I recently spent the 4th of July week down in OBX, North Carolina with a group of old friends. We had all pitched in to rent a simple, cozy beach house at the southern tip of the strip (Avon, NC to be more specific). I have to say that the trip was a much needed escape from the suburban/metropolitan rush of daily life and was just enough to wind me down to discover a new way of fulfilling my current mantra, “Live Simply”. We spent each day waking up early for a delicious family breakfast made by the amazing Johnny Chen and Sarah Nguyen. In all honesty, without them we would never have experienced such a well-coordinated, well thought out trip. We would have also starved. The two are the nerdiest, cutest, smartest couple I know and I am damned happy for them both. After breakfast we would all lather on the SPF and make our 5 minute pilgrimage to the Atlantic coast where we would swim, lay out, frisbee, volleyball and talk our day away. The smell of the ocean and the warmth of the sun would follow us home to our little beach house where we would wash up and dry our things as Johnny and Sarah would cook up yet another amazing meal from scratch. I recall it was spaghetti the first night, lasagna the second night and hotdogs and burgers the third. The fourth we ended up eating a thanksgiving amount of frozen foods thanks to every restaurant inexplicably closing at 9pm on the OBX. I learned to wake up early with the sun, I learned to sleep late with good conversation, I learned that I was not above showering outside with a hose, and that it’s never too late at night to practice yoga or to have a zumba dance party. I learned to love the people I was with like my own family. In only 4 short days I learned to appreciate the people in my life and the simple pleasures of holding onto them.

     I have a Nepalese friend named Manisha that I’ve known for 5 years but until this week, have never actually sat down with her and talked heart to heart. Through our conversations she opened my eyes to the value of the people we befriend and the importance of being honest with ourselves. Her experiences in her own life allowed her to shed a different light on my present outlook on life. To my isolation and tendency to disconnect with people in the pursuit of my own adventures and growth she simply stated, “we get what we want”. When prompted to explain my goals/ reasoning for how I felt I was drifting away from everyone I found that I couldn’t give a solid explanation. I realized that I was simply pushing everyone away as if purging my life of my past self to create a new, successful Chris. Sitting on the beach as we watched our friends fish and the sun begin to set, she gazed across the ocean and told me this, “Wherever you go, go. If you want it you will get it. If you don’t want everyone and are tired of the people you’re with then you will find new ones. But as for me I treasure my friends and work hard to keep people in my life”. I realized how selfish and closed minded and short sighted and stupid I had become. Life keeps on rolling and we all need to keep adapting, this I know. We are all constantly trying to improve and change for the better but we are all in this together and that is something that I really lost sight of. I realized how busy everyone has been and how they have all still managed to make time for each other - I was no more busy or better than anyone. In bits and pieces an incredibly humbling picture was taking form in my mind and I have to admit I felt ashamed and frustrated with myself. Man oh man have I really digressed…

     Since returning home I have found myself to be quite restless. My mind has been a mixture of memories of the trip and this rapidly growing idea in my head that I need to turn my life around. Her words were so simple, so true, and yet they have clasped onto my deepest core. Ever the melodramatist and the overthinker, I know I just need to cultivate this freshly planted seed. The trip was an amazing experience and great reminder of how much I love the sea and the heat. As much as I love the northern winters I am still a summer baby at heart. There is a lot of work to be done in these coming months: GREs, SMSC and work to name a few but I’m just glad to know that I have these amazing goofballs in my life just a phone call away. Hopefully we can all start sharing more adventures together soon. 

Here’s to old friends, new friends and never saying no to adventure. 

Trek On,

Chris

P.S. Thank you for being an amazing friend, Manisha. 

Hippies, Open Mic and Diving In.

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Today I went to the Epicure Cafe in fairfax for the first time with my old friend, Mark Nufable. The mission was to experience my first open mic night as well as to see him perform for the first time. To describe the place and its patrons I told him I had two adjectives - “eclectic and impoverished”. I am, of course, kidding! Everyone there was very welcoming to the performers and were all very ready to clap and support them. I had a lot of respect for the different kinds of artists who had the courage to play. Call me a wimp but I feel like that just takes balls. My frankness aside for more frankness, I felt quite out of place at first. Rewind my life half a year ago and I was fully immersed in the art school at George Mason - these people would have been no different than the people I saw lurking our halls every day. But working with the guys at REI for these past months and, I suppose, just spending my days working and training I felt like I was surrounded by a bunch of hippies that all needed money for new clothes and ear lobe reconstruction. Before you all hate me the point I am trying to get to is this: I realized that I needed to simply dive in. I needed to let loose and just let myself be absorbed into the moment and place that I was existing in at the time. I had to remind myself how much I loved music and how passion is the same for everyone. Now there were still some electronic performances I still couldn’t get my head around but all in all I was extremely glad I came. In my opinion, Mark killed it during his performance. I grew up with this guy, he taught me to break dance and DDR in elementary school, and now he was teaching me to really go after my love of music. I’m no way a good singer, but tonight definitely inspired me to take up my guitar again and really start to practice.

Thank you for the experience brother, I can’t wait to meet you out west.

Chris

   Nearly a week ago I had the chance to hike Old Rag with some co-workers (quickly turning into friends) and my bud Paul. It was, to say the least, extremely fulfilling for me. As embarrassing as  it may be, it was only the second serious hike I’ve every done. Not coming from a very outdoorsy family, I have been trying to catch up! Even more embarrassing is the sheer amount of people that hike Old Rag. Like I said, playing catch up. We decided to hike the 7.4 mile trail counterclockwise which meant climbing the famous rock scramble rather than descending it. This proved to be much more than I anticipated and, between my ridiculously heavy 40L multi-day pack and my ridiculous fear of heights, I did borderline terrible. There were times where I had to hand my pack up to Zach or Sean and then (poorly) hoist myself up the slippery boulders. The bulk of the weight in my pack was my overstock of food and my heavy DSLR. Both of which I was convinced I needed. But through the sweat and cramps there was laughter, good conversation and a peaceful calm I have never felt before. There is a clarity awarded by hiking a good hike. As we trekked the miles and miles I began to think about where I was. Who I was with and where I was going. Not just on the trail but in this day to day life I live. Since joining REI I have met some of the most amazing people I have ever met, and some of the most humble adventurers I will ever meet. I have learned the value of living a simple, honest and clean life. I learned to work hard and to be strong as an individual and as a team. Probably most of all, I learned that life is just too short to say no (except for sky diving, give me some time for that). I’ve been spending my days off either on adventures or volunteering in the community. Balancing a day for “us” and a day for “them” is something I learned from my good friend, Sean Lacey. I have always been an avid volunteer but not until meeting him did I realize just how many ways there were to serve the community. This is a guy that volunteers on a farm,  then immediately goes to donate blood, refuels and showers at REI and then heads off to spend his evening volunteering at his church…This is Sean Lacey. The beautiful thing about all of this was that I wasn’t sitting in my room late at night thinking myself into oblivion. I was blinking, sweating and aching - I was hiking a mountain surrounded by nothing but trees, mountain air and my brothers. When we reached the summit of Old Rag I could never have anticipated the breath taking view. The wind ripped at us across the treeless summit taking away all sounds. Before us spread the most beautiful sea of clouds and trees I have ever seen. It was as if we were on the edge of the world looking at a view only the gods could have the right to see. The clouds floated endlessly into the distance, the trees stood proudly in their sheer numbers. I felt infinite. I understand that this isn’t in any way the best or most extreme mountain range but to me it was an accomplishment and taste of something I am going to be doing the rest of my life. To say the least, my love for nature, the outdoors and the conservation of the only earth we have was refueled and rebuilt with a hard earned perspective…5 hours or so after entering the trail head we found ourselves sweaty, tired and satisfied enough to head home but first, we needed to see the ponies. I cannot wait for the many adventures to come with my beloved new friends.

Trek On,

Chris So

PHOTO DUMP!!!

Earlier this week I hiked Signal Knob with my coworker, Sean Lacey. It was my first serious hike and it was a much needed escape from the day to day. Work has been amazing, family has been good and I’ve been quite happy (gaining weight even) but I just needed to get away from it all. The 10.5 mile hike did the trick. We completed the loop in a little over 4 hours, much faster than the 5.5 hour prediction the website said it would take. The ascents were brutal, the paths were wrought with loose rocks and the view was breath taking…During the hike up we talked about family, friends, martial arts, the outdoors, relationships, volunteerism, boots, packs, knives - you name it. I feel like I found quite a kindred spirit in Sean.  Many cliff shots and a couple of chicken wraps later and I knew that we would make an excellent adventuring team! When we got back to our cars we refueled with some well-earned hamburgers and shakes (milkshakes are, arguably, my favorite food). I was preparing to part ways when I asked him what he was doing next and as it would turn out he was on his way to the Jefferson Memorial to read and write in his journal. I was surprised to say the least. Being someone who writes and reads and occasionally journeys into DC by himself to do both those things one could imagine how excited I was to be invited to join! We ended up sitting outside of the memorial for a good two hours as he wrote and I watched the sunset on the tidal basin barefoot. Can’t really explain it, but it was exactly what a long day’s hike needed as its ending…Hoping for many more adventures to come my new friend!

The other day I had the opportunity to photograph Reston Association’s Clean the Bay event. It was a part of a larger Clean the Bay day organized by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and was a very exciting thing to be a part of. I am really growing fond of Reston. It’s residents, it’s natural areas, it’s vibe. I would have really liked to have grown up there around so many nature and conservation education events. Anyways, the photo assignment was to capture the volunteers in action as they cleaned the shores of Lake Audubon and Lake Thoreou. I couldn’t have asked for better volunteers (not that I really have any say in the matter)! They were all very lively and very funny. The group I stayed with for the most part were a bunch of volunteers from the locally headquartered protective services Triple Canopy. They were a group of veterans and the such and I just vibed with their easy going, straight forward humor. Having been working with veterans at REI I have started having an affinity for the simple, honest, no nonsense demeanors of our servicemen(women). So much respect for what they’ve done and what they are doing…ANYWAYS, the lakes were absolutely beautiful and much larger than I thought. We weren’t able to even get around a 5th of it! As we turned a corner the rich foliage gave way to an expansive, resort-like sprawl of manicured lawns, private docks and shining boats. Just 10 minutes away from my house was this beautiful lakefront neighborhood! I hope to come back again sometime and run/bike around the lake. Reston is my go-to getaway. 

Lastly! Today was the 2013 Post Hunt event in DC! I can’t explain in words how fun this event was. Picture national treasure combined with the lost symbol combined with premium rush and that’s basically what we did! I discovered the magazine at dinner last night and with only a few hours notice I assembled a three man team consisting of: Tim Tolentino (Geography, Transportation), Mason Hsu (Geography, Problem Solving) and myself (I had the map and a bike for Mason). What we thought was going to be an obscure, little known scavenger hunt with an easy $2000 dollar prize ended up turning out to be this massive braniac horde of all the brilliant minds of the DC area. Everyone and their attractive girlfriends/sisters/daughters were there cracking these puzzles that were just jibberish to us. We were disheartened to say the least but we pulled through all 5 puzzles and made it to the final clue. We got everything but two puzzles wrong of course, but in the end we felt like winners. It was the experience and a well-spent day off. Carpe Diem is alive in us and I have no regrets. For our hard work and fried brains we thought it appropriate to end the day at the delicious haven, Shake Shack! I don’t think there isn’t a thing on their menu I don’t want to try. If only I had the stomach and money for it! All in all, it was an amazing week filled with amazing people. Things are looking very positive for me lately and I just have to keep on going. Keep working at REI, keep studying for the GREs and keep living life day by day. That’s the goal, that’s the mission. 

Here’s to days off well-spent.

Trek On,

Chris

     Today, or yesterday rather, was GMU’s senior art show. A number of my art friends had been tirelessly working (dying) for a whole semester to get through their classes as well as find time to develop, build and launch this senior show. Needless to say I was blown away with what everyone brought to the show. These were people that I knew, if only for a brief semester, and had watched grow as artists and people and to see their culminating works in this gallery setting was simply proud-happy-blown-away-teary-eyed all at once, haha. I recall the last semester’s senior show as being a very bittersweet goodbye for me. I was embarking on a life journey to find my place in the world after school and I didn’t know what or where I would be by the time I saw these friends again. Of course, fast forwarding I am still in the area but I felt like so much had changed. In an indescribable way, walking through what was once my favorite building felt so empty and different. It was the people I was there for. God, how did I digress this much. Ok.

     The first piece I saw ended up being my favorite of the night. It was a piece entitled, “thus” by my good friend Sua (www.kimsua.com). She wasn’t by her photos but I stood there for 15 minutes nonetheless. There was something about the images. The frames within the frames. The transition from a blurry glistening ocean to a suddenly vast ocean. The washed up frame next to a frame capturing a rushing wave. There was something in the spaces within the frame. To me the piece resonated with a lot of the things happening in my life, most specifically the second photograph of a picture frame floating in the ocean. It reminded me of how much I’ve learned since leaving school and experiencing life. Being on my own and having to create my own structure. Having to create my own new friends and opportunities. It made me think about how we are living in frames of times, people and places floating in a vast ocean. At one moment a focused picture of a life, the next moment an obscure nothingness. But as I looked at the photograph I began to realize that was the point of it all. To float on and realize that everything is nothing. That we need not worry or hold onto people or places for we are all just floating, limitless, pulsing beings…we are nothing. Now, after reading her artist statement I realized the purpose of the piece was for us to realize the existence of non-existence. A buddhist idea in which one is able to see something out of nothingness. The fact that we all live in the illusion of how things appear. The fact that we are reality and that we are nothing. Needless to say after that I really REALLY wished she was there!

     The first friend I ran into was Mr. Taylor Reiman (graphic design/photography) who created an entire book inspired by a post-surgery health cleanse he undertook. The book served as an amusing, yet incredible informative instruction guide on how to “Eat Like a Caveman”. He has been a friend since high school and we always had this uncanny way of running back into each other’s lives in the weirdest of places. He was an old face I could count on for random life talks between classes. I’m so happy that he’s done and accomplishing so much. I hope he takes off and never stops going! But first he really should sleep. 5 days straight is inhuman.

     The second friend I saw was my good good friend, fellow photog and soon to be fellow cyclist, Mr. Jerry Jones! I had spent the earlier part of the day helping Jerry look for a new road bike and was much anticipating his piece. It was a uniquely interactive piece in which observers were encouraged to grasp the image cubes and rearrange them to their liking. The photographs were of everyday objects taken in unique points of view immortalizing the beauty and texture of such impermanent things as the raindrops on a leaf or the crystalline lattice of frost forming across a car. Ever the detailed, exacting, artistic gent I know him to be, Jerry did not disappoint with his piece.  

     To end the night I decided to try to catch Sua again and to my luck she was back at her artwork! She was looking absolutely lovely in front of her artwork I wasn’t sure what to say haha. It was amazing catching up with her and hearing her plans for the future. I got a chance to catch up and tell her about what I’ve been doing and hopefully that we’ll see each other more now that school is finished for her. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her more about her piece but that will be taken care of over coffee soon. 

     It was a good, yet brief, night. I got to see and catch up with a lot of old faces I had missed. But most importantly, I think. I got to walk away from that old art building with a feeling of closure. I got to walk away for perhaps the last time. The old thoughts, memories and pains of that building felt as if they dissipated into the night with the fading sounds of the gallery. It was, a good night. 

Trek On,

Chris

     This past weekend I had the honor of photographing Reston Association’s Spring Festival! I never get tired of volunteering for local organizations like this, especially for environmentally focused events such as the Spring Festival. From my pictures one probably couldn’t tell that the event was a huge success featuring numerous nature education games, live music and a nature trail scavenger hunt where kids solved clues at educational kiosks manned by local plant and animal environmental groups. Basically, the event made me wish I had kids so they could be exposed to the overflowing amount of positive, nature loving community I was seeing. I never knew there was such a vibrant eco-conscious community so close to home! The Walker Nature Center was a beautiful complex surrounded by forest and a nature trail. The trail led through the forest to a lake where visitors could fish (if licensed) and kayak. I didn’t even feel like I was 10 minutes away from home! As if the free eco-friendly bags and live music wasn’t enough, vendors provided free information on native plant species. Visitors could then buy native virginia plants from a local farmer (how often we overlook our native plants!). The entire event lifted my spirits and calmed how stormy my mind has been becoming lately. It reminded me that there are good people and good things in this world.

     In other news, TODAY WAS MY FIRST FULL DAY AT REI! It’s been weeks and weeks of sporadic training but today I was able to put in a full 8.5 hours, 5 of which were spent stocking various sections of the camping department. How fitting that the first section I ever stocked by myself would be the water bottle wall. It was the camelback bottle that got me to become more active. It was my camelback bottle that reliably held my water through Cambodia and France…Things always find a way to come full circle. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always for a reason. Alas, cheesiness aside, it was so incredible to return to the workforce. In all honesty, through my aching back and legs and sweat I haven’t been so happy in a long long time…For the first time since I spilled into this shark tank after graduation, I have structure and purpose in my life again. I stocked the hell out of those shelves, I memorized the hell out of all the camping supplies, I politely helped the shit out of those customers! I put in the work and the hours and I went to BJJ tired and satisfied. I missed work so dearly. I may be looking into this too deeply, or maybe not deeply enough. All I know is that I have a direction and a purpose and that I love this place I call work! I love learning about the equipment, I love meeting the customers, I love hearing about adventures and I AM DYING TO HAVE SOME OF MY OWN! I don’t know what I’m typing anymore. I’m sleep deprived from editing pictures and am bruised as hell from BJJ…I just know that I’m finally at a good place again…and that I really am excited for what the future holds…

Here’s to never giving up, and knowing when to let go…

Trek On.

 

Chris

   This past weekend I had the opportunity to help family friend, Dr. Frederick Zamon, with the youth fishing program of the Fairfax Springfest at the Occoquan Regional Park. It was probably the most I’ve ever handled fishing lines, bait and children in my life but I have to say that it was incredibly fulfilling. It was nice to see so many happy families out and about enjoying something as simple as fishing. And that was just it, not one family caught any fish but as the parents returned the rods I could see smiles across their faces. It was a chance to share an experience with their kids on a beautiful day.

     I got to meet fellow volunteer, Anastasia. I don’t exaggerate when I say she was the brightest high schooler I’ve met in a long time. She wants to become a photographer, more specifically, a wildlife photographer! You can imagine my excitement! I was basically holding myself back from barraging her with a mountain of life advice (I think I did anyways). I essentially told her a little bit about my journey thus far and how important it was to follow your dreams. Corny, yes, but I told her how much time I feel like I wasted not doing what I wanted from the start. When something grips you enough to be called your passion there is really little else you need to think about. Pursue it, engulf yourself in its art, become the best and never stop chasing it and you won’t regret where you end up. Not to say that it won’t be hard - hell it will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. But what is a life spent walking a prescribed path? What is a life spent “working now so I can enjoy life later”? Not everyone has the same definition of a happy life, and it’s taken me this long to see that. Alas, I digress. Between wanting to become a photographer and her love for choreography, I hope Anastasia never stops pursueing her dream. I really look forward to the awesomeness you will be growing up to be!

(I don’t know if she will ever find this post)  

Here’s to keeping on going.

Trek On,

Chris

     Today I revisited an old, memory laden trail - the Capital Crescent Trail (http://www.cctrail.org/). My good friend, Tim, and I road the path from Bethesda, Maryland all the way to Washington, DC. In total we covered 26.69 miles in 3 hours and 4 minutes. There was a lot of stop and go in the city but I am really getting a better grip on aggressive city riding. I really have to thank TIm for the invaluable training, I love cycling and traffic was always a big fear of mine. 

     The reason I say the trail is memory laden is because it was the nameless trail from my early childhood memories riding with my father, uncles and cousins. It was the same trail that I revisited in college to do my first stop action project. And it was the trail that I drove to to practice dragon boat racing in the Potomac for my ex’s chinese school. An ex that set up the framework for the impenetrable, trust robbed walls around my heart. Quite a trail! However, coming back to the CCT as I am now really opened up a new opportunity for me. With a newer, more mature mindset I looked at the trail as a closure with a lot of my past demons. As I pumped my legs and (made incredible time ~7 miles in 28 minutes) zoomed past trees and fences and memories I felt like I was finally saying goodbye to these memories. The good and the bad. I felt I was riding ahead and away from the younger me. Riding away from my dad and my uncles and my brother…I felt like I was finally old enough to lead my own trail and to discover my own paths. I felt like I was riding away from every poisonous relationship I’ve ever had. Literally running over and killing every “other guy” (god why is there always another guy). The trip was emotional and physical and amazing. 

     I have to hand it to Tim. He rode a single speed bike, only had a front brake AND was wearing long commuter pants sans chamois. I don’t know how his legs or prostate made it the 26 miles but they did! Riding through DC this time was more intense because I got to lead a couple of times and we got separated a couple of times. There was some seriously legit bus weaving done today! Our first break was at Union Station for smoothies (we discovered milkshakes were a bad idea last time). I saw a photo opp with the station’s hallway’s architecture and pulled out my DSLR to capture the moment. At first I took a test shot to gauge the exposure and then set up Tim centered and posed. As I looked through the pictures tonight I realized I liked the test shot so much more. Touching on the photographic conversation Tim and I had over beers and burgers after the ride, I thought about what makes a picture and what makes a photograph. I thought about photo journalism, I thought about composition, I thought about the rules and how to break the rules. I thought about fine art and I thought about a maturing photographer and I realized, yes, I definitely like this test shot more. Not to be that guy that analyzes his own picture, BUT. I saw the uncentered composition so much more intriguing. Tim is not the center of the picture, and one could argue, wasn’t even the subject. The mix of people at the end of the hallway, the homeless man passing Tim, Tim’s bike and Tim’s outwardly gaze cause the viewer to arc across the picture from the back to the left foreground. Even the overexposure fills the frame with a pure light that contrasts against the gritty, contrasty textures of the hallway’s ceiling and floor stirring yet more intrigue. The only thing centered and uniform about the hallway is the hallway itself and it encapsulates a variety of off-centered, busy subjects, as a hallway should! Both physically and artistically the hallways presents itself as a vehicle of transport for the viewer. Be it to the other end of the hallway to where we locked our bikes, or be it through the silent chaos of frozen action that is this picture. I may be looking too deep into it, but I think Tim, his teacher and my favorite professor would be proud.

     I, of course, had to take a picture of my personal setup. A photographer’s glory is from behind the camera but sometimes I like to let the viewers see a little bit of me. What I’m currently working with is my blue/silver 2012 Trek 2.1 Compact aptly named Tuna.

     After Union Station we decided to ride down to the historic Eastern Market area (hence the strange rhombus shaped detour we took on the bottom right). We ended up getting lost in a sketchy neighborhood, replanning and then ending up at a closed bar. So we gunned it back to the city center and decided to head back to Bethesda for food. It was getting overcast and we were afraid of rain. On the way back I couldn’t help but stop ever so often for instagram opps (@chrissogram). One particular spot had me turning around and calling for Tim to follow me. On the left of the trail was a uniform fence and on the right was a chaotic mess of dying trees and roots. Separating the two was a smooth endless pathway - I HAD to put Tim in the middle of it! What resulted was one of my favorite pictures of the day. A gentleman and his trusted iron steed standing unabashedly between industry and nature. Emblazoned on his chest, a stunning call to all those around him, “For the Greater Good”! Call me crazy, but when moments shout themselves out to me I cannot but help to shout back.

     It was another fantastically spent day with an equally fantastic friend. I am really biking more and more and I have to say that I am loving it (at the cost of my BJJ gym time). My posts have been becoming much more happier and, I have to say I am becoming much more happier. Out of a long drought I have suddenly been refilled with hope and, dare I say it, excitement. Excitement for what there is to come. Excitement for how uncertainly beautiful the future is. 

You get what you make of it.

Trek On,

Chris

   Last thursday I went into DC for an impromptu shooting of the Cherry Blossoms. To my elation my good friend Tim Tolentino (http://www.timtolentino.com/) was free to come with me and show me the ropes of city riding! We metro’d in with our bikes and rode from the Smithsonian stop to the tidal basin. Of course my peugeot decided to pop its chain and after some playing around with it I got it stay on its inner chain ring, thus restricting me to ride single speed through the streets of DC. They cherry blossoms were as beautiful as I remembered, it had been several years since I had the time to come and see them. We walked our bikes around the basin starting at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. What was supposed to be a cherry blossom shoot quickly became a Tim & Scarlett (his beautiful road bike) photoshoot. Scarlett was a beauty Tim had built from the frame up. It’s rear wheel was single speed/ fixie convertible. The tidal basin waters where coated with the cherry blossoms giving it an illusion of a pink and white sea. It was almost surreal. However, taken at a different angle the purity of the petals gave way to a more realistic view of the basin. This would be reinforced a couple of days later when we received news that a body was found in the basin. As we completed our round about the basin I managed to snag a nice close up of some mallards enjoying the cool shade. As we were about to make our way off the basin into the city to find the famous, Shake Shack, a military helicopter came thundering past us. I managed to zoom in and get a quick shot of it - United States Army emblazoned on its tail. We wondered where it was going and why, and a part of me wondered how a different place and different shoes would have made this view mean some different things…In any case, it was an amazing thursday with an amazing friend. I gained a lot of confidence in city riding/ traffic dodging and will certainly apply it more to my weekend rides around my area. As for everything else, I’m still waiting on more news from SMSC and am going through my training at REI. 

Things are very very good right now, and I am so grateful…

Trek On,

Chris

I MADE IT INTO THE SMITHSONIAN-MASON SCHOOL OF CONSERVATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is just a semester program but to me it’s life reaching out its hand and giving me another chance. So many hard nights and rejections have come to this…I will make the absolute most out of this. And I will bring a real change to this world!

TREK THE FUCK ON!

Chris

This past weekend I had the honor of shooting the Copa Nova Spring 2013 BJJ tournament for my team. It was a harsh 8 hours but my amazing Silverback family gave it their all and I couldn’t be prouder. Personally, it was a life changing experience to say the least. Many of my team had already been to this competition and, as one of them mentioned later that night, it was really a tournament to get a fighter’s feet wet to go on to bigger competitions like the Pan Am’s. Regardless, I bore witness to an astounding variety of fighters and saw some of the most fluid, agressive, combination filled matches that I’ve ever seen. I fell in love with BJJ all over again. I think it was largely because I have spent all of my BJJ experience in the Silverback gym (http://silverbackacademy.com/). I work out and practice against my peers, I study YouTube and practice on my own but it took seeing this gathering of schools and unique styles in person to show me how huge BJJ is. Needless to say, the journey to black belt will be a life’s journey I won’t regret.

Anyways, like I said the competition was fierce in all divisions but what surprised me was how the women’s division was bringing it as hard if not harder than the men’s! These women were not playing around. They would jump guard, they would take you down and they would pull off some of the nastiest arm bars. As a matter of fact, I was lucky enough to catch some stills of 2009 world champ, Adrienne Adams! From her humble, brandless rash guards you couldn’t tell that she was a world champ and starter of her own (awesome) company of eco-friendly gi’s (http://thegreengi.com/)!

Something that stood out to me were the individuals that stood out of the crowd, go figure? Included in those would be my new friend Jaron Hampton who proudly wore his (beautiful) dreadlocks into battle, winning it for all the BJJ lions out there (http://jaronhampton.com/). Another man I saw, who I regret not finding and introducing myself too afterwards, was this agile elderly rastaman. In all honestly he looked like he would be making amazing music and spreading words of peace rather than throwing down at Copa Nova! He had a beautiful head of naturals and wicked skills to match, he was my hero of the day!

As the competitions moved on and we got into the 5th hour or so, the Brown Belts came out. Now, BJJ has one of the most grueling belt systems in the world, and I would have it no other way. It goes White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black and Red (of which there are only 5 living holders right now). It can take years to get from White to Blue and even longer from Blue to Purple. In order to reach Brown you would have needed at least 5 years of pure dedication to the art. If you were a black belt at say, 19, the soonest you would expect to get your Red belt, if ever, would be 67. That being said, the brown belts brought a whole different game to the mats. In all honesty, it felt like I was a Private watching Spartan-III’s go at it (since I would reserve Black for S-II and Red for S-I)! They were laughing and smiling, they would start in the most bizzare positions that only a lifetime of experience would have shaped, they were amazing. One could tell them apart even in the No-Gi competitions. The whole gym could hear the throws being made by these two massive heavy weight Brown Belts. Without Gi’s they were doing more aggressive limb locks and throws and moved with such startling power it would humble any fighter right away…

My fan-boying aside, it was an amazing day and an inspiration. The techniques, pressure and fluidity I took away from it has already started to affect my game as well as my life. I’ve decided to start a more purposeful training regimen as well as a healthy (as possible) diet. The next competition is in October but if I get into the SMSC as well as REI I don’t know how it will affect my training…Alas, no excuses. The last picture is probably my favorite picture of the day. After making our team wait for at least an hour they finally placed two of our boys against each other. It was an outrage and a product of crappy bracketing. Viv (left) and Aust (right) were good chaps about it and respectfully gave it their all. The fight was powerful, emotional and fought by a couple of the best people I’ve had the fortune to meet. Silverback and BJJ are blessings that have come into my life at a point where I really needed direction and hope.

Here’s to a lifetime of improving oneself both as a fighter and as a person.

Trek On,

Chris

p.s. If you want to see more pictures of the Silverback team specifically check out my website under the “Volunteer Work” section!

http://500px.com/christophersophotography/sets/volunteer_work

Volunteerism, REI and the SMSC

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     Two weekends ago I did a volunteer shoot for Reston Association’s Habitat Heroes. It was my first time freelancing for an environmental organization and quite frankly, I loved it. I got to meet Reston Association’s Community Outreach Ha Brock, Media Manager Sean Bahrami, and several awesome volunteers. These hard workers were pulling out Garlic Mustard that had overrun a lot of the nature areas’ forest floor. The experience really showed me the value of a community committed to protecting it’s native wildlife. The experience also opened a valuable door into the the Reston Association’s many events. I hope to be working with Sean on many shoots to come. I used to work in Reston and often get onto the W&OD trail from here - I figure I should give back to the beautiful area. To check out some of the shoot here’s my site: 

http://500px.com/christophersophotography/sets/volunteer_work

     Something else that getting involved with the RA showed me was how environmental conservation can take many forms and how interconnected it is. Looking through the huge PDFs of the summer events Sean sent me I quickly realized how many activities and projects Restonians could get involved with. Barely 10 minutes away from me there were watershed cleanups, invase species removals, wildlife education classes and long half day bird watching adventures I had never even heard of! Both far reaching and compact at the same time, determined communities like Reston really offer the chance to make a difference. Conservation can take many forms, not just the big gov’t and NGO orgs I have been applying too, or obscurely located Alaskan coastal bird population surveys. They can be right in your community. I still want to travel far and wide, don’t get me wrong, but I was wrong to overlook the hard workers in my own neighborhood. 

     I got a call back from REI for the group interview! I got the call last week and have been very very excited about it. The company is everything that I could hope to work for. They are a consumer co-op and big environmental steward both locally and holistically. The big picture reason I’d like to work there is to learn about the various equipment as well experience more of the local natural areas. I hope to make good friends and to explore some beautiful places around here. Of course the 50% employee discount has a say in all this too haha. Just today I went to a ‘Hiking Basics’ REI class (not employee training, REI just offers awesome classes) and made sure to walk around the store for 30 minutes before. I’m not working there yet but I am already seeing everything in a different way (and making a wish list). The hiking class was extremely useful, we learned a lot about basic equipment, safety precautions and local mountain geography. Touching again on the interconnectivity of conservation, REI is also participating in this weekend’s Potomac River Watershed Cleanup. Something I took away from the class other than hiking stories though, was again seeing the bigger picture of all of this. This meaning the business of environment. I watched employees walk up and down the back rooms stairs, I watched a man stumble over returned items to get to his buried desk to make a call to HQ about a complaint and I listened to how we are supposed to camp 300’ away from the trail or the rangers will make you move away (it makes the trail look bad). REI is a co-op, yes, but in this day in age it is essentially a business. And even a business focused on selling products for 'human-powered outdoor recreation’ needs money to run. Like REI, environmental conservation in its entirety needs money to work. Parks need to stay healthy and pretty, parks need fees to be pretty, parks need patrons to get fees, parks need to be pretty to get patrons, you camp 300’ away from the trail. I’m not sure where I’m going with this but I’m certain I’ve hit something. The more and more I explore into this field, the more and more I get rejected from jobs, the more and more I just take the leap and get out there with these classes and volunteering, the more I start to see things clearly. I suppose, I’m growing up. 

     Last update, it has just been a sudden rush of progress lately, I finally manned up and completed the application to the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation. It wasn’t easy writing the letter of interest because of how much I wanted to get into the program. Having been thrashed by the job market to the point of depression, this program came out of the darkness like a lightening bolt. If I am able to get into the program and get the scholarship (because I literally have no money) I would be living, breathing, eating environmental training for a whole semester. If there is one thing that being in the job search shark tank has taught me it is the invaluability of experience. These orgs don’t care too much about what fancy coursework you’ve taken, they want to know that you know how to do the specific job they are advertising for with the least amount of training and pay necessary. It’s like pokemon. Say you need to train a pokemon to a competitive lvl 50, you don’t give too much of a damn about the personality or food preferences of the pokemon you find, you will catch the one closest to lvl 50. You will always opt for the most profit with the least amount of investment (this of course not taking into consideration EV training and competitive breeding). As of right now, I am a passionate, dedicated, willing to learn lvl 25 nothing. This semester may be the only chance I have to get a foothold to dive into this field. There are cheaper ways of course, find local opportunities, keep searching, volunteer! I have and they have always let me go. There aren’t many benevolent hearts out there willing to take a chance on 'potential’. The sequester is effectively shoving its hand down many of the departments’ throats and putting a nice freeze on govt hiring and everywhere else frankly doesn’t give a damn.

Things sure have changed from the boy that applied to 5 USAJOBS positions and immediately started packing for adventure.   

I have come to learn and realize a lot of things. Even now my plan is shaky at best. IF I get the job at REI I will have until August to gain experience and savings whereupon I will enter SMSC IF I get accepted and get the scholarship. After that I need to work my ass off to learn everything I can while making as many connections as I can. Best case scenario, I am hired into Smithsonian from within and find myself in a program that I am in love with that will help me get my masters. Worst case scenario, I don’t get the job or get into SMSC and I start from the beginning again while continuing to work at my parents’ store and perhaps working at a Caribou Coffee or something. 

C'est la vie, non?

As I continue to ride this ever changing sea,

Trek On.

Chris