http://www.jasontopia.com by jason niedle Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:36:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As the regular blog readers might know, when blues guitarist Eric Sardinas comes to town I sound like a little fanboy and rave about his "sold his soul to the devil" guitar-playing abilities. Today (29 June 2008) he was at the Irvine Lake Blues Festival. Only 15 minutes from Tustin ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/06/29/eric-sardinas-again/ Saw this quote today. Don't know who the guys is, but love it anyway. "I'm kind of jealous of the life I'm supposedly leading."- Zach Braff http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/06/26/quote-of-the/ So, today I "served" my civic duty, jury duty. (I say "served" in quotes because I didn't actually get chosen for a jury, but I did finish my obligation.) Anyone who heard I was going wondered why I hadn't found some excuse to postpone. I do believe it's an obligation ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/06/23/jury-duty/ (written in Rocky Point Mexico on about Sunday, June 1st ... and just now getting posted) After catching a dozen or so fish in the Sea of Cortez, I usually feel like eating a great lunch, then reading a book until I fall into a nap. So that's exactly what I ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/06/14/trigger-fish-glowing-water-and-the-why/ Have you ever had those times when no matter what you did, it just wasn't meant to be? I was determined to watch the Lakers vs Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals tonight. But I was supposed to do some consulting. Consulting gets cancelled ... perfect! But then dinner ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/06/13/it-just-wasnt-meant-to-be/ (A few hours from Saturday, May 31 at a business retreat in Rocky Point -- at the top of the Sea of Cortez) The fresh-cooked enchiladas are followed by a rousing game of Jenga (surprisingly fun, especially with a few modifications). We realize that with no moon and no major cities ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/06/03/rocky-point-mexico/ As if we really had a downtown ... and as if it were here ... Here are just a few new shots of the Santa Ana Water Tower (sounds exciting, huh!?!?) as well as the Santiago Street Lofts (in Orange County, California). http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/05/26/downtown-orange-county/ May 22, 2008 - Three days ago it was 104 degrees as I commuted to a project near Moreno Valley in Southern California. Today I left Santa Ana in the midst of a near flash flood. The rain was coming down so hard I had to turn around at Tustin ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/05/22/california-snow-in-may/ At last, I finally have a conspiracy theory of my own ... and it's TRUE! I can prove it. Secretly the designers of the iPhone clearly hate certain locales. One of these locales -- albeit deservedly so -- is Hemet, California. For instance, try to type Hemet in a text message. ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/05/14/the-great-iphone-conspiracy/ It's really easy to take good pictures of my nephew Branson, he's soooo cute. Here are a couple from Mother's Day (May 14, 2008): But it would also be easy (actually, easier) to mess up these shots. My mom (shown with Branson in the next picture) asked me what it is ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/05/14/the-secret-trick-of-all-good-photographers/ "Of the liberty of conscience in matters of religious faith, of speech and of the press; of the trial by jury of the vicinage in civil and criminal cases; of the benefit of the writ of habeas corpus; of the right to keep and bear arms... If these rights are ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/05/12/freedom/ It was one of those random nights. Arrive at Leatherby's Rouge Cafe at the new Segerstrom Center. Beautiful place. Think you know the front desk girl. Realize you DO know the front desk girl. Realize you have pictures of her on your phone because 2 years ago you photographed her, then ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/05/08/merryvale-winery/ ...then here is your astrological forecast for 2008-2009 Born May 1 Relationships stabilize and take on new meaning for you this year. Some decidedly romantic and growth-oriented experiences are in store. It's a strong year for organizing your finances. Opportunities to advance in your career come with a positive attitude and enterprising ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/05/01/if-today-is-your-birthday/ I thought I'd take a late night walk and play with the camera for a few minutes. I got lucky and a train was going by (well, I had to run and barely caught the tail end of it) and got this 30 second exposure of Santa Ana Blvd. I'll ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/04/30/a-late-night-walk/ Chris from the OC Art Blog did a video of our recent Art Walk ... if you heard about it and came (or thought about coming) you might find this interesting. The Art Walks are every third Saturday from about 7pm until 10pm at the intersection of Santa Ana Blvd ... http://www.jasontopia.com/2008/04/29/art-walk/