Is it just me or is time flying faster than ever? I can't believe how amazingly quick the past year has gone by. Last year I decided to skip any celebrations in iieu of just time off for peace and quiet. I know El has been disappointed in me being hard headed about having any birthday celebrations, but I just feel weird about getting older now.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
This year I decided (against better judgement) to appease her and go somewhere for the weekend. She had all these grandiose plans of traveling somewhere (flying - too expensive for us right now or driving - I refuse to drive more than three hours in any direction for my birthday) exotic. Instead she planned a nice getaway to a new destination, Jekyll Island.
We've never been, but it was marketed as the old vacation spot for the blue blood rich back in the day of the Rockefellars, Goodyears, etc. Now open to the public it had some very appealing characteristics in addition to its historic relevance. There was a Turtle Rescue Center for the kids, a watermark, biking trails and fishing pier, and Driftwood Beach. This is what sold me mostly.
The island is fairly secluded and is right across the water from St. Simon's Island. The lighthouse, shopping area and photo ops meant a great weekend. it didn't disappoint.
At the crack of dawn we left Charleston on what seemed a very short drive (2 1/2 hours) and arrived in time for lunch at Jekyll Island Club after we checked into our hotel. Since it was still too hot blazing hot for the kids we let them spend some time at the Turtle Rescue Center and then to drive the perimeter of the island to get our bearings.
As the temp went down we headed to Driftwood Beach for the remainder of the day where I got some interesting shots. Not so crowded, despite it being Memorial Weekend and a wedding on the island. By sundown I we showered off for an incredible dinner at Latitude 31. Fresh seafood anyone? Unfortunately, Nico Boy feel asleep literally while eating his fish sticks so we headed back to our hotel, but not before an evening sitting out on the beach to catch the night breeze.
The next morning El disappeared for a couple of hours to walk the beach and do some great early light photography. By the time she arrived I had the kids dressed and ready for breakfast. Since Tropical Storm Beryl was heading for us we timed it just right for a walk on the beach and to do some more photography with the kids. By the time we checked out and over to St. Simons Island the wind had picked up and the sky turned grey. Fortunately, we were able to tour the island more and do some window shopping and more photography.
By Monday, Memorial Day, I was up early again with El to quickly clean the house and get the pork shoulder BBQ'd for the day's festivities with friends, Rya, Todd and Ninang Jen. Menu was simple with the guests bringing various cold fruits and El and I whipping together the Pulled Pork BBQ Sammies, Roasted Corn Salad with Blue Cheese and Cilantro, boiled peanuts, spiked lemonade and homemade Banana Pudding. You know the food is good when Jen says her stomach is about to explode from trying to inhale everything. I gotta admit that damn pulled pork was perfect. It's definitely going on the menu if and when I pull the trigger on the food truck idea.
Aftewards, we headed to the community potluck to hang and socialize with our neighbors. Did I mention what a great weekend it was? It was. Thank you El for your planning and hard work. You made it memorable for me, despite me being a pain in the ass about it! Love you!
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Life ... Not As I Knew It.
While driving to work today El and I were listening to one of the local radio personalities talk about how she hasn't had a proper date since she moved to Charleston over a year ago. She only had one and as luck would have it she didn't have a second with the person. The real issue she explained was that the dating scene has changed so much in recent years. People have short attention spans and have lost a certain ability to socialize in a more appropriate manner. She was blown off by her date explaining he had forgotten the time and date of them meeting for dinner or whatever and could they just meet on a Sunday night instead. She said "hell no" - good for her. As she rambled on about the details and her thoughts on the whole dating scene Eleanor and I discussed how we have heard this same experience from another friend of ours recently.
I have always thought that society's inability to properly interact with one another has been because of the internet and being plugged in too much. Match.com, eHarmony, Facebook, smartphones, iPads, Twitter, LinkedIn. They're all to blame. Everyone has gotten so reliant on these social media networking sites they've forgotten how to actually go out and meet with other people to get to know them. Snap judgements are made based on what you look like on Facebook, what you're credentials are on LinkedIn, what you tweet about. It's terrible. You have to literally put your whole life online now to be judged in a few minutes by a complete stranger.
Recently I submitted a portfolio to an agency by actually printing one and walking my ass there and introducing myself to them. I apologized for my unscheduled visit, but felt compelled to actually introduce myself to them like the good ol' days. Her response? A nice and refreshing touch. WOW.
We put too much emphasis on our online persona we seem to have lost our persona. I've read alot recently about how hard it is to even get a confirmation from anyone hiring that they've even received your resume or portfolio via email. What happened to professional courtesy nowadays? The tell us to be sure to send a thank you email after an interview, but that's only IF you even get that far. For the most part people in the articles complained about how impersonal everything feels now. I couldn't agree more.
I have always thought that society's inability to properly interact with one another has been because of the internet and being plugged in too much. Match.com, eHarmony, Facebook, smartphones, iPads, Twitter, LinkedIn. They're all to blame. Everyone has gotten so reliant on these social media networking sites they've forgotten how to actually go out and meet with other people to get to know them. Snap judgements are made based on what you look like on Facebook, what you're credentials are on LinkedIn, what you tweet about. It's terrible. You have to literally put your whole life online now to be judged in a few minutes by a complete stranger.
Recently I submitted a portfolio to an agency by actually printing one and walking my ass there and introducing myself to them. I apologized for my unscheduled visit, but felt compelled to actually introduce myself to them like the good ol' days. Her response? A nice and refreshing touch. WOW.
We put too much emphasis on our online persona we seem to have lost our persona. I've read alot recently about how hard it is to even get a confirmation from anyone hiring that they've even received your resume or portfolio via email. What happened to professional courtesy nowadays? The tell us to be sure to send a thank you email after an interview, but that's only IF you even get that far. For the most part people in the articles complained about how impersonal everything feels now. I couldn't agree more.
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