Photographs of Red

It's been awhile. Mizzou has kept me very busy.

For my multimedia journalism class, we had to do an assignment where we had to take pictures with red being the dominate color, or at least where red stood out. Here are a few of those pictures taken around the Columbia area, as well as others not a part of the assignment.

A walnut among red leaves, a sign of fall, on a country back road.

A leaf found in Flat Branch Creek in Columbia, Mo.
It took forever to capture this shot.

Anthony's Pizza and Pasta in Downtown Columbia, Mo.
The photograph had potential. 

There are several of these interesting flowers along Broadway.

Bike in Alley A, Downtown Columbia, Mo.

Same alleyway.

Bricks in front of the Chancellor's Residence, Mizzou.

Red croquet ball. Fun times with family.

A calf stand next to its mother on a cool,
late September day.

Some Scenes of CoMo - Mid-August 2011

It's been a while since I've put anything on the Klog. A job and classes have picked back up at Mizzou. Busy.

Here are some scenes from around Columbia, Mo. (commonly referred to as CoMo) from the third week in August and a little something about each.

A beaten path down to Flat Branch Creek, a small stream that runs through
the middle of the city. This photo was taken in Flat Branch Park.

Water flowing between rocks in Flat Branch Creek.
So what if the sign says not to get in the water for high E. Coli levels? haha.

Also in Flat Branch Park,
 a bee lands on a flower on the east bank of the creek.

Students returned to the University of Missouri the second week of August.Some student tickets to the movie theater were left behind on the
columns, located on the Frances Quadrangle.

August 21 was Tiger Walk, a Mizzou tradition
where freshmen walk through the columns signifying their entrance
to the university. Tiger Strip ice cream awaited them on the other side.

It's Been a Summer... a Hot One!

No doubt about it, it's been one hot summer. Very hot. Over the past month, it's hard to find a day where at least the heat index has been below 100 degrees. In the past week during my stay at home for my one-week "summer break," there has not been a single day below 102 degrees.

Hey! Remember the "Snowpocalypse?"

"Snow Brawl on the Quad"
University of Missouri, Feb. 3, 2011

Sidewalk outside of an MU ResHall
Feb. 1, 2011

While I don't think anyone would enjoy reliving a 20-inch blizzard, I'm sure some of us would like a little something to cool us down.

I recently stated that you know it's August when walking on the grass is louder than walking on the driveway. We, here in southwest Missouri need some rain. We had a pretty wet spring, but it's almost like the valve was shut off back in late May. Extreme drought conditions and heat in Texas and Oklahoma have made life miserable for the people there. The so-called "heat dome" that was in place for most of July kept the weather pretty hot.

All of that together made things pretty warm when a southwesterly or westerly wind set in on the Ozarks. Which is pretty much how it's been over the past week or so. Check out the July 2011 high temps in Springfield, Mo. While there were a few low and mid 90s thrown in there, the heat index was above 100. Just to point out, the 108 degrees on Aug. 2 was a tie for the second hottest day on record (since 1888).

But, of course we must always realize things could be much worse. For a basic thought, air conditioners could not exist. That would be sad for sure. haha. But moreover, let's look at Dallas. Today (Aug. 4) is the 36th consecutive 100+ degree day there. The record is 42 consecutive days. Oppressive is an understatement. We, here in Missouri, haven't had to deal with the heat to that extreme, thankfully.

But, furthermore, dwell on this for a moment. Check out Baghdad's weather. It's been way above 100 for a very long time. The men and women serving our country there are fighting - for our freedom and safety - with heavy gear and backpacks all while dodging bullets and explosives.

I'll admit it. I've done my fair share of complaining over the past month. But, thankfully, no one has tried to kill me and nothing has blown up. With that said, things could be MUCH worse.

So, I'm sure I'll mention the heat a few more times in some Facebook posts in the coming week or so. But, I'll definitely be keeping this in mind and not complain.

Today, we shall thank God for the 1 1/2 inch rain. That was great! And a temp of 82 degrees at 2:48 p.m. That's pretty good too.

To close, it will (hopefully) all be over soon. Then we can move on and complain about how cold it is in the winter. haha. It is Missouri after all. There is not middle ground when it comes to the weather. However it never fails; the weather always makes for a good conversation. :)

A Day Outdoors Leads to Misadventures With Cargo Shorts

This is a post about how cargo shorts can ruin your day. – A personal experience.

Recently, I had a horrible experience with cargo shorts. It wasn’t like a “shoot, I outgrew my shorts” issue, and it certainly was not a deep, serious life or death situation (too much of a lead for a post about shorts? Apologies).

It’s funny, because last Sunday evening some friends and I were sitting outside enjoying some frozen yogurt downtown. Somehow we started talking about how ugly and unstylish cargo shorts are and why one should not wear them. We may have even touched on the conveniences of wearing them. Anyway...

Let’s start from the beginning.

It’s 11:30 a.m., July 16. I was wearing a Mizzou t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. I planned to use the Saturday to go walking around the trails the city of Columbia has in the nature areas. The heat and humidity was beginning to set in, but I thought ‘pfft, I walked 17.6 miles on the Katy Trail last week in that heat, I can certainly do it again today.’

I arrive at the Hinkson Creek trail at 11:52 a.m. I have my phone in my right pocket, my wallet in my rear right pocket, my car keys in my left pocket, and my digital camera and a piece of gum in the lower left pocket. As I started walking, I thought to myself, ‘I probably should not have put the gum in that pocket. I’ll forget about it and have a little bit of a mess when I wash my clothes.’

A Google Map of my hike down the Hinkson Creek and MKT trails.

As I walk, I see a bee on a flower alongside the trail. Later, I see a squirrel eating a nut in a tree. I seize both opportunities for a photograph. It was two of the three occasions I used my camera through the whole afternoon.

Needing water just over halfway through my trip, I stop at a building off of Forum Boulevard to see if there was a restaurant or vending machine. There was no water. I remove the gum from that lower left pocket and the thought crossed my mind that I would not need to worry about a mess.

The bee on the flower.

A little more than four hours and 13.6 long, hot miles after beginning the walk, I was tired, slightly dazed and parched. I drive back to my apartment. I remove my cell phone from my upper right pocket and my wallet from the rear right. I cool off and throw my sweat-drenched clothes in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry. I jump in the shower for relief.

Note: Public water fountains are disgusting, especially the ones in a park. Who knows what kind of germs and disease lurk on those things?  ...back to the story...

I make some EasyMac for dinner and change the clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer. It instantly begins to make a strange noise. I had no idea what it could have been and didn’t mind it, so I continued to devour my EasyMac while watching the news. – Macaroni and cheese and the news: they make the world go ‘round.

Squirrel in the tree. It had a nut before I took it's picture.

Later, I sit down to edit an assignment for my news writing class with the clanking noise of the dryer still going in the next room. Then it hit me: I forgot to remove MY CAMERA from the lower left pocket of my shorts.

I freaked.

My camera drowned. It’s dead. The pictures you see posted here are the final pictures taken by that camera. By the way, if you ever lose your camera in a water incident, you will be happy to know the SD card is salvageable.

It had such a sad ending to an extraordinary life. It’s captured images around Italy and France, good times with friends during my senior trip to Daytona Beach and Orlando, graduations, family events, Mizzou sporting events, many beautiful outdoor sceneries and so much more. All to end in the depths of a washing machine.

So, let’s blame the heat for my lapse in responsibility, shall we? Haha. This will be one of those things that I’ll look back on life and laugh at. I already have, actually.

Just remember this story the next time you go walking though the mall and you see a nice pair of cargo shorts and think they will be a good buy. Don’t do it. It’s a trap. Besides, I think my friend was right... they are rather ugly. Don’t you think? Haha.  

Another Summer Day has Come and Gone Away...

Deciding to stay in Columbia and take a summer journalism course was a great idea. It keeps me on track with a four-year dual major plan. But, there have been several moments – more than there should be – that makes me long for that nice place I call home.

With only around three or four people to talk to and have true social contact with on a consistent basis over the past seven weeks, it has been easy to get down. You know that weird, unexplainable feeling that sometimes comes around often without notice? A very good friend of mine calls this a “funk.” It’s come and gone quite a few times.

Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy Mizzou and the city of Columbia. It’s a great place. Having a Walmart, ice cream place and a gas station within walking distance is awesome! It definitely beats having to drive 20 minutes to get to any of those. But the peace and quiet and family time at home is something that has not occurred much lately, especially without the stress of an assignment or deadline lingering. Not to mention a nice sunset in the countryside, watching the lightning bugs and looking up at the entire night sky filled with stars.

Let’s go back and redo the Fourth of July weekend. Only, this time without any worry. Bring back the fireworks, family time and homemade butterscotch ice cream (SO good).

The nostalgia is around a lot. That’s not a bad thing at all. I love thinking back on great memories, and I thank God for them. All the Law & Order: SVU’s I  watched with my mom, the Sunday taco nights that we would have in time for the 6:30 p.m. showing of Hannah Montana (Yes. You read that correctly. Sometimes it had an interesting plot. Haha. Why? I’m not sure. It was just our thing.) Playing the old school Tetris games on the Super Nintendo with my grandma. Taking and looking at pictures with my grandpa. Fixing supper at the other grandparents’ house and making greeting cards. And we haven’t even scratched the surface there. Yep, those are legit good times..

Even the small town of Lebanon, Mo. Like Mazzio’s or Taylor’s Dairy Joy. Oh, what I would give for a cheese bread and a slice of dessert pizza or a butterscotch milkshake right about now.

The “funk” will have to be kicked. And it will be once things are back to how they were during the fall and spring semesters when there are more people around.

So, here’s to the last Friday evening in this apartment. The last Friday evening I will have the displeasure of being awakened by loud drunk idiots climbing the stairwell. Yee haw.

(Title derived from Michael Bublé's "Home.")