Two Months and Counting

The P&P Weekly will be posted tomorrow instead of in its usual Monday slot due to a busy weekend.

Kim was a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding on Saturday so I got to meet a number of people that will be coming to ours. We saw some things that we might consider including in our plans, other things that wouldn't be "us," and had an all-in-all good time.

With the wedding this weekend, we both have been growing more excited about our own which is now exactly two months from today. As the groom got up to speak, he said how he wasn't at all nervous and I can honestly say that I'm not either. I can't wait!

As I wait for DHL to deliver the new laptop - it's out for delivery! - I will leave you with a shot I took on Friday of the tractor from the summer camp I went to as a kid and volunteered and worked at in college. (We're working on a video for them and I was down there last week gathering footage.)

Until then...

Off-Topic

I apologize for this being a little off-topic but, if you want to be technical about it, this is a photo so...

Kim and I have been deep into planning for our upcoming wedding (October 13th!) and each time a detail is figured out or another element is taken care of we find ourselves filled with more excitement.

Kim got her dress a couple of weeks ago, I was measured for my tux the other day, we're in the process of registering (through a cool site called http://www.idofoundation.org/ which partners with stores to donate a percentage of the proceeds to a charity of our choice - we're leaning towards Doctors Without Borders), we met with my friend Meredith who will be officiating, and we've just ordered our wedding rings (above). We wanted something unique and different and that would fit well with her engagement ring.

There's still a lot of little (and not so little) details to work out but I feel pretty good about where we are with everything. As much as I am excited about "The Day" I am even more overjoyed by the fact that I'll be married to such a wonderful woman.

I'm Back!

It's been a whirlwind week here at Soup Questions HQ. On the Photoshop & Photography side, I just got back from Photoshop World in Boston where I learned a lot, I laughed a lot, and I got to meet a few of the blogroll members including Scott Kelby, Dave Cross, Matt Kloskowski, John Nack and a number of other Photoshop users from around the world - I bowled a few games with a guy from Belgium at the After Hours Party at Jillian's.

I'm still getting used to my new camera - the weight of the vertical grip made it difficult to get steady handheld shots - and I'm definitely not a fan of taking shots in a more rushed setting, since PS World is so hectic, so I'm not thrilled with how the people shots turned out. I'll be posting them in the coming days as well as a few shots more typical of my style. I will also be posting a tip or tutorial from each of the sessions I attended throughout the week. And the P&P Weekly will be posted tomorrow now that I've had a chance to recover a bit.On a more personal note, as I returned from Boston on Friday night, Kim surprised me by showing up at my apartment to welcome me home. We stayed up late talking and in the wee hours of Saturday morning I just couldn't wait any longer. I pulled out my grandmother's wedding ring, placed it on her finger, and the rest, as they say, is history! We haven't set a date yet but we're just so happy!

Russell Brown, Photoshop History, and Fun

Lately I've been eating up as many tutorials as I can about Photoshop CS3 and once again found myself over in the Tips & Techniques section of The Russell Brown Show watching a number of videos by Adobe's Senior Creative Director. While watching and listening to him work you just can't not be excited about Photoshop. It's just not possible.

Also, over at PhotoshopNews.com, Jeff Schewe offers an interesting visual history of Photoshop splash screens from pre-v1.0 thru CS2.

And finally, on a more personal note, after a number of changes in scheduling, destination, and overall logistics, Kim and I are beginning to plan a vacation to London and Paris for late summer. Late last fall I was thinking about a solo trip to Switzerland, then my best friend from college and I were discussing Greece but now she can't go - and the prices went way up - so Kim and I decided that Paris would be perfect. She hasn't done a whole lot of traveling, none abroad, and with her love of art and working toward her masters in Art Ed. Paris just seemed like the natural destination. We're also going to spend a day or two wandering around London and maybe catch a show.

Other than the obvious spots to see, does anyone have any suggestions for our trip? Little cafes with great food? Lesser-known places to visit? We'd love to hear them!

Fallingwater Vacation

I am going to be out of town this week on a mini-vacation. Kim and I will be taking a few days to travel down to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in southwestern PA. (With a short stopover to meet, at least, her mom and her dog - who gets final approval of me!)

I visited Fallingwater back in 2004 but was on a tour that didn't allow me to take any photos inside the house. This time, we're taking the in-depth tour which, even though it starts at 8:30 (too early for a vacation), takes you into rooms not accessible on the regular tour and photography is also allowed. Because it's a guided tour, I won't have a great opportunity to take the time I would want to get shots, but at least I can have my camera. I'll be back late in the week and will definitely post some of my better shots.

Part of being on vacation means detachment from my computer. So, I will not be posting this week until I get back and because of everything I have to do today I will not be writing up the P&P Weekly for this week. Photoshop & Photography Blogroll members have been posting some really great stuff this week and we have a couple of new members so please take the time to visit their sites and check them out!

Also, something for all you Photoshop addicts out there, I should have a profile coming for Matt Kloskowski within the next week or two so be on the lookout for that!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kim & Jason - Self Portrait, 2/12/07

Summer Romances

They're shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash they're gone.

On a Personal Note

Thus far I have only mentioned in passing that I have been seeing someone. Almost a month and a half ago I met Kim. She is a first-year art education graduate student at Syracuse University. We have similar temperaments, interests, senses of humor, and we spend as much time together as our schedules allow - given that they are very different from each other.

She's intelligent, a talented artist, sweet, caring, beautiful, she makes me smile and laugh, she is just an all-around wonderful person and I am humbled that she would want to be with me.

It's been tough these past few weeks as I've been working out of town and she's been in the midst of papers, presentations and midterms along with the demands of work and life but I feel as though we've forged a strong foundation and I look forward to see where this will lead.