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MikkiStreak

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Everything posted by MikkiStreak

  1. Awesome! Thank you Martha! I hadn't found that forum, so I'll have to start digging through it. We haven't been down there for about 3 years now, and our last trip was our first and only trip there so far. We stayed about 2-3 blocks from the Alamo and only did the touristy things, so we didn't get a good feel for what the real lifestyle of the city is like. But, I do remember having the impression the crime rates might be a little higher. But hey, compared it Dallas, it's still go to be a huge reduction to what we've been used to up here! I wouldn't mind living outside the city and having a 20 minute commute. Up until last year when I started the job I'm in now, I had spent 7 years with 1-1.5 hour commute each direction with everything at a standstill the entire drive to/from work. Right now, I just have a 10 minute commute and am loving it. But if we could find a nice peaceful remote location to live, it would be worth the commute to have my sanity back in the evenings. I'll have to start digging for info on the areas you mentioned and narrow down some places to look at. I think if things go well tomorrow evening, it sounds like they're going to fly Frank and I down there pretty quickly, so I want to have some ideas of where to go & look for the trip. I appreciate your help!
  2. Long story short.... my favorite client called me yesterday and wants me to consider taking a job with their company, doing what I'm already doing for them, but at double the salary. They're moving forward with this pretty quickly (tonight I spoke briefly with the VP the position reports to) and want to fly Frank and I down there to meet the VP and Sr. VP over this business unit in the company. They've even mentioned the possibilities of bringing Frank on board in their company also, or at least having their relocation concierge get him networked and get his foot in the door with other companies in San Antonio. So I'm seriously thinking this over. Here's my questions for those of you who live down there: Are you from San Antonio, or did you move there? If you moved there, what made you WANT to move there? What do you love about living in San Antonio? What do you not like about living in San Antonio? Without being a millionaire, where are the best neighborhoods to look at? (The company is located about 15 miles NW of downtown San Antonio. Our dream home area would be that "rural" feel inside the city; where the homes sit on 1/2 to 1 acre lot size; far enough from the city light pollution that we could stare at the sky and see some stars; and if possible, really close to a lake.) What is the economy/job market like down there? I've heard comments from people that if a person is unemployed it can be very difficult to find a good paying job. We're both business professionals (I'm a tech geek, and he runs a call center.)
  3. I see some yellow still around the jowels. might want to desaturate that a bit more. there seems a tiny shade of blue to the white door framing in the background too. not much and most people wouldn't notice.... but the more we train our eye for subtle differences in shading, it stands out more. did you saturate the master colors in the entire image, or saturate specific hues in the entire image? or did you lasso certain areas and then saturate?
  4. SCORE!! Jamy! Now I've got an "in" with the mods!!! hehehe Congrats, you know I adore you to death!!! ------------------------------------------------------- Congrats Maura!!! I've always seen a good sense of "diplomacy" in all your posts, so I know you'll be a great mod too!
  5. Welcome! Your images on your website are beautiful! I like the "unconventional" style of the senior photos.
  6. 1. hehehehehe..... I don't think we could find a good caption for this one---- it already has it written on the hat!!! crap, that is hysterical---- i'm gonna have to remember that line!!!
  7. Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha mmmmm Whataburger! I am not too much of a breakfast food lover, so sometimes I go to Whataburger in the a.m. and get a #7 ! ha! Yes, their ketchup is the BEST! I prefer it over any other! Whataburger has the BEST breakfasts for fast food!!! Don't know what number it is, but I always get their bacon, egg & cheese taquito! I always have to ask for 5-6 picante sauces with it because I love that stuff!!! I swear they make it with crack!!! I'm soooo addicted!!!
  8. Picture #3 "Up shut you fuck the asshole!" (The drunk translation of "shut the fuck up, you asshole")
  9. Duh, which way did it go? Which way did it go?
  10. You might be a redneck if..... "Tune in tonight to 20/20 and see John Stossel's investigative report on "The secret life of gay body-builders".... "
  11. hmmm.... is she being paid to test boob tape?
  12. Yee-Haw, Uncle Jessie! Where's Bo & Luke to help me wrangle up Boss Hawg here? (Image from the autobiography: "Daisy Duke: Life before Bo & Luke whored me to the cops")
  13. so many stories, so little time. 1) Got trashed and walked through the city topless; wound up getting dared by a friend to streak across a 4-lane highway in front of a cop. (This is how I got the last half of my username for my nickname.) 2) Trashed at a birthday party for a friend of mind when I was 16. The cops had already raided it once (hello- should have been a clue right there!), but we kept partying on the second floor of the house she lived in. Couple hours later, cops were let in, and everyone went running to the back bedroom. There was a window in her closet that led to a roof where we could jump down and run. So I was standing in the window (with my back facing the window) when the cops rounded the corner in the bedroom. My friend Reagan shoved me out the window backwards. I rolled off the roof, only to find a cop standing there with his gun drawn. This is the part I still can't believe: As we're giving info to the cop and he tells me he's hauling me in to call my folks, my brother drives past and I called out to him. The cop actually let my brother ride in the cop car with me (after making up a BS story about how I lived with my 19 year old brother), and then released me to my brother.
  14. AVG has a great suite of security programs, all of which are free. They have a boot drive scan application, which is awesome, because a lot of retail security programs don't actually start scanning your PC for viruses deeper than the level where your desktop becomes active in the start-up process. A lot of hackers have written trojans to attack the boot files and these retail programs don't catch them at all; so the virus scans look "clean", when in fact, they are infected like crazy or keep coming back with problems. I'm a huge AVG fan.... I've used their software for about 4 years now and have found they prevent more viruses from being installed in my PC, they don't slow down my processor, and they stay more up-to-date without requiring annual subscription plans. Last, I never liked McAfee or Norton because they tend to install a file that is really embedded in the PC; so when a user tries to uninstall, they can remove everything except one file which is linked to a process that isn't shut down during the uninstall. So, even after using the uninstall utilites in their own application, I had to backtrack to stop the process and then manually uninstall the residual file, before I could install another security application on my PC. (And, of course, with the process still running, my PC kept performing slowly)
  15. Celina, thank God it turned out well. BEFORE this investigation ends, ask DHS for the file number and any information they can share from the report. The reason I say this, is because if you're sister ever tries to pull this again, you will want a copy of the report and file number in case you ever have to explain it to anyone at any time in the future. What a relief for you tho.... I agree with Glenda's advice yesterday too about filing a restraining order against your sister. If you do that, a case file number and the results of the investigation will help you with that also...
  16. Quote: Originally Posted by Sandra E. I love going to the Arboretum and always look forward to the summer concert series. I like the first show of downtown. Great composition! It caught my eye immediately. Great work! Quote: Originally Posted by JaimeLynne I love the 3rd Iowa shot and the 2nd Arboretum shot! Followed closely by the 3rd Arboretum shot and the last one of Downtown - nice work Maria!!! Quote: Originally Posted by amym567 What gorgeous pix, Maria! Keep sharing! Amy Quote: Originally Posted by JaimeLynne P.S. If you need any models for the Arboretum shots Martin and I are always game! Quote: Originally Posted by FutureMrsB Very nice pics. I love the first Dallas shot. It really is awesome!! Thank you everyone! You guys have backed up my thoughts on using the first city scene for competition. Jaime, definitely will take you and Martin up on the offer. I need to practice with lighting first and study modeling/posing, but I had planned on offering some free sessions to people just so I can get some portfolio work built up. As soon as I feel prepared, I'll definitely let you know and see if you guys are still interested. (oh, and the third aboretum shot you mentioned---- I chuckle because a friend of mine calls it my "monet". hehe)
  17. Celina, I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. I know how tense and scary this can be. We went through this, but slightly different. My daughter's father was beating her and even tho it was reported twice, CPS didn't do anything about it. They investigated and never did anything because he's a seminary professor (even tho I had an email from him giving excuses for why I'd see a swollen lip when I picked her up, or when someone saw the ring imprint in her forehead from him hitting her). So even tho the situation was different, I remember crying for days on end, stressing about what the results of the investigation would be, and whether the situation would change so Audrey wouldn't have to be around him anymore. It took about a month for final resolution (which wasn't completion of CPS involvement; that just happened to be when he kicked her out and wrote her off). The biggest thing I can say, is document and protect yourselves. It's sad that you have to go on the defensive with this situation, but it's the reality. Until there is resolution, make sure you're kids are never alone with your FI (it protects your FI, as well as protects your kids from having to be constantly asked about alone time with him), and keep a journal!!! Record family events daily---- a baseball game you attended with your kids and who was present, a phone call discussion you have about this subject (with date/time listed), etc... because if this gets ugly, you'll need that for backup... it's amazing how easily the details are forgotten, especially if you don't think it'll ever be involved in this issue.... Please know I'm thinking of you and hoping everything goes well tomorrow.... let us know if you need anything...
  18. Quote: Originally Posted by LC_Rachel Gorgeous photos! I'm happy you are picking the hobby back up because it's obvious that you have talent. As for the pics for the competition, I love the first city shot! It's gorgeous! I love the "empty" street with the flash of light- from the headlights I'm assuming. I love how the street lights just twinkle too. The pic is really breathtaking and seems so alive. Thank you! I like your description! I'm very flattered! That first one in the city is my favorite too. Yep, the streaking lights are from the car headlights as they drove toward me. I have a "thing" for recording motion in images. I think about 90% of my college portfolio was built with that concept. Quote: Originally Posted by StephanieMN I love the last few sets. I have never been a huge sunset/rise girl. I love your compositon in the water fall ones-very beautiful. The last set, of Dallas, is also very nice. You must have used some sort of tripods as they look so clean and blur free. Thank you! I'm the same way--- not much of a sunset/rise fan (unless of course, it's some exotic, phenomenal location!) either. Those were mostly personal: I miss the midwest and the sky there, and wanted this more for a "reminder". My interest in sky shots usually peaks when there's beautiful depth of color and lots of puffy clouds, but I also thought the sunset would be a good challenge because it difficult to get the proper light/dark values without over/under exposing. This wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better than I originally expected. And yep, had to use a tripod for the city shots. I've been surprised tho that when I moved from film to digital, how dark it can be outside before I have to use a tripod. There's a lot more "forgiveness" with digital on this...
  19. I'm always reluctant to post these because they're not wedding oriented... but at the same time, it's nice to hear comments (good & bad!) to give me an idea of what "works" and what doesn't visually.... Some of you know I've been trying to get back into photography (after a 10+ year complete halt), so this is what I've been up to lately.... feel free to comment in any way, shape or form! IOWA SUNSET ON THE CORALVILLE LAKE RESERVOIR: I love non-city sunsets because they have that gold/orange color that "makes sense" for a sunset. Back in 1993, this lake flooded Iowa City, and most of Coralville was submerged in water and closed for several months for rebuilding. It was a scary/awesome sight. When I was back last week, I kept hearing comments about how the water levels this early in the season are reminescent of that flood year. So I wanted to check for myself. If you look closely, there are 2 square concrete blocks to the left of the two trees clumped together. Those 2 concrete blocks are the tops of the public bathroom/showers for the lake. The normal start of the water at the beach is right where those 2 trees are; everything before those trees are where the parking lots normally are. It's not going to be a good year up there... DALLAS ABORETUM: I'm soooo itching to have a bride/couple to put in these first two shots! DOWNTOWN DALLAS I'm thinking of putting one of these three photos in a competition this summer.... not sure which one, or if I'll even do it yet...
  20. I was horrified when I saw it too... I hope that fucker rots in a jail cell for the rest of his life for this...
  21. Local: One dead, four injured as car hits bike racers | car, dead, four : Brownsville Herald Drunk driver hits bicyclists....
  22. Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha The humidity in Corpus and the valley is horrible....I never really notice the humidity in Austin. Although, I just walked Jack and threw the trash and it was very humid out! I notice it the most too on the south eastern side of the state (running along the coastline)... When we go to Austin in the summer, it's always really humid compared to the Dallas area. The temp up here sucks from like June through October, but it's mostly dry heat which is more bearable to me than the wet heat I've felt in Austin... Plus, since I grew up in the north, I'm a lot more used to cold weather than the hot weather. So I think I notice it more than some other people. Frank always talks like there's only 3 weeks or so of really bad heat down here (and my sister talks the same way)... half the time I want to ask them if they're high because it all feels hotter than hell to me for about a 4-5 month stretch... I definitely don't envy you pregnant ladies for carrying through the summer months.... I can't imagine the discomfort through August and even September...
  23. Quote: Originally Posted by FinisterraBride I think this weather will make Mexico feel cool... I have been doing a Bridal Bootcamp in the evenings and this heat is almost too much to handle! You guys get screwed in the summer down in Austin---- all the heat of Texas, with the humidity of the northern wet climates because of all the lakes... But I'd still trade Austin for Dallas. I love Austin!!
  24. Quote: Originally Posted by LC_Rachel Jaime- I open to doing a house swap. haha Currently its misty (not rain, but freaking spitting some moisture crap in my face) and VERY dreary. I want my summer! DIBS, DIBS, DIBS!!!! I want this offer!!! I'd take the upper NW portion of the states any day!!! Gorgeous landscape and color, cooler weather!!!
  25. Hmmmm... me thinks our Jamy must be having a REALLY good time for her anniversary.... she hasn't been on to see the thread yet.
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