Again, thank you to all those who donated to the charity and who believe and have been encouraging me through my training for it.  Your kind words and positive encouragement help motivate me.

Just because I have met and surpassed the goals I set for myself, please consider donating if you have not yet done so.  This is a great charity, a tad deduction for you and an ass-kicking workout for me.  The ride is still nearly 7 weeks away, so please keep the donations pouring in.

If you would like to donate money on my behalf, please visit: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/mikepanic.

Last month one of my friends mentioned a charity ride to benefit the MS Society.  25, 45 and 75 mile rides were available and I got kind of excited about riding that far and the ability to help out a great cause.  Two weeks ago I signed up, paid the registration and started to hit the ground running to raise money.  In order to compete, I needed to raise at least $250 in tax deductible donations, that was accomplished in the first four days.  My goal is to raise at least $500 for the charity and I’m happy to say that, with the help of everyone, I’m 85% towards that goal.

I don’t personally know anyone with MS, but why should that stop me from spending a Saturday riding with several thousand other cyclists and pessing my friends, family and co-workers to donate a few dollars for a great cause.  Just because I don’t know someone now, doesn’t mean I won’t in the future.  I’m also doing this ride for myself, to prove that I can not only do an extremly unselfish act and commit to riding a fairly long distance, 45 miles in my choice, all at once.

With just under 8 weeks before the ride, my training is going almost as well as the fund-raising and I only expect to continue moving forward and progressing, towards a more fit, healthier me and breaking the $500 goal I set.  If you would like to donate money on my behalf, please visit: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/mikepanic.  All donations are tax deductible, so skip Starbucks one morning on your way to work and put that $5 towards something good.

Resources:

•  National MS Society
• Wikipedia on Multiple Sclerosis

Once you’ve exhausted yourself trying to keyword an image the best you can and it’s online and approved, then what?  Try iStock-Apps Suggestinator.  Login using your iStock user-name and password, enter the image number for a few photos you are having trouble key wording and watch as others will make suggestions for you over the next few days.  This service is free, but they do ask that you help others who upload files, which I don’t think is too much to ask.  If you find yourself using this often, they have a donate button, give them some cheddar.

I’ve recently acquired a very wide angle lens and have been dying to put it to use.

I haven’t busted out the fisheye in a very, very long time.  Just wanted to see it bend the road a bit.

Thanks again to Christy for dealing with me while I got the lights setup and riding in the same circle for about an hour straight.

This has also been added to the Published page.  Looks like it might be a good time to stop in and get some new threads too.

Reviewing the photos in camera should be a crime, I totally hated the images we first started to shoot based on the histogram and LCD monitor, I load them in my Macbook and I’m pretty happy with the lighting.  Veronica wanted to shoot in her local gym, a true gym, no fancy nautilus stuff you’d find in a country club.  Patrons here use real weight, sweat and power to get big.

We moved to a cement brick wall for a few more shots and some posing.

And the bathing suit shots.

Next progress shoot will be in about three weeks, I’ll be bringing more strobes with me, my laptop for better image review and possibly doing some location work.  I’m real interested in how this series and Veronica’s training will progress for the upcoming competition in November.

Thank you to Veronica for contacting me about this series and the Key Lime Rita’s, and Mike for letting us shoot in his gym.

First time taking a bus to the city, I usually drive. Wasn’t so bad I guess.

Apparently, even if you put on a private party, you need a flyer to promote it.

And on with the party pictures. This was seriously the must nuts house party I’ve ever been to. Barely any room to move, hot as hell and the floor was moving a good two inches vertically from people jumping.

Home around 4.30am, bed by 5.30am just as the sun was coming up, awake around 1pm. Motley looking crew in the morning.

Leave a camera lying around with a wide angle lens for too long and Emery’s bound to pick it up and start snapping photos.

After some discussion and clean-up time, we decide to head to a Peruvian joint that is supposed to have the most amazing roasted chicken. Turns out, it’s true. If you are in Brooklyn, hit up Luz.

Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who were starting our day late. Luz didn’t open up till 3pm, Andy wasn’t happy.

30 minutes later they open up and Andy is once again happy, drinking something that resembles slime.  He swears it tasted good though.

Pretty table thing things.

Random balls hanging from the ceiling.

You know it’s summer in the hood when someone cracks open a fire hydrant.

Food was great, but we had to bust out and leave Brooklyn, bound once again for PA.  Can you imagine how long it took to tile the Holland Tunnel?

Thank you Mune for the invite and hospitality, shout-out to all the amazing people I was introduced to and met, and everyone who was celebrating a birthday!

This has also been added to the Published page.

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up and knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up and knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you better start running.

Best I can tell, it was first quoted by Herb Caen, but I could be wrong.  If you know different, please share.