Day 256/365

     My last assignment today was the sentencing of a woman who was recently convicted of embezzlement. She ran a funeral home in Bay County and reportedly embezzled over $400,000 from her customers. She got the maximum sentencing possible today, with a minimum of seven years to a maximum of twenty in prison, along with having to pay over $460,000 in restitution. A number of the victim's family members made statements on their behalf, saying everything from, "I feel sorry for you," to, "You're pathetic," to, "You're evil incarnate." The convicted woman, Erica C. Kaznowski, showed absolutely no emotion throughout the entire sentencing, even as she looked into the eyes of an 86 year-old woman who cried as she stated what dire straits she, her husband, and their adult children are in now that the money set aside for their funeral arrangements is completely gone. To see the article, you can find it on MLive here.

Day 255/365

     Today was filled with a few unplanned assignments, but the most memorable one was definitely a car veering off of a road and into a house in Bay City. It's looking like the driver had a seizure of some kind, and luckily no one was home in the house when the car crashed. If you're interested in seeing the MLive article or more photos from the scene, you can find them here.

Day 254/365

     A few months ago, on day 186, I took photos of a 10 year-old Bay City girl who had been diagnosed with stage five kidney failure earlier this year. Her mother gained local and national attention with her attempts to get the word out that her daughter needed a donor, whether it was by contacting us at the newspaper, or standing on street corners asking people to help get the word out and get tested to be donors. Her efforts paid off.

     Her daughter, Jessica, has received a donor anonymously and will have the kidney transplant in the first or second week of January. Local Bay Cit businesses are now helping the pair out with medical bills by holding donation days this Saturday, where beauty salons, Jessica's favorite candy store, and other shops will donate and profits and proceeds taken in directly to Jessica and her mother, Stacey. A benefit is being held for them Friday night at a local theater with food and music as well.

     This girl is by far one of my most favorite people I've photographed. She's so much fun, and such a spunky little kid. I had to remind myself how serious her problems were, because you'd never know it by meeting her. I met her and her mom at the aforementioned candy store this evening, and after we had taken pictures and I was going to leave, Jessica came up to me and gave me a giant hug. Then, her mother thanked me for helping to get her story out, and that she didn't think they could've done without the paper's publicity. The article that I took today's photos for should be up tomorrow, but in the meantime you can see all the photos from today in this MLive gallery here, and once the article's up there should be a link to it under the photos when you look at them individually. 

Have I mentioned before that I love my job?

     

Day 253/365

     Yesterday was a day of extremes. In the morning, I went with a Bay City crime reporter to interview a likely serial killer from a string of cold cases from thirty years ago that the police could never get enough hard evidence to charge the man with anything. The man was extremely unsettling, as one would expect, but the experience was absolutely amazing. It reminded me of why I love what I do for a living. Unfortunately for me, the man didn't want his picture taken, so I only came away with a picture of an old photograph of his deceased mother, (her murder is also a cold case). To read about the ongoing cold case series, you can find it on MLive here.

     After dealing with the cold case series in the morning, I had a restaurant feature to shoot out in Frankenmuth. That was all fine and dandy, until I was leaving the restaurant to go process my images when the driver of a minivan decided to not check her blind spot and clipped my car. My car, luckily, is still drivable, and I'm taking it in tomorrow for an estimate on repairs. Here's hoping things go much more smoothly this time around than they did in August. Oy....

Day 252/365

     Today I was in a bit of a weird mood; it was one of those days where I wasn't necessarily unhappy, but I definitely wasn't happy... just kind of a 'meh' kind of mood. Anyways, to cut short my rambling, I ventured out on my own more often than I stayed in the office today out in Bay City. It was a relatively quiet day and the only assignments I had were little last minute ones here and there. The area got its first snow of the season this weekend, and I didn't get a chance to get pictures when it first arrived Sunday/yesterday morning so I attempted to go out and get a few shots of what was left today. This photo was taken in Wenonah Park, which is a nice little park right along the Saginaw River in downtown Bay City. Most of the snow is now gone, but I'll definitely be ready for when it really hits and makes everything look like a winter wonderland; I love it when it does that. 

Day 251/265

     Saginaw got a dusting of about an inch of snow overnight, so waking up to a little wonderland Sunday morning was a nice surprise. It was Kip's first time seeing snow, and he absolutely loved it. I wish I had time to go to the dog park, because when we went out for a walk it was so easy to see how much he was dying to run around and bound through it. It's since melted away for the most part, leaving just a little bit here and there with a bit of ice. Next time it snows though, I'll have to make sure to let him loose so he gets a chance to play. A

Day 250/365

     After shooting Christmas tree farms yesterday, and a Christmas market this morning, I was ready to start getting into all the Christmas festivities when I got off work. I went and got an artificial tree. I hate artificial trees, but seeing as I'm switching apartments in a few weeks, I figured moving a live one would've been too much of a hassle on top of moving everything else. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun decorating it and hanging lights around one of the big windows in my apartment. 

Happy holidays!

Day 249/365

     After stumbling through early-morning Black Friday coverage bleary-eyed and almost completely fed up with people in general, I got a bit of a pick-me-up with my afternoon assignment. Since the day after Thanksgiving is a big day for Christmas tree farms, a reporter and I went to a few of the local farms to interview and photograph families picking out their trees. This little girl was hilarious; she got bored while waiting for her parents to finish paying for their Christmas tree so she climbed into the tree baler when she thought no one was watching. The whole afternoon made me a bit nostalgic, but it was nice to see the fun side of the holiday season after having to deal with the greedy and crazy side this morning. 

Day 248/365

     I got to spend yesterday/day 248/Thanksgiving back in Ohio, (for the most part at least). At 22 years-old I've never missed Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house, and while I would've understood if I had to work yesterday, (since Black 'Friday' seems to start much earlier than Friday each year, and I am, in fact, an intern), I definitely would've been a bit disappointed. Anyways, I was able to have dinner with my family before driving back up to Michigan. My shift for Black Friday coverage was supposed to start early this morning, but I ended up getting some shots in earlier... when it was still Thanksgiving Day. I'm sure it's pointless to hope for, but I'm sincerely hoping that the shopping on Thanksgiving is just a trend that dies out. There's nothing I'd ever want to buy so badly that I'd skip out on spending the holiday with my family to do so.

Day 247/365

     Today I got to cover a really nice Thanksgiving assignment. The two co-owners of a local bar/grill in Saginaw held their sixth annual Thanksgiving dinner today, where they provide an entire dinner for free to anyone who comes in the door. Last year they had around 450 people, and they expected at least that many to come in this year. They prepared 26 turkeys and made 60 pumpkin pies, and any leftovers will be donated to a local church for their Thanksgiving day dinner tomorrow. It was such a great event to see, let alone photograph. People from all walks of life were sitting at tables together, from homeless people to newscasters that work one block away from the bar. Everyone was happy, whether they were sitting down eating or they were back in the kitchen making food. It certainly was a nice refreshing reminder that there are still people who realize what tomorrow's holiday is supposed to be about.

Day 246/365

     Yesterday/Tuesday/day 246 was a bit of a let down. I was supposed to cover a high-profile preliminary hearing, but the FBI ending up taking over the case, making it federal, meaning no photos would be allowed. Anyways, one of the assignments I ended up shooting instead was an orchid greenhouse that a local woman fashioned out of her screened in porch. There's supposed to be a big orchid show put on by the Saginaw Valley Orchid Society this weekend, and the woman whose orchids I photographed will be showing a number of her plants. To see a few more orchid photos, you can find a gallery on MLive here.

Day 245/365

     Monday/day 245's belated post is a product of my drive back up to Michigan after spending the weekend in Ohio. As the sun was setting, a fog rolled in when I was driving down a side street to avoid traffic. I liked how it looked, and took a quick picture before finishing the rest of the drive back to Saginaw. 

Day 244/365

     Today I took Kip to a local park where he got to see the lake for the first time. He. Loved. It. Out of all the dogs my family's had, none of them have been water dogs. To say I was excited to see that Kip seems to love water is a major understatement. Next summer should be interesting. 

Day 243/365

     I've spent this weekend back home in Ohio, since I'm not sure if I'll be able to come back for the day on Thursday for Thanksgiving or not. I spent most of Saturday cooking since some friends and I got together for a preThanksgiving dinner, but I did go outside with Kip quite a few times since the weather was so nice. I love cold weather and I love snow, but even I have to admit the sunny and unseasonably warm weather this weekend was a nice change of pace. 

Day 242/365

     Tonight I covered "Holidays in the Heart of the City," a Christmas festival in Saginaw. It started with the lighting ceremony of all the Christmas lights in downtown and Old Town Saginaw, and ended with a fireworks display off of Ojibway Island. In between there were living nativity scenes, gingerbread house-decorating competitions, live reindeer, Santa and Mrs. Claus walking around, free tours of the zoo, and trolley and horse-drawn carriage rides. Guess which part I liked best. 

Day 241/365

     Tonight was a quiet one at work. All I covered was a fire that happened at the scene of what used to be a barn full of hay, that first burned down last night. Somehow the pile of debris caught on fire again  tonight, so I went out to Richland Township and got a not-so-great photo as close as I could get to the blaze, (which wasn't very). 

Day 240/365

     I had a few different assignments tonight, but I think the one that was the most fun to shoot was my last one of the night. It was a play rehearsal by the Whistling Idiots, a local dinner theatre troupe in Bay City. They're rehearsing the play "Sorry Wrong Chimney," which I've never heard of, but if the few scenes I saw tonight are any indication, it's going to be hilarious. Especially the girl in the middle of this photo; she made some of the best facial expressions throughout every scene. 

Blogger's Note

     "A man tells so many stories, that he becomes the stories. They live on after him, and in that way he becomes immortal."

     Four years ago today, your stories became immortal. Backing your car into a dumpster when you were teaching me how to drive became immortal. Trying to fix the ceiling fan in my room only to short out the entire house's electricity became immortal. Inventing swear words by combining three and four of them together the year our Christmas tree kept falling over became immortal. You made everything so much better; even your mistakes made for good stories. You were the best dad I could ever hope to have, and one of the best friends I will ever know. I don't believe in any god or deity, I don't believe in heaven or hell, I don't pray, I don't believe everything happens for a reason. I believe in you. Four years  ago you became immortal, and that's how you'll stay.

Day 239/365

     I shot volleyball tonight... it was a state quarterfinal game, so I'm hoping this means the end is near...

Day 238/365

     Yesterday/Monday/day 238 was a pretty quiet one as far as work went. Even with not much to report on, Finch still made an excellent supervisor. Is supervisor the right word?

Day 237/365

      Yesterday/Sunday/day 237 was a bit of a doozie. It started off fine; I got some things done around the apartment and all that. The traumatic part of the day was having a bit of run-in at the dog park by my apartment. Some guy brought what I'm positive was a wolf hybrid to the park, and I didn't eel comfortable staying after he let it loose, seeing as Kip likes everyone and every dog and was bound to go up to it at some point. I don't know if it sensed I was a bit uneasy or what, but as soon as it made eye contact with me as I was closing the first gate to the park, it ran for Kip and me, and ended up pushing the gate back against us, trapping us behind the gate and in between the fencing of the little gateway enclosure. I literally don't think I've ever been more terrified or more furious in my life. Luckily there were enough people there that they all ran over yelling at the animal to distract it long enough for the owner to put it back on a leash, and I was able to get out of the park and get Kip straight into my car. 

     Needless to say, we were both freaked out after getting back to the apartment so I decided to bake to get my mind off of the incident for a while and gave Kip plenty of treats hoping that he'd eventually calm down too. I'm a sucker for chocolate and peppermint together, and I'd seen an oreo and candy cane cupcake recipe awhile ago that I'd been wanting to try, so voila. 

Day 236/365

     Saturday/day 236 I took a much-needed lazy day, where all I did was grocery shopping, and I cooked dinner. Steak and potatoes that fogged up my camera... yum.

Day 235/365

     Friday/day 235's belated post is a product of me driving around Saginaw and knocking on some more doors for the "dangerous dogs" ordinance story that I shot photos for last week, (I posted one of them for day 225). The story actually launched today on MLive here, and will have other viewpoints/opinions/side stories  throughout the next week or two. The "dangerous dogs" ordinance passed in June 2011 and requires owners of designated breeds, (like pit bulls, rottweilers, German shepherds, etc.), to register their pets at the City Clerk's office for $20, post a "dog on premises" sign on the front of their home, and keep their animals either on a leash or within a 4-foot-high fenced area or kennel. Personally, I follow the mantra, 'there are no bad dog breeds, just bad people who raise them that way,' so I had a great time playing with the different pit bulls and the German shepherd that I took pictures of. The photo for day 235 is of Diamond, a 7 month-old pit bull who has to be one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met. 

Day 234/365

     Today was a pretty busy one. I spent a lot of time at the Mill End building demolition site again, (new photos are on MLive here if you're interested), and had a few other little assignments to shoot as well. I'd have to say the most memorable thing I shot today was a sailboat fire in Bay City. A mechanic was winterizing the boats at one of the local marinas, when, supposedly, a bad fuel line caused the dry docked boat to go up in flames. Between the burning of the lacquered and treated materials of the boat, and the mildew/asbestos dust flying from the Mill End building, I'm considering burning my clothes.

Day 233/365

     I realize that it's been ages since I had a video or audio entry, so today I'm putting the 'multimedia' back into my multimedia challenge! I finally got around to shooting some video for work today, and thought that some of the footage would be a great addition to this project. The historic former Mill End building that I photographed a while ago, (to jog your memory, I put some of my favorites on my website here), has been schedule to be torn town for quite awhile, and the demolition started today. I took quite a few photos and shot some video in between. While I think demo. sites can be pretty cool to photograph, I was a little sad to see this building go. I only got to see it at its worst, (it had been abandoned for years and it'd be much too expensive for anyone to save it), but even with the damage it had undergone I still thought it had so much character. I wish I could've seen it in its glory.

If you'd like to see photos from today, or the other video I put together, you can find them under the photo and video tabs on my MLive profile.

Day 232/365

     Today, as I'm sure you all know, is Election Day. I got up early this morning and headed to my first of many polling locations for photos expecting to be doing the same thing, taking almost the same/extremely similar photos for most of the day. Little did I know that around the same time in Bay City, two local politicians got into a fist fight outside of their polling location, (which also happened to be a church). I thought it was too good to be true; politicians actually duking it out instead of hiding behind backhanded and passive-aggressive, (not to mention, ridiculous), ads? No way. Nevertheless, the news gods were shining down on us today and it was indeed true. You can't make that stuff up. 

(For full on hysterics, check out the article about what happened on MLive here. One of them called the other a 400-pound Twinkie. Seriously. Now you know you want to check it out!)

Day 231/365

     Yesterday/day 231 was filled with election preparations pretty much everywhere, but especially where I work. The only early voting that's an option in Michigan is via absentee ballot, so the different polling locations really have to prepare for a mass of people coming out on Election Day. I think it goes without saying that most, if not all, of us, whether in the media industry or not, are extremely ready to end the election fatigue and move on. With that being said, all of you better vote!

Day 230/365

     Sunday/day 230's belated post is nothing special, just a quick photo taken to represent what my weekend mainly consisted of: driving. I drove to Ohio super late Friday night, (Saturday morning really), for a last minute freelance job, only to turn around Sunday afternoon and drive back up to Michigan in order to be at work Monday morning. It was definitely worth it; it was a great assignment and I got to see a few people I missed the last time I was in town, even if I still haven't caught up on sleep.

Day 229/365

     Yesterday/day 229 I had an impromptu freelance assignment in Ohio that I had to drive back for after football Friday night. I was hired by the SEIU, (Service Employees International Union), for the day to photograph their members and volunteers making one last canvassing push for President Obama this weekend. I got paired up with a really interesting group of people; they were a lot of fun to work with. I also met some more "interesting" people at the residents the volunteers were knocking on, (interesting is in quotations since I'm using that term extremely broadly). All in all it was a unique experience.

Day 228/365

     Friday night/day 228 was a football night. An extremely bitter cold football night. I'm starting to think I may not miss covering football all that much once the season's over either...

Day 227/365

     Thursday/day 227 was yet another volleyball game for me to cover. That made three games in one five-day work week that I had to shoot. It was a finals game so I'm hoping upon hope that the end is nigh.