Musings Of A Freelance Photographer

Saturday Hike 11/28/2009

2009-11-29T21:03:00.006-05:00

Wednesday Morning Storm

2009-11-27T17:30:00.004-05:00

Germantown Metro Park Sunset - 11/4/2009

2009-11-04T21:27:00.003-05:00

Sunday Hike

2009-10-18T21:18:00.003-05:00

Kyle and I went hiking at Fort St. Clair in Eaton today. Here's a few of the shots I took.

Octoberfest Photos

2009-10-11T21:58:00.002-05:00

Saturday was our towns Octoberfest Parade & celebration. I posted a lot of photos on my FLICKR site and on Facebook, but wanted to post this one here as well. It's my favorite of the 100+ photos I took that day.

Red October

2009-10-08T16:58:00.003-05:00

I got up early this morning and headed out to catch the sunrise when I saw it's first glimpse in the East. What a beautiful morning we had. Hope you enjoy these photos!

Friday Night Music

2009-10-03T10:40:00.006-05:00

My friend Tony Howard asked me to come see his band perform last night and to bring my camera, so could resist free music and a chance to take photos?

Tony had his father on Steel Guitar, Chubby Howard, and Rusty Rhoads as well. Rusty came in from Nashville to play at a show in Fairborn this Sunday and sat in with the band. If you've never heard of Rusty, he played Steel Guitar for Kid Rock, yes Kid Rock!

Long story short, it was a great show with some great music.

Sunset

2009-08-26T05:35:00.004-05:00

Was lucky enough to get out last night and snap a few sunset photos. Going urban photo shooting tonight with a friend, should be interesting.

Sunday Hike

2009-08-17T05:30:00.003-05:00

Imagine walking beneath a canopy of trees while watching the sumbeams break through as the sun rises, giving you a wonderful show of colors and light. That's what I did Sunday morning at Five Rivers Metro Park - Germantown. I set an alarm to get up early, had my backpack and camera equipment packed and ready to go, and was there when the park opened (not a usual thing for me to do on a Sunday morning!). It was 68 degrees and humid when I got there, but the shade kept me comfortable. I hiked about 4 1/2 - 5 miles for the better part of 3 hours, stopping to take photos along the way and really enjoyed myself. I've included one of my favorite shots here, and you can go to my photo site to see more.

BLOG Name Change

2009-08-10T05:12:00.002-05:00

Some of you may be noticing a name change to my BLOG. There is good reason for this. Several times over the past month I have sat down to write a post and the idea of talking about sales and marketing just isn't that exciting. Yes, I still work as an Account Executive, but when I leave the office, I turn that part of my life off and don't want to talk about it or anything to do with it. My real passion, other than my family, is photography, especially nature photography.

I do plan to write more as I travel around, taking photos, talking to unusual and interesting people, and making my photos available for purchase from my website (I have a link on my home page to purchase photos now!).

Enjoy This One

2009-07-26T21:19:00.001-05:00

Fiver River Metroparks

2009-07-19T19:49:00.002-05:00

Spent part of the day today with Dana looking at the Germantown Metro Park, part of the Greater Dayton areas Five River Metroparks. I had never been there, it was a wonderful day for a walk, we really enjoyed it. I took this photo at the Valley Lookout section of the park, and can't wait to get there this Autum when the leaves are changing. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Agriculture Photos

2009-07-12T21:06:00.004-05:00

Spent the majority of Saturday at my Aunt & Uncles home in South Charleston. I was wanting to get some photos around the farmland surrounding the area, but instead it decided to rain all day. Bad for me, good for them as they needed the rain.

Sunday, July 5th

2009-07-05T16:20:00.003-05:00

Spent part of the day today taking pictures of the Courthouse in Eaton. I guess the best way to see a Courthouse is from the outside.

Flower Power

2009-06-22T19:41:00.002-05:00

Calage of flower photos I've recently taken. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Happy Fathers Day

2009-06-21T20:07:00.004-05:00

A few photos from our cookout today.

High Dynamic Range Imaging

2009-06-17T20:36:00.005-05:00

I've been playing around with HDR Imaging the past few days, and it's fascinating. Click here to see the definition of HDR on Wiki-pedia. I'm loading an image taken directly from my camera and the after photo after working with the HDR software. It's quite stunning here on my monitor, and I hope it shows well here. Click on the photos to enlarge them and you can begin to see the difference. Top photo is original, bottom is combo of 4 photos taken at different EV settings and combined with the software to create one photo.

Drums and More

2009-05-12T21:38:00.004-05:00

Took this photo of my drums. Got the new cymbal stand on the right a few days ago. Also, a photo of my 1983 Electra Endorser in Cherry Sunburst.

43rd Birthday Celebration

2009-05-03T19:45:00.005-05:00

Had a great birthday party on Saturday. Dana surprised me with a new set of Pearl Drums! Kyle helped me put them together. I love them, but the dogs aren't quite sure what to make of them yet.

1 Week on Twitter

2009-04-02T19:06:00.002-05:00

For the past week, I've been active on Twitter. Even though I've had the account for quite a while, I never used the system. Since becoming active, at the time of this writing, I have 110 followers, and I'm following 113 others. Pretty incredible to make over 100 new friends online in less than a week.

I've known a few of the people I'm following, but for 95% of it, it's new people with similar interests in technology, culture, music, etc. And get this, the list keeps growing. Every day.

I have had a very positive experience to date. People are polite, no flame wars that I have seen or been part of, and have learned a lot from many different people. How great is it to meet that many new people in less than a week, and have instant access?

Heading to Keeneland Racetrack tomorrow. Our division won a sales contest so everyone (including support personnel, we couldn't sell without their help) are taking a charter bus trip for the opening day of racing. Should be exciting.

New Ride

2009-03-25T21:06:00.007-05:00

For the past few months, Dana and I have been looking at cars, and for those of you who know us, you know we can't agree on much of anything when it comes to vehicles. That all changed Monday night when we went to Boose Chevrolet in Brookville and fell in love the 2009 Chevy Impala SS. Look at the photos and judge for yourself. What's not to love? 5.3 liter V8 engine (yes, V8 and still front wheel drive), 18 inch rims, low profile tires, gray leather interior. Oh, and did I tell you it's fast? You won't see it in your rear view mirror much, we'll be past you before you get a second glance.

We just picked it up this evening. We had them add the paint protection and Scotch Guard the interior.

Check out all the photos on my Flicker Site by clicking here. Click on any of the photos here to enlarge them.

Junior High Band Concert

2009-03-18T05:24:00.003-05:00

Pictures Around The Office

2009-02-27T06:37:00.002-05:00

Bob Crosen and Summer Bair - 2-26-09

New Camera - Finally

2009-02-25T20:53:00.008-05:00

Stopped at Best Buy on the way home this evening and got my new Canon PowerShot SX10 IS. Totally cool! 10 megapixel with 20x Optical zoom.

Monday Again

2009-02-16T22:38:00.003-05:00

Feeling a bit under the weather today. Everyone at work has been sick, so I guess it's finally my turn.

Our team won the sales contest, woo-hoo!!! More cash rewards soon to be added to our pockets.

Today's photo is from my office looking out from the third floor towards the corner of 741 and 725. When it snowed, it was really quite beautiful to look out on.

Saturday Morning

2009-02-15T17:51:00.002-05:00

Dana got up and let me sleep in a little while and tried her best to keep the dogs out of our room, but Holly decided to sleep in with me. Dana took this photo when she came to get me up. Holly must have heard her walking down the hall.

Team Sales Contest - Day 3

2009-02-12T21:40:00.003-05:00

We shoot, and we score the Hat Trick!!! For 3 days in a row, we have won our groups team sales contest. It's been fun, and we are getting a lot of positive energy going on the floor.

I will post pictures of the winning team each day. Friday is the last day for this contest. Come on Bair Team, Alicia, Lawrence and I are getting tired of having our picture taken.

Team Sales Contest - Day 2

2009-02-11T21:36:00.003-05:00

Recognize the smiling faces from yesterday? That's right, we won again.

From left to right, we have Lawrence "Clicks Package" Long, Alicia "Big Money" Leeper, and me, "Internet Bundle" Davison.

Will we get the Hat Trick for Wednesday's sales? It's looking good so far.

Team Sales Contest

2009-02-10T20:58:00.003-05:00

Our team of 9 members broke into teams of 3 this week for a sales contest. Monday's results are just as I thought they would be, we won the day Monday, and looks like we took the lead today as well!

We're #1! We're #1! We're #1!

Why Don't We Laugh More Often?

2009-02-10T06:30:00.003-05:00

I know the economy sucks right now. I know Wall Street, Bankers and the Politicians are all a bunch of crooks that only care about saving their sorry selves right now. But does that mean we shouldn't laugh often and loud on a daily basis?

Everyone has stress in their lives. I usually deal with mine by laughing or trying to make others laugh. I know people are suffering every day out there, but tell someone a good joke now and then when they are down, it may be enough to take the focus off of their problems, if only for a moment.

OK, I'll start. Did you hear about the perverted Plastic Surgeon? He "Hung" himself. If you don't get that one, you're probably too young to be reading my BLOG anyway.

Root Cause of Poor Software Design

2009-02-08T21:07:00.002-05:00

Been a while since I posted, and of all things, I'm going to rant about software.

I was discussing a software issue with a few folks the other day, and we started talking about how such a seemingly small fix could make the lives of so many users easier. Having spent part of my life programming for a living, I think most were shocked when I said it wasn' the fault of the programmer, but internal political BS that kept progress from being made. So sad, but unfortunately true.

I spent the better part of 3 weeks on the road in the late 90's traveling all over the Southern part of the country, as well as the Eastern seaboard talking to users of an order entry system we had rolled out, asking how to make it better, easier, and more acceptable to how they did their jobs. Most users were supportive of the system if we could make improvements, make certain tweeks here and there. I was young and foolish enough to believe the company would actually do what we were telling folks our mission was about. 2 other teams did the same thing in different parts of the country. I was pumped up about making the system better for everyone.

Some suggestions were crap, people who just wanted to moan about changing to a new system vs. an old system they had used for more than a decade (on mainframe terminals no less). These people would still be cranking their cars to start them if they had their way. But for the people who were showing what the systems potential was, and were documenting issues were the ones we were most excited to work with because they had embraced the change and wanted the same thing we did.

OK,a month later, after endless miles on the road, probably no less than $100,000.00 (I'm probably underestimating this number) it's time to meet with all the division heads to present the results, prioritize, and start making the progress we just told the end users about.

First off, pricing feels threatened because of some of the changes we want to make. They can't wield the kind of control over sales and manufacturing they previously had, so they dig in and kill every attempt to change how we do things concerning pricing. Next, manufacturing does the same thing. If we can automate some of these processes, jobs are probably going to be cut, or people may have to move to other areas of the company. No, manufacturing isn't going to be helpful about this at all. It's now time for sales to chime in, and they're pissed off the most. We have made the old manual pricing and order placement system they have manipulated for years into an automated system with pricing that is fair across the board. No longer can they shop their work to our plants, or subcontractors just to put more money in their pocket, the system routes work to the correct plant at the correct price. This won't do for them either. How are they going to buy a new Mercedes next year if the can't manipulate the list price of their orders and put the money in their pockets? My god, don't these computer people know how much a Mercedes costs?

So what has happened to this multi-million dollar system the company has spent the past few years working on? It's a mediocre piece of shit that had the potential to have a significant impact with proven cost savings that could have helped the company thrive instead of being on the edge of oblivion. It will never be more than a glorified order taker.

So, the next time you think about how poorly something works, just remember that someone probably has had a good intention of fixing it, but the political atmosphere is preventing it from happening. Most programmers want their code to work, but don't stand a chance against the managers and directors of the people that actually use the systems. They are the real obstacles with software design and implementation.

Maybe that's why open source systems work so well. Makes you really think.

Ski Trip Update...

2009-01-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

...I had a BLAST! I will absolutely do it again, hopefully at least once more this year if time permits. I had a few spills, but nothing serious. After lunch I was swooshing down the intermediate slope and having a great time. I'm including photographic proof that I don't have a cast on any part of my body.

Ski Trip to Perfect North

2009-01-21T20:56:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day. For everyone who made their quota last month, our victory party celebration is going to be held at Perfect North Slopes. I have never been on skis in my life, so this should be exciting and scary as hell. I grew up ice skating, but somehow have never tried snow skiing. We have a choice of skis or snowboards. Tubing is allowed, but not until after 4:00 PM through the week. I'm driving one of the 4 vans that we are renting, hope I'm not too sore from all the fun when it's time to go.

Haven't posted for a while, I know. Life has been busy. I have started Twittering again, so you can see what I'm up to on there by following http://twitter.com/davidadavison

I'm going to promote Whole Wheat Radio again by saying that my wonderful wife Dana got me one of their coffee mugs for Christmas, and I love it! It was one of my favorite gifts this year. Jim even sent me a few CD's and a Talkeetna bumper sticker that is proudly displayed in my home office. I have been playing around there, tagging songs and getting my feet wet on their Wiki. Pretty cool once you get a feel for it. I've been downloading Jimbob's podcasts (er, audio-magazines as he calls them) and listening to them on the commute home from work a few times a week. His rants are great, if you haven't listened to one you should check it out. And if you haven't listened to the music, you really should check it out. Great music on a non-hype internet radio station that's more of a community where friends gather. Yes, even an aging Metal-Head like me can enjoy it.

OK, time to get all my clothes ready for tomorrow.

New Years Day - 2009

2009-01-02T20:42:00.002-05:00

With Kyle, my nephews Raymond, Billy & Jesse. Getting ready to go eat pizza at Marions in Englewood.

Early Present From Kyle

2008-12-24T17:41:00.002-05:00

Kyle got me this book for Christmas, "How to Raise a Jewish Dog". He and Dana saw it on one of our weekly trips to Barnes & Noble and knew I would enjoy it.

Kyle does his best Bootsy Collins Impersonation

2008-12-05T23:11:00.005-05:00

Another Friday night jam session. Somehow, when we wear sunglasses, we play better. Seriously. Also, who looks better in the hat, me or Kyle? Vote now by leaving a comment! I think Kyle wins, hands down, but I thought I would throw it out there to the folks that actually read this BLOG.

Oh, notice Holly winking at the camera? She's wishing she had some drums to join in with us.

Updating Whole Wheat Radio WIKI

2008-12-02T20:24:00.003-05:00

OK Jim, you wanted more people to update the WIKI, I'm accepting the challenge. I'm taking a little time each day, usually in the early morning before leaving for work, but here's photographic proof of me tagging songs. As I figure out more about the WIKI, I will do more.

More photos with no price increase to you...

2008-11-25T20:26:00.005-05:00

Photos from Saturday.

Kyle is 14 today!

2008-11-16T21:55:00.006-05:00

Some photos of our dinner at Red Lobster to celebrate and Kyle with his new Jazz Bass setup.

Friday Night

2008-11-14T22:45:00.005-05:00

Not a lot going on today. Went to Fiesta Charra in Eaton for dinner and they were crowded. Then we came home, watched a little TV, then Dana and I headed to our repective home offices. I upgraded NeoOffice on my Mac systems while listening to Whole Wheat Radio.

Dinner and Kyle Practices Bass Guitar

2008-11-11T20:10:00.008-05:00

Not a lot going on today. Had a meeting at Kyle's school then headed home to make dinner. And Thank You to all of our Veterens!

Listening to Whole Wheat Radio

2008-11-10T22:55:00.002-05:00

Something about the cold coming on that makes me start listening more and more to Whole Wheat Radio. I guess with the days getting shorter and not being able to get out in the yard so much I'm spending more time on-line listening. Check out some great independant music at Whole Wheat Radio, you'll be glad you did.

Whole Wheat Radio & Ubuntu

2008-11-08T23:15:00.002-05:00

Listening to Whole Wheat Radio and tweaking my Ubuntu system. Taken from my iSight camera.

West Alexandria Halloween Parade - 2008

2008-10-30T19:07:00.005-05:00

Dayton is in Denial

2008-10-29T05:34:00.002-05:00

From WHIOTV.com

Local Leaders Say Dayton Isn't Dead

Click here to read the story. I am unable to publish the story here, but it's another example arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as its sinking.

This is quite comical when you really look at it. First off, Wright Patterson Air Force Base is in Fairborn, Greene County. The people moving to the area to work there that have school age children would NEVER send their child to the City of Dayton School system.

Second, we dont need political leaders forming partnerships to help the community grow. It is these same political leaders who have driven business out of the local area, caused taxes to increase on the small business owner making it very undesirable to do business in the city.

Third, the city infrastructure is a disaster and is laying off people left and right due to budget issues.

I hope Dayton can turn itself around. But this kind of propaganda from the local leadership shows what a pathetic, fluff job they are trying to sell. I'm surprised the Mayor hasn't talked about all of the new Amway Distributors now in the area and how they will have an impact on the local economy.

More Geeky Goodness

2008-10-28T05:34:00.002-05:00

Ubuntu Screen Shot (click photo to enlarge). How cool is that?!!!! Notice the 2 Audio Magazine downloads from Whole Wheat Radio on the left side of the screen. Jim Bob, you were the first sound file played on my new set up.

I Don't Do Windows

2008-10-27T19:01:00.004-05:00

Spent Saturday night doing something that has made me tremendously happy. I got Windows totally off my main PC and installed Ubuntu 8.10. I have long said it's time to stop paying "The Bill" and even though I haven't bought a copy of Windows for years (my Macs serve me quite well) I decided to stop using Windows at home on any of my machines. We have two machines still running Windows (Dana's & Kyle's) and Dana has told me when her machine needs to be replaced, let's get her a Mac as well. Oh, I do love her so.

Ubuntu installed quite easily and the administration set up was a breeze. My old Pentium 4 flys running it compated to Windows. Had to tweak a few settings for sound to work right, but again, took maybe 2 minutes to correct. Hey, I enjoy using my old Compaq machine again.

See the dorky screen shots of it installing and updating OpenOffice.org.

Breast Cancer Prevention Walk

2008-10-19T13:08:00.006-05:00

Dana and I spent this past Saturday morning in Downtown Dayton for the yearly Breast Cancer Prevention Walk. It was another great turnout, and we will walk each year until they find a cure.

Octoberfest Parade

2008-10-12T18:52:00.005-05:00

Photos of Kyle and his friend Joseph at the annual Octoberfest Parade here in town. Kyle switched to Baritone horn this year since the school had too many trumpet players. Joseph switched from Baritone to Tuba.

We Have Access To The Outside World

2008-09-22T19:56:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since my last post, but we just got our internet connection back on after the windstorm that the Miami Valley area suffered on September 14th. We had a lot of damage to trees and were without power for 3 days. But, thankfully no one was hurt and the tree limbs didn't come crashing through the house. Some 35,000 people in the area are still without power.

We watch very little television in the big scheme of things and get most of our news through the internet. Not having access has been really tough for us (OK, I know I just mentioned that some folks don't have power yet) especially when we pay all of our bills online, do a lot of our shopping, and use email to communicate with other family members.

On the plus side, I did get a BLUE Microphones Snowball to get serious about Podcasting this week-end. I'm still playing around with it, but the sound is great. I am working on a Podcasting endeavor that should be quite fun.

Hello Mommy!

2008-09-13T09:55:00.002-05:00

Dana is visiting family in Arizona with her father and the dogs wanted to tell her good morning.

Me as a Manga Chracter

2008-08-25T19:27:00.002-05:00

From the Face Your Manga site. A little scary if you ask me.

Bring Your Child To Work Day...

2008-08-15T21:15:00.005-05:00

Just a few of the proud parents in our office that brought their children in to see what The Berry Company is all about and what we do.

My Dad The Hell Raiser

2008-08-04T21:47:00.002-05:00

My dad gave me a copy of this photo the other day, and I'm so glad he did. It was probably taken in 1949 or 1950 at their farm in South Charleston, OH on his Whizzer motorbike. Dad's on the left, my uncle Johnny is on the right.

Dad used to tell me how much he enjoyed riding this motorized bike in his day. It had a sturdy frame and over-sized tires to handle the higher speeds. He estimated it went anywhere from 50-60MPH once it was wound out. I can just see him now flying down a country road somewhere with a big smile on his face (back then he probably had a cigarette in his mouth as well).

Thanks for giving me this photo dad, it means the world to me!

Another Week-End Comes To A Close

2008-08-03T20:04:00.003-05:00

Dana and I have to keep asking ourselves, "Where has the week-end gone?" each Sunday evening. We have never had so much going on at one time and trying to get things done. don't get me wrong, we're having a blast, but we need at least 1 extra day to fit everything in that we need to do.

We spent Saturday with Dana's Aunt Faye in Fort Mitchell, KY. She hasn't been feeling the best so we went down to see her and take her out to lunch. Faye is one of those people that you just can't help enjoying yourself around. She has about the best sense of humor that I know of. We got to see her daughters, Janet & Donna, as well as her grand daughter Stacey, and great grand daughter Mikayla (in the photo with Faye reading to her). The only bad part about the trip was the heat.

My new job is going GREAT! I absolutely love what I am doing. As I look at the state of real estate, and all of the For Sale By Owner signs going up, it's nice to be in a job where I am actually getting paid for the work I am doing. I am surprised at the number of FSBO signs that go up AFTER a Realtor has had a listing and it has expired. I know of 4 such instances in our small town. I do think the future for real estate agents is weakening. Models like Redfin will be the wave of the future, not the exception. People are tired of forking over huge commissions to agents when they see how little most of them work. OK, I'm off the soap box!

New Mac Daddy

2008-07-27T18:55:00.007-05:00

My dad just celebrated his 73rd Birthday on the 25th, and treated himself to a new computer. After hearing me rave about Macs for so long, he finally broke down and got one of his own. Needless to say, he's a happy camper. We had to drive to the Apple Store in Cincinnati to find the Mac mini, everyone in the Dayton area was sold out of them. It looks great on the 20" monitor we got him for Christmas. So much nicer than Windows!!!

I Love Photo Booth

2008-07-25T20:47:00.006-05:00

My Mac makes me so much more productive that I've had time to try and clone myself.

I know I haven't posted...

2008-07-21T20:49:00.002-05:00

...but between work and doing things around the house, I have been too tired to do much of anything. My idea of a good night is to be in bed by 10:00.

I have been pressure washing the deck the past few days (with Kyle's help) and it's taking more time than I thought. But, it's worth the effort if you can see how good it looks.

If you are a frequent reader of Guy Kawasaki's BLOG, you know he just hosted a get together at his home for BlogHer which looks like it was a lot of fun. Hey Guy, come on, when am I going to get an invite to your home? Seriously, click on the link and check out the photos. Looks like it was a lot of fun.

New Toy

2008-06-30T18:38:00.014-05:00

OK, it wasn't the most prudent financial decision, but you have to enjoy life for yourself once in a while. Dana and I were shopping Saturday, and Guitar Center was having their huge pre-4th of July sale from 9:00 pm until midnight. After talking to the sales rep, he agreed to get me the price I wanted without having to wait until later that night, so here it is:

1961 Epiphone Custom Shop SG re-issue in Alpine White. I lowered the action a little when I got it home, and it plays like a dream. No fret rattle, very responsive, and the pickups are scorching hot! I can't get over how light it is compared to my Les Paul Standard. Now I know why Angus Young loves these guitars. (click photo to enlarge)

Some Happy News

2008-06-27T20:43:00.005-05:00

For those of you who don't have contact with me each day, I must apologize for not letting you know that I have a new job. I'm an Account Executive with The Berry Company. For those of you unfamiliar with The Berry Company, it's the company that started the Yellow Pages, and was founded in 1910 by LM Berry right here in Dayton, OH. I think some people forget that Dayton was the Silicon Valley of the country almost 100 years ago. How many of you knew that Thomas Watson Sr. started his career at NCR as a salesman and lived in Dayton for many years before moving to IBM in 1914 and turning it into a punch card powerhouse before handing it over to his son, Tom Jr, who turned it into the mainframe computer giant? It's true.

I'm working with print and digital media sales, and so far I love it. My class is in training for approx. 16 weeks, and I look forward to going to work each day (I know, tell you how I feel a year or two from now). My background in technology and the printing industry is serving me well. It's directional media at it's best, and talk about the ultimate Permissions based marketing solution.

I haven't given up on real estate, but things are just dead all over. The housing crisis has caused a lot of problems all over the country, and slowed home sales to a death march. I was tired of working and not getting paid, on top of all the fees that are involved with being a Realtor. It's insane, and yes, I know many Realtors contributed to this situation.

I've included some photos of my new digs, and the view we have from the training room. We will get our office assignments once we are out of training and added to the existing sales teams.

Sad Anniversary

2008-06-26T19:02:00.003-05:00

A year ago today I lost my Mom to liver cancer and it's been a tough week for all of us. It seems like yesterday, and it also seems like 10 years ago.

This was the last photo I took of her shortly before she passed.

I miss you Mom, and I love you!

Fishing Trip - June 21st, 2008

2008-06-22T20:10:00.005-05:00

Google Search Tips

2008-06-19T19:33:00.001-05:00

This might help you improve your Google searches.

June 11th - Kings Island Fun!

2008-06-12T22:20:00.011-05:00

Newton Message Pad 120

2008-06-09T20:48:00.003-05:00

A while back, Kyle and I were talking about all the computer systems and gadgets I've used over the years trying to make my life easier. I went and dug out my old Apple Newton Message Pad 120 to show him, put in new batteries, and it came to life like the old friend I remember. I couldn't believe it still worked after sitting in it's box for so many years.

This thing was a BRICK compared to the Palm Pilots I've used, and now the Apple iPod Touch. It didn't fit in your pocket, it was bulky, and the battery life left a lot to be desired, but I loved it and was the envy of every one of my co-workers. The only bad thing about getting this back out was that I have lost the cable to connect it to a PC. I'd be curious to see if it would work with XP or not. Oh the memories this thing brings back of taking notes in the many endless and pointless meetings I had to attend.

Our New Fence

2008-06-09T20:09:00.006-05:00

Take The Muppet Test...

2008-06-06T15:02:00.001-05:00

I'm Fozzie Bear

"Wocka! Wocka!"

You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up.

If only your routine didn't always bomb!

You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

The Muppet Personality Test

Sunday Again

2008-06-01T12:39:00.003-05:00

Is it just me, or does it seem like the only chance I get to post on this site is on Sunday afternoon?

We celebrated Dana's 43rd birthday this week, and our Saturday excursion for lunch at The Greene was fun and free from rain. We ate at BD's Mongolian Grill for the first time and it was really good. A place we will definitely try again.

Not much new to post other than the fact the have started putting our dog fence up last week. It will be nice to just open a door and let the dogs out to run and play without having to have them on a leash.

Have a great week!

Another Week Gone By Too Fast

2008-05-18T11:24:00.003-05:00

Sunday morning, and trying to play catch-up. Just got some of the pictures I took at our last trip to Cox Arboretum ready on FLICKR if you want to click here and check them out. Click on the photo here to enlarge it, it's one of my favorites.

First, I would like to express my condolences to Jim Kloss at Whole Wheat Radio on the recent loss of his mother. We are here for you Jim, and hope you are doing well during this difficult time.

We met with my dad, Lori & Rick and Patty & Charles at Marion's Pizza in Englewood Friday night for dinner. If you have never had a Marion's Pizza, you don't know what you're missing. Makes me hungry for one right now just thinking of it.

Saturday was spent running errands and getting things done that can only be accomplished on the week-end. I'm going to spend part of the day today getting the yard mowed and helping Dana get some plants in the ground that we bought last week-end and haven't been able to plant due to all the rain we have had.

I'm sitting here looking at a stack of books that I have to read and just haven't had the time. I need a 30 hour day!

Pretty Much Says It All...

2008-05-08T20:52:00.001-05:00

OpenOffice 3 Beta New

2008-05-07T19:43:00.002-05:00

Got this today from the good people at OpenOffice.org. If you haven't switched to OpenOffice, you need to try this totally free Offfice Suite. Stop paying the Bill! I switched to OpenOffice several years ago and love it. Mac users, this version promises to work with Aqua, so I'm not sure if this is the NeoOffice version or not. Also, if you can afford to send a few bucks to support this organization, please do. It's a rock solid package.

The OpenOffice.org Community is pleased to announce that the public beta
release of OpenOffice.org 3.0 is now available. This beta release is
made available to allow a broad user base to test and evaluate the next
major version of OpenOffice.org, but is not recommended for production
use at this stage.

If you are a regular user of OpenOffice.org, here's a great opportunity
to help us make the next release the best ever.

What's new in OpenOffice.org 3.0?

The most immediately visible change to OpenOffice.org 3.0 is the new
"Start Centre", new fresh-looking icons, and a new zoom control in the
status bar. A closer look shows that 3.0 has a myriad of new features.
Notable Calc improvements include a new solver component; support for
spreadsheet collaboration through workbook sharing; and an increase to
1024 columns per sheet. Writer has an improved notes feature and
displays of multiple pages while editing. There are numerous Chart
enhancements, and an improved crop feature in Draw and Impress.

Behind the scenes, OpenOffice.org 3.0 will support the upcoming
OpenDocument Format (ODF) 1.2 standard, and is capable of opening files
created with MS-Office 2007 or MS-Office 2008 for Mac OS X (.docx,
.xlsx, .pptx, etc.). This is in addition to read and write support for
the MS-Office binary file formats (.doc, .xls, .ppt, etc.).

OpenOffice.org 3.0 will be the first version to run on Mac OS X without
X11, with the look and feel of any other Aqua application. It introduces
partial VBA support to this platform. In addition, OpenOffice.org 3.0
integrates well with the Mac OS X accessibility APIs, and thus offers
better accessibility support than many other Mac OS X applications.

A more detailed guide to the features can be found at
http://marketing.openoffice.org/3.0/featurelistbeta.html

Beta Availability

OpenOffice.org 3 beta is immediately available in US English for
MS-Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac OS X and OpenSolaris platforms from
http://download.openoffice.org/3.0beta. This page also contains details
of where to find localized builds and language packs as they become
available. For more details, please consult the appropriate native
language project - see http://projects.openoffice.org/native-lang.html

Help us gathering bugs in May!

In order to help us release OpenOffice.org 3.0 on schedule in September,
users of the beta release are encouraged to report any bugs, issues or
errors at http://qa.openoffice.org.

If you would like to test just the new features, there is a list of test
cases by component at
http://qa.openoffice.org/ooQAReloaded/TestcaseSpecifications/OpenOffice.org_3.0

If you are nervous about reporting bugs through the formal bug reporting
system, you can simply email details to the user support mailing lists
http://www.openoffice.org/mail_list.html

The developers look forward to receiving your feedback on this beta
release of OpenOffice.org!

"2008 - the year of 3"

Judas Priest Shreds

2008-05-03T21:25:00.001-05:00

Man, these guys ROCK! I think they were playing in Guitar Center the last time we were in there.

Eric Clapton - An Off Night

2008-05-03T21:23:00.001-05:00

Just goes to show you that even Eric Clapton can have an off night. Oh well, maybe there's hope for my career as a guitarist after all.

I Thought It Was More Than This

2008-05-03T19:33:00.003-05:00

68%
I took this online quiz and thought I was seriously more addicted to Apple Computer products than I thought. I guess I would have tested higher if I owned the iPhone instead of the iPod touch.

Here's a photo with one of Kyles latest Lego creations. I used to build cars and trucks, he builds inter-stellar cruising ships (click to enlarge).

Spring Is Finally Here

2008-04-21T19:19:00.004-05:00

Dana and I went to Cox Arboretum Saturday to see what was growing and to check on the tree they had planted in memory of her mother (it's getting ready to bloom, we will check next week and add some photos) and I couldn't believe how much fun I had just wandering around there. It was overcast and raining on and off, so not a lot of people there. I have added photos to my FLICKR site if you want to see the rest of them (click the photo to enlarge).

Not a lot going on. We did get our income tax refunds today, which is amazing since we just filed not even two weeks ago. Electronic filing is the way to go people, let me tell you.

In a very short time, I will turn 42 years old and I'm feeling it. I tell Dana every night that I'm going to get on the tread mill. Well, tonight is the night. Going to get this sorry excuse for a body back into shape while I still can.

Oh, and to Aunt Patty & Uncle Charles in PA who always check my BLOG, Hello, and I hope you are doing well!

THE 1959 BURST - A Les Paul documentary

2008-04-16T20:44:00.001-05:00

Watch this video and maybe it will help you understand my unhealthy obsession with Les Paul guitars. Oh to be rich enough to buy one of these masterpieces.

Whole Wheat Support

2008-04-08T20:04:00.003-05:00

Playing with Photoshop tonight and thought you might enjoy this (click to enlarge).

Adobe Photshop Elements 6

2008-04-06T18:29:00.003-05:00

Got the new Photoshop Elements 6 for my Mac this week-end and can't believe all the changes they have added since the older version (3) that I was using on my PC. I only got to work with it for a little while today, but it's a really nice package. I can't figure out what took Adobe so long to make a new version for the newer Intel based Macs, but I'm glad it finally arrived.

A while back Dana renewed my subscription to Wired magazine, which I really enjoy reading. However, in the April edition there is a story titled Geek Brawl about two gear review BLOGS, Gizmodo & Engadget that after reading, I could hardly wait to get online and check them out. Well, the story was much more interesting than the sites. Sure, they both have all kinds of cool gear, but it's kind of all over the place on both sites. Good writing, but boring sites. My opinion, but it's the only one that counts here.

Enjoy the rest of your week-end!

Under The Weather

2008-04-03T17:37:00.003-05:00

Hello to everyone wondering where the heck I have been the past few days. I've been sick, fighting a head cold, sore throat, congestion, etc. In other words, I feel like crap.

Dana, Kyle & the dogs have been taking good care of me. My dad drove me to a doctors appointment this morning which was a blessing. I don't think I could have made it there on my own.

More to come once I'm feeling better!

Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T15:37:00.006-05:00

Happy Easter to everyone in cyberspace!

We had a typical Sunday actually. Dana let me sleep in and kept the dogs at bay so I could. I have the best wife in the world!

We went shopping yesterday trying to do our part to keep the local economy going. We went to Dana's favorite, a furniture store (Drexel Heritage) and one of my favorites, Office Depot. I brought a new Printer/Scanner/Fax machine that had been marked down $20.00 from two weeks ago. It's a Lexmark X5495. Hooked up to my Mac with no problems at all (doesn't everything just work better on a Mac?) and within a few minutes I was scanning a test photo.

The photo I scanned was Kyle with Dr. Creep, a local TV celebrity that hosted Shock Theater for many, many years. Some of my fondest memories of childhood were watching scary movies on local channel 22. Dr. Creep was great, and I'm glad Kyle met him.

Nothing else to report today so enjoy the rest of your Easter Sunday!

I'm Famous!

2008-03-18T20:24:00.003-05:00

For the 40 or so people that actually listen to Whole Wheat Radio on a regular basis, I was mentioned in Jimbob's Audio Magazine today as well as having some of my photos posted on his BLOG. I'm Buckwheat by the way to those of you that have chatted with me.

My real estate sales should pick up now! The phone will start ringing any second now with new clients needing my services just by the mere mention of my name on WWR.

Hmmm, phone still not ringing. Still not. There, no, that was the dryer. Still not. Ah, no, that was Holly farting.

Oh well, what the hell. I'm still famous.

What a life

2008-03-17T19:10:00.001-05:00

Holly
Originally uploaded by David A. Davison

Here's a quick snap I couldn't resist while I sit here working at my computer. A dogs love is unconditional!

Another Week-End Gone

2008-03-17T18:15:00.003-05:00

Where the heck does the time go? Seems like I'm just going to bed on Friday night and the week-end is already gone. Just not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to and spend time with people I want to.

I did get a new headset/mic combo on Saturday though. Kinda dorky but I like it. Great sound and voice recording as well.

And now for something completely different - SNOW!

2008-03-09T11:55:00.003-05:00

We survived a flooded basement and now the biggest snow storm of the year. Actually, it was kind of fun. Winston loves to play in the snow but Holly doesn't think too much of it. I had stocked up on groceries early Friday morning so we had plenty of food. Kind of a fun way to spend a week-end camped out in the living room. We watched the first 4 episodes of "Hero's" on DVD and porked out on all kinds of goodies.

Go to my FLICKR Photos to see more of our snow pictures.

Flood Update

2008-03-05T20:46:00.003-05:00

Update on our version of Katrina, we are getting things back together and making some progress. The sump pump is working fine (all of our snow is melting and creating more water) and the battery back up has been fully charged. The electronics are drying out and I got my server to come back up this evening. All the water seems to be cleaned up and fans have dried out most everything.

Also, Holly is doing well after her surgery. She's playing with Winston a little, although she is still sleeping most of the time.

Gotta run!

FLOOD!

2008-03-05T09:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a day I NEVER want to re-live.

It started out with taking Holly to the vet for her scheduled spaying which we were not looking forward to. She is a spoiled little princess, and we knew it would be a difficult few days after her surgery. The good news is that she came through it fine, is eating a little, and mostly sleeping.

About 4:00 Dana came in the bedroom where I napping to tell me that the basement was flooded. I thought, this can't be, we have a battery back-up sump pump, must just be a trickle coming in. Well, the trickle was about 4-5 inches of water standing in the family room, my office, Danas office area, the storage room, and Kyle's train room.

The main sump pump float had gotten stuck and was not running, the battery back up alarm didn't go off like it should, and had worn itself down trying unsuccessfully to handle the large volume of water coming in. My dad came over with his shop vac to help and got the pump running again. So, it was dueling shop vacs to try and clean up the mess.

So far, we have 3 computer systems down, television, game cube, guitar amplifier, de-humidifier and various other electronic devices to see if they work once they dry out.

AARRGGHH!! At least no one was hurt and we got power turned off so we could work with the help of extension cords coming down the stairs.

If anyone else experienced problems with yesterdays flooding, I feel for you.

Dana's Violets

2008-02-05T20:46:00.000-05:00

Dana wanted me to post these photos of her new miniature Violets that she ordered online, and I always do what she asks me to do. Click on any photo to enlarge.

No Blogging in January is over!

2008-02-01T19:44:00.000-05:00

After my self imposed exile from blogging and most online activities for the month of January I'm glad to be back. I wanted to focus on some things that needed to be done around the house as well as in my career. All I can say is that it's good to be back!

One thing that I did do was finally sign up as a user on Whole Wheat Radio last week. WholeWheatRadio.org is an internet only station run out of Talkeenta, Alaska by former Buckey Jim Kloss and Esther Golton. I have been checking it out for the past few months, and I have to tell you, it's easy to get sucked in and spend entirely too much time on the site. It's not just an internet radio station, it's an entire community of people that I have come to make friends with while listening to some great music. The site is a WIKI and quite user friendly once you join. I especially enjoy the hundreds of photos they have posted. Go there and check it out. I'm Buckwheat in the Wheathead community if you see me in a chat room and want to say hello. (check out photos of Jim & the Wheat Palace in Talkeenta)

My social networking site for real estate professionals, RealtorTech, has turned out to be one giant goose egg. No one is using it, most of the invites to join went unanswered, so I'm shutting it down this week-end to focus on something different, although I have no idea what at this point. I can say that I am convinced there is no way to drag Realtors in this market into the 21st Century and away from their fax machines to explore some really cool technologies that will make their lives and businesses easier to manage. Too sad, but I'm not one to continually beat my head against a wall.

Enough for now. I'll post some photos soon here and my FLICKR site soon.

iPod Touch - Too Cool

2007-12-27T16:13:00.001-05:00

My Website on my iPod Touch
Originally uploaded by David A. Davison

WOW! Has it been a long time since I posted or what?

I got an iPod Touch from Dana this year, and it is the coolest iPod ever. I'm in the process of getting all of my information from my Palm Pilot moved over to it. The Safari web browser is incredible.

I'm sure I'll be posting more about this in the near future.

Have a safe and happy New Years!

First Snow Of The Year

2007-12-05T19:57:00.000-05:00

I knew we were supposed to get some snow, but how great is this? Kyle had the day off, the dogs were happy to have company all day playing with them, and we are able to get in and out of the driveway without having to shovel too much. Now this is how winter is supposed to feel. I even had a nice hot meal waiting for Dana when she got home from work. Hey, I love to cook anyway.

I spent part of the day today watching "Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America. I love that show! What a motivator. It's amazing that when people actually listen to him the progress the make in turning their failing businesses around. Too bad he's not a licensed Real Estate Broker, that would be a show worth seeing (Donkey! Your business is in the shit, get out there and knock on some doors and don't come back until you have a listing appointment or buyer!).

RealtorTech is still up and running with no reported issues. New invites for additional users will be going out later this week (yes, folks at Exit Realty Central will be in this round as well as a few loan officers and title agents).

If I've never told you before, my wife is quite a good singer. I can't carry a tune to save my life, but Dana has a great voice. Her home office is about 15 feet from mine, and she's singing along with iTunes as I type this. It is such a joy to hear her and know she has her mind off of things long enough to get caught up in music like that. I'm so glad I bought her an iPod last year for Christmas! She has talent. When I'm motivated to play my guitar, I usually turn it up too loud and hear Dana and Kyle shout "Turn that damn thing down". Oh, to be a frustrated amateur musician! At least the dogs enjoy my talent.

RealtorTech Is Alive & Well!

2007-12-03T20:43:00.000-05:00

My social networking site for real estate professionals, RealtorTech, is up and running with no reported issues. I have 2 users added with several other invites out there waiting for a response. But so far, so good. (click to enlarge screen shot)

As I sit here listening to Frank Sinatra on my iPod and checking the site I can't help but wonder if I build this site, will they come? I know ours is an extremely competitive industry. I talked with a friend today at my former brokerage about the current and future markets, and that in the very near future, technology is going to have a MAJOR impact on this business no matter what your past successes have been. One major area is going to be print advertising. It's slowly on it's way out.

So, will my site be a stepping stone to the future, or another site that is ahead of its time and dies a slow death because of lack of understanding? I'm not sure, but it's sure going to be exciting to find out! As Frank would say, "I did it my way".

Beta Testing My Own Social Networking Site

2007-12-02T13:44:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday once again, and it's cold and crappy outside. Perfect weather to get some coding done and try some new technologies.

I've started my own social networking site for Realtors called RealtorTech and over the next few weeks I will be inviting several local Realtors to help me put it through it's paces, find bugs, and make improvements. I've been on Active Rain for some time, but the problem with it is that it's not local. I've made some friends and gotten some ideas, but I like the idea of a local site where people can share ideas, thoughts, and have meet-ups in person. No one was doing that here that I could find, so I did it myself.

If you are a real estate professional or someone involved in real estate transactions and would like to help me beta test the system, I will send you an invitation to join my network.

It's fun, it's free, and it's a chance to learn about technology without being a geek. Also a great way to promote your properties to other active, local agents!

OpenOffice.org Just Keeps Getting Better!

2007-11-28T17:06:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted about OpenOffice.org (and NeoOffice.org for you fortunate Mac users out there!) and I got an email today that just proves you don't have to shell out big bucks for an office software suite.

OpenOffice.org just went live with their OpenOffice.org Community Forum page and it's great! I poked around on it for a while, and have to say, for a free product this site is pretty impressive. One more reason to "Stop Paying The Bill".

I won't bore you with my take on the site, I just invite you to click on the link above and see it for yourself. I've been using these products for years now and love them.

Enjoy!

Sunday

2007-11-25T11:23:00.000-05:00

Got the rest of the leaves cleaned up yesterday with Kyle's help. We did have to break down and buy a new battery for the tractor ($49.00) but that's OK.

Not much else happening other than finishing off the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers, I'm glad that's almost over.

Click here to see Apple's Small Business Tip of the week!

Week-end Again!

2007-11-24T09:21:00.000-05:00

Too much going on and not enough time to get it done.

We had a small amount of snow yesterday morning, and I have say, I'm actually looking forward to some more of it. I went out to chop the rest of the leaves yesterday and the tractor had a dead battery. It was down so low it wouldn't start with jumper cables. So, I had to charge it for a few hours before it finally started. Now the back yard is covered in leaves again, but Kyle and I are going to take care of them today.

I just uploaded a bunch of photos to my FLICKR site for those of you interested in seeing them. Click here to see them.

Seems like Sunday already, but I'm glad it isn't. We have 2 days to get a lot of things done and we are staying home all day today, which is something we seem to never do. Dana is working inside, Kyle and I are working outside. We should all be nice and crabby by dinner time, ha-ha.

Kyle & Holly bust a move!

Monday

2007-11-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

Still feeling a bit under the weather and feeling like I'm not getting enough sleep, even though I slept over 10 hours. No amount of coffee and vitamins seem to help.

I took this photo of Kyle while driving to dinner the other night, hope you enjoy it. And be sure to click here to see Apples small business quick tip of the week. (Click photo to enlarge)

New Monitor

2007-11-04T20:55:00.001-05:00

I love my Macintosh as you know and recently added a 22" Samsung SyncMaster 226BW Wide Screen monitor. Here's what my work area looks like now:
(click to enlarge)

Dana is Home!

2007-10-30T12:18:00.001-05:00

Dana returned home from a short trip to visit family in Phoenix. The flight there was fine, but she went through hell getting home. Her flight from Phoenix to Dallas had problems after they were in the air for a few minutes and had to return (they lost the navigation system). Nothing scary for her, but I would have been in a mild panic.

Getting home was trying, but we were all glad to see her today! Her brother and his family took her to her first NHL hockey game while she was there, so now she has an interest in seeing the Dayton Bombers play a few games this season, which is great! Kyle and I love watching the Bombers. So much more fun than football.

I finally turned the furnace on for the first time this year this morning. It was cold and I knew Kyle would complain about the temperature. I just wish the leaves would finally finish falling so I could get them chopped up once and for all.

Be sure to click here to see the Apple's Small Business quick tip of the week video. I know you should all be using Macs, but you don't know it yet!

1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial

2007-10-22T18:37:00.001-05:00

I know this is an Apple Commercial, but it reminds me of a National Association of Realtors convention. Suddenly, someone throws technology out to the masses and says "You don't have to be mediocre!". Oh, how I just wish they would embrace it.

Where Did The Week-End Go?

2007-10-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

This week-end seemed to fly by. We started Saturday morning off with the Octoberfest parade here in town. Kyle was in the Junior High Band playing in his second parade and seemed to enjoy it. Then it was off to Fairborn to visit Dana's father and have lunch at one of our favorite Chinese places (see photo - don't know why Kyle is frowning). We then went with him to the Tile Store. It's a store that sells nothing but tile. I was interested for about 5 minutes then found a comfortable chair to sit in. Then it was off to visit my dad and take him out to dinner.

My policy of not working on Sundays is paying off by taking a much deserved break to spend time with my family and not let cell phone calls interrupt the day. We enjoyed time together and got some more work done around the house as well. I am getting Dana's motorcycle ready to put it up for sale, so if yo know anyone interested in a Suzuki Savage 650, have I got a deal for them!

We also got caught up on some sleep, which is always in short supply around our home. It was wonderful, and the cooler weather made it more enjoyable.

Enjoy your week!