Muir Woods (62/365)

I honestly wasn't planning on doing much other than working this weekend, but out of the blue, things kept popping up. First, I found out an old friend was staying in the city for the weekend and met up with him and some of his friends for dinner. Then, I ended up spending all of Sunday with B's family. We went mini-golfing and B and I decided to bet dinner on who finished with the lower score. What do you know, we ended up tied (let's just say our scores were equally horrific), so we decided to play best two out of three in HORSE as a tiebreaker. He beat me badly in the first game, I beat him in the second and then we got down to HORS for both of us before I missed a close bank shot to lose. Now I owe him dinner. I guess there could be worse things than that. Today, we hiked around Muir Woods and took the Dipsea Trail up (way up) to a ridge that overlooked the bay. I swear we went uphill the ENTIRE time. It's always the trails that are the hardest that have the best rewards when you get to the top.

A's Amigos (61/365)

This was the only picture I managed to snap at the park today. Gio Gonzalez participates in a program called A's Amigos where he will talk to spanish-speaking children, giving them a chance to get to know baseball players. I overhead much of their conversation. Most of the kids were asking him questions in English. Occasionally, he would get a child who asked in Spanish. The most memorable line of questioning came from a little girl who was very persistent in trying to get Gio's phone number.

Home Sweet Home (60/365)

This is where I have been living lately. It's not the worst home in the world by any means. In fact, it's actually pretty great. People always give the Oakland Coliseum a hard time, but to me, it's where I've grown up. A lot of the most memorable moments of my life have happened within these concrete walls; both related to and not related to baseball. It's a place where I come to catch up with old friends and a place where I've met many new friends. I know the team is in desperate need of a new stadium, but there is part of me that will be very sad when they do get one. No matter how nice it is, this will always be like the house I grew up in.

Up on the rooftop (59/365)

I was planning on taking my camera down to the dog beach I found the other day, but when I stepped outside, it was raining. I'm all for rain. In fact, I think I'm one of those few weird people who actually enjoys the rain, but there's something just not fun about being at the beach when it's sprinkling. Instead, I hiked up the hill to Starbucks and spent some quality time with my twitter buddies.

B and I saw "The Hangover Part II" last night. I've got to say, I liked it better than the first one. They didn't pretend they weren't following the same formula as the first movie. They even put some of the same effects on the film (editor nerd alert....noticing the editing effects). It all seemed to work though.

Days 57 & 58

Ok, I've got some splainin' to do. Here's my excuse as to why I've been skipping days lately: I have about a million and five big work projects going on right now and I've basically been living in an edit bay. If it makes you feel any better, I feel really guilty about it when I miss a day!

I Love Lamp (56/365)

Here's the thing about sports: they'll break your heart. The San Jose Sharks season ended in dramatic (and weird) fashion tonight, going out in a double overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The Western Conference Finals and the six-game losing skid the A's were sliding down until tonight got me wondering, why do we even bother? Only one group of fans in each sport won't have their hearts broken with a season ending loss and the odds that you are going to be among this group isn't good (unless you're a Yankees fan...bandwagoner). Most likely you're going to end up like me tonight. Staring blankly at the television, watching another group of fans celebrate. It seems too much to take! Seriously. Why do we bother? Why do we wear the same clothes we were wearing the last time the team won? Or make our dogs sit in the same chair? (I'm looking at you Justin and Keith!) Or decide not to shave until the team loses? It's because there is so much in life that we can't control and will never be able to control. There are things that don't fall our way or make us feel small and insignificant. But sports can be an escape from all of that. In sports, there's the chance that we could be a part of something big. We feel like maybe we can affect the game based on which way we turn our hats. We torture ourselves by thinking about the outcome and feel as lousy as the pitcher who gave up the winning run, because of how big that payoff could actually be. I'm talking hysterically crying, running around the house, pulling off your shirt like Brandi Chastain, happy. We care because even though most seasons end in heartbreak, there's always the hope of next year. And that's something you don't always get a whole lot of in normal, every day life.

Thank you for a wonderful season, Sharks. Hey, A's. It's your turn. Go get 'em.

And if my little blog, written at 1:00 wasn't enough to console you, how about a blog from my favorite rinkside reporter: Brazil: 20 thoughts from the Sharks' playoff run

Joplin (55/365)

My vision for this project is that it will look like a snapshot of a year in my life when it is finished. That should include the good and the bad. My uncle and cousins live in Joplin, MO. Fortunately, we finally got ahold of them yesterday and found out that they are fine, but the town is a scene out of a disaster movie. The photo is of my family crowded around the kitchen TV watching more coverage today. I was trying to focus on the fact that my loved ones are ok, without forgetting the suffering that still exists there today. It's just another reminder that life can be turned upside-down in an instant and to appreciate what you have.

My uncle is a surgeon at Freeman Hospital, the hospital they are now taking patients too since St John's was hit directly by the tornado. He has one of the most difficult jobs in the world right now, but is truly a hero.

Days 53 and 54

Oops. My bad.

Working, working, working, working, working, working, working (52/365)

I apologize if your name is not Brad Blackwell. That means you most likely will be confused by the title of this post. Just ignore it and move on with your day. 

This was my day today. I went from taking pictures of bouncy dogs to doing interviews with slightly less bouncy A's players. Then in fact, I went on to work on a Sharks show. And they're not bouncy at all. Ever tried bouncing on ice skates? That's a good way to break an ankle. The moral of this story is my day declined in bounciness as it went along. And you are now questioning why you visit this blog. I think it doesn't help that I generally write these posts at midnight. Goodnight everyone! Hope the world doesn't end tomorrow! Sweet dreams! 

The Magic Baseball (52/365)

One of two things has been going on the last two days. Either I have found myself a magic baseball or I have been slightly distracted, You see, I was out at the A's park both yesterday and today getting interviews for a monster of a project I'm working on called 30 A's in 30 Days. I was doing an interview with Tyson Ross and needed a baseball for him to demonstrate his pitch grips. I look down in my hand and low and behold! A baseball just happens to be there. I don't know how it got there nor how long I had been holding it, but when I needed it, there it was. I get done with my interviews, go up to the press box to watch both the A's and Sharks simultaneously, when I reach into my purse because I'm looking for something to do other than watch my two favorite teams stink it up, and there, once again, is this baseball. It somehow crawled from my hand and into the bottom of my purse. And tonight, when I was scrambling to find something to take a picture of (I missed the perfect opportunity when B and I took a walk around the city as the sun was setting because I left my camera in the trunk of my car...stupid.), I see it, not in my purse, but in a basket on my nightstand, directly next to where I am sitting on my bed. It's possible that I could be distracted by work and other events so I just absentmindedly continue to move this baseball around, but I'm choosing to believe it's a magic baseball, there when I need it most. That's not crazy, right? Right?

My version of picture in picture (51/365)

I know, my pictures haven't been great lately. I've been lazy. This was my night tonight. I interviewed 6 A's players for a project I'm working on at work and then decided to stay for the game. I sat in the press box so I could watch both the Sharks game and the A's game at the same time. Both ended up being total busts. In fact, I think the Canucks started their big scoring breakout seconds after I took this picture.

Close Encounters of the Bokeh Kind (50/365)

Alien invasion at my apartment. It's cool. The world's ending on Saturday anyway, right? 

Workin' Hard (49/365)

The game got rained delayed last night for an hour and a half and then went into extras! We got off the air at about midnight. This is what the control room looks like for our A's Pre and Postgame studio.

Do Not Pass Go (48/365)

My mom and dad got some new art! Pretty nifty, huh?

Steph's Senior Ball

I just went ahead and made a page with all of the Senior Ball pictures I took of Steph and her friends. The link to it is over on the left hand side under the "Explore" title. Go ahead and click away!

Senior Ball (47/365)

Daaaaang! My sister looks gorgeous.

Check back tomorrow for more Senior Ball pictures.

You Lookin' At Me?! (46/365)

What is this thing you point in my face? (said in a French accent...just because it's fun)

I got to hang around two of my favorite places in the world today: ARF and the Oakland Coliseum. And I got to see Bridesmaids with my sisters which I cannot recommend any more highly. Seriously. I could try to recommend it more highly, but it's physically impossible. Even the previews before the movie should win some kind of award. 

The plot is one that is amazingly true to life. Lillian and Annie have been best friends since childhood, but they have grown up and have developed their own lives. Although they've remained close, Lillian has new friends that Annie feels like she has to compete with for Lillian's attention and affection. I promise you, this movie is completely carried by women, but men will love it too Except for those men who have had the rare, but painful funny-bonectomy. 

(Hint: guys should really watch chick flicks every once in awhile anyway...it'll help you figure us out better. You guys are always asking for instruction manuals for women...well there you go! But that's another argument for another time). 

High Paw! (45/365)

It's not my fault that this didn't go up yesterday. Blogger was down. I swear! Check my flickr. It was up on there yesterday.

To make up for it, please enjoy this picture of my dog's foot.

Game 7 Baby (44/365)

Oops...Didn't get this up before midnight, but it was taken and posted before I went to bed. I have a good excuse I promise. The last month or so, I have only seen my boyfriend about once a week for a few hours. (I think he needs a nickname instead of using his real name. It seems like a very bloggy thing to do. We'll call him "B." It could stand for boyfriend, it could stand for butthead, it could be his first initial, last initial or it could be both. It's a tough code to crack). Today was one of those chances we got to see each other after he got home and I got off work. It also happened that one of his friends, who is a pilot, was in town from Taiwan for the night so we met up with him for a few hours. It was a blast. This guy was hilarious! And I could tell B. was really happy to see him. Great night after a loooong day of work.

This post really had nothing to do with Game 7. And everything to do with it.

True Life: I Have a Full Blown Coffee Addiction (43/365)

And I'm ok with it.

Already beginning to stress out about tonight's Sharks-Red Wings game. I can honestly say I've never had a sporting event affect me in so many different aspects of my life! My Sharks fan life is pulled in, of course, my professional life is pulled in and my personal life is pulled in! Let's just win this tonight boys and go on to Vancouver!

Pretty in Green and Gold (42/365)

Here's one of my favorite things about myself (what? It's not conceited...no person should be ashamed to admit they like things about him or herself!): I am a great mix of feminine and tomboy. I'm a dichotomy if you will. I work in sports television, could recite just about any stat to you about the Oakland A's (or the Sharks, although they are giving me an ulcer right now in more ways than one), yet I still manage to be feminine, read girly magazines and have a secret (to most...until now) desire to be a wedding photographer.   Challenge for you: come up with your favorite thing about yourself. Ready go! (feels like first grade, I know, but I feel like it's a good thing to do every once in awhile)

Happy Days (41/365)

Ava reacting to Katie eating her cake.

Happy Mother's Day! And Happy Birthday to my Dad and Aunt!

Huevos Rancheros and Maya Angelou (40/365)

Technically, I didn't get this one up on day 40, but I took it this morning so survery says...it counts.

My dad made the world's best huevos rancheros this morning. That's one of the best things about living so close to home. My parents make great food and they are (usually) willing to share. I have seriously been thinking about my breakfast this morning all day long. It was so good, it haunted me for the rest of the day. Nothing else I ate all day was ever going to be as good.

So I went to McDonald's for dinner.

If you can't beat 'em, buy something cheap and slightly disgusting. That's what I always say.

Back at it at ARF (39/365)

I was finally able to go back to ARF today to take pictures of the adoptable animals. I've had to miss the last couple of weeks due to work, vacations and other life events. Today was one of those days where I woke up not knowing how I was going to juggle everything I had to do, but somehow the universe aligned and it all worked out, with one little exception: the Sharks were supposed to win!

I promised you a write up of my adventures in babysitting yesterday, so here goes (I only have 11 minutes to write thise, or else it becomes day 40 instead of day 39). I was watching my cousins Annelies (6) and Ava (3) yesterday. I could spend forever with those two girls. Annelies is now in first grade and goes to school, so I spent most of the day with Ava. Ava is funny. For the first half hour you are with her, she has to warm up to you and will not say a single word. She just stares at you with those big brown eyes and gets the feel for what's going on. That's how our morning went until she finally decided she had me figured out. Then she didn't stop talking. She just turned three in February and is now very curious about everything. Her big question right now, "Was you a baby once?" She'll ask you this about every person she knows or tell you "Grandpa was a baby once. Annelies was a baby once." She also tried to inform me that she was a boy when she was a baby and asked me if I was a boy when I was a baby too. "No, Ava," I had to explain. "We've both always been girls." I think she has the belief that all babies are boys because the only baby she knows right now is a boy. And hey, when you're little, you have to figure everything out by deductive reasoning. Very cute and funny to see how kids' minds work.

It was a very fun day filled with Play-Doh, duck feeding, Hannah Montana, Diablo Gymnastics and lots of explaining that yes, everyone was once a baby.

Adventures in Babysitting (38/365)

I'll write something in the morning. My brain is about to shut down from running around with the little ones today. Check back tomorrow! I promise it will be worth it.

Hello Oakland A's (37/365)

Another iPhone picture, I know, I know. I haven't had a second to use my 7D all day today and I'm getting really sick of indoor pictures at night with the icky lighting so I just decided to use the picture I took on my phone while at the A's game with my good friend Stacy. My mom got me great tickets as part of an early birthday present. Thanks Mom!

Stacy had to put up with me constantly checking my phone and craning my neck to try to see the TV in the press box, seeing if I could catch a glimpse of the Sharks game. I promise it was only occasionally because my superstitious self decided that it was bad luck when I looked at anything having to do with the Sharks game. Turns out, they only scored when my phone was away and my eyes were on the A's game. Hey, we all need to feel like we can control the things that are out of our hands, right? Even if it's only a hockey game.

All You Need is Love and Sturdy Walls (36/365)

This is my giant wooden "Live, Love, Laugh" magnetic board that I've never hung up on my wall. To be fair, it's insanely heavy and my walls are "hear my neighbors cough and more" thin. It would probably make the whole building fall down and I doubt anyone really wants that. Someday I'll live somewhere with the wall sturdiness to support it. Isn't that the dream?

Let's Make a Deal (35/365)

I have a proposition for you...

I'm trying to practice taking portraits of people so that (maybe) I can some day make some money off this little photography habit of mine. If you have any portrait needs (i.e. kids portraits, pet pics, pictures for blog profiles, even looking for an engagement session), I'm willing to do them for free for the next month or so. It's win-win! I can build a portfolio and you can get some pretty awesome pictures for free. If you're interested, email me at amandablackwell29@gmail.com. The photos below are of my sister, Katie and her boyfriend, Kai. They were good sports. (Kai especially!)

Spread the word!