One of the benefits of working for a large university is that they will waive tuition if I take classes on campus, or they will cover tuition for classes that I take at another school. I have to be employed with the university for a year, a full year before this benefit kicks in, but January is one year, so I really need to start planning now, if I’m going to take advantage of this. The problem, and it seems to be the same problem I always have trouble with, is having too many good choices. At the moment, I’m really not sure which one is right for me.

As noted in the post on the graduate schools, I haven’t given up on my dream of becoming a clinical psychologist. The idea of getting back into a lab and doing psychology research that could ultimately improve people’s lives is very exciting to me. To that end, the most viable options would be taking post-bach courses in psychology on campus during my lunch hour, and/or finding a professor on campus who needs research assistants. The next option, in terms of feasibility, would be to find an online graduate program in psychology. These are generally not well regarded, but if I mixed that in with some research with a professor at Emory, that might go a long way on an eventual Ph.D. application. The third option that I am considering is a masters program at Georgia Tech in Human Computer Interaction. The program is an interdisciplinary program in computer science, psychology, literature, communication, and culture. While not a traditional feeder program into Clinical Ph.D, it actually ties rather strongly with one of the areas of psychology ressearch that I would like to pursue.

So those are my psychology options. The other option that really appeals to me would be to study photography. I’ve really fallen in love with this art, and could see myself leading a very happy life working as a professional photographer. I don’t necessarily need a degree to do this, but with Emory paying for it, there doesn’t seem to be any reason not to get some formal training before going pro. (It also lets me work towards a BFA or MFA to add to my collection). I’ve found several online programs in photography, and I shoot all the time for fun anyway, so this option would be quite convenient. With the prevalence of digital cameras, though, photography as a profession is on the decline, so this could be one of the least beneficial options financially.

Something else that I’ve considered is getting some course work in web development. These classes are usually run through business schools, and there are plenty of programs around Atlanta and online for degrees at both the Bachelors and Masters levels. This is the least exciting option, but certainly the most practical and most profittable.

When I ask myself these days, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” those are the things that I’m considering. So, does anyone see anything that I might have missed, or anything that just looks so completely obvious, but I’m clearly overlooking. Don’t be shy, tell me what you think.

I’m always taken aback when the government does something that makes sense. This is no exception.

*Note to anyone who cares. I don’t drink or smoke tobacco, so no I’m not a pot head. I just happen to think that criminalization of marijuana use is a drain on public resources, and hypocritical given its stance on alcohol and tobacco.

If you’re interested go to the Schmap Guide for Atlanta Click on Atlanta Botanical Gardens and then scroll through the images.

Predictably, Hannity was railing Barack Obama. The topic of the day was that Obama was arrogant and elitist. One caller asked what was wrong with a president who believed he was more than just a common man, pointing out that George Washington believed that the president should be better than the common man. Hannity essentially ignored the point the caller was trying to make, and launched into a series of anti-Obama talking points, “Was George Washington friends with unrepentant terrorists? Was George Washington friends with someone who bombed the pentagon? Did George Washington ever say he wasn’t proud of America?” By the time he was done going through the list I was laughing so hard I nearly got into an accident.

Let’s think about this for a moment,

Was George Washington friends with unrepentant terrorists?

I’m sure if you had asked the British, they would have considered George Washington among the chief conspirators. The guerrilla tactics adopted by the Army under his command were considered unorthodox, by his contemporaries, and would probably be labeled terrorism by today’s media.

Was George Washington friends with someone who bombed the pentagon?

Since the Pentagon is a modern military structure, it’s a little absurd to ask the question. However, Washington oversaw attacks against his country’s military forces that inflicted casualties in the thousands. I think it’s safe to say, if the British had had an equivalent to the Pentagon in North America in the 1770s, there’s a good chance Washington would have tried to attack it.

Did George Washington ever say he wasn’t proud of America?

Probably not as such. However, for much of his life America wasn’t his country, Britain was. And there is plenty of evidence of things he said dispariging both King and Country. Again, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to assume that if George Washington had been proud of his country, he wouldn’t have led a violent revolt against it.

I know he’s got an agenda to push, but it’s things like this that make it seem like he isn’t even trying. Come on, if you’re asking for three hours a day, don’t you think you should at least come up with a new line every once in a while.

In all fairness though, I did laugh quite a bit, so I guess it was entertaining, which is really what he’s getting paid to do.

The day I shot the photo in question, I had set out with my friend Roman to shoot some waterfalls. The days leading up to our trip, and even the day of,  we had a significant amount of rain. it wasn’t enough to break the drought, but enough to significantly increase the volume of water running down these rocks.

On the drive up, I had begun to feel quite ill.  My head was pounding to the point that I was nauseated. So, when we finally got to the trail, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make the very short hike to the falls. I didn’t feel well and it was still raining. Still, I decided that getting out and shooting would be better than sitting in the truck being  sick. I hadn’t driven two hours just to puke in the woods.

Quite gingerly I walked up the path to the base of the falls, setup my camera and tripod, and began shooting away. An interesting thing happened as I stood there with the rain dripping on me, and the water fall roaring in front of me: I forgot about my headache. It was still there, and anytime I had to stop to think and make a conscious choice about something, I could still feel it. However, when I was shooting, my actions were almost completely automatic. For the most part, I didn’t have to think about what I was doing. Composition, camera settings, everything just sort of happened intuitively. I don’t know how long I stayed there taking pictures, but I know Roman got bored long before I was finished.

I shot some of my favorite photos that day.

Then, about a month later, I drove down to Callaway Gardens to shoot some azaleas.  Some of the more popular spots were quite crowded with photographers, but there was one shot that I had thought about doing and wanted to make sure I got, so I was willing to wait my turn. Again I setup my camera and tripod and was composing my shot, waiting for the photographer in front of me to finish up.

I was just standing there in the garden, when something caught my attention. In my memory, I just sort of sensed something was there.  I looked down, and just on the edge of the creek, about 20 feet from me, was a snake with his head poking out of the water. I walked towards it for a better look and realized I was looking at a copperhead. He didn’t seem to notice me, though, and continued to swim through the water, just off the bank.

The photographer who was in front of me was lying on the ground with his feet nearly in the water. I let him know that there’s a poisonous snake headed in his direction. I’m not sure whether he believed me or not, but he stood and asked me where. I pointed it out, and he quickly packed up his stuff and left the area. The snake, too, went on his way.

In relating this story to my wife, she said I have a very keen survival instinct. Athletes call this being In the Zone. Psychologists call it mindfulness. I’m pretty sure it’s what Buddhists would call Zen. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but these seemingly mystical, higher consciousness moments are just one of the many reasons I love photography.

So, when I first saw this particular image, I was immensely tickled. In fact, I couldn’t contain my laughter for quite some time. Even today when I saw it again, I laughed and laughed, as though seeing it for the first time.

John Maslowski at Sirius2 Photography has a couple incredible shots of a turbulent sea. Restless Seas 2 is probably my favorite, but be sure to check out the rest of his stuff. He does really great work.