wow, 10 months since a journal update!  there have been many changes in my life since then.  for one, i am no longer employed by anyone; i was let go at the end of September.  i have been trying to make it on my photography since then, relying on meager print sales and the occasional gig.  if you were ever thinking about buying a print from me, i could sure use it!  to that end, i now have a shop on etsy called The Lotus Garden.  [link] those of you in europe, you can find my work on ArtFlakes. [link] if you want to buy direct from dA, let me know and i will make it available.  i am still doing volunteer work for the St. Louis Zoo; i have three shots in their 2012 calendar and a couple of my pictures are scheduled to be displayed (in large banner form) at Lambert Field (St. Louis' international airport) to promote the zoo to tourists.  
you may have noticed on my profile page that i now have a twitter account, @TheZenPirate.  look for tech news, photography tips, zen wisdom, and stuff that interests me.  Also present on facebook, both as myself and The Lotus Garden.  
my newest social obsession is klout.  if you are a member, please visit and give me some +K!  currently my score is only 38, but i would love to push it up over 50.  while i am shamelessly promoting myself, i will go ahead and add a plug for the Original Quotes Challenge.  vote for my design! [link]

there is a great force in the universe affecting your destiny, and it is you.

some selections from my favorites:
    
    
    
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A word about thanks.
after spending an hour one morning thanking people, i came to the realization that i just didn't have time to keep doing this. it was taking away from my time to look at other artists and to work on my own art. as a result, i will no longer be thanking people when they add my pictures to their favorites. please don't take this to mean that i don't appreciate your support! i most certainly do, but i would rather take a look at your work than spend time sending you a note. i try to at least go to the home page of those that add my shots, although sometimes i just get too far behind. i will respond to comments to the best of my ability, but probably not to thanks for adding your work to my favorites. thank you for understanding, and thanks for visiting!