Super Nerd

'Relator'

-Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johanson (yes the actress)

I would like y'all to know that I have not forgotten that I am supposed to be putting a vlog (video blog) on here and yes I am editing it and it will be up this weekend. But you know what I have to talk about stuff and I am not waiting to post the video.

So I did not attend this years Comic Con gathering in San Diego, but darn be toot'n I will get to one day yet (shaking my fist in the air.) Anyways I have seen a trailer for the new version of the classic TRON. Except this time it is called TRON LEGACY, all I can say is that the nerd in me is EXCITED once I saw the trailer.

Click Me to See!

Another great thing is that it will be in 3-D!!! That is right I said 3-D. Which brings me to my happiness that they upgraded the 3-D technology and now it is not those cheap red/blue glasses. They look like these: (yes this is me modeling the new 3-D look)

Sometimes I wear them and walk around the house when I am bored. It's amazing that 3-D today means you can eat the object too!

Whelp other than the nerdiness that is Gawdun things are going well. A friend of mine is moving to Athens, Ga next week to begin a Phd course, I get to see Lake Tahoe after a loooonnnnnggggg 3 year drought next week (let us not forget that I am going to swim in that 55 degree water too! Darn toot'n I AM), I fly to Reno and see everyone and anyone next week, my day job at Ruby Tuesday is still there, and the list goes on. Oh WAIT!!! Roxie, Ruben and I will be attending the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead for the english speakers) at the end of October.

Now as for the photography things are going slow going. Networking is tricky and fun at the same time. However I am glad that I have business cards now as it is making things easier. A website is on the horizon too! I'm also working on a scheme to get my photo's and name out there in the world public and it all came from some inspiration.

Whelp I must scoot down the road, I have the weekly Friday double upon me and want to sleep before hand.

'Wait'

-Alexi Murdoch

-Gawdun

Great Session

My biggest downside the the whole internet experience is my love of the photo world. I have a friend who stalks photo sites and collects them like they are little trinkets, don't worry I think it's awesome. I on the other hand use the sites as a learning pattern to inspire and bring to mind the things I can do with my photography. Heck that is how I learned the better technique of fireworks. ANYWAYS... sometimes I stumble onto a site that links to great photo's and I think I found one of my new favorite photo sessions.

I guess this session was shot at a handicap child school. Here are the rest... Yamini Foundation for the Mentally Challenged

I wont lie, my biggest dream is to travel and photograph India. All that color, life, and culture.

PS. My next post will be a video one for sure. My group had an 'encounter' at the concert we attended Friday and it is a hoot.

-Gawdun

My Business Cards!!!!

'Filthy Gorgeous'

-Scissor Sisters

Ok I couldn't end the night on my last post's foot. Here is some happy times stuff.

I wanted to post this somewhere but felt that it wasn't professional to post this on my photography blog site so here they are. I have searched high and low on the net for the best business cards that display my talent. Well I listen to this photographer from the Europe and on day on his daily photo podcast he was talking about sharing your images. Well he mentioned this website that makes custom business cards with your images on them. Moo.com it is. I checked it out ordered my 10 free samples and knew I found my printer. Now they weren't cheap by any means but they thinkness and durability is something else. I am sure they will last being dunked in water and rainstorms. I am not joking I actually had someone I had giving me their opinion to order or not and he said that if I handed him one of these that just by the feel he would stop and check it out and not just toss it with the "rest of the cards."

I ended up ordering 200 with up to 50 different images (each image is shown 4 times) and have already started giving them out and posting them. Here is the sample for y'all.

I am not sure how to use the scanner attached to my printer so this shows the back side of the card with my info. (just the top left corner is the actual card. Cropping distorted the image.)

Here is the actual fronts of my cards. Displaying photo's from weddings, to scenery and all the rest.

I am just darn tootn excited about these! I actually feel that this is gonna be a great adventure that is on the way up with a few bumps as me the captain climbs to 32,000 feet. Ok, Maybe not that high ;-D

'Public Affair'

-Jessica Simpson (yes it is true, she has snuck into my iTunes playlist)

-Gawdun

The Complaint of Liars

'Mama Said Knock You Out'

-LL Cool J

I have this addiction to that song from above. No clue why, well let's be honest I'm all up in your face so, "don't call it a comeback I been here for years!"

Now that that's out of my system.

I found a compliant at work that was from a guest of mine. The short version of the story is the customer lied and shortened the truth because they were mad we didn't have clam chowder and I wasn't at there beck and call due to the fact that I had other tables. I could say alot of mean things but I will hold back, and be the bigger person. I have decided though that some people are just gonna be rude and insane. Thus I doubt I will ever work in a restaurant ever again. Too much to handle dealing with people when they just don't care about other people. I'd rather do volunteer work any day compared to this. ALAS I am grateful that I have work when some don't.

*grumble grumble

'730 Days'

-PuSHBoX (local band from Reno that kicks all music booty, check them out on myspace)

-Gawdun

Jennifer Sauls Says

1. When you are born with a last name like mine, "Gawdun" you hear a lot of nick names. OK let's be honest growing up nobody gave me cool names. That changed once I went on a mission. Thank goodness for people like Jennifer and James Sauls. They gave me most of the nicknames I felt should have been thought of earlier, too bad most people aren't as clever as they lead on. Gadon't, Gadooner, Gadundee (created by Leslie and Melissa.) There to name a few. Sorry to those who feel that they originated them names but that was all DURING the mission, you had your chance and good luck creating any to stick and be better than them.

2. As an artist I feel that the best way to express myself is through my hair. It is an art pallet waiting to be funkified. The days of Gawdun's hair have changed and still do. I would love to get into people's heads and see what they are saying when I arrive with new hair. I might hear something like this... "weirdly metrosexual hair highlights." And then to those who think it is weird get over it at least I haven't put tattoos on or piercing.

3. I have this thing for ties that started beyond the mission. I don't like the average ones either. I have a collection of the classic knit square bottom ties. That is right the same ones that happen to be in season. Well that is just a taste of the ugly tie love that I have. I have another that reminds me of Tootsie Rolls in winter, of course I have the couch looking ties. Oh and they aren't just subtle looks, they are up in your face bright as heck ties. I'm positive that my future wife will attempt to get rid of all my ties ( I have close to 300 I think) but then she best not try.

4. And if not the ties and hair aren't enough I have the funky squared glasses to go with it. Funny story about the ones I had before I got my current ones in Tifton. I was upgrading from the round framed glasses that gave me the Harry Potter look. When I was trying on new pairs the lady there said instead of taking pictures of myself and sending to a friend to help me decide she would assist me. The pair I ultimately choose she said they made me look like a newspaper reporter. I could see myself taking pictures and typing articles on one of the old school typewriters. I purchased and here we are today with the current square frames. It is time to upgrade so I am up to ideas and suggestions.

5. I would always hear about temple trips and how fun they were back in Reno. Well that came true for me when I made my way up to the Atlanta Temple with, at the time, Sister Leslie Orme and Sister Melissa Nickel, my companion Elder White and the most awesome people to travel to Temples with... The Sauls! I can't give all the details due to homeland security issues and protecting the mob but let's just say that there was one of the most spiritual Temple sessions, and then there was dun dun dunnnnnnn IKEA! I am still surprised that the Sauls were able to still fit us in the van after they fit their 2 shopping carts plum full of Ikea goods. Oh how that became a memory to never go away. Thanks Jennifer and James!

And there you have it, 5 topics given to me to expound upon. That Jennifer Sauls was brilliant to think of this posting game ;-)

-Gawdun

Havarti Cheese, Revisited

Tonight I had the privilege of seeing the new Harry Potter film. I really enjoyed it. It almost makes me want to pick up the books and actually read them, who am I kidding I said that before my mission and that was 2.5, or so, years ago. Anyways one of the best things happened whilst I was there in the snack line.

If you recall back to May and an entry called... 'Ill Show You My Havarti' you may remember the incident that happened when a guest put cheese in his closed check book and a crummy tip. If not click the link and read up before you continue... So I'm standing there in the line to get a soda when I see this girl that looks real familiar to me. Normally it takes me a moment of going through my mental Rolodex sifting through the faces of people I have met. NOT THIS TIME. I remembered her right away and immediately looked for the boyfriend that 'wanted the cheese even though he didn't order it.' Oh he was there. I felt such power of revenge come over me. Man Alive I was ready to trip them or something. They were only 2 people in front of me. I wanted to spill my soda all over them, in fact that scripture that says 'if you thought it you have done it' came true tonight times 3! All I could do was call a fellow friend, Amy, and report on the news. I ended up letting them go but man I wanted so badly to 'accidentally' knock the popcorn on the floor. The best form of revenge came in my mind when I imagined buying Nachos, (with jalapenos) and dumping the cheese on them. I mean all I got to say is what the great Madea played by Tyler Perry says...

"If somebody do something to you your supposed to do something to them. That's what the Bible says. The Bible say in 2nd Deuteronimo the book of Jericho that the eye for the tooth and the tooth for the people and everybody that got the eye you punch em in it."

(Don't worry I didn't)

Needless to say this town is toooo small yet I am enjoying alllllll the mean/bad/horrible guests I have had to serve that I keep running into them. And yes I try and make my presence known to them and that I remember them....

Man I sound like mean person! All I got to say is...

"I'm gonna cut chu!" LOL

-Gawdun

"We Are the Dancers"

Even when I saw this premier on SNL back in November I LMBO'd (that was a shout out to Amy, lol). I am glad I found a copy of this video on the web. Enjoy cause one day NBC may ask the owner of this video to remove it from the web. Anyways prepare to LAUGH!

-Gawdun

As the Little Kiddies Say...OMG!!

No explanation other than these are funny!

-Gawdun

The 4th

So I was unaware of the new "Sarah Palin" news that went on over this weekend and I have already been told I am slacking on my social commentary. I would like you all to know I will touch on that subject I need to read up and watch up on it as I was deaf to this whole news, what with watching the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Tour de France. Until then here are some snap shots of my first attempt at fireworks. Ok that is a lie a few years ago I took some firework shots but they turned out lame-o. So here are some "quality shots."

But please don't forget to come back on my thoughts on 'Lady Palin.' (That is my name for her and the Palin legacy)

These last two photo's were of some people standing near by using sparklers and thought I'd immortalize them on my blog.

-Gawdun

My Death Cab Obsession

So by far my favorite band is Death Cab For Cutie! I'm pretty sure I have most of there albums. Well I was on there website and found out they are playing in Reno again. The last time I saw them we a few months before my mission and I would love to see them again. Too bad they couldn't just wait till I get to Reno in August. Anyways I found this video for one of there new songs, 'Little Bribes.' Check it out. I am amazed and have gotten some creative photo shoot ideas from it.

Embrace and love the Death Cab and enjoy ;-)

Death Cab for Cutie - Little Bribes from Ross Ching on Vimeo.

-Gawdun