boys

So there I was with my esteemed friend and colleague, Colleen Wheeler. We were on foot, en route to a wine bar along one of Ventura, California's lovely beaches, on the other side of the scenic interstate 101 from where I had parked my car. After passing a "No Pedestrians Allowed" sign---at which I thought, don't call me a pedestrian you racist!---we were unexpectedly confronted by a busy and treacherous highway exit ramp. (Hello, State of California, walking people and exit ramps don't go together!) There is no stop light, which means the rapidly exiting automobiles are permitted to slam into the dainty endoskeletons of unsuspecting bipeds at full speed. So we did the only thing sensible: We scurried across the exit ramp like daring road-kill squirrels.

As we enjoyed our wine (yes we survived), Colleen thought it would be fun to show me every photo she had ever taken on her iPhone. Which added up to about 700. And much as you love someone, reviewing that person's photo album makes you a bit catatonic. And so as my eyes fluttered, I had this ill-formed thought that I had photos on my iPhone, too, and I should, there was that one, right, which? So I felt my right-side pocket, and then the other one, and my jacket, and, hold the phone, no iPhone!

I explained my lack of phone to Colleen. She called my number and it went right to v-mail. We retraced our steps. I saw something that looked like a flat pack of cigarettes in the exit ramp. I watched it get run over once, then twice. I squirrel-scurried in, scooped it up, and sure enough, it was my iPhone.

The phone was face down, its back marred by multiple tire tracks. I turned it over and this was what I saw. (Click the graphic for a high-res image that you can use, free of charge, for any of your cracked glass compositions.)

The phone was, and is forever more, dead. Read more » 

Well, kids, I recently returned from an extended trip to Orlando. And it was every bit as magical (you pick your variety) as you would imagine. I mixed it my two sons, my ex (mother of my sons), and the Photoshop World conference, not to mention the heat, humidity, and monsoon-style rain that is the central Florida. We loved it, we hated it. We celebrated, we cursed. Here's a snapshot from one of the sunny days, featuring my wicked-smart highly social eldest son, Max, on the right, and my wicked-tough circumspect youngest son, Sam, on the left. Two more different boys you could not meet. And yet, they both chose to adorn themselves in goofy sunglasses and ball caps. Gosh, I love them.

In reflecting on the eight days of pure Disneyness, I'm not sure I have much of a story to tell. Not one that hasn't been told before, anyway. There were huge crowds, long lines, and short rides. We spent a lot of energy grabbing food, drink, and "fast pass" tickets. And whenever I spoke with a Disney "cast member," each and every hireling ended our discussion with that excellent catchphrase, "Have a magical day!" Which, despite the amazing sincerity with which the words were delivered, did nothing to heighten the #magic of the crowds, lines, and short rides.

Do I sound Grumpy? Perish the thought! We had an exemplary time. Read more » 

A few of you may have noticed that I've been inexplicably missing the last few days. In part, that's because my sensational team and I have been working late into the night getting Adobe Photoshop CS5 One-on-One (the book) to press. It boasts a revamped outline, gobs of new sample files and exercises, and just shy of 5 hours of video (4 hours and 50 minutes to be exact). Colleen, my industrious editor on these projects, will provide more details on Monday.

Meanwhile, when not working on the book, I've been altogether preoccupied with my personal life. Specifically---and very much in keeping with Father's Day---the one involving my powerful sons, Max and Sam. Saturday, for example, the two engaged in a swim meet. (Swimming was the only sport I lettered in, so the apples remain close to the tree.) My contribution was to cheer them on and draw Marks Of The Warriors on their backs, as pictured below. That's Max on the left and Sam on the right.

CGI: 0. Sharpie and freehand fumbling: 100. Read more » 

My goodness, I had a good time this week. While the dekeOnline version of me was pimping GridIron Flow (which I quite rightfully love) and celebrating the latest and last dekePod (now officially undead), I was secretly enjoying a few days offline with my young and fabulous boys. During which we immersed ourselves in two of my local area's finest, the Denver Zoo and the Butterfly Pavilion.

I mention this for two reasons. First, I suffer a largely unrequited passion for nature photography. Second, I engaged in the rare exercise of that very passion this week with an Olympus E-30, one of the most responsive cameras I've had the pleasure to use. Witness the cropped sample below. Click on it for the wide shot; zoom in to check out the amazing spiraling proboscis on that sucker.

Read more »