Maybe it the Santa Claus look-alike behind me … in my personal space and touching my underwear. Or maybe it was the clearly mentally challenged guy in front of me who pulled a wad of Benjamins out of his pocket that had to be at least $2000. Or maybe it was the guy behind Santa, with a scrolly tattoo that went from his sideburns, down the side of his face, across his chin, creating a beard-tattoo unlike any I’d ever seen. I know it wasn’t the really hot girl, because clearly she didn’t belong. But whatever it was … something … something was making me very uncomfortable.

Of course, it could’ve been the fact that it was 2:15 am, and I was in Hemet’s very own Walmart, buying clothes so that I could stay in a hotel that was also hosting all the fighters from KOTC (King of the Cage) in order to return to my consulting project in a mere 6 hours. Yes, that was certainly it.

I have a tip for those aspiring writers among my loyal readers… Get a job.

Okay, bad joke. Just go find a 24-hour Walmart. Go there at odd hours. You will have plenty of stories. Trust me.

Okay, the article on “How to Edit a Photo 300 Style” (how Photoshop How To for creating effects from 300 the Movie) is still getting a lot of looks … so as a reminder it’s here:

300 Photoshop Talk

Above is a glimpse of today’s photoshoot with the fantastic Madrid. See more new pix from today’s shoot — and Easter pix — at:

f8 recent photos

Wow… I can’t believe that I didn’t write about my Arizona weekend. I always thought that AZ was for old people… maybe because the only times I went there were to visit my grandparents. Driving for 6 hours in the heat of the desert to go to a concrete junge somehow left me with an impression of the place that wasn’t so good.

Buy my friends Corinne and Matt were kind enough to host me for a very fun weekend there about 3 weeks back. We hit pretty much ALL the Scottsdale clubs, went to an art festival, saw my good, long-lost friend Matt, went to a concert with OAR, The Fray and Lit, and saw the botanical gardens filled with butterflies. All I can say is WOW … Arizona isn’t what I remembered it to be!

Arizona Gallery

Our new short run calendar has officially launched … I’m excited! This is — as far as I know — a first at this price-point in the industry, and opens up a whole new world of opportunities for people who’ve always wanted a calendar.

Photopreneur Blog

Short Run Calendar Site

Last week I went and saw the hard-edged musicial Eric Sardinas play. Here’s a link to a quick clip of him … pretty mellow here, but you can get an idea:

Sardinas Clip

So I was writing a friend of mine about how amazing of a performance it was … here’s what I’d said (edited):

“Anyway, he’s unbelievable. A man who sold his soul to the devil to play guitar as if God himself could play guitar. His music makes me feel the way that I imagine drugs must make some people feel. He makes non-dancers shake their a** like Shakira with a hula-hoop. He’s such a great performer, I feel like I’m watching Stevie Ray Vaughn before he became huge.

During the last song, he’s ripping up these crazy guitar riffs. He jumps off the stage, briefly into the smallish crowd, then starts playing on top of the bar. He’s playing, everyone shifts, and for some reason the lights go down. I think, maybe they don’t want people taking pictures? Or maybe they were trying to turn them up, but messed up? But then, the logic becomes obvious.

The whole bar erupts in flames behind him. There’s a small (maybe 2-3 foot?) little wall of flames from left to right flaming, and people are going crazy. Eric keeps playing, but turns around. Who knows what happens back there, but when he faces the crowd again, HIS GUITAR IS ON FIRE. Intentionally. His freakin’ guitar is burning, the whole back 1/3, and he’s playing this passionate, fast, intense, lyrical, beautiful, hardcore blues, everyone is crazed. I too stood in shock, and by the time I realized I had a camera phone the moment was over. But it was unforgettable nevertheles. Wow.”

Anyway, those are the moments that I live for … those little experiences that make me thankful for how great things can be.