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Waiting for Spring

Scott Rowe — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 03:19:34 +0000

Camera: Canon T2i
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/25
Aperture: f/6.3
Lens: Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Focal Length: 135mm

Trapped

Scott Rowe — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:49:14 +0000

Camera: Canon T2i
ISO: 100
Exposure: .04
Aperture: f/6.3
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 MkII
Focal Length: 50mm

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Stars and Stripes

Scott Rowe — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:23:26 +0000

Camera: Canon T2i
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/5
Aperture: f/36
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Focal Length: 55mm

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Can we just be genuine?

Scott Rowe — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:21:10 +0000

Honesty is one of the most important cornerstones of our personal lives and professional relationships. Why is it then so hard for people to be honest and open about their opinions and emotions? Do we fear that if we allow ourselves to be genuine that we will be seen as imperfect or a sham? People spend tremendous amounts of time, money and emotional effort in trying to be something that in their hearts they know is not genuine.

Why not then take a step back and think. If you had the choice of having a personal or professional relationship with someone who you knew was constantly posturing, using complicated industry terms, fancy jewelry and an overpriced car to create a façade, or someone who is comfortable being themselves, which would you choose? Truth is truth and reality is just that. I for one would much rather know someone for who they truly are deep down in their soul. We are all flawed beings with plenty of scars and imperfections. That’s what makes us such an amazing species.

I hope we can all strive to be more honest and genuine in our lives. Ultimately we will be much happier in that those who we ultimately retain relationships with are the people who truly care for us and want to connect with us in a meaningful way.

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Facebook Like Button Fail

Scott Rowe — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:31:29 +0000

It seems like everyday I see another site with the Facebook Like button implemented in it. While I think it is a brilliant move on the part of Facebook and a good idea for content creators to add, there are times when things just don’t work out right.

Today I was browsing the web and ran across an article on the passing of George Steinbrenner. It is of course sad to hear of anyones passing especially someone who has affected so many people. What I found a bit disturbing however was the Facebook Like button. “3,423 people like this. Be the first of your friends.” Now this wording is fine if the article is about a cool new mobile device or ice cream special but not about someone dying. Perhaps Facebook needs to develop an algorithm that can determine if the article is of a positive or negative nature and adjust the copy accordingly.

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Scott’s Salsa

Scott Rowe — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:56:27 +0000

I have created a salsa recipe that has become a favorite of mine and requested regularly by my family and friends. In order to allow everyone to enjoy it as much as I have, I have decided to share it with everyone. It is simple to make yet absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1 (12 1/2 ounce) can of Ro*tel tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 yellow onion
1 sprig of fresh cilantro (adjust to your liking)
4 TSP diced jalapenos
1/2 TSP garlic powder
1/2 TSP cumin
1/4 TSP sugar

Directions

Put yellow onion in food processor and run until diced
Add remaining ingredients and run until desired consistency
Refrigerate a few hours to allow the flavors to blend together

You can of course serve this with any kind of corn chip but my favorite brand is Xochitl. If you try my recipe please let me know what you think.

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It’s a long Trek

Scott Rowe — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:03:10 +0000

Over the past few months I have been thinking about getting back into exercising regularly. I used to workout 6 days a week and eat 6 meals a day. I was in the best shape of my life in my early thirties. Then my son was born and I have had a huge problem getting back in the groove.

One of the reasons is that I have become bored with my old workout routines and just didn’t feel motivated. I ran a lot last year and even ran in the Market to Market Relay. The race was quite honestly the hardest physical challenge I have ever done in my life but was exhilarating. Surprisingly I have had a hard time getting motivated to run again so I have been thinking of alternatives that would get me back outside where I would rather be. Looking at the basement walls gets a bit boring.

Almost on a whim I decided to go shopping for bikes to see what was available for a beginner. Sure I rode bikes a lot as a child but it has been about 14 years since I had ridden a bicycle regularly. I stopped by The Bike Rack to see what they had available. I was surprised to see that they were selling 2009 Trek 820s for a very reasonable rate. They were only slightly more expensive than Schwinn bikes at being sold at Target. I decided to make the leap and buy the bike along with a helmet. This is a pretty odd thing for me. I usually do a large amount of research before making a purchase of a few hundred dollars.

Since I brought the bike home I have had some great rides. It feels great to get out on the road and feel the wind in your face. Most of us spend so much time indoors either at work or at home that we almost forget just how beautiful and refreshing the outdoors truly are. Although rides can be tough, I look forward to each one knowing I can go where I choose and go farther than I would running.

I’m going to cross my fingers and hope my passion for riding continues and that my new Trek 820 helps me to meet my fitness goals yet in 2010. Wish me luck!

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Take me back to Breckenridge

Scott Rowe — Tue, 25 May 2010 02:25:32 +0000

Yesterday we got back from Breckenridge, CO and we had a great time. It was odd going in the off off season since a lot of the restaurants and shops were closed. But on the plus side the town was really quiet and relaxing. We stayed in a beautiful condo located in Trail’s End. The owners had recently remodeled the unit and the granite countertops and HDTV were nice even though we watched very little TV. Why would we? Our condo balcony looked right at the side of the mountain. You just don’t get that kind of view in Omaha, NE.

Unfortunately it was the wet season so we were advised to stay clear of the trails. We did however go over the continental divide via Loveland Pass. The wind was incredible and we could feel the car rocking while sitting still. We also stopped to take a short hike and see an amazing view of lake Dillon.

Since we were on vacation we of course ate out a lot. Here is a list of places we visited while in Breckenridge.

Downstairs at Eric’s
They had a really cool motif and friendly staff. The garlic crust was awesome!

Euro Deli
The woman running the restaurant was friendly but you could tell that one person running an entire place was pretty tough. There was a bit of a wait but the bread made it all worth while.

Fiesta Jalisco
As far as Mexican food in Colorado goes it wasn’t bad. The salsa was pretty authentic although the food had little spice. The Tecate with lime made everything go down nice and smooth.

Breckenridge Brewery
I was really looking forward to eating here. I absolutely love a good brew pub and more importantly fresh beer. The food was good and the ale was excellent.

All in all I have nothing but positive things to say about our time in Breckenridge. I was quite honestly sad to leave. The free spirit you feel while there makes you long to return. We are already considering setting up a trip for this winter so we can hit the slopes. After all it’s only been about 14 years since I’ve skied there.

Photo taken with my iPhone and edited with TiltShiftGen

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Meeting Bliss

Scott Rowe — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:57:54 +0000

This is perhaps the best meeting reminder I have ever received. See you all in a few days.

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Is the iPhone ready for the family vacation?

Scott Rowe — Wed, 19 May 2010 02:46:42 +0000

In a couple of days I will be leaving town for a short vacation. I normally take two cameras on a trip so I can get stills and video for later editing and publishing. Since I bought my Canon 790 IS, my poor Digital Rebel and Sony Camcorder have found themselves left out. I absolutely love my SLR but for shear portability nothing can beat a point and shoot camera. And since my Canon 790 IS can also shoot video it is a one-stop shop for simple photography. Obviously my Digital Rebel takes superior photographs and who doesn’t love controlling the depth of field. But the 790 actually takes pretty good video when compared to my Sony mini dv camcorder. So I just pack up a set of 4GB SD cards and go.

All of this got me thinking about a single device for everything. I absolutely love my iPhone and don’t go anywhere without it. I use it for email, photos, social networking, gaming, news browsing, music streaming, instant messaging, etc, etc, etc. It is amazing just how many things the device can do.

While photography and video aren’t exactly the devices strong points it, it got me thinking about whether or not I could just document my entire trip using the device while on my trip. Unless my wife gets really annoyed with me during the trip here are the apps I am planning on using to take photos, video, and blog about my vacation while on the road.

Camera (Shooting Photos)
TiltShiftGen (Photo Manipulation)
CameraFD (Photo Enhancement)
Flickr
Quik Video Pro (Shooting Videos)
WordPress (Posting to this blog)
foursquare (Checking into places we visit)
HootSuite (Posting to Twitter and Facebook)

Of course I may just give up after the first day but I am truly intrigued to see how well I can document everything while on the go. Wish me luck!

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