Cotton. Billow.

Cottonbillow.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Taken at Lindley's house in Carmel Valley. In a big pile of composting material, some flowers which never had the chance to bloom matured and exuded this cottony material all over the place. I like the back lighting. I really liked the way the "cotton" felt.

Extra Contrast-y Spigot.

For Sale #3. Extra Contrasty.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

There is an old broken birdcage that sits in our front yard. I doubt it's the guys', I imagine it's the owner's. Regardless, it has an oxidized metal top, which you can't see in this picture, but it's there. Both the spigot and the birdcage are the same color, probably the same type of metal. If I could, I'd turn the contrast full blast for everything I ever printed/edited because I'm a freak like that.

Violation.

Violation.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

During my first drive up to the Central Coast this year, I was amazed at all the things I forgot. It was difficult to capture any decent images from the backseat of a speeding car. Can't really tell here, but this whole area is covered with these oil mining devices. There is an unfathomable number of these. Makes me wish I could afford a hydrogen powered car.

Sometimes, it seems to me that it is set up so you must be rich in order to live an eco-friendly life. I can't afford solar panels, I can't afford a hybrid car (which is such a cop-out anyhow), I can't afford the many "luxuries" of living a sustainable life. But I do what I can.

The Boy Likes His Chard.

Chard Lover.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

So. It has been quite some time since the last post. Thanks to Kurt, I was reminded that this thing still exists and someone actually checks it. The past few months have been a blur. Jason and I moved to Monterey (Pacific Grove to be exact) in August. I started school at CSUMontereyBay, which I'm doing really well at. This picture was actually taken as part of a class assignment, sort of. In Bio 340 (Ecological Systems) we're assigned a semester long project in which we analyze (complete a site characterization, abiotic/biotic analysis, species list, etc...) an ecosystem of our choice and put together an experiment/analysis and write a paper, make an illustrated poster, and present at the end. I got stuck in a group with this ultra-bossy girl (who is not only bossy, but also a LAZY asshole) who decided on her own that we should study an agricultural ecosystem. Bad idea. As a privately owned business, everything we do on their property needs approval or an okay from people who never pick up their phones. Well, to make a long story short, she and I got into a bit of an argument last week Wednesday because all she wanted to do for the project is analyze data which has already been collected, which is so fucking boring. However, she broke her foot over the weekend so she might not be able to finish the class. I'll be glad if I never see her again. So we get to do what we wanted originally which is to test whether or not the location has anything to do with how well crops grow on their farm since Lazy isn't around to put down my ideas without bringing any of her own to the table. But enough of the cattiness.
This photo was taken at Earthbound Farms on one of their bug walks. I was the oldest non-adult there which made me feel a little awkward. Everyone else was either a five year old kid or their mom/dad. On the walk, one of the farm workers explained the use of beneficial insects (e.g. ladybugs, praying mantis) and afterwards, we released a gajillion ladybugs. Although they asked everyone to stay on the dirt path, this little guy dove right into the chard area and sat there digging in the soil for quite some time.

Bubbles Birthed By Brodsgaard Breath.

Bubbles Birthed By Brodsgaard Breath.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

This was taken at the post-wedding BBQ celebration at my aunt's house. It's obviously been photoshopped and the colors are off, but I really love this image. It's not very often I get to see my Ba Noi (paternal grandmother for those of you who don't speak Vietnamese) look like a little girl. She looks so carefree and happy, young and vibrant. She is in Europe right now and I miss her very much.

Lovely Rita Meter Maid.

Lovely Rita Meter Maid.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

I was officially accepted to California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) for fall semester 2007. School starts August 27 and I'll be moving up there quite soon. I love the area and I think I will be very happy there. There are a lot of internship opportunities I'd like to get my fingers into... Monterey Bay Aquarium, Serendipity Farms, the list goes on. I'm on my way to saving the world.

Max and Martin.

Max and Martin.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Their conversation went a little something like this...
Max: What's your name?
Martin: Martin (with a British/German accent, so it came out sounding like "Mah-tin")
Max: What?
Martin: Martin.
Max: Huh? (as puts his ear very close to Martin's mouth)
Martin: Martin.
Max: "Mahtin"?
Martin: Yeah. Haven't you heard of Martin before?
Max: No.
Martin: Well I've heard of Max before.

Goodbye, Bird.

Goodbye, Bird.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Isolated. Alone. Dead on a pebble covered driveway.

Being a Ring Bearer is Serious Business.

Being a Ring Bearer is Serious Business.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Patrice and Serena look so serious and grown up, it cracks me up.

Ma Tante s'est Mariée.

Co My Linh
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Co My Linh got married on July 23, 2007 to Daniel Conway at Cannon Chapel at the University of Richmond. To my amazement, there are about four universities in the city of Richmond, which is a lot considering how unpopulated Richmond is. I thought my cousin was joking when she said she lives in the woods... she really does. They don't even have sidewalks or streetlights, which is odd. This is my favorite picture of my aunt. She has a very Audrey-esque expression on her face. Classic.

Old Timey (Sepia Filtered) Bicyles.

Old Timey Bikes.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Jet Star Super De Luxe. Pretty awesome name for a bicycle if you ask me. Jason and I now have matching bikes. We purchased them from my neighbors from down the street. He has a car from some forgotten generation he keeps in mint condition in his garage. In the backseat sit mannequins who are dressed accordingly. I wonder what they mean to him. I know he will miss his bicycles.

I'm going to Richmond, Virginia in two days. My aunt is getting married. I'm in charge of taking pictures and I'm nervous about the lighting/lack thereof. .

I started summer school on Monday. I've been taking Spanish notes for two high school girls who couldn't make the first three days. I'm getting paid $120, which is nice. I also missed the first day of Speech Comm 4, Argumentation and Debate because I misread a sign on the door outside the class. I thought that the class being "closed" meant "cancelled" and I didn't even bother to check to look if people were in the class... because there were. The Dean's secretary called the teacher to ask about the cancelled class. He understands the miscommunication and won't drop me for not showing up the first day. It would have been pretty disastrous because I need this to transfer.

Tom.

Tom.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

String Theory.

String Theory.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

I dare you to untangle the String Theory.

Pervert.

Pervert.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

V for Victory.

V for Victory.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Jason and I spent the day at the practice space auditioning drummers to record his new songs. Two of them were from Michigan and none of them were from California. I brought my cameras along in my brand new Lowepro Sling Shot 200AW, which I bought for $20 less than Richie (haha). The longer I look at it, the more I like it. Had lunch at the Cafe 50's in Venice and it was good.

Offering.

Offering.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Are you hungry? Would you like to eat my snap peas? Taken at f/5 1/10 of a second. Tungsten white balance.

Today was the last day of my Calculus and Plant Propagation classes. I'm afraid I may have gotten a B in Calculus... depending on how hard she graded the final. She said she would be lenient grading the two problems I struggled with most. Most of it was a breeze except the La Grange Multiplier and Taylor Series problems. Before I knew it, I looked at the clock and time was up. She even gave us an extra eight minutes. Frustrating.

I was allowed to take home as many tomato plants from Plant Prop as I wanted today. I saved about a hundred plants. I'm going to try and sell some. Jason and I thought of posting on Craigslist and at community boards at Whole Foods. Hopefully it will work out.

One more day until school is over. I can't wait.

Headshot.

Tram Nguyen
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Two weeks ago, I sat for 16 people to take my portraits at 30 minutes a piece. This was my favorite of the batch. It actually looks like me. Taken by the talented Kurt Linder. I don't have a scanner, so I had to take a picture of a picture. It turned out better than I thought it would, just has a weird color cast. Nothing a little photoshop won't take care of. This photo also got me another gig on Craigslist. On Tuesday, I'll be having more portraits taken, but this time I'm getting paid.

Potato.

Potato.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

I cooked these pototoes up yesterday. Made some mashed potatoes and potato leek soup. They were really sweet. I'm amazed it's so easy to grow pototoes, which might be why they are so inexpensive. This photo is taken at f/14, 1/10.

Carrots.

Carrots.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

I grew these in my garden, unfortunately in a pot, so they are a little deformed. Shot at f/14 1/30. I worked on the garden this weekend. I transplanted a lot of the smaller carrots into the garden bed I've been working on (I had to dig out ridiculous amount of plants and resoil). However, transplantation isn't ideal for carrots. I didn't know that when I started, which is why I did them in pots. You live, you learn.

Van, T.

Van, T.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

A little photoshop fun.

Teo V.

Teo V.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Taken at f/8 1/40. My cousin is making a fancy dinner for the family. In the photo he is slicing the foie gras he seared and will serve with the grilled pineapple. It may be inhumane, but it was definitely good.

Henry and Ba Ngoai.

Henry and Ba Ngoai
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

This photograph was taken in my grandma's livingroom. It was shot at f/5.6 at 1/30 of a second and set to tungsten white balance. My little cousin, Henry, is cheering because we were fighting about whose grandma my grandma is... and I guess he won.
I visited my grandparents on Saturday. My grandpa had surgery on his parathyroid, and there is a marked difference in his attitude (the problem with his thyroid, which I'm a little unclear about, was making his calcium levels really high which affected his mood, memory, energy level). It was good to see him in high spirits. It was also good to talk to him like I'm not a child.
Larissa was also in town. We haven't hung out in awhile and it was a lot of fun. Bac Quoc made bo luc lac for dinner and Larissa got a short video of Ba Ngoai "lac-ing." I love my family.

Home Grown.

Sugar Snap Peas.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

I recently began to grow some of my own vegetables in the garden. This photo is of some newly grown sugar snap peas. If you've never grown them yourself before, they come up amazingly fast. They already have edible sized pods and it didn't take more than a month. This plant's ambition amazes me, as it sends out tendrils and reaches out in order ensure its survival.

Scrimps.

Scrimps.
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

Same shot cropped and a slight change in color thanks to CS3, but I liked the original, so I didn't change much.

Rock Shrimp.

Rock Shrimp
Originally uploaded by tramasaurus

I've had blogs in the past, but this is my very first photo blog. This was taken in my dining room with my Canon EOS 300D (Tungten white balance f/4 at 1/50). These poor rock shrimp (not to be confused with rock lobster) were bought live, had the hell steamed out of (or into?) them, and were eaten by my mom, dad and I with a little garlic mayonnaise.