I Am The 53%

I was a NYC EMT.

I was there when it all went down 10 years ago.

When my service was done, I moved to Arizona to pursue a dream on my own.

I met my wife.

I started a business.

I bought my first home and new car.

Every quarter I write a check to cover my taxes; sometimes it’s a big check, sometimes it’s a small check, but it’s mine, and it represents what I earn, not what is given to me.

I have never needed government assistance.

I have never taken a social handout.

Some months are good, others are terrible.  Some nights I sleep well, others not so much.

These are my choices, and I fight for them everyday, good or bad, right or wrong. 

Corporate greed sucks and I agree that politicians are all shysters.  But you won’t see me sitting in a park participating in a drum circle – I have to much work to do, and I have people who rely on me.

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles…The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who at his worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

-Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.

I am the 53%.  I am Sean.

#1amthe53

Going Home Again

In my former life living in New York, I did very little with design or rendering.  My start in the field of design began with an architecture firm on Long Island.  I started out in the field overseeing projects throughout Nassau County, and when those contracts ended, I was brought into the office and began learning AutoCAD.  For them, I was just a draftsman, and to be honest it wasn’t my favorite job.  It was okay; it did pay the bills, and I did learn a lot, but I really didn’t do anything terribly exciting or interesting.  But my other job was just the opposite.

In June of 2001, I began volunteering with the Patchogue Ambulance Corp in Patchogue, New York.  Patchogue is a small town located on the South Shore of Long Island.  It was a fantastic gig – I learned how to be an emergency medical technician (EMT), the proper way to drive an ambulance, and how to help people when they were most in need.  Then September 11^th, 2001 happened.  On the 12^th, I went into New York City to volunteer with rescue and recovery efforts.  To be honest, I never thought I would do much – maybe hand out some water, organize some gear, nothing major.  Well, by the end of the next day, I was on the pile working with other EMTs and emergency care professionals.  Who knew that would happen?

I ended up working at the site and with various other organizations developed to help in the effort for the next 9 months.  I would work my day job, work with Patchogue, and then head to the city on my nights off, or on the weekends.  I continued working with NYC EMS in various capacities for the next 4 years.  By the time I was ready to move out west, I had made the rank of Sergeant. I met some really wonderful people while working down there, and they helped me get to where I am now – in a beautiful home with my wife in Arizona, running my own company. 

A few months ago, the world learned that Osama Bin Laden, the man most directly responsible for that day, was killed by a United States Seal Team; known to the world only as Seal Team Six.  It was also announced that the World Trade Center Memorial would be open for dedication on September 11^th, 2011 – 10 years after that terrible day.

I will be there.

Many won’t.

This will be an opportunity for me to pay my respects and close this chapter in my life – not forget by any means, but maybe not dwell on it as deeply when this time of year comes around again. 

I would ask anyone reading this blog to just remember.  You don’t have to buy a bunch of cheap crap to show your patriotism (and yes, stores like Michael’s Arts and Crafts are doing just that) – just remember.  Say a prayer.  Thank an EMT, a cop, a firefighter or a soldier.  Just remember the sacrifices they make for everyone else – for they are at their best when you are at your worst.

I will post another blog upon my return where I will share photos of the event.

Thanks for reading.

Photoshop and Rendering, Beautiful Together!

So, for those of you wondering – I have been on vacation for the past couple of weeks, hence the lack of posts.  I guess the more accurate way to say that is the Choates (that’s my wife’s sister, Sami, and her husband, David), came down from Oregon for their bi-annual Arizona visit.  As always, it was a great time, and true to form, there was much Lego building going on.

This visit included a new Lego came called Creationary – imagine Pictionary in Lego form. 

Lego's Creationary!

Creationary is a great family game that everyone can play.  Due to the size of our family gathering, we paired up into teams to keep the pace going a bit quicker.  I was on team Stina, who is my brilliant, Lego building niece, and we dominated, for the most part!

Then there were the new Lego sets that were purchased by Maja and Dan (Allie and Sami’s parents).  The Choates just finished the Harry Potter Series (see Allie’s blog for more on that), so all of the sets revolved around the series.  For the boys, we got the Hogwart’s Express – complete with an engine, coal tender, passenger car, snack car and the Flying Ford Anglia.  For Stina, we got the triple-decker Knight Bus.  We happen to be fortunate enough to have an official Lego Store nearby, so we also got several large cups of random, loose parts.  I feel as though I lucked out because I got to keep all the Legos after the Choates went home (even though it really is all for the kids, right?)

The Hogwart's Express

The Knight Bus

All of the parts in two bins - I can't wait to dive in!

While the Choates were here, David, a Photoshop genius, was kind enough to take some time to teach me the basics of this powerful program.  Up until now, I have been using Photoshop for basic photo edits – adjusting light levels, converting color to black and white and some other very basic touch ups. 

David has since taught me how to really use some of the more complex tools in Photoshop.  He has shown me how to properly layer, touch up images, add light sources, how to create and manipulate textures, and how to organize and layout a proper composition.  He also pointed me to a fantastic tutorial site called Psdtuts+.  There, you can find amazing, comprehensive, step by step instructions in how to create fantastic Photoshop images. 

So far, I have created two images using David’s teachings and Psdtuts. 

Fire Text on Psdtuts

My Version

Gold Text on Psdtuts

My Version

Ultimately, I will use this newly gained knowledge to make my rendered images even better and more life like.  I will be able to add a new dimension of realisim and interest to my renderings that will bring even more of a “wow” factor to my clients.  If you have the means, I highly recommend sitting down with Psdtuts and a copy of Photoshop CS or better, and learn how to use the basic tools of this great image editing tool.  I will admit, I was very overwhelmed at the scope of Photoshop, but, as David showed me, when you break down into its simplest components, and concentrate on the tool sets that will be useful to you, the program is not quiet as intimidating. 

So, a big thanks to David Choate – I ask anyone reading this to view his Flickr page here to view his amazing collection of work.

I will post more of my own work as I complete more tutorials and begin intergrating my renderings with Photoshop.

Thanks for reading!

Pin It!

Just a quick post about an interesting website that Allie pointed me to called “Pintrest”.  Pintrest is social media site designed to allow users to share all manners of visual media with each other.  I have been using the site for about a month, and I have enjoyed looking at all the beautiful images on the site.  I find it to be a great source of inspiration and an interesting way to see the tiniest nooks and crannies of the world. 

The only downside is that it is currently an invite only site.  If you are interested in joining Pintrest, just leave me an email address in the comments section and I will send you invitation. 

Happy Pinning! 

Rendering for Peace and Quiet

As I have written in a few other posts, I live in a little modern version of Mayberry.  I know all of my neighbors, and they know me.  We chat in the street, have the occasional holiday party, and help each other whenever we can.  However, there is the one neighborhood nuisance that no one can avoid – the door to door solicitor. 

Yep, I’ve got ‘em here – landscapers looking for work, home water delivery, irrigation guys, house painter, Jehovah’s Witnesses and of course, the myriad of door hangers for local eateries and businesses.  Every week it seems as though there is a never ending parade of someone trying to sell us something. To compound the problem, my wife works nights so she doesn’t get home until 11:30 or midnight.  We usually stay up for another hour or so, getting to bed around 1:30 am.  So, when solicitors ring our door bell at 9 am, it is safe to say that we are none to pleased.

Never. Ending. Parade.

What to do?  I suggested getting a “No Solicitors” sign, but they have a tendency to be tacky or too commercial looking, so we have not purchased one.  Allie and I have worked very hard on our home, renovating it just the way we like it, so putting a standard gold and black “No Solicitors” sign just wasn’t going to fly.

A typical no soliciting sign.

I decided to use my software to create a nice sign that would compliment our home while getting our point across.  The project didn’t take that long, only about an hour to try a few different looks, render the image, and then print it.

My design.

There was a small issue mounting it, however.  Allie had a nice piece of wood that the shape of the sign was based on.  When we tried to mount it to the wood, the ink from the ink jet printer smeared, making the sign look sloppy.  So, for now, our sign is on the fridge – maybe it will help me to lose weight!

No Soliciting....of the fridge.

We will try a different approach for mounting the sign, and we may change the color scheme, as it seemed a bit to dark for the exterior colors of our house. When we complete the new sign, I will post it.  Thanks for reading!