do is just try and put together a better logo and catch up on the horrendious amount of homework that has been pilling up. In the mean time I have been trying to come up with an official name and it seems like everything good is taken up. I don't know of anything here in AZ with Candle Light Studios as a company name nor SnapShot. So what do you guys think of those names? SnapShot Media is growing on me. Well I'm here at a party so I must go. Ta Ta.

Possible Logo

2008-02-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

It's official! My Camera has been ordered.

2008-02-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well, as of this morning, I turned in my resignation from Re-Mac at the urging of my parents in order t keep my grades up and in doing so I scored a killer deal on a super nice camera, Canon Rebel XTI, to start up my design firm. So lately I have been so excited about this that it has honestly kept me up at night. I know there is a long way I need to go in becoming good at it, but it is something that is one of my passions, Graphic Design and Photography. Since I'm starting this little venture out and I haven't been able to come down with an official company title, I will be enlisting the help of all of those of you that love to flex their creative muscles and help me come down to one company title. I have been thinking of of something either like Candle Light Studios or Star Light Productions. I'll have some possible logos posted maybe later today if I can get all of my homework done.

Just a little fun.

2008-02-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone that Checks this thing out! Well last friday night Sean, Cole, and I had some fun just goofing around. Here's a little video of what we did.
Well, while I wait for this thing to up load I'll also update you all on what has been happening with my self. To be truthful not much. I'll have to be quitting my job because of school and the easter pagent. So I have been thinking of buying a digital SLR for myself and maybe start up a little business doing photography and video production. So, if this starts turning into a photoblog then don't be surprised because I just might use this as the basis of starting my little business venture.

Update of Film

2008-02-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

I is still aliving

2008-02-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

Well the main reason that I'm am posting this at such a late hour is to show to all of you that I is still a-living (I am liking the way that sounds, I is still a-living....Unfortunately it sounds like something Jar Jar Binks would say. Although, from what I understand, the way that Jar Jar spoke in the Star Wars films episodes 1-2, it was a modified form of ebonics.) I have been so incredibly busy the last couple of weeks that the only time that I had a chance to last up date this was while I was IN class supposed to be paying attention and learning. But, I was unable to do so and had to, just had to do the blog thing. Since I have been so incredibly busy I have been staying up late just to do what I want to do and that is do photo and video stuff. One day about a week ago, Sheri and I went on a photo project shoot of hers and this is some of the video from it. I hope that you enjoy. Just know that it is not finished yet because I'm very paticular about the things that I do and share with the public world.

How hard can simple mathematics be???

2008-01-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

well I am just chilling here in physics with my iPod touch and this has to be the funniest class ever. For about the past 45 minutes our instructor has been trying to convey how to do significant figures and rounding, unfortunately because of our teacher's thick Persian accent, no one can understand what she is saying nor is she making any sense! The funniest part was when Carlos who is sitting next to me, said in 2 second what it took my teacher 2 minutes to say. Needles to say, communication is key to ANY relationship.

You can call me a fool, but I only want to be with you...

2008-01-15T21:53:00.001-07:00

It is only Tuesday and I am wanting to take a mid-day nap. With the change of schedule, I think that my body just might be going into shock or withdrawal because of the extreme change it is going from no school to nothing BUT school. I go from 7am to about 5pm, EVERYDAY and that is before the homework. I know, I'm crazy, but there is this strange masochist side of me that strangely enjoys it. I don't know what it is, but something about applied sciences just makes my day. It is almost as wonderful as having dinner with Sheri at Olive Garden (her favorite restaurant.)

A can't even believe that it is only tuesday though. Even though the days are getting long, it is such a treat looking forward to being able to spend those very few minutes with my girlfriend, Sheri. She's amazing. I don't even think she knows how amazing she is. Tonight while we were at dinner together, there was just this simple sparkle in her eyes that was worth all of the aggravations of daily life.

It all just wants to make me Cry

2008-01-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day back to school and as I sit here I ask myself the rhetorical question of, "how was it?" I think that the title is fairly self explanitory. It has been a very long day. Most definitely not what I was expecting for the first day back. My big problem right now is just that I'm lazy and don't want to have to work hard in hard classes. I just wish that they would come easy.
For a lot of us, we all too often underestimate the talents that we ourselves posses and idolize those that we don't quite see in ourselves and that we see in others. I will be the first to admit that it is simply human nature to be drawn into that train of thought and thought processes. But, just like anything that we do, we must occasionally step back and be appreciative of those things that we can do and be grateful for them. There is a very special someone in my life that is trying to help me do this everyday. Sometimes I wonder if she truly understands how meaningful a little kind act such as that is to me. If she doesn't, it is only my fault for not conveying that to her more often. Yet another tragedy of human nature and life, that people don't express their inner selves to those that they truly love in fear of the way that they may be perceived by their peers; such as myself being insecure. Well, as you can most likely tell by my incoherent rambling, it is way past my bed time and tomorrow I have yet another long day.

Prognosis: Being bitten by the ICKY

2008-01-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

Can you hardly believe that it has been a week already? Boy, time sure does fly on by on wings. (That sure is a lot of prepositions in that sentences. A little repetitive on the use of "On" eh?) I guess that the whole reason that this week sure has flown on by is because of that old saying that has been floating around for years of, "time flies when you're having fun" is true. So what is this reason or source of having so much fun? To be honest it can all be compiled into one single pronoun! She-Rie Jo-Hono-sON as she is known on the streets and for those of you that only know her in more formal settings, Sheri Johnson. The sad end of this story that all of our fun is about to end. Tomorrow, school starts and it will bring the endless days of being off work and just enjoying each other's company.
Although the two of us are bummed about such a good thing ending it is a necessary lesser good that we return to furthering our educations in preparation of the future that the two of us will share one day. In the mean time we will just sit back and enjoy the ride of life with each other. Inevitably along the way we will make most people around us sick, sorry Hailey.

Just Chillin At Work

2008-01-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all. I'm getting better at this thing. Right now I have a huge.... HUGE (Insert dramatic, grandiose, entry music) window of time since I am just hanging out at this miniscule Apple Store that I work at on the weekends. I have been here for nearly THREE hours and all that has happened is that two people have called and not a single soul has crossed the threshold to enter the store. (At the glance of a car that seemed to be pulling up my heart lept, but they continued to putt along in the parking lot) So, recollecting my new year's resolved resolution to strive for excellence, I decided to pull up my blog at www.blogspot.com to update the world with what has been happening lately.

First things first. As alluded to by my counselor in his implementation of reverse psychology of telling me that I am incapable of admitting to the world that I am insecure with myself. I will gladly accept his challenge and to those of you that subscribe to this measly excuse of a blog, I AM INSECURE with myself and the way that I perceive that the world perceives me. The strange thing about this challenge is that for my counselor, it was a win win situation and for me, a lose lose situation. Oh the (don't think irony because irony doesn't mean what you may think that it means.) the sad happenstances of it all.

Thanks to "HOT FOR WORDS," Marnia, (www.hotforwords.com) we can all now fully appreciate the true meaning of irony.

Ah... In the last hour that it took for the video that I was trying to upload and for blogspot to tell me that there was some sort of error there were about 3 customers that had come in to check out their computers that they had in service to check out. Well it's time for me to start the cleaning up process of the store because no one else in the computing world seems to think much about keeping shop. Well ta ta...

Striving For EXCELLENCE

2008-01-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

Good evening, good afternoon, or good morning, which ever it be. I know that those of you that actually take the time to read this darn thing are thinking to yourselves that, "Cameron posting is SO last year!" I know, because it is. It blew me a way that the last time that I hopped onto this site and actually finished a piece of work was back in November. How desperaging. Well, just like everyone out there, today is the day to start out on doing your New Year's resolutions and this is one of mine. The reason that most people create New Year's resolutions is to improve the world around them, or at least themselves. For me, I am wanting to improve myself with this one and all encompassing resolution (Resolution: a firm decision to do or not to do something.) and that is to strive for excellence. This is the time for improvement. Every moment is the time for such a resolution.
The sad thing about writing is that you get all of these great ideas but once you actually get the time to sit down and write it all out I seem to forget all of the great things. So as I drink the very last drops of my "Martinelli's" straight from the bottle and realizing that a good thing is about to end, I wish you all a good night. Perhaps I'll actually get around to finishing one of these for once in my life. Finishing constitutes having a thoroughly thought out post which is consists of being grammatically correct as well as being well worded.

Time Management

2007-11-25T01:01:00.000-07:00

Why is it that girls think that it is totally okay to ask a guy if they want to go shopping with them for just a couple of hours and then take them for the rest of the evening and spending nearly two hours at a make-up store? I don't mind hanging out with friends, but please be considerate of what I want to be doing with my precious weekend time and what I need to be doing. Today was horrible. I haven't had the best sleeping patterns which I will admit so, that has has thrown everything off a little bit, but spending 6 hours shopping with someone for their stuff wasn't exactly call a productive weekend. Yep I spent today all day practically, shopping with Sheri and her sister. Next time they want to have me come along I am just going to send a cardboard cut out of me with them. It would be exactly the same.
Maybe I'm just being a little selfish, but there are things that I need to get done too.

Keep Moving Forward

2007-11-20T13:55:00.001-07:00

Hey Y'all,
Just got done with working in the darkroom. That sure can be frustrating. Just when you start thinking that you're getting good and all, you go into the dark room, start working with a difficult negative, and it only comes out looking like trash! Now, I'll admit that I may be a little hard with myself because I'm not quite an Ansel Adams or a Imogen Cunningham male reincarnate or anything but, I have OCD and I just want to be the best out there dang it. Such is life.

Hind Sigt.....

2007-11-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the past couple of days I have been so incredibly torn over something that I did right after I got home. While I was on my mission the girl that I thought that was the one for me and I had a slight conflict over something that was horribly tragic that happened to her. Her life was nearly taken in a freak bicycling accident. Once I heard about it, I was incredibly worried. She told me nothing which only made it worse and then she finally had enough and wrote me a very upsetting letter of how I shouldn't treat her like a "handicap kid or something." I know that she used and abused me or atleast that's how I felt at the time. Now looking back on the traveld road of life I see that it was simply just a few harsh words that were said without much thought at very stressfull times of ourl ives. Just as it says in the New Testament in James 3:5" Even so the toungue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (KJV)

Everyone Has Their Own Sad Story To Tell....

2007-10-29T22:45:00.001-07:00

From the lines of Billy Joel's song, "And so it goes," which says, "And every time I've held a rose, It seems I only felt the thorns, And so it goes, and so it goes, And so will you soon I suppose." In hindsight, it is every interesting to see where the dusty road of life can take us. Over the hills and crags where often our dreams are slowly worn down by the pessimism of those around us or across the plains where the sky is the limit and the clear blue just goes on and on, never ending.
Earlier this day, I had to say goodbye to a friend that will be remembered forever. It seems as if I didn't know her for very long, but the construction of the bonds of friendship have no stipulations of time. The worst part of goodbyes is knowing that you will never meet again. There is still that hope of meeting again "someday" and "sometime" in the possiblities of the ever coming tomorrow that never comes. The friend that had to take the fork in the road was the dog that I only had for a weekend. Her name was Zoie, a pure bred German Shepherd, that was looking for a home and I was hoping that mine would be a good fit. Unfortunately, it was the best for her and in the pursuit of what was best for her, she went on to someone elses home. In the best it was the best for us both. Like my friend Sheri says, "All to often people are finished with us before we are done with them."
Although, this may seem like quite a trivial problem, but all of us have lost someone that we were particular attached to. No matter age or position of life, losing someone close to us knows no bounds. It is something that is bound to happen to us all. Either from jobs, school, or other reasons that would cause us to move to new environments or even to something as severe as death, goodbyes are going to come. Without the bitterness of life, we would never truly appreciate the goodness and sweetness of life.
As my dear friend, Sheri Johnson, is still in the mourning of the loss of her beloved brother, it is a sad reminder of the same pains that I once felt, seeing that many of my high school friend's lives were cut short because of a disease that even haunts my very own life. But after been taken through the darkest chapters of my life, I now understand the delicate beauty that can be found in life. All too often we look beyond the mark of what life is supposed to be about. Because of influence the media has on us, we are lulled away into the belief that life is all about getting more and doing more. But, is that really it? Do those thing bring you pleasue and joy? What are your greatest/fondest memories? Is it the moment that you spent too much money on the outfit that you only wear once? Or is it something that you remember doing with your family durring your childhood? Most often it is the later.
The answer is simple of why we hold those things much closer and dearer to us. It is because our loved ones are the only things that we can trully have in this life. Our knowlegde, giving love, and being loved are the only things that have unconditioned value to us. So let us take a step back and look at how wonderful the world is around us and let those that love us know how we feel about them. How tragic would it be to leave the house for your very last time and not telling your wife, kids, or family members that you loved them?

Day One

2007-09-24T22:24:00.000-07:00

Good evening world!
Well it is late, and I just found this website that I can create my own personal blog to share with all the world , so I must make this short. I’m very excited to be able to do this because last night, I was on my “Myspace” Account, and was checking my messages and was horrified with all of the garbage that I found in my inbox. Putting it nicely, it was as if someone went out to the nearby dumpster of an “adult” store and dumped it right onto my desk. I never asked for that filth to come into my life and so I don’t think that I should have to be a part of it. Needless to say I’m very excited about this opportunity to start anew here on blogspot.