Cafeen's Corner

Cafeen's little corner of the web

Disney 2011 – Sunday AM Check-In

September 25, 2011 No comments

I have internet until about 10pm tonight, so writing my check in post with a few photos.

So far, things have been alright. The parks are great and lines are short, the restaurants are a bit slow and the food isn’t quite as good as it was last year (rose-colored glasses?), and the resort… is a whole story that I’ll get into after. It’s not bad, but just getting annoying.

But, there’s only one reason that anyone would care about this, and that’s the pictures.

These pictures have only been lightly processed and will receive the full treatment when I get home (I don’t have Lightroom on here).




As a note, I’m up to about…. 900? I think pictures so far. I’m thinking I may have to delete my movies on this computer to fit more photos to clear up my cards!

Uncategorized none

Photos of the “Day” (12 Aug 2011)

August 12, 2011 No comments

Today’s topic is Depth of Field, mainly because I really like the effect that shallow depth of field gives you. As you may have noticed, the bulk of my close up type shots are pretty much of the isolationist composition rather than “storytelling” composition (yes, I’ve been reading a photography book lately :p). I don’t do this out of any sort of theme, message, or anything like that, but rather I enjoy the outcome. It looks better to me.

In essence, the term Depth of Field means the amount of the exposure that is in focus from front to back. The major way that I exploit shallow depths of field (that is a very narrow band of focus from front to back) is by utilizing wide apertures (smaller “f numbers”) on my lenses. The bulk of my shots of this type are taken either with my 50mm f1.8 or my 18-55mm f3.5-5.6. I do prefer to use the higher end of the zoom on the 2nd lens, just to punch it up a little more. For all cases I use the widest apertures I can use for the situation (which is typically wide open).

So, without further ado, let’s see some fun depth of field imagery.

Picture #1:
This was taken outside of the Student Health building on the USA campus in Mobile. Not sure what kind of tree this was, but it looks nice. The blur from the branches and sky above really help to set this particular one out from the bunch.

Picture #2:
This is a picture of my keyboard. I know, it’s exciting. The lighted keys make the shallow depth of field effect really shine.

Picture #3:
Taken inside the office. This is a sculpture that we have down in the first floor lobby.

Cafeen, Photography none

Photos of the “Day” (08 Aug 2011)

August 8, 2011 No comments

Continuing with my most likely ephemeral “column” for all my reader (which is likely myself, but this goes to Facebook too :p), let’s take a look at a few more photos.

Today’s theme is flowers. I really enjoy shooting flowers, I suppose a big part of it is the color they offer along with not having to deal with anyone talking back. It’s also the very first thing I started getting into shooting back in 1998 after I picked up that very old Canon EOS Rebel X 35mm SLR. They’ve just always been something I enjoy.

So, let’s take a look at some recent (and not-so-recent) shots…

Picture #1
Another Disney picture taken just after the first one from the last post. Originally I had included the entire outline of the flower in this image, but something wasn’t quite right with it. Recently, during my reprocess of this set of pictures, I cropped it down to make it flow out of the frame. I love the way it came out.

Picture #2
Taken at Animal Kingdom along the very unknown little path near Dinosaur. This is a path that is supposed to take you back to some of the plant life that was around in the pre-Cambrian era. Not sure how realistic it actually is, but I love the deep green leaves contrasting with the bright orange flower of this shot. It does need a reshoot though this year, as I don’t really like the composition too much.

Picture #3
This was taken outside of my house (so no, not at Disney :p). I should probably reshoot this image, as the focus on the flowers is a bit off. It was taken in the evening with ISO100, so the shutter speed was a bit low and the breeze was wreaking havoc with my shooting (note to self: remember to change the ISO from 100 after shooting in late afternoon bright sunlight). I love the composition and soft quality of the left hand batch of flowers.

Exif: Canon EOS Rebel T1i, 1/25 sec at f / 5.6, ISO 100, 50 mm (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS)

Photography, Photos of the "Day"

Photos of the “Day” (06 Aug 2011)

August 6, 2011 No comments

So, since I’m bored and trying to get back into the swing of things, I’m going to start an every so often bit about my photos. Now, it’s not going to be daily, I’m too lazy for that, but every so often it’ll work. I’m going to limit it to 3 tops, but they won’t necessarily be recent photos.

Now, I rarely title my photos, so pardon both the ID based numbers and the simple title of “Picture #x”.

Picture #1
This was taken in Disney on 30 Sept 2010 at the Coronado Springs Resort. I woke up early on that morning (which happened to be my last full day on that trip) to take a few pictures during my morning break.

Picture #2
This is another Disney picture, taken on 26 Sept 2010 from the table at Via Napoli during dinner. Not entirely sure what I like about this shot, but the atmosphere of it is very nice.

Picture #3
I shot this on Friday afternoon after work. This is a palm-type plant right outside our building. I was playing with Depth of Field with my “nifty 50″ (Canon EF 50mm f1.8).

Cafeen, Photography

New Gallery

August 5, 2011 No comments

I’ve created a new gallery thingy, via the Lightroom gallery making thingamajig. (Interestingly enough, “thingamajig” is a proper word according to Firefox…).

The first gallery up is my 2011 General collection. This is a collection of selected photos that I’ve shot in 2011.

Some examples from this gallery include:

Cafeen, Cafeen's Corner, Photography ,

Still Writing, 4 Days Later!

April 24, 2011 No comments

Ok, I know, it’s only 4 days, but the rediscovery of my writing voice means a lot to me. The fact that I’ve kept it going has really made me happy.

When I last posted, I had only written those 2, which I’ve edited a bit since. As I sit now, I have just under 30 pieces in my document as well as 7 pages of exercises that I’ve been doing. I also have plans on turning this process into a little book based on the process of this rediscovery. I doubt it’ll go anywhere or anything, but at least I can say “I wrote a book!” (and let’s just not mention that no one read it :p).

I also plan on converting both my current works as well as those old ones into an online library. Yeah, go ahead, laugh. Put it on my list of “Web stuff to do”. I hope to start it this week, but won’t be finishing (or even deeply working on) functionality or improved UI until a later date.

So, since I can sit here and just talk about my writing, I should probably shut up and let you read. If you’re read all of the crap above, it’s about time for more…

She Smiles

Opening up and reaching in
Man sits with thoughts within
New voice stirring within his head
Keeping him awake lying in bed

Awake all night but dreams all day
Of those words he is unable to say
With no voice but pen on page
Sits strapped in this silent cage

Small point of dark harkens back
To old days of enveloping black
But new eyes see in different light
Forever erasing that old dark blight

A touch of hope still remains
That one day he’ll ease these pains
And say those words he really means
To this face he sees in dreams

But still he sits in self-wrought cell
Ever wishing that he could tell
This one bright heart in empty miles
What he feels when he sees her smile

Bear With Me
First time written
In very long time
All seems to be
About the same thing

She’s stuck in my head
What can I say?
She’s pretty much the
Only thing in there

It’s true that I can’t
Tell her how I feel
And this bothers me greatly
For I really need to

Even this little one
Is still about her
At least it got
Me writing again

So bear with me please
As I bang on the keys
That wasn’t supposed to rhyme
This isn’t that type of poem

So as I go on
I’ll find more stuff to see
I promise you
It won’t only be about her

But here I continue
On and on and on
About my inability
To get my mind off her

Again, at least
I’m writing again
Considering I haven’t
Done any for ten years

The machine’s quite rusty
And the engine needs oil
But I keep pushing on
And this stanza doesn’t fit

A poem about itself
While asking you to wait
Seems rather ironic
At least it’s different

In that it’s not about her
Though each line’s getting longer
It’s really not supposed to rhyme
I said that before

So here I go again
Repeating old lines
It makes this easier
As I don’t have to think

But think I do anyway
About how this piece
Isn’t about her
Even though, it kinda is.

Writing none

Writers’ block dissolving?

April 20, 2011 No comments

Well, as some of you old High School friends know, I used to write. A lot. Most of what I wrote was… how shall we say… dark? At any rate, going through what I went through back then, it was understandable. You all (or most at least) know the deal so I won’t go over it all over again.

Anyone who’s talked to me over the past couple of years knows that those times are behind me now. Unfortunately, I had also lost the ability to write like I once did. I tried a couple times to bring it back, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t get out what I wanted to say without it just sounding plain bad. Well, tonight (erm, this morning? It’s like 3:40 right now, probably almost 4am by the time I finish writing this “note”), I sat down and punched out two pieces. The first in roughly ten years. Even better, I actually think they’re decent. Mr. V may disagree, especially on the 2nd one, but we’re almost 14 years out of high school, so I don’t have to worry about his critique anymore (though he’s certainly present in my own editing).

So, without further ado, Allan’s attempt at a comeback in the form of writing. Ignore all that rust on the ground please.

These Words – 04/20/2011
You’ll never hear these words I write,
For I write them not for you.
I lie awake every night,
But these distractions prove no use.

Locked inside my gutless mind,
Live words I need to speak.
Hiding my true feelings behind,
A glance, a smile, a look – so weak.

All attempts for more untried,
Self-torture growing by the day.
Dreams of you push the tide,
Of these words I need to say.

Unknowing, she gets me through the night,
A single face behind my eyes.
This is all I can do despite,
These ever deafening cries.

Thoughts on paper always replace,
The words I need to reveal.
Forever stuck in endless chase,
Of not telling her how I feel.

Slowly I wait the emptiness through,
Wishing away this long, dark night.
Though I write them all for you,
You’ll never hear these words I write.

Ten Years – 04/20/2011
It’s been ten years
Since I put pen to paper
Or keyboard to monitor
As the case may be

Old habits die hard
But not so much feelings
Not lost in what to say
Only in how to say it

As text flows on
It gets a bit easier
Reliving a time long gone
With a new clarity

Nothing near what I once was
But the themes remain the same
The ever present hopes and dreams
Of a fragile stability

Times do change
And people come and go
Endless cycle of new faces
Endless memories of the old

The block slowly dissolving
Words beginning to shine
Even at this late hour
The ability slowly returns

It’s been ten long years
Since I was able to write
Now we’ll just see
How long I can keep this up…

Cafeen, Writing none

Lawl @ 1999

April 13, 2011 No comments

So, I was bored tonight and decided to look up my old, ancient site and see if my writing was still there. Conveniently enough, my passwords haven’t changed much in the past 12 years and I was able to get into the hosting (yep, it’s one of those free things). Now, the writing I perused a bit, since I wrote it, I do remember a lot. It was a bit darker, but those times weren’t quite like these times. Ahem, at any rate, the real meat of this post focuses on the aspect of web design.

Now, you may ask why I’m comparing two different types of sites (my old personal one with my eventual Disney informational site). I have this one right here that I could compare! Well, that’s simple, my 1999 site was made with a WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get) editor and some freehand HTML. The site that I’m comparing to is PhP/HTML/JavaScript. This site is just a WordPress Theme. I didn’t code it at all! The 2000 site that you’ll see later is also just a raw HTML. I thought I was so badass because I didn’t have to use an editor!

So without any further ado… here’s a little image from my old site. Note the horribly busy background, totally simplistic UI, and horrible layout.

Now, compare this to my recent project (that I’ve been slowly working on for almost 2 years now! Granted, this incarnation is only about a year old). Much much cleaner, more functional, and it’s tied to a little thing called a database. It’s still relatively simplistic, but the design is so much better (as is the code behind it).

Now, this new site is still deep in development (if you want the URL, it’s http://localhost/v2_disneybase_dev :p good luck with it!), but it’s infinitely better than my much earlier attempt!

However, in the course of a year, I had changed! As I mentioned, I went over to raw (or what I called “pure” lawl) HTML using only notepad. At this time I also decided that htm was boring and html was better! (WTF was I on? Does it really matter if my pages end with an L? when they suck just as bad!) BTW, yes, that’s really an “image map” where you can click on part of an image and use it as a link. That was the pinnacle of programming technology that I had reached.

Now, I can’t really take ALL the blame for my old sites. Design technology has jumped a ton since the days of static HTML pages. When I was doing that stuff, data driven web pages were just coming out and were hugely complex. Much the same with local server hosting to enable development of said pages. MySQL was unheard of on those free webhosts and good, free IDEs weren’t out and widely available yet. I also have gained a ton of experience in the past (nearly) 10 years working in the industry (holy shit, it’s really been that long… I think this is when it’s actually a Career instead of Job now).

At any rate, that’s about it for now… maybe if asked nicely I’ll share some of that 12-15 year old writing (most of my “good” stuff from High School is up there too).

Some additional shots of the newer stuff, I’m pretty proud of the layouts and use touch of javascript (tooltips, some AJAX that’s not seen, etc).

I’m not even going to have to mention the fact that I have my own domain names now too!

Cafeen, Web Development none

Getting the planning going – Disney 2011

March 27, 2011 No comments

Warning: This will be long

Ok, I think I’m the only one who reads this, but it also gets posted to Facebook, so all 46 of you or so can just ignore it there :p. I’m bored and WoW raid starts in about 90 minutes…

Castle - Sept 2010

With that said, some of you know that I’m planning a Disney trip this year. Some of you may not. If you’re reading this, then none of you who are reading this do not know because I just told you that I was. Ahem, at any rate, this will be the 3rd year in a row that I’m going and the 2nd year that I’m going solo (mostly) (you can read all about last year’s trip on my Trip Report over on the Disboards. Now, I know some of you may question “WTF? Solo at Disney, that’s just plain silly!” Well, screw off! I like it there.

Similarly to last year, this trip will be focused on food and photography. With my new camera, the photography portion should also be greatly heightened. So, with all that extra stuff said, and this likely being below the “See more…” portion on Facebook…

The plans:
Coronado Springs Resort (King Room Preferred). 9 nights Thu – Sat. Deluxe Disney Dining Plan. 10 day Park Hopper tickets. Flying out of and back into Mobile this time (Yay, no dealing with transportation to Pensacola!)

  • Thu #1 – Leave Mobile @ ~6am. Arrive Orland @ 10:30. CSR by noon. Epcot for me. Mom to arrive around 5:30pm

    • Leave home around 4:30am, arrive at airport by 4:45am
    • Get something to eat at Mobile or Memphis (layover) airports to avoid migraine that I had last year from not eating.
    • Arrive Orlando around 10:30am – Magical Express to resort arriving around noon(ish)
    • Depending on hunger level, eat at Pepper Market at CSR, or head to Epcot and eat lunch @ Cantina in Mexico.
    • Hang around Epcot until 4:30ish, hit Spaceship Earth, Mission:Space, Test Track
    • Head back to resort to meet up with Mom
    • Dinner at Jiko in Animal Kingdom Lodge at 7pm
  • Fri #1 – Magic Kingdom in AM, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (hereto referred to as MNSSHP) from 4 until late.
    • Breakfast at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian @ 8am
    • Tour MK for most of the day, taking a break if I need to
    • Dinner at The Plaza in MK @ 5:10pm
    • Assorted party stuff after dinner until midnight at latest – For anyone that goes during the time these parties are happening, you really should try going once. It’s a little pricey (you can look it up when tickets go on sale…), but well worth it.
  • Sat #1 – Hollywood Studios
    • Arrive around opening time (9am), no mad dash to Toy Story Mania this time :p (though, we’ll probably head over there and get some Fastpasses (FPs) first)
    • Rockin’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and new Star Tours (it’s been under refurbishment since Aug 2010 now, should be reopening with a whole new movie and ride mechanics in May)
    • Have a 12pm reservation for Mama Melrose’s for lunch here, but unsure at this time if that’ll stay.
    • Head back to resort around 3-4pm
    • Dinner at Kona Cafe (yes, the same Kona we ate breakfast at the previous morning) @ 7:30pm
    • Fireworks from Poly beach after dinner
  • Sun – Epcot
    • Arrive in early AM, get FPs for Soarin’ and/or ride it
    • Tool around Future World (MS, TT, SSE for sure) until lunch
    • Lunch at Coral Reef (in the Living Seas…erm The Seas with Nemo and Friends) @ 12pm
    • Head to World Showcase after lunch and tour it a bit more in-depth than we did last year
    • Dinner at Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico @ 8pm. Watch Illuminations from restaurant if view is good enough
  • Mon – AK, Mom leaves after dinner
    • Head to AK either 8am for 9:30am ish – AK has Extra Magic Hours (EMH) that morning, so it opens to on-site resort guests at 8am rather than 9am.
    • Breakfast at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom @ 10am – The one character meal I have planned, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Daisy. Same one we did last year.
    • Everest, Safari, Animal Trails, Dinosaur
    • Leave around 4:30-5pm (well, they close at 5…)
    • Dinner at Boma in Animal Kingdom Lodge @ 5:20pm – For anyone considering, this is a great buffet meal. Nice mix of more exotic stuff with African flare, and the standard buffet food. Desserts are amazing!
    • Mom goes back home after dinner, I head over to DHS (maybe) for evening EMH. (Alternatively, I may head back to the resort to meet up with a couple people who will be there at the same time).
  • Tue – All me from now on! Epcot in AM (or just for Lunch) – MNSSHP in PM (yep, again!)
    • Head to Epcot no later than 10:30am for 11:30am Lunch at San Angel Inn in Mexico.
    • Either do some Epcot stuff, or head back to resort for a bit. Free time.
    • Dinner at The Wave in Contemporary Resort @ 5:00pmCalifornia Grill in Contemporary Resort @ 5:30pm
    • Party stuff the rest of the night! – Bringing tripod for night shots here, with a focus on attempting to get Hallowishes (the special fireworks display) shots and repeating and bettering last year’s long exposure shots on Tomorrowland Transit Authority
  • Wed – AK in the AM, Epcot EMH at night
    • Bringing tripod again (mainly for Epcot EMHs, but also for some AK shots) and big lens for sure (assuming I don’t bring it all the time, which I probably will…)
    • Focus this day on Photography moreso than rides, though will surely get the Safari in a few times, as well as Dinosaur and maybe Primeval Whirl (yes, I like that one, sue me :p)
    • Lunch over at Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge (and there’s the 3rd and last sit down restaurant at that resort… if only I had the extra money I probably should have stayed there instead!) @ 11:50am
    • Either back to resort after lunch, Over to DHS or Epcot, or something else (in other words, this time is free) after Lunch
    • Dinner at Flying Fish at Boardwalk Inn at 7:05pm 5:30pm
    • Back to resort after dinner
    • Hang at resort until 8-9pm or so, then head to Epcot
    • Epcot EMH until midnight. Primary focus on night photography with some serious work done with the Fountain of Nations
  • Thu #2 – MK in AM, Epcot in PM
    • Head to MK for EMH (8am, this may be rough after Epcot’s midnight closing)
    • Focusing on Daytime Photography at MK here. Tripod included (in fact, it’ll probably be included all solo days, it’ll be annoying to carry around, but well worth it, I’m sure).
    • Lunch at Grand Floridian Cafe at the Grand Floridian @ 12pm.
    • Afternoon in Epcot, with focus on Future World photography
    • Early Evening focus on Italy and Morocco to catch the light (it’s bad over there in the early afternoon)
    • Dinner at Le Cellier in Canada @ 7:05pm. Though I may need to check what time Sunset is to plan shooting the other pavilions and then adjust this as necessary.
    • Since this is such a long day, I’ll plan on heading back to the resort after dinner/twilight photography, but if I’m up for it, I’ll setup to shoot Illuminations.
  • Fri #2 – AM EMH at AK. MNSSHP #3 in PM (yep, I’m going for 3!)
    • Arrive to AK for EMH. Hit up Safari with big lens at least first and second. Request opposite sides of truck.
    • Tour Pagani trail after Safari(s), take my time here. Get any shots missed on Wed. Spend inordinate time at Gorilla exhibit
    • Lunch plans at Tusker House (yep, again, this time it’s without characters and a bit more of an ethnic meal) @ 11:30am
    • Leave AK at some point in time (well duh!). Depending on the time it’ll either be back to resort (before 2) or over to Grand Floridian (after 3) (so what do I do between 2 and 3? I sit there for up to an hour trying to figure it out :p)
    • Dinner at Citrico’s @ 5:30pm. Would really like to head over here early (3pm above) to shoot the hotel a bit, but we’ll see how I feel that day. It’s day 9 after all and I may be tired with this schedule!
    • Party stuff at MK at night. Depending on success/failure of previous Hallowishes pictures, will set up for those (if they were good, I’ll skip it and focus on getting an ideal spot for the late Boo-To-You parade, so chances are, I’ll be setting up for the fireworks)
  • Sat #2 - Epcot in Morning (maybe?) MK in AM – WDW 40th Anniversary – Departure day :(
    • Current plan (subject to change) is to arrive at Epcot around opening Magic Kingdom as early as possible and focus on riding more than shooting (so likely no tripod this day).
    • Say goodbye to Spaceship Earth, Mission:Space, and Test Track Breakfast at Crystal Palace at 8:10am. Getting in some good empty Main Street shots on the way.
    • Lunch at Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco @ 11:30am Breakfast with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet.
    • May do a quick CS lunch here to burn credits, also will look at picking up treats for coworkers at Main St. Confectionary if I have remaining snack credits (or maybe even if I don’t ;) ).
    • Back to CSR after lunch for 1:30pm pickup
    • 4:30pm departure, arriving in Mobile at about 7:30 after 4 hours of traveling (do the math ;) ).
    • Dinner probably at Sabor-a-Mexico after I get home (it’s the local Mexican place on the other side of the plaza next to my house)
    • If I’m ambitious, start the long copy of hopefully 2-3k+ photos from my laptop (erm. Work’s laptop ;) ) to my PC

So, phew, looks like a busy time. I don’t have any hard set downtime, but I’m sure somewhere in there I will be. I’ll also be meeting up with at least 1 friend (and her husband) from my Disney boards (they’re actually staying at the same resort and have the same AK day as my first one). I know quite a few more will be down there at the same time, so there could potentially be a couple meet ups.

Travel ,

The holidays are coming

November 23, 2010 No comments

Well, it’s been since my Disney trip that I’ve posted here. I suppose it’s time for some updates.

Disney Stuff
I setup a gallery that houses all my pictures (900 of them at least) from the trip. Not all are good, but I put them all there just for you! (Well, almost all of them, I did keep a few out). I also stopped at Day 7 of “live” reporting. I assure you the rest of the trip was great, but I was happy to be going home afterward.

We (mom and I) also began discussing a trip next year, hopefully to include much of the rest of the family. I’ve began doing some initial setup work here on this site so we can house all the info in one place (much easier than relying on getting in touch with everyone over all the details over and over again).

WoW Stuff
Well, I started back into WoW in… um, June? ish and played a bit more. Now, with Cataclysm set to launch in just two weeks, we’ve formed up the guild. Lackluster Effort will be our 10man raiding guild in Cata. The aim is to have a tiny roster (12-15 people) with a very solid core. All but 1 of the guys right now are former Cartel, so that should be easy enough to do. The website is also created. (Yes, I’m shocked that lacklustereffort.com wasn’t already a domain name.)

Work
This is where my life has been for the past several months. We’re busy as hell in QA. I have also created a couple more tools to make our jobs a bit easier.

QATools
QATools is a website that will house several different tools for the QA Department to use. The flagship module at the moment is a database tracking piece that allows us to view all the databases on a particular server and then enter in specific data about them. This is useful as it’s a much quicker way to stay on top of installed DBs than to send an email every so often asking who has what.

Other modules in the works for this site include:

  • QA Port Assignments – I have created a list of all the QA people and assigned them IIS ports to use when they need to.
  • Search an entire Database for a string – I found a piece of code that I needed to use for an earlier test and it will certainly come in handy.
  • Expanded Database Maintenance – I have to widen the server selection to allow for Support and (possibly) IT use. This will also require an authentication piece
  • That’s all that’s in the works for now, but there are many other applications of this site that I have rolling around in my brain (Task lists, hotfix lists, pretty much anything that we typically use a spreadsheet for)

SQL Database Backup Logging
In tandem with our maintenance plans for our production environment, I’m working on a process to both automatically check that new backup files were successful as well as log the results of the entire job to a database. This database would then be used to generate reports on the last backup run as well as both database backup history and server job history. This will eliminate the current method of having to go in by hand and verify that the backups were successful.

Well, that’s about it for now. I suppose I should get back to this working thing.

Happy holidays everyone!

Cafeen none
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