This movie had something for everyone. New viewers didn’t have to know a thing about Iron Man or Marvel mythology and could still enjoy an action packed movie with awesome effects. For the comic fans, they make nods to S.H.I.E.L.D., and Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, makes an appearance as well. While I didn’t catch it on screen, apparently Captain America’s shield can been seen in Tony Stark’s lab. How cool is that?

Iron Man is the first installment of a Marvel comics movie that was solely made by Marvel Studios. The reason behind this is simple - they’ve got a plan. That plan involves connecting different characters from the Marvel universe and gearing up for an Avengers movie slated for 2011. Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, which is also made by Marvel Studios, have been released. Besides Captain America’s shield showing up in Iron Man, Tony Stark makes an appearance in the Incredible Hulk. Plan on seeing Thor and Captain America in the next year or two. Keep your fingers crossed that we’ll see all 4 heroes in one giant Marvel extravaganza.

Ten years ago you sprung onto the scene with your static HTML pages and crazy background images. You provided me an opportunity to learn the inner workings of the interwebs and a chance to be creative. When it all started, you mainly kept my photos and links in line. My goodness, what was up with all those links? Links to bands, games, search engines, programming tips…you name it, it was there. And you didn’t complain at all.

Soon you wanted more. It wasn’t enough being a glorified link dump, you wanted real content. Band reviews, photos of trips & events, and news items…I gave you what I could. That lasted for a while, but then you wanted a change. Not just another facelift, but a total reconstruction. I obliged and you turned into a full blown blog with regularly updated content and all. Now you display recent photos from Flickr, my top 5 albums from Last.fm, show bookmarks I created in Del.icio.us, and list movies I’ve seen recently.

So where do we go from here? What new features can we add? Did you say ‘Portfolio’? Sure, we can work on that. Now who wants some birthday cake?

It Will All Fall Apart

This is an exterior wall of a closed dry cleaners. While so many new buildings are being erected all over town, nearby buildings sit in disrepair. It’s nice to know that this city is growing, but I wish more time and energy would be put into repurposing existing buildings.

Repetition

This was taken by the grain elevators in Philo, IL near the train tracks that run by them.

Delux

This was taken by the grain elevators in Savoy, IL.

Now Or Never

Headed back to the train yard where I took a previous photo in hope I’d find something new. Before I was politely informed that I did not belong on the property, I was able to get a couple shots of this car.

Four Windows

Not too sure what to say about this photo. I’ve walked past this spot many times and never really paid any attention to my surroundings. On this particular day something stood out to me. Maybe it was the color of the bricks, the reflection of the clouds in the windows, or that lonely lamppost keeping watch over everything. I’m glad I took the time to stop and take notice.

Iron Man

When I heard that Robert Downey, Jr. was playing Tony Stark in the upcoming Iron Man movie, I was a little disappointed. Now that I’ve seen the trailer though, I’m changing my tune. He pulls off the demeanor and arrogance of Tony Stark very well, and I’m eager to see more. While it may seem like a no-brainer, kudos to whoever decided to use Black Sabbath’s Iron Man in the trailer.

The Incredible Hulk

When Ang Lee’s Hulk came out in 2003, it didn’t get a good response. I, for one, enjoyed this movie. It was more of a drama than the standard action-packed super hero movie and focused on the origin story of the Hulk. Sure, it took a hour and a ½ for the Hulk to show, but it was worth the wait. The new movie, however, is supposed to jump right into the action. Now Edward Norton takes the helm as Bruce Banner and Liv Tyler will play Betty Ross. I wasn’t too convinced about the choice of casting, but once again the trailer has successfully done its job. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

The Dark Knight

I’ve got nothing but high hopes for The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan, director of Memento, The Prestige, and Batman Begins, returns to direct another installment of the Batman franchise. Nolan’s Batman is what Timothy Burton and Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies should have been. It’s grounded in reality and still a recognizable comic book world. Timothy Burton’s Batman was dark and gritty, but I just couldn’t take it seriously. Joel Schumacher’s Batman was too campy and over the top.

So there it is. I’m pleased to see that Marvel and DC have returned to the theaters with what looks to be an exciting movie going experience.

Taking A Break

It was another cold day and there were no plans on leaving the house. Before cabin fever set in, we headed to the mall to let the girls run wild at the “soft play”. Now that I’m consistently taking photos again, Abby enjoys seeing her picture on the camera’s display. When she stopped to take a break, I took a few shots of her.

The Future Starts Now

Often we see or hear of something that will impact our surroundings in the near future. The graffiti and the background structure gave me the impression that the artist had some insight on what is to come.

Read All About It

I seem to be drawn to repeating patterns and textures when composing my photos, and this shot is no different. The stacks of newspapers and the bold, blue wall behind them really caught my eye.

Arches

Didn’t get a chance to take very many photos today so late this evening I decided to head out for some night time shots. Took this one of an underpass near the Amtrak station in downtown Champaign.

Mocha

Today was extremely cold and we weren’t planning on leaving the house. We decided to visit a local bookstore to give the girls a chance to play and do some shopping. I wandered over to the in-store coffee shop to get something hot to drink. When given the chance, I’ve been enjoying the occasional café mocha.

A few days later, I returned to the house and gave it another try. This time around, I felt fairly confident about walking through it. In my head, I had visions of these grungy, desolate shots of an abandoned home, and I just knew I could capture them. In reality, I wasn’t able to compose much of anything worthwhile. I ended up with one photo that I felt was decent and posted it to the photoblog.

But let’s go back to that notion of me not belonging in the house. Was it permissible for me to go into the house? Surely the property belongs to someone, but they’re not doing anything with it and it’s obviously falling apart - not that their house maintenance or lack thereof gives me the right to do whatever I want. So, what’s the protocol on entering an abandoned house? Was this trespassing? Would you have done the same thing? I’d really be curious to know what others think about this.

I’m now at that midway point between 30 and 40. When I turned 30 I suddenly felt the urge to be more responsible. It was just a sensation that came over me. I can only imagine how I’ll feel when I hit 40. Will I start reading the newspaper and switch to a fine cognac instead of beer? Who knows what the next five years will bring? If there’s one thing I hope that remains consistent it’s keeping in shape. After 5-6 months of eating better and exercising, I’m in better shape than I’ve been in a very long time. Even after putting on a few pounds over the holidays, I’m still doing OK. Yesterday I tried putting the cold weather running gear that Cindy got me for Christmas into use for the first time. I looked ridiculous but they worked as advertised. However, my usual 3 mile run was more of a 3 mile walk. How embarrassing.

Well, another year under my belt and hopefully many more to come.

I’m not sure what to expect out of this and more importantly I hope I can stick to it. In the end I should have some sort of visual representation of a year in my life. Hopefully this experiment will prompt me to venture outside my comfort level and possibly yield some unexpected results. In order to break the monotony of the days, I’ll have to spend more time exploring my surroundings.

You can see the results so far.