No, this is not the post where I tell all about my trip to Cuba. I haven’t found the patience to sit long enough to write about it yet.

But, one of the photos I took in Cuba was just published in a travel magazine called Glimpse. They sent me a copy of the issue and the article, “Insider’s Guide to Cuba,” is actually pretty good. Along with some history and factual information, it also features impressions gathered by American students visiting Cuba, and even has step-by-step instructions on how to Rumba.

My photo is on page thirty-two in the section on music. I took it in Santa Clara’s city center (Parque Vidal) during a flamenco performance by a group calling itself La Casa del Trompo. Santa Clara hosted free performances each night that week and it seemed like everyone came out to listen to the music and watch the dancers. Pretty cool, really.

More than a year after my digital camera was stolen by the jerk who broke into my apartment, I am happily returning to the world of digital photography with a Canon Rebel XTi.

To mark this occasion, Jasmine and I decided to hold the First Possibly Annual Halloween Photo Spell Contest. There’s one rule and it’s simple: take photos of letters or things that look like letters to spell out the word “Halloween” in one image. Click here for an example. Submissions are due one month from today, Oct. 21.

I will set up a submission form on this site so that anyone and everyone can participate. After all submissions are received, you’ll be able to vote for your favorite. The submission with the most votes will win a gift card or some other small token. The winner will be announced on Halloween Day, Oct. 31.

Since the voting will be done by all of you and you trust me not to tamper with the results, no one will be prohibited from participating.

Everyone ready to play?

Since when do I have a Flickr Pro account?

I was just looking at the new photos my friend Smuggy4 posted on Flickr, and I left a comment. That’s when I noticed the little “Pro” tag next to my name. Odd considering I never purchased a Pro account, nor was I notified of an upgrade, nor whether anyone sponsored me. Oh well. Too bad I don’t have a digital camera.

there’s this thing, you may have heard of it, where people like to google themselves. what you do is search your name on google and see what turns up. maybe something about you, maybe not.

googling my name, for example, turns up some british guy who does a lot of computer work. you’ll also find me listed as a guitarist on recordings by spyro gyra, john lennon and others. there’s also a guy who ran for state congress or something several years ago, lost, and kept the .com he registered under our name. now it’s some lame site with information about garden fountain tours or something. i want that site. want it bad. but he’s got it registered through 2008 at least.

anyway, i prefer to google my website instead. i like to see who, if anyone, is linking to it and stuff like that. it’s vanity, sure, but so what. i found it in a few places, including a mention in a brit’s blog back in february. he was thinking about adding me to his list of links. there were several candidates for addition, and each was rated with one to four stars. i only had two, apparently because of his distaste for the little scrolling box that contained my blog. i’ve since added two more of those scrolling boxes, so i’m sure he’s thrilled. i, however, like them.

i’m meeting katie and nick in about half an hour for breakfast at empire cafe, then we’re driving out to katy to take lots of photographs at forbidden gardens. the few cameras i own but have never used are now loaded with film and ready to go. so we’re going.

[Listening to: Neko Case - Ghost Wiring]

another commercial caught my attention last night.

it opens with punkesque music and a young girl wearing a t-shirt that said, “ban hatred.” my first thought was that it maybe had some link to the crackdown on “hate music” rings in europe. but the next image showed a girl in a shirt that read, “ban conformity,” so that theory was out. must be something for teens though. the last shirt, worn by a hipster girl baring her armpits on a modeling runway, said, “ban self-doubt.” the message became clear: don’t be a social outcast – wear our deodorant.

at work last week, i left the office to go to a lunch meeting. then i went to interview an eighth grader who’s breaking track records. when i got back to work, i said hi to the receptionist and headed back to my office. she stopped me and asked if i’d met the man standing there. i turned and shook his hand and introduced myself. then she told me he is our new publisher. i was shocked. for him to be our new publisher, that would have to mean the old publisher (to the delight of everyone) had been fired. i managed an “oh,” and he told me to keep up the good work and gave me a two-line pep talk. he seems like a friendly guy. he seems to laugh freely, and when he does i don’t cringe. so that’s good.

yesterday, my boss started talking to me about dark room equipment. it had been set up at his parents’ place, but they told him to come get it because they’re moving. he doesn’t have room for it at his house, so he was just going to toss it. he asked me if i wanted it. i certainly do.

oh, another change coming at work… someone finally noticed that they’re breaking the law by not paying the reporters for overtime work. and they can’t afford to pay us overtime, so i’m not too sure what that means yet. with all the after-hours meetings i have, maybe i’ll get to go home early once in a while. then maybe i’d hear fewer comments from my boss like the one i just heard: “i wish less athletic chicks would die, and more fat chicks.”

anyway… lunchtime.

[Listening to: Bruce Springsteen - Worlds Apart]