Another year down. So what has happened? Well the earth shook.

The biggest thing in my life this year was the addition of Epiphany(Virginia) and Joy to my household. They moved up here to DC with me. Still adjusting to everything, but it has been fun so far. We’ve seen a lot of the museums and went to the zoo. I’ve taken a lot of pictures of Joy. I’ve got a lot up on my flickr site.
Here’s a slideshow of a trip to the park with Joy in her Christmas hat.

Work has been good. Learned more about journalism. Got a lot better with Adobe Premiere. Got a chance to do some walking workshops for photography, worked on my Journalism Workshops website, wrote up some workshop guides for photography and audio production, and got more into social media, up to 300 twitter followers, tumblr blogs for personal, journalism, and technology in the classroom.

Creatively it was an off year for personal projects. Did some photography, shot a few projects and did a couple of animation projects, but I expect more out of myself.

It’s been a year since I got back in the states. It was a good year. I worked with good people, good students and I learned a lot.

I am just finishing up moving right now. I am staying in the same building, but moving to a different apartment. I am hoping to save money by renting a two bedroom and getting a roommate. Now I just need to find a roommate.

Earth Quakes and Hurricanes oh my!

Tuesday was my first experience with an earthquake. Started with a rumble like a big truck going by, then everything started to roll. No big damage but it was a weird experience. Everyone flooded outside. Here’s a pic:

Saturday was hurricane Irene. Went through DC with wind and rain. I was prepared for power outage, but nothing happened here. All is good in the area today. Looks like a lot of damage done in New England. Hope it turns out well for them.

Well, the year has begun. I usually spend some time thinking about what I am going to be doing in the coming year. Haven’t made that list yet, but I’ve been enjoying the year so far.

Spent the first weekend with my friend Tim from Doha. He lived in DC for a while, so he showed me around a couple of places. It was really good to see him and get a chance to hang out with him for some time.

Work started off with a new batch of students. They are undergrads. They seem like good kids, very bright, and enthused. They are already doing good work. I spent some more time at the Capital building. Nice place.

Met a few new friends. Did some drinking. Watched some football this weekend. Rested up, I think I’m coming down with a sore throat and cold.

Looking forward to week two.

2010 was a year of changes. I started off in Doha, tried to get a job in Chicago, but wound up in DC.

I visited North Carolina for the first time. In June I got a chance to visit Joy in Asheville. It was a good trip. I enjoyed the city and it was great to see Joy.

Work was great in Doha. Now I’m in DC. Another good job, and I’m learning a lot about working in a news room.

Creatively it was a good year. I learned a lot more about video production and photography. I got a chance to take a workshop with Zach Arias. He was an amazing teacher. If you get a chance to learn from him, take that opportunity.

I finished up a year of poetry. 365 projects are really difficult. Not sure I would want to do another. It is great to have something pushing daily creativity, but sometimes it just becomes a chore.

Jon Stewart’s rally inspired me to start a new website. It is called, You Go Then I’ll Go. (yougothenillgo.com) The US has gotten a lot more polarized since I left a couple of years ago. I don’t believe that opposition without compromise solves problems, so I thought I’d highlight some of the middle ground. People trying to get things done. These are the ones that should be heralded.

Well things have changed quickly. I am now working at Northwestern’s Medill school in Washington, D.C. It was a sudden move without much time to prepare, but I am loving it so far. I liked working in Doha, but it was time for me to move on from there.

Here are my thoughts so far:

So much green. The ride from the airport was so green I could feel the difference in the world. I knew I was missing trees, but didn’t know how much I would like seeing them again.

All the buildings are the same size. Because of the height restrictions in Washington, all the buildings are the same height. So, even though this is a large city, it doesn’t have the tallness that I usually associate with Chicago and New York. I am not sure what to think of this. I like the differences that you see in varied height buildings. All the buildings seem to have the same style. The only difference is that there are a lot of beautiful monuments.

Five Guys is the best burger place in the world. I’ve been in town only a week, but have already eaten there 4 or 5 times. It is greasy as hell, but I love it.

Rent is too expensive. It was rough finding a place that I could afford and was also close to the metro. It seems like rent is doubled if it is within walking distance of the subway. I am saving money by not having a car so that is good. I’ll probably still have to find some freelance work to keep things afloat.

It is the start of a new month and my life is getting a fresh start here in Doha. I just moved into a new apartment. It is a lot smaller than my old place, but it is nicer. I’ve got boxes everywhere, and I’m not quite sure how I am going to arrange everything. I don’t really like moving, but I am taking it as a time to make some changes in the rest of my life also.

I have lived a pretty dull life while over here, but I think that after two years it is time to change it up. I am planning on getting a little more settled in this place. I need a good comfortable chair, a computer desk, and maybe some bar stools for people to sit by the kitchen counter. I am getting organized and hopefully will get more done. I will be working on some creative projects. Writing, Photography, Web, and maybe some Film Making. The money is nice over here, but I need to keep up with the creative side in order to be happier.

I also need to get healthier. Eat good food. Exercise. And do all that good stuff.

It has been a good couple of years over here, but let’s see if I can make it even better.
Happy August!

I got a chance to visit Asheville. It is such a great town, but most important was that I got to see Joy. Here are some pictures.

Went to Dubai for a week earlier this month. I was there for Gulf Photo Plus. It was a great week full of good workshops. I got a chance to work on some HDR stuff with David Nightingale. I really like his less over the top philosophy of HDR work. Also did a portrait retouching workshop with him. It was nice to get a few techniques for retouching. I also got to see how someone handles a mixture of experience in one class. There were some people who had never used Photoshop and others who were very good with it. I worry about teaching groups that are that mixed.

The last part of the week was spent with Zack Arias for an On Location workshop. Big fan of this guys work. He works a lot with musicians out of his Atlanta studio. That would be a good time. He is an example of what I like about photography, someone who knows his stuff technically so that he can pull off his creative vision. It is hard to find tech and creative, but I think Zack is great.

I picked up a couple of DVD workshops while I was at the conference so that I could continue my education beyond the week. Zack Arias’ One Light DVD is a great resource. I have already learned a lot from it. Not really impressed with the video quality, but the information is good.

You can see some of the photos that I took over the week on my photography site (photography.brianparis.com)