Who let the dogs out? Who let them crazy muts gooooo!

I took the work camera home over the weekend for a couple of events that I thought might require something a little more than the Sony Point-and-Shoot.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Sony DSC-H10. Sometimes, though, you just need a camera with a little more "lens."

 

This is Indian after demolishing a stick she found in the yard. Happy puppy. I was trying to focus in on her eyes, but she kept moving so I mostly got her nose in focus and her eyes are a bit blurred.

Hudson was a bit more cooperative.



Not by much, but still a little calmer during his photo shoot.

Of course, while my brother is not a pet of mine, he does looks like a dog who just discovered the front gate was left open.



He was part of the KC Royals Pop Fly Challenge before Friday's game. They put him out in right field and lobbed a few balls at him. He caught all three and won a $25 gift certificate for the Royals team store — which might buy him a hat or keychain.

One year down

One year ago today I — and about 40 of my closest friends and family — were gathering in a small chapel outside the casino of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

We had already spent the last 24 hours drinking and celebrating everything that was leading up to this moment.

When soon-to-be- wife walked into the chapel I knew, from that moment, that she and I were starting a whole new adventure with one another.

A new job
New friends
New house
New degrees
New dog
A baby...

And that is all just in the first year.

Unlike most traditional weddings, we did not have a cake where we could save a piece for our anniversary. Instead, we save the chocolate bars the MGM Grand gave after the wedding and broke off a couple of pieces for breakfast.

If our first year as husband and wife is setting the pace of the rest of our life together, then year two is going to be circus.

Get ready. Because with my best friend by my side, we are just getting started here.

Congratulations graduates

Grab your tissues, this one gets a little poignant.


I wrote the scripts and did the VO for this commercial. Matt once again knocked it out of the park with his video skills at graduation.

You should be seeing these air along side the current crop of commercials we did last month.

Bump.

Bump.

New Commercials

New MCC commercials have hit the airwaves.

Of course, unless you are sitting at home during the day watching TV, then you probably have not seen them. I think I am starting to get the hang of this voiceover stuff. Watch out Billy West!

Support STRIPES and mock me in the same night!

My wife has said on several occasion that she is glad she did not know me in college. I made a lot of ... questionable decisions that I can now look at as learning experiences. You know, the hidden curriculum of higher education.

Despite what The Wife might think, not all of my time in college was spent in some bizarre Hunter S. Thompson-esq haze while I struggled to keep my grades at a respectable "barely passing."

For four years I was heavily involved with the STRIPES sober-driver program. A lot of my Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights were spent working at the STRIPES house or driving students home. Volunteering for this program, and eventually being elected its director, was probably one of the most rewarding things I did while in college.

There is so much about the program that I know still has an influence on the professional work I do today.

Recently, I was asked to give the keynote speech at the annual STRIPES Gala fundraiser and I have to say I am both pumped and terrified to do this.

Team, just let it sink in, I have been invited by an organization to give a speech... like an adult... for a fundraiser.

Now, it's not the actual speech part that has me scared. I have given speeches and spoken publicly. I just have NO IDEA what to say to this group.

I could talk about my time at STRIPES and wax poetically about the good times and the way things used to be... but that is not really very inspiring to a group of college students who have probably changed and grown this program since I left.

I could talk about how important STRIPES is to the community and how as volunteers they are building valuable leadership skills that will help them when they gradua.....zzzzzzzzzz....

Maybe I could just do 30 minutes of celebrity impressions?

Aw hell! I have got to figure this out...

If you are free the weekend of April 13, I would really appreciate you coming. Yes, YOU are invited. You can request to be at my table and make sure that I don't drink too much before heading to the lectern.

Download the invitation and send it in or make a donation to this amazing program.

DO IT!

I am going to have a daughter

I keep having these moments where I say to myself, "Holy shit. I am going to have a daughter."

You might recognize that voice.

The old Metropolitan Community College has released a series of awesome ads for the Business and Technology campus and its Career Exploration Nights.

Now, I will say up front, I had nothing to do with the creation, shooting and editing of the ads - aside from the voice over work at the end. Still, I wanted to feature them here because I think they are pretty damn cool.

We always try to feature students, but those can come off as canned or stilted... Matt, our new-ish video producer did a great job keeping the interviews authentic and interesting. Not to mention the video just looks stunning with the lighting and camera work.

Anyway, we released a whole series of these that you can find here.

Can playing Sim City Social make you more productive at work?

No, no it cannot.

A moment that sums up so much

I had stopped at our neighborhood grocery store on my way home from work. While I walked through the parking lot with a bag full of fruit, ice cream and pickles for the pregnant wife at home when I ran into the local newspaper publisher.

I have known John since 2006 when I took my first newspaper job and he has popped in and out of my life ever since. We talked snow, city council and the new Walmart development in town.

We then shook hand and said we need to catch up over lunch soon. I hopped into my car and headed home wife.

So much going on in that one moment.