Amtrak, please get to work on making this option available as soon as possible. Thanks. And yes, I know, you wish you had my level of Photoshop skills, especially my ability to make absolutely perfect circles in magenta.

Off to Albany to see the girlfriend. See you all next week.

Expect to see photography updates galore next week, including live photos of Bang Camero, Echo Screen, Maxeen, Racing Kites, The Mile After, and We Are The Fury, as well as press photos of Belafonte and Someday Never. And who knows, maybe some still photography from the secret music related website I’m launching later this year. *wink*

I know, it’s an insane concept, having updates on my website that have to do with my portfolio and photography.

Man, I really wasn’t expecting Dunkin Donuts to pick up chubby Hitler as their new mascot. And offering munchkins 10 for 99 cents! Saw this in NYC this past weekend.

Edit: I’ve been informed by my pal Christina that this is a cartoon of the old Dunkin Donuts mascot Fred The Baker, portrayed by the actor Micheal Vale, who died in 2005. Awesome, nothing like getting served 99 cent munchkins by a cartoon zombie donut man.

So a couple of bloggers are playing a little game based on meme, a concept that Tim made me read about on Wikipedia, cause my brain to ache a little, but interesting never the less. My pal Mark over at The Poverty Jet Set and of Cheap Dates fame sent a tag my way, so it’s time to play along!

Rules:
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

Eight things about Eric, randomly selected:

1. The first album I ever purchased with my own money was 311’s self titled album. It was 1995. I was twelve. I still listen to that album and band, but now it’s on my iTunes, and not on a CD.
2. The first girl I ever kissed (I was 15) is now a lesbian. It wasn’t my fault.
3. It is impossible for me to watch When Harry Met Sally without bursting into tears when Billy Crystal comes running back to Meg Ryan on New Year’s Eve. It’s the best romantic comedy of all time, and if you disagree, I’d like to hear you name one that’s better.
4. I met my gorgeous girlfriend on a tour with a band called Foster. They were telling girls that I was the keyboard player. She loves me anyway.
5. I’m deathly afraid of airplanes and have never left the continent, although I’ve been to 48 states and seen most of Canada. My first international trip will be to the motherland… Ireland.
6. I have severe OCD when it comes to locking doors and things being in alphabetical order. I’ve been known to alphabetize DVD collections… at parties… for people I don’t even know.
7. I’ve moved three times since February. My first roommates were creepy and one slept on the living room floor on a bare mattress. My second roommate was awesome, but didn’t like me all that much for some reason. My current roommates are two amazing people and I’m glad I’ll be with them for an entire year.
8. I have a superpower. I can grow the sweetest mutton chops in the world in less then three weeks. I use that power for the good of mankind, and will also be using it all week, as I grow my beard out to celebrate the release of 300.

Alright! Here are some sweet blogs to check out
MonsterPlastic / Dovate / Swedehart / Nicole Rork / Alex Bussey / Apartment 2024 / Anthony Clark / Brian Richardi

So I took the Amtrak up to Albany to spend some quality time with the wifey. I apologize in advance for the horrific quality of the photos. These were taken on my Sidekick III. While it is a fantastic phone that lets me talk on AIM, use email, and check Craigslist all day, the camera is absolutely heinous. We went on a hike up Vroman’s Nose, a historic trail in Albany that leaves you on this beautiful mountain, the cliff overlooking a valley of farms below. The cliffs are incredibly steep and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous walking around up there.

We spent a lot of time running around on her father’s farm, which had horses, elk, sheep, bunnies (bunnahs!), and, as pictured here, picking alfafa for my favorite…

Llamas!

Anyone who knows me knows that I believe The Emperor’s New Groove is the best Disney movie ever made. Eff those “classics” like Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty & The Beast… it’s all about Kuzko over here. If you’ve never seen this movie, go purchase the two disc special edition and possibly a lifesize cardboard cut out of Kronk, because seriously, you’re going to love it that much.

A super exciting part of the farm was this guy right here. It reminded me of the Warthog (”It looks more like a puma!“) in the Halo video game series. And although Heather continued to remind me it was called a Rhino, I insisted upon it being a warthog. End of story. It was like living out a childhood fantasy, zipping around on that thing. And yes, I realize Halo came out in 2001, thus making me 19 at the time. Shush.

Here’s Heather driving the Warthog, because um… I had to operate the machine gun turrets! And by “operate machine gun turrets” I mean “I was too scared”. Plus come on guys, who doesn’t want to see their foxy girlfriend driving an all terrain vehicle? *swoon!*

One of the coolest things about the farm was this little carving we found up on Vroman’s Nose. Here in Philadelphia we have graffiti and our famous Toynbee Tiles (if you want some more personal hands on stuff on these, check out Ben’s blog). On Heather’s farm, the graffiti and carvings into stone are a bit different.

It might be hard to make out on this crude cell phone photo (curse you T-Mobile!), but it’s a carving into the side of the cliff up on Vroman’s Nose that says June 6th, 1868. Bits and pieces of the etching were broken off as a result of time and weather, but it still moved me to see something that a couple carved into the face of a rock almost 150 years ago still proclaiming their love.

I want our love to trascend space and time too, damn it.

Next time, I’m bringing a chisel.

I really like weddings. I mean, I’m sure there are people out there who enjoy them far more then I, and for different reasons, but there’s just something about a large group of people getting together to celebrate Love that gets me all warm and squishy inside.

Kinda like the tie pictured above. It was warm and squishy, but that’s because a can of ginger ale exploded inside my duffel bag on the way to Albany, NY. Somehow, the tie managed to absord approximately 90% of the entire can, leaving my bag practically dry. That’s one thing Hugo Boss leaves out of their commericials and advertising. Not only will the tie make you look good, but oh man, it will absorb far more then Bounty or this pansy.

Heather’s cousin got married in a lovely little church, just outside their hometown of Albany, NY. The place was packed, the priest sounded like the dude from The Princess Bride, and the wedding party rolled up in a stretch Hummer limo.

And as you can see in the photos, Heather looked absolutely beautiful. We had a good time, dancing, drinking far too many free Soco & Sevens / Screwdrives from the open bar, and telling her family members stories from tours, school, and my misadventures here in Philadelphia.

However, the most profound feeling I got was at the end of the reception, when it was time to go. Leaving the church and driving off to Heather’s apartment, we caught this gorgeous sunset while listening to Something Corporate and The Weatkerthans. God, I love upstate New York so much. Sunsets and indie rock just seem to go hand in hand.

And I couldn’t help but wonder, when will we get a name card that says “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”.

Here’s hoping its in the near future.

None of that “Mr. & Mrs. Eric Smith” garbage though. She has a name, and it isn’t Eric. Maybe I’m a little bit of a feminist, but whatever. You call my girlfriend Eric, and we are gonna have to fight, card-maker. I’ll punch you. I’ll punch you right in the face.