Smoke Pictures

I took more pictures on the way to work this morning. I would say that driving in San Diego is like what it would be like if you were in Hell. In the morning (I have been coming in at 6:45am to make up for being out this Friday) and you can just see the HUGE smoke clouds and the orangish red glow... Quite erie and extremely sad!
This is a picture of the view once I get off the expressway (my office is one block to the left of this intersection):

This is a picture of a look out to the East off the expressway (I am just holding out the camera and shooting, and since I am moving the pictures are blurry, but it gives you a sense of the devastation):

Again, these pics are taken at about 6:30/ 6:45am... The glowing color is NOT the sun rising, it is the fire blazing.

Google Map

Check out the Google map that is put on by a news station. This shows all of the burned areas, evacuated areas, evacuee centers, animal centers, closed roads, etc.

San Diego County Fires - KPBS News
Major wildfires are burning throughout San Diego County. We'll update this map as information comes in. Burn and evacuation areas are estimated. For more information visit www.kpbs.org.

Top 10 Tips for Pictures

Do you wish you were a better photographer? All it takes is a little know-how and experience. Keep reading for some important picture-taking tips. Then grab your camera and start shooting your way to great pictures.
1. Look your subject in the eye
2. Use a plain background
3. Use flash outdoors
4. Move in close
5. Move it from the middle
6. Lock the focus
7. Know your flash's range
8. Watch the light
9. Take some vertical pictures
10. Be a picture director

Check out more info for each of these (as well as shots of before and after pics using the tips) at this Kodak site.

Condom Fashion Show

I got an email from one of the ladies at work that had a couple photos of a condom fashion show. I thought I would attach a couple of the pictures. I hope no one is offended, but I thought that the creativity and ability of these artists was so interesting :).

Condom Fashion Show in China
Models parade in outfits made of condoms during a fashion show at the 4th China Reproductive Health New Technologies & Products Expo in Beijing July 11, 2007. Condoms of all shapes and sizes were used to make dresses, hats and even lollipops. Models fought through extravagant soap bubble special effects to show off tight-fitting wedding gowns, scaly-looking evening dresses, outrageous bikinis and other garments made entirely of condoms. The show was held at the Fourth China Reproductive Health New Technologies and Products Expo and organized by China's largest condom manufacturer, Guilin Latex Factory, to promote the use of condoms in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It also marked World Population Day, organized annually by the U.N. Population Fund.

As Ryan said, these are very protective dresses :)

Chick Magnet

I took some video of the MxPx show. I tried to upload them through Blogger, but it kept giving me error messages, so I finally went to You Tube and loaded them to that site. This first video is about 3 and a half minutes long (Chick Magnet).

This next video is only about 30 seconds long.

Sorry that they go in and out of focus some times, my camera doesn't allow me to zoom or anything during video, so when people move (which happens a lot) things take a few moments to refocus. Enjoy!!

The Latest

While I was on my way to fill up my tires at the gas station on my lunch break I heard a short press conference that The Govenator was holding. The latest numbers that I have heard:

At least 700,000 (ALMOST ONE MILLION) people have been evacuated
At least 1,000 homes have been totally destroyed
At least 10 wild fires in San Diego County
At least 25,000 homes are without power in San Diego

I believe there will be another press conference @ 2pm this afternoon, and I will pass along any additional information if new info arises. I know that this may seem like I am blogging about this a lot, and I am sure if you are not in the San Diego area it may seem like I am blowing it out of proportion (seeing as I don't believe it is getting adequate news coverage outside of Southern California), but look at the numbers. This is RECORD BREAKING FIRES (and NOT in a good way). This is the worst anyone has seen. People have been quoted to say that San Diego County "looks like end of the world". I am not trying to scare anyone, I am out of harms way, but there are MANY that are not. I know of at least 2 people that have lost their homes thus far (and we are far from being over, seeing as the fires are only 5% contained).

Please keep those that are fighting the fires in your prayers, as well as all of those who may be in harms way. Pray for their safety as well as for encouragement. San Diego as a whole has been doing an amazing job pulling together and reaching out to our neighbors, pray that continues.

Fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. Teh rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?

yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

I got this from Glenn's blog, and I think he got it from another blog, but I enjoyed it (probably because I could read it) so thought I would post it also.

Hey Dad, I guess spelling really isn't as important as you though, hehe. :)