Cybertoad’s Blog

So back in late November Kenny decided to switch to AT&T U-verse since it was finally available in our area. A month later we switched back to Comcast. I know, sounds crazy, right? After all the U-verse hoopla and knowing many satisfied friends who rave about their U-verse, we were simply underwhelmed with the service and we really missed our TiVo.

I will comment here that U-verse was not bad at all, it offers some awesome features - we simply felt that Comcast + TiVo was a slightly better service for *us* and our viewing habits. Our decision was also partially based on the unsatisfactory signal we received while with AT&T. Friends who love their U-verse do not report the bad digital reception we were constantly having so this is probably a factor of where we live.

In other words, your mileage may vary.

So, reasons why we switched from AT&T U-verse back to Comcast:

1) Why can’t you warn me before you switch channels to record? Tivo always gave me the courtesy and a 1-minute warning. You rudely switch without a word.

2) When you are recording and all your tuners are busy, why can’t you just default to the channel you are most recently recording instead of giving me the stupid blue screen then making me click through to the recordings menu? TiVo was kind enough to simply switch to the channel it was recording.

3) Tout your DVR abilities then don’t let me pause live TV on the 2nd TV in the bedroom? Tease.

4) Who designed that remote? It is not intuitive or ergonomic. Buttons are in weird places and it’s not easy to learn or use in a dark room. The TiVo remote felt comfortable and I could operate it without having to look at it each every time.

5) Pixelated and frozen images. Really? I thought I would never say this but Comcast had less reception issues than you. When 90% of our recordings have pixels and/or frozen images somewhere in them, that is not good.

6) No ability to prioritize recordings? Again, really? So you think you know what to record in case there are conflicts better than I do? Do you really understand how important Dr. Who is to us? I didn’t think so - TiVo did.

7) No suggested recordings. At least my TiVo tried to get to know me and offered suggestions for those days when there was nothing on TV to watch. It also saved me from setting a season pass to Super Nanny by simply giving it two thumbs up. I could satisfy my guilty pleasures without the guilt. You don’t care enough about me to offer this.

No deleted folder? Just another handy feature TiVo has that you don’t. Oh, and related to this, despite all the buttons are your badly-designed remote, you don’t have a simple 1-touch erase button like TiVo’s remote does.

What are your experiences with either?

So Christmas has come & gone - all the holiday cards have been sent, presents wrapped and unwrapped, family has been seen and hopefully, you all found some happy memorable moments among all the holiday craziness. I know we did. We kept our holiday low-key and actually took the time off from work to sleep in late with the dogs, watch TV from bed and simply relax. We did get a movie in (Avatar in 3D), visited with friends and of course saw my Mom. I must also say that Kenny spoiled me yet again this year. A slightly incomplete list of gifts:

> Marshalls gift-card
> customizable photo coasters
> What the Duck stuff – shirt, plush and book
> Keurig Single Cup Mini brewer in red
> Sony Bluetooth wireless head phones
> Touchstone charger for my Palm Pre
> pajama set
> necklace I wanted from Etsy
> Wii Fit game
> carrying case for my netbook & some skins for it
> a really pretty 4 GB USB drive

I think that’s it (it’s a lot) but I may be forgetting something. As you can see, I absolutely loved everything I received! He did really well!

He even remembered Pascal & gave him (through me of course) his own Pet’s Eye View Camera!

He seemed pretty happy with his gifts as well (a couple of shirts, leather work gloves, Central Market cooking class, several books, Wii game…) but he outdid me. Eep. He *always* manages to outdo me but he says he really enjoys it. I’m a lucky girl!

As we finish November and slowly recover from eating all that turkey last week, I’d like to post a few things for which I am thankful…

> Kenny – What can I say? He is an amazingly patient and supportive husband who doesn’t baby me and let me get away with too many things. He was a great nurse when I still needed help; became a scooter mechanic and quickly learned how to take apart & put together my broken Buddy and a great husband through all of the adventures of the past couple of months. Thanks hon!

> Ginger – I am grateful she is still here after 16 years… she is crankier than ever, deaf, wobbly on her legs, absent-minded and gray all over but we are glad she still has the decent health she has.

> Pascal – I am grateful that he is such a happy albeit spastic puppy. He brings a really positive energy to the house (although Ginger would disagree) and even as he eats my cell phones and drags our dirty laundry out into the living room or the back yard, he still brings a smile to our face (well, most of the time).

> Jobs – As I saw friend after friend and many more acquaintances lose jobs as the recession worsened, I am grateful to still have mine. I am also grateful Kenny was given a new job opportunity as well.

> Health – Despite the broken shoulder blade and sprained ankle, I am grateful it was not worse. Recovery wasn’t fun but after all was said and done, it has taken less than 3 months to get 90% of my mobility back. Ankle is healing really well & I have no pain and I have been able to return to my portrait sessions and event photography.

> Friends – I have made so many new friends and strengthened old friendships this year. Whether it was connecting through Facebook, Twitter or various organizations, I appreciate each and every connection. Thank you!

> Photography – Last but not least, I am thankful for opportunities I have been given through my photography. I have been involved in wonderful events & met amazing people as a result and it has been a great ride. Looking forward to more of it in 2010!

So I refuse to give up on this blog (I’ve had a blog since July 2001!) and I am devising a plan to at least pop in here more regularly with shorter posts that aren’t as general as this one. I’ve got a few in my head that I am going to start posting in my draft folder so they’ll be ready. I think that will help (update - already wrote up drafts for seven more entries so there will be some more updates coming soon!)

In the meantime, yet another update! What has happened since the last post? I think a bullet list is easier:

> I went on an amazing trip to Caye Caulker, Belize with Christine to shoot a destination wedding. Wow. I fell in love & can’t wait to take Kenny (I’ll post details & photos in a separate post).

> I also went to New Orleans with several other photographers (Christine, Kelly & Kari) for an informal wedding photographers gathering. Another great trip! (again, I’ll post details & photos in a separate post)

> I had another solo photo exhibit with 25 of my TTV prints at the Caroline Collective in the month of August.

> Immediately after that show, a dozen TTVs from my New Orleans trip were up at the Te House of Tea in the Montrose.

> I bought a slightly used scooter (red Buddy 125cc) mid-summer for commuting to work & weekend fun.

> In mid-September I had an accident on my 1st day out on the road with the scooter (despite taking the weekend safety course & passing the written test with no wrong answers). Suffice to say I simply got spooked and I did not hit anyone else - thank goodness - and merely hurt myself. Heck, the scooter didn’t even get that banged up - it’s already been mostly repaired. I, on the other hand, broke my right shoulder blade near the shoulder socket & got a nice case of road rash on my foot. Two months later with a month of physical therapy (3x/week) and I am much much better. I was unable to shoot any weddings or portrait sessions during this time but can finally pick up the camera once more. I still have not recovered all of my mobility and some movements are painful but I see improvements every day.

> On the day of my scooter accident, Kenny started his new job with Chevron.

> We celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary in October.

> I had three photos selected for this year’s 600 sq mi Group Show. The opening reception was awesome. My photos were hanging among many other amazing images!

> Just a week ago I sprained my right ankle. I know, another injury! It’s a moderate sprain though and I am mobile so no worries there. Ankle brace is helping and I am not in pain.

That should do it - my life since July. Eventful, isn’t it? Stay tuned for the upcoming posts - I am going to start time-stamping them for future dates so they’ll appear on their own over the next few weeks…

OK, so blogging isn’t my thing anymore! So sorry to the one or two readers out there! LOL Well, to be honest, composing a blog post takes a little bit more time than quickly posting an update on Facebook or through Twitter. It’s simply the truth. So if you really want to keep track of me, follow me over at those sites: me on Twitter and me on Facebook.

Still, I don’t want to inactivate this blog so here I am! I just can’t believe that it has been almost six months since I last posted. Wow! I knew I wouldn’t be a very regular poster anymore but I didn’t think I only post a handful of times a year! I am so sorry for that!

So what has kept me so busy? You can probably guess that it has been my photography. My “hobby” has blossomed nicely into a side business. Without much work on my part except through some wonderful word of mouth of referrals I am being kept extremely business shooting everything from weddings (still with Christine Tremoulet) to portraits (maternity, newborns, kids, engagements, family) to events (conferences, receptions, galas). In just the past 6 months - since January - I have photographed the following: 8 weddings (including an all day Chinese wedding, a 3-day Indian Muslim wedding & a commitment ceremony), 5 newborns, 2 maternity sessions, 2 toddler sessions, 1 engagement session, 1 family portrait, 2 social events and 1 two-day summit. Mind you these have been done mostly on the weekends or after my 9-5 job (where I celebrated 3 years this month). Squeeze in between those lots of time with Kenny & friends, puppy training classes and my own personal photo excursions and you have a very busy woman.

Oh – and how could I forgot! I even had my own solo show at the wonderful local coffee shop, Taft Street Coffee? They hosted a show of 25 of my TTV images earlier this year. You can see more pictures here and a mock postcard I created for the show below!

So I am busy but happy. I went ahead and registered a DBA for my photography business, EMG Images (website re-vamp coming), and even opened it its own bank account. I’m so grown-up now!

I won’t bore you with anymore photography to say, suffice it to say my camera is slung around my neck a lot!

Hello everyone - hope everyone made it safely into the new year! Kenny & I took it easy and stayed in town for the holidays, visiting with various friends. New Year’s was low-key as well. I didn’t take many pictures but other partygoers did. As you can see, we “jumped into” the new year after telling 2008 to “suck it“!

It was hard to return to work after essentially being off for over 2 weeks (with a couple of distracted days of work thrown in there). The pups sure enjoyed having us home! Wonky weather (75 F one day, 45 F the next, repeat a couple of times) also made this a weird holiday season.

But here we are, already January 6th! No resolutions from me but I did re-start my diet blog & I am back to counting “points” (Weight Watchers). I shoot my first wedding of the year with Christine & Kelly this coming weekend in Corpus Christi and I’ve got some interesting & fun potential photography projects in the works. I’ll keep you posted as it all unfolds…

The Basics: Kenny and I are in good health, still at the same jobs, same home. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past October. How time flies!

We did sadly lose a canine companion this summer, though. Heidi, MaMa & Papa’s beloved cockapoo, passed peacefully in early September, just 2 months shy of turning 15. She came to live with us 6 years ago & she is missed terribly. She was Elaine’s fuzzy shadow and such a loving dog, always youthful at heart. Ginger, the dachshund, is still doing well though, just grayer and a little slower each year. She turned 15 in November.

New Family Member: We enjoyed being a 2-dog home so when we felt ready we visited the Houston Animal Shelter and were adopted (yes, he picked us out with his big eyes) by a 4 lb., 3-month old “Chiweenie” (Chihuahua-Dachshund mix). Pascal is feisty like a Chihuahua, stubborn like a Dachshund and adorable like no other. He is up to 13 lbs now & loves to surprise us with the things he finds in the yard! He is also featured on the front of this year’s card!

Travel: This year’s trip was to Washington, DC during the Cherry Blossom Festival in late April. The weather was overcast most of our days but the blossoms were still stunning. A walk around the Tidal Basin though & I quickly discovered I was allergic to those beautiful blooms! *achoo!* Still, we had a wonderful time exploring the city & visiting with old college friends who so graciously opened their home to us.

I also went to Las Vegas for the 1st time in February for a wedding photographers’ conference and took a weekend trip in the summer to Little Rock to visit my old college roommate.

Photography: This aspect has kept me the busiest! My photography has inadvertently become a hobby with paid gigs this past year. Working as Christine Tremoulet’s permanent assistant photographer, I shot almost 20 weddings this year with her. I also shot various freelance portrait sessions and set up my own presence as EMG Images. Please check it out to see my portfolio & contact me for any of your photography needs! I of course continue to shoot artistically in my spare time, exploring new projects & new corners of the city. You can find my latest personal photography at www.flickr.com/photos/cybertoad.

Please stay in touch! Elaine, Kenny – Ginger & Pascal

The past few weeks have been busy as the holiday approaches! We’ve been busy with various events, big & small but the two more notable have been the snow that fell in Houston on December 10th and my birthday on the 13th (which included our annual holiday party).

The “blizzard” we had was shirt-lived but fun! Some areas of Houston got more snow than others and it did not stick so it was gone within hours but you can see how our yard looked (click for larger pics)…

I spent over an hour wrapped up in housepants, a sweatshirt, my wool coat & a warm scarf taking pictures of my miniature people in the snow. I had so much fun although I did have to come in a couple of times & warm myself up by the fire. Below are my favorites:

Then I celebrated my 35th birthday on the 13th by hosting our annual Holiday/Birthday Party at our home! It was wonderful to see everyone and Kate made me a beautiful cake featuring my tiny people! Thanks to everyone who ventured OTL (Outside the Loop). You guys make growing another year older more bearable.

As you know, I am extremely active on Twitter & have become more active on Facebook. Twitter works with my short attention span & Facebook, well, I have no excuse.

Twitter, despite being essentially a public 24-7 chatroom, actually attracts a ton of social people and I think my soical calendar is a perfect example of just how active these Twitterites are! Sheesh! I can’t keep up!

Now local businesses have joined the bandwagon - like The Coffee Groundz which has become the unoffical Twitter hangout. It was the place to be this past weekend, that’s for sure!

On Friday we had our last Tiara Happy Hour of the year which, combined with the monthly Geek Gathering, was a huge success.

The Twitter party continued Sunday, once again at The Coffee Groundz. It was kid-friendly, pet-friendly and tons of fun. They had belly dancers and a DJ… the patio was rocking all afternoon! My puppy Pascal had fun despite being a bit cold - I often found him in the arms of friends being kept warm. I kept warm with a hot totty.

It was a very enjoyable weekend with many new and old friends!