AmeriCorps Part 2

The program I applied for in Brooklyn didn't work out. They didn't provide a housing allowance. Sorry, but how is one expected to live on $250 every two weeks in NY? So instead, I found another program down here in D.C. Looks like I'm staying for another year folks!

I started yesterday with this new program. It's called FAN, which stands for Fihankra Akoma Ntoaso, which is a program in SE D.C. that works with foster kids. So my job with the program will be to teach 9th and 10th graders photography. I'm pretty excited about it. Unfortunately, none of the students showed up yesterday, so now I'm trying to work on finding them equipment and other resources. We'll see what happens. I'll keep all ya'll posted.

My roommate Gabby and I are preparing for a move. It's exciting to know we have an apartment lined up that we're both happy with. We're downsizing to a 2 bdrm. Should be good times.

What else... I'm still looking for new jobs left and right. Hoping to hear back about a few. If anyone knows of anything fun and interesting in the D.C. area, let me know! I'm still working on redesigning my Web site. Once that's posted I'll be sure to put it up on the Internets and let all ya'll know about it.

I'm going to keep this one short because I don't have much else to say. So, I bid you all ado. Oh, and start following me on Twitter if you're interested in getting updates about photography stuffs: @Fikhmanfoto.

Obama Madness, Inauguration 2009, Part 1

Well, I was going to make my next post about the rest of My Winter Adventure, but I'm over that and President Obama's inauguration is a way bigger deal.

So, let me begin my story. The photo you see above is a hail-mary I shot on the mall during the concert at Lincoln's Memorial on Sunday that was aired live on HBO. My roommate Gabby and I decided to go down and check it out. We ended up getting off the metro at Farrugut North and hoped to hop a bus, but as we were about to do so, all streets going East-West were closed down. So we made the not-so-long walk down to the Lincoln Memorial. Along the way we were offered all sorts of swag ranging from Inaugural (Bakset)balls, posters, t-shirts, buttons to Obama fragrances. It was kind of ridiculous the things these people were selling. But then there were the practical pitches of hand warmers and tissues. We didn't stop to purchase anything, but it was amusing nonetheless.

Unfortunately, we got there at 2 (when it was supposed to start) we couldn't see jack. We ended up right behind the WW2 memorial watching a jumbotron with all those people in the photo above. Security ended up closing off the gates that would've allowed us to get past the WW2 memorial, so we were left hopeless until I saw a hole for us to get to the front of the second crowd of people. We had a decent spot at the south jumbotron. I mean, ya know, it's cool we were there to experience it live, but it would've been way cooler if we'd gotten to see it up close and not have to see Mary J.'s boots on a giant screen.

The rundown of celebrities (if I can even remember them all) included: Denzel Washington, Mary J. Blige, Kal Penn, Steve Carrell, Tom Hanks, Laura Linney, Shakira, Usher, Stevie Wonder, John Mellancamp, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springstein, James Taylor, Beyonce, U2, John Legend, Garth Brooks, Jack Black... the list goes on. I'm straining my brain just trying to remember them all. So all in all, it was pretty awesome to be at something so historic.

The speakers showed old footage of past important presidents like Roosevelt and Kennedy. And quoted Lincoln quite a few times. Martin Luther King III spoke about his father and the things he tried to accomplish during the civil rights movement. 

And then... then... Obama spoke. My god the crowd went absolutely insane. And you know what? It was for good reason. The man is an amazing orator. The way he speaks, the things he says, he's totally motivating. I'd say he was the highlight of the day, even though we got to see so many great acts in the same day. So, now I've experienced the mass of people and I feel slightly better prepared for Tuesday's festivities. Ian and I are going to be going back downtown to the Ellipse behind the White House to cover the inaugural parade and the Army parts of it. I hope, hope, hope! that I'll get to see Obama in person for some amazing photos. So, stay tuned folks.

Also, to see more photos of the event and photos of tomorrow, check out this Facebook Album.

It's About Damn Time

I was going to write about my trip to Portland last week, but I feel that this is much more important than that. That can wait. So, without further ado, I'd like to say, "Thank you America," for electing a new president who will do good for our country. 

I spent election night with a former professor of mine at a bar in Adams Morgan, called Angles. I figured there would be a few people there, sitting quietly at their tables, having dinner and drinking beer, but no. I walked in to an absolute madhouse. The bar was jam-packed with people. The stairs were lined with smokers. Both flat-screen TVs were blaring CNN (HD, mind you) and everytime Wolf Blitzer announced a state had gone blue, the entire bar went into an uproar. If he announced a state had gone red, boos filled the bar. I have to say, there's nothing like being in your nation's capitol when such a huge election is taking place. The whole night I was wondering to myself whether people were going to run down to the White House and try to throw Bush out onto the South lawn. Well, only a little to my surprise, the next day I read an article on Yahoo! about an impromptu parade lead by police escort down Pennsylvania Ave., rounded out with a drum circle! I'm so sad I missed this! I instead, drove my tired ass home to make it to my couch on time to hear Obama's acceptance speech.

We're in for a bumpy ride with a new president, who in my personal opinion, will take these challenges in stride and I beleive he will succeed. Like he said, maybe not in one year or even in one term, but he will put us on track to getting to where we needed to be eight years ago.

Holy Thunder, Batman!

Let me tell you folks something, the weather out here on the East Coast is absolutely ridiculous. So, I'm at my internship today, and I'm checkin my email, you know, doin non-work things, then my mentor shows up for our meeting (he's a National Geographic photographer, no biggie...), we're sitting in the atrium, having a chat. I'm learning about all the cool stuff he's done over his 40 year career, then... BOOOOOM!!!! The rain comes pouring down so hard on the glass roof to the atrium. The wind has the trees going absolutely nuts outside. So, it gets louder and louder, and I can barely hear the guy. Then, we're all ushered downstairs into the auditorium where there are no windows to blow open and cut us all up. Ten minutes later, we're free to go upstairs and we continue our chat. In any case, on the drive home, I'm driving, driving, then, around the bend, a fallen tree in my lane. Do the cars in the oncoming lane even think to slow down to let us pass? No, of course not. This is after all the East Coast. Anyway, finally the other lane slows down to a stop and I ask the lady in the car next to mine, "What's up with the tree?" and her response is, "It goes around the bend to the curb. You're just going to have to push your way in. Good luck!" I'm thinkin, you could at least wave to the people behind you to get them to stop. Well, some nice lady finally does. I get through to the other side, then I try calling 911 to report the fallen tree. They direct me to some other phone number, which I dial, and it just rings, and rings, and rings. So, no reporting of the fallen tree. But as I drive on, a police officer comes roaring toward me in my lane, so I'm guessing he saw the tree. In any case, here's an interesting thing about crazy East Coast drivers. They don't treat down traffic lights as 4-way stops. They just plow right through them without thinking about the possibility that there might be a car trying to turn that they could T-bone. So, to make a long story about weather and East Coast drivers short, my drive home felt like I was driving on an obstacle course.

The end. Thank you for listening! Catch you all next time ...

D.C.: So much to do, so much time

I've taken up a dog-walking position with a company here called "FurGet Me Not". Unfortunately, they don't have very many clients in my neighborhood as of yet, so I just sit at home searching for photo jobs on the Internet.

There's a lot to do here in D.C., unfortunately, I have no one to go do it with. I could go wander the streets of downtown by myself and see what kind of trouble I stumble into, but, it's always more exciting when someone is there with you to witness the event. So, in the event that my dog walking position starts sometime soon, I think I'll bring my camera along for the, walk. Maybe I'll document D.C. from the dog's perspective. After all, they're the ones close to the ground, where at night rats scurry and bugs crawl.

With that said, here's a photo I took the first week I was here in town. I kinda like it, though I did take it while driving home from the airport. It pays to have a working sunroof.