A few weeks ago the band Melody Grove & The Movement came up to Ojai to take some band portraits. They brought tea and a ton of yummy picnic food, set up under a tree at the river bottom, and attempted to enjoy the 100+ degree weather (hah! we were all so miserable in the heat… and of course it cools down significantly the very next day). The nature that surrounded us was beautiful, as is the band. These are my favorite shots from the day:

I had to make a short iPod trailer for myself for my multimedia class. I did it the day it was due, in class, because I hadn’t had time before then, so there are a few problems I want to tweak with later. In any case, here it is:

Original music by Austin Anthony.

Troy Harvey and I met Puke and Precious on Main Street in Ventura while interviewing people about conformity. Instead of telling you who they are and what they believe, you should watch this piece and find out for yourself; I think you might be surprised.

(sorry in advance for the weird audio glitches–there were some issues when I rendered it again after doubling the audio tracks)

Overall I found that the things Puke and Precious opened up to us about were not only impressive and insightful, but also gave us an interesting point of view to a lot of things I may not have ever thought about before. It was great to meet them and do this project, and we plan to continue working on it for a while.

The Smog City Roller Grrls had a bout two weeks ago and they let me photograph them while they kicked ass. Unfortunately, they (technically) lost to the Wine Country Homewreckers, in spite of many questionable calls and plays. In any case, they played a great game which was so much fun to watch. I love these girls!

Walked around Main Street in Ventura, snapping and recording. It felt good to take some pictures this afternoon–I feel like I haven’t been shooting much this past month because I’ve been bogged down with so many things. Still trying to catch up.

Today is my 23rd birthday, and so far it’s been great. Over the weekend I went to Fresno to celebrate with my family and friends. Tonight I’m having dinner with my roommates, my brother, and a couple of other friends.

23 is going to be a big year for me. In August I’m graduating and then I’m hitting the road for a month, during which time I hope to land a job somewhere in the Northwest (or maybe on the East Coast?). I’ll be moving away from everyone who’s made a huge impression in my life and it will be hard, but I know that we’ll always stay close.

There are so many possibilities and so much potential coming up for me. I can’t wait to explore my options and start a new chapter in my life.

So here’s to you, 23–I hope you’re good to me.