Grandpa Bitter, passed away earlier today

I took this photo of Grandpa Bitter back in February. Little did I know it would be the last time I saw him.



It's my favorite.

I remember him always, sitting there, chin resting on hands, listening, thinking, or just enjoying the view.

I remember his hands.



They've always looked similar to this. Strong fingers, bent with age. I specifically made a point to take a picture, so I'd always remember.

They're so much like my father's hands, and a bit like mine.

He passed away earlier this evening.

He lived a full and happy life. Enjoyed 64 years of marriage, and lived to be 91.



Love you Grandpa!
-M

Something New, coming in october

Oh, deer

Ground Squirrels: Four down, one to go.

Bunny, with fluffy white tail: Still outstanding.

Now the question remains, what am I going to do with the buck I saw early this morning when I checked the (live) trap next to the wood pile?

-Bitter

100 Miles of Nowhere, yay

Another tale from 100 Miles of Nowhere.

Bucky the Donkey, Peter, Tom, and Colin going around, around, and around the inner circle at Regents Park, London. 160 laps in all. I tell ya, I couldn't have done it. I think I might have fallen over and died. They make it look so easy!

Enjoy,
-Bitter

100 Miles of Nowhere: Inner Circle, Regents Park, London from Fat Cyclist on Vimeo.

Humming Bird, rescue

We attempted a daring rescue of a baby hummingbird this morning. Happily we got one baby back into the nest, and the mom & dad came back to feed it. Unfortunately, one of the babies died before we noticed. :(

Photos tomorrow.

Oh, and the ground squirrels multiplied into a family of ground squirrels. Which are now living in the wood pile next to the garden.

In the past 24 hours they've eaten all of the leaves and flowers off of all three of my eggplants. Are continuing to eating the leaves off the tomato plants, corn, and are starting in on my parsley and basil.

So far, they don't like the pepper plants, cilantro, or strawberries.

I'm contemplating drop spots. And am planning to break out the 'ol wire cage trap.

-Bitter

This Morning

Good nights sleep. Check.

Ate breakfast. Check

Started the pool pump. Check.

Watered the vegetable garden. Check.

Counted the plants ravaged by ground squirrels, one new casualty. (Two tomato plants are growing back. happy day.) Check.

Threw rocks at wood pile. Thought I saw fur. Most likely a squirrel. Check.

Four-wheeled the garbage/recycling cans down the driveway. ( _waaaahooooo!_ ). Check.

Saw snails. Mating. (No pics since this is a family-friendly blog.) Check.

Baby hummingbirds. Still Alive. Check.

Contemplated the future of publishing. Check.

Email freelance editor regarding current WIP. About to do.

Ponder getting up early in the morning every day. Check.

Go eat lunch. In a moment.

-Bitter

My New Favorite Song, and an earthquake

I was jamming out to Amp Radio while driving the other day and I fell in love with my new favorite song and wanted to share it with you.

It took a bit of searching--I didn't know the name--but eventually I found it. I clicked play, wanting to vet the music video before putting up a link, and was just over 4 minutes into the song, the couch started shaking beneath me.

Actually, it was more of a rumble. You know, like one of those massage chairs they have in the mall.

The problem?

Well, the bumpy jitter didn't stop. A moment later, unnerved, I paused the song and listened. Intently. You know, the kind of intent when all your muscles tense up and you're absolutely still and silent, waiting.

Birds were shrieking outside, the house was groaning lightly, but I didn't hear any loud creaks or bangs. Should I move? I glanced up, would something fall and crush me?

Several seconds passed, as I sat, legs outstretched, computer on lap, gazing up at the cathedral ceiling and the an exposed wooden truss directly over my head. Should I move? I listened harder. Did it feel like the shaking was increasing or staying constant?

Constant. Definitely constant.

And then it stopped.

I immediately went to google, but nothing was listed.

So I alternately refreshed google and my 2nd favorite site: the USGS's (US Geological Survey) "Did you feel it?" page.

Since I've moved to So Cal, I've reported on about five or six earthquakes. It's fun to put in your stats, and then check what everyone else reported. It also kind of makes me feel like I'm doing my civic duty, helping some dedicated researcher huddled in a paper-ridden, linoleum tiled office with buzzing florescents overhead, while they puzzle out the next strategy or prediciton.

It turns out the earthquake was near LAX, and was a 4.7. That's the strongest I've felt so far. Of course, I'm over 30 miles away from LAX right now, but still, the 4.7 counts. Doesn't it?

No?

oh.

Well, I've felt the ground shift violently, laterally beneath me. Twice. Does that count?

Good.

Anyway, here's the link (sorry, no embedding allowed) to my current favorite song, Ne-Yo's "Part of the List".

-Bitter

Update: 5/18/09 @ 11:30 pm - An hour after the quake, seismologists revised the quake magnitude from a 5.0 to a 4.7.

100 Miles of Nowhere, may 23rd

A few weeks ago, Fatty over at Fatcyclist.com announced his 2nd Annual Century, 100 Miles of Nowhere.

Touted as the most ridiculous, far-ranging race, simultaneously covering more ground and less ground than any other race in history. It's an event that you're not going to want to miss.

This year 66% of the entry fee will go toward fighting cancer. Of course, there was no entry fee last year, but that's a story for anther day.

Starting on May 23rd--or before, as demonstrated by the "Jumping the Gun" title holder Neil C.-- keep an eye on Fatty's blog to check out highlights from the event.

If you'd like to buy a t-shirt to commemorate the event, periodically check Fatty's site he'll post a link as soon as Twin Six sets the order page up. Or if you'd rather have a race bib (even if you're not racing) head over to Clay's Livestrong Challenge page. For a $5 donation one of these fabulous bibs can be yours. :) (ps, He'll get your shipping address from the donation form.)

In case you were curious, I've pasted a GPS map of last years route below.

-Bitter

Man, that was tough

Sometimes getting out of a rut is the hardest part.

*exhales sigh of relief*

There. That wasn't so bad. New blog post posted.

On a side note, I have lots of fun and exciting things happening on the writing front. (Re: the current works in progress, yes that was plural.) Happy day. As things progress, I'll keep you posted.

As for now, my lips are sealed.

Moving on, per fabulous recommendations from Howard Taylor, Scalzi, and Anne Sowards, I'm off to see Star Trek tonight.

Instead of the mild interest I had before, I'm actually pretty excited and am looking forward to a good show. And since Anne's facebook review is my favorite, I'm posting it in it's entirety below. Enjoy.

"Anne Sowards just got home from seeing STAR TREK. She enjoyed it so much that not even having her train go out of service, then the next train she took stopping short of her home, and having to take a bus the rest of the way has killed her mood."

Ahhh, life in NYC.
-Bitter

p.s. The Star Trek site is pretty dang cool.

I'm Taking A Sabbatical, from nyc

Spawning from my plans to fly west for the winter (bird-like of course) to avoid the upcoming brutal winter. (We didn't have a winter last year, so logic tells us we'll get two this year. As of 3/6/09 this assumption has been 189.2% correct.) I've decided to move to California.

Yes, I know your hearts are breaking (I hear them cracking as I type). But don't weep too long, I'll most likely be back. Besides grieving can be a healthy process.

I'm going to miss documenting street life springing forth from the City's boroughs, the enormous amount of shoes that I won't be wearing out on the City's sidewalks, and the my favorite restaurants, sites, and friends.

The City is always shifting. Cycling. Renewing. Hopefully, one day I'll be back, adding to the mix. Only time will tell.

And so, the West Coast calls and I'm off.

Wish me luck.
-Bitter
(written December 12, 2008)

Catch Up Time, just a heads up

Those of you who know me, know I'm rarely very far from a notebook or paper.

Why? Well, because I'm frequently jotting things down.

What might I be jotting down you might ask?

Well, everything.

Things to do.
People to call.
Plot arcs and major discoveries for the books percolating in my mind.
The pricing of my photography services (which I obsess over).
And lastly, blog posts.

Yes. You read that correctly. Blog posts.

I've written all sorts of them over the past several months, 1% of them have actually made it onto the blog. Today that changes. I'm cleaning house.

Some I'll post, others will make their way to the round file. And a very lucky few will be placed into a holding pattern where I'll tinker with them until they're perfect, at which point you'll find them here on the blog.

Happy day. I bet you're excited.

-Bitter

25 Things, on facebook

Saw this a week or so ago, thought it was pretty funny.

Posted it to Facebook.

Facebook deleted it.

So, . . . Here's to censorship.



-Bitter

Connie & Micah - slideshow

Connie & Micah - Wedding

I jetted up to UT two weeks ago to photograph Connie & Micah's wedding. The day was rainy and foggy, so it made for some pretty images. The light was gorgeous. The B&G were radiant, and everyone was so happy.

Wedding Details
Wedding location: Northern Utah
Reception: Cactus & Tropical, Salt Lake City, UT

Here are a few of my favorites from the day. Let me know which ones are your favorites!

-Melissa





























They had cookies & milk in lieu of cake. :)







Connie hugging her father.

Studio is now located in So Cal

Surprise! I moved to Southern California.

Around Thanksgiving time last year I made the decision to relocate my photography studio from New York City to the Los Angeles/Orange County area.

I have a lot of family in So Cal up through the Bay Area (none at all on the East Caost), and I thought it might be nice to be near family again. So I hopped coasts.

Yes, I'll still come east, so if you want me to come out and shoot your wedding, family photos, etc., I'm game. In the mean time, if you're out here in the So Cal area and are looking for a photographer (or know someone who is), send me an email, we'll chat.

Since the move was so quick, I'm still trying to decide which area to move to. (Living w/family at the moment in Diamond Bar.) Right now I'm leaning toward either Santa Monica, Venice, Marina Del Rey area, or somewhere down in Orange County like Newport or Laguna Beach. Opinions are welcome on where you think I should settle, just leave them in the comments section below.

-Melissa