Archive for June, 2009

Low-light Photography at Firebird

Posted by Versa Dave in Geekdom on June 27, 2009

firebird06262009.3My friend @mdhugo and I decided to take our cameras to Firebird in St. Louis this past Friday night in order to work on our low-light photography.  Of course we were also there to be entertained, but mostly just to be geeks. @donhead also joined us but was without camera.  I tried and tried, using my Nikon D40 with 55-200mm f/3.8 lens to get good shots, but it just wasn’t happening.  Out of 176 images taken, only a few actually came out with any kind of clarity.  I’m going to try and find a reasonably inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 lens (I think that will make a huge difference).

You can check out the other 6 photos that I thought were semi-worthy enough by looking at my Flickr page.

*UPDATE: Check out @mdhugo’s post with his pictures.

, , , , , , ,

4 Comments

What Does It Take To Become An Icon?

Posted by Versa Dave in Versa Life on June 26, 2009

When I was in high school, my Dad belonged to a group of motorcyclists that were all recovering alcoholics and drug addicts.  They were a bit gnarly on the outside but always welcoming and warm hearted.  At an event in Lacrosse, WI there was a dance held after the meetings.  I, being a raging adolescent, was always on the prowl for girls.  Toward the end of the evening, one of my Dad’s friends caught me in the parking lot making out with a girl.  He ended up making a huge spectacle of the situation in front of my parents and all the members…in the end, I was given the name Studpuppy.  And throughout my days in high school, I was always referred to as such when around these people; it became sort of iconic.

I am not a celebrity, nor am I famous for inventing anything or leading any kind of group.  I do my daily job well and am recognized for it regularly, but I’m no icon.  Michael Jackson however was most certainly an icon.  You may not have liked his music, but you can not deny the fact that he led a very iconic lifestyle.  He was constantly surrounded by media when in public and his life was dissected by the likes of every journalistic mosquito out there.

MJ went through various stages in his life.  He made great music (in my opinion) but I don’t think that’s why he became the star he was.  It was his reclusive behavior, his eccentric traits, his outlandish acts and his sometimes questionable demeanor that made him an icon.

So what do us Joe Plumbers have to do in this world to gain this sought after status?  I’m not sure that I necessarily want the same status that MJ had.  It reaped havoc on his life, much the same way it did with Elvis Presley, The Beatles and even Hannah Montana (though I don’t count her in the same category quite yet).  It may be the very reason that he went incognito in the first place.  What about local iconic status?  I live in St. Louis…what if I was an icon in St. Louis.  I think I could handle that, probably the way I handled it when I was a kid.  It’s a smaller group of people, and in a small way, I think it adds some intimacy with the people you’re around everyday.

Do you want to be an icon?  I’m interested to hear your thoughts because it could go either way really.  Some people spend their entire lives trying to get into the lime light.  Others somehow fall into it for just being themselves.  Maybe being an icon is not about WHAT you do, but more about WHO you are as a person.

, , , , ,

3 Comments

Who Is Versa Dave?

Posted by Versa Dave in Versa Life on June 18, 2009

In the beginning…there was Dave.

Many of you have probably wondered where Versa Dave came from; some of you have even asked.  It’s not much of a story, but I’ll tell you.  About 2 years ago, after my divorce, I was left with a mini-van (2001 Mercury Villager).  While it was extremely comfortable and easy to tote the kids around, it was certainly no symbol of my new single life.  I ventured around for a little bit, test driving cars, checking prices and reviews, and eventually ended up on a Nissan dealership lot.  I drove the Nissan Versa and was very happy with it.  While it appears to be small on the outside, the headroom is astonishing.  I’m nearly 6’3″ and 225lbs, so rollin’ in a sub-compact wasn’t top on my list.  2 days later though, I rolled off the lot in my very first brand new car – a 2007 Nissan Versa S.

I went with the 6-speed manual because it made me feel more like a racer despite the only 135HP churnin’ and burnin’ under that hood.  One night a few months later, I was out with my best friend @jameyboy and his girlfriend.  I can’t recall the exact conversation, but out of the blue, Sarah says, “Awww, Versa Dave”…and it just stuck like a bug in hot tar.  Jamey and I gave each other a celebratory fist pounding and exclaimed “Shake and Bake” (another story for another time) and ever since then, I’ve just been Versa Dave.

When I realized that my life long ambition was to become a social media geek, I carefully pondered what my web personality would be named.  Versa Dave seemed to be the obvious choice.  And really…that’s all there is to it.

Here’s the first photoshop of Versa Dave with @jameyboy:

surfinversa

, , , , , ,

5 Comments

Push Me To The Limit…MAGGOT!

Posted by Versa Dave in Versa Life on June 3, 2009

In general, I hate running.  However, this morning I went running.  I ran a few weeks ago too.  I’m building up motivation to do it more.  While my distaste for the long haul exercise is generally putrid, I do acknowledge that I need to do it.  Or at least something.  I’m 32 years old after all.  My metabolism has slowly withered away to nothing.  10 years ago, I could easily sit down and eat 3 Big Macs with no ill affects.  It seems if I eat a cracker now, my intestinal outline adds gerth.

From time to time, I may solicit support from my friends.  I don’t require any gifts or recognition though.  My mentality is more of the bootcamp sort.  Yell at me; tell me I’m fat; scream at me to get my lazy ass out of the recliner.  You may think it’s unncessary and harsh, but it works.

I’ve been doing crunches and pushups for awhile now.  I’ve slowly seen the difference in my stamina and pectoral shape.  Yes, I have man boobs; not the big saggy kind that requires a bro but the just subtle mole hills (not attractive in my opinion).

Some of you are probably wondering why I don’t just join a gym.  Oddly enough, I have full access to a gym at my workplace.  We even have raquetball courts and I could shower afterwards.  There is something about working out in front of people though that scares me.  I can’t explain it.  Intimidation maybe?  When I was in high school, I was not really a “big” guy so to speak; tall, but just not built massively.  Whenever I’d have to go workout in the rec center above the gym, I felt insignificant compared to the guys who were doing 400lb dead lifts and 350lb bench presses.  I couldn’t hang with that!!  Maybe it pyschologically scarred me for life.

I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite movies, and an example of the kind of motivation I require:

If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human, fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit. Because I am hard you will not like me. But the more you hate me the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman — Full Metal Jacket

, , , , ,

No Comments