Mike Munhall

I got an email from a woman at Javis Davis today, letting me know that I am the runner up for the “Pregnancy Announcement” prize on NaBloPoMo. Being the runner up, I guess that means that the pregnancy announcement on my blog (which really wasn’t as much an announcement as it was a statement) was the second in the month of November among all NaBloPoMo participants.

Hi Mike, it looks like you are the winner of a “runner up” prize in NABLOPOMO! Go to our website, www.javisdavis.com, and you can pick out fabrics for a pillow and blanket set. Look under “Fabric Collections” and pick a main fabric for your pillow, and any two “furry” fabrics for your blanket. Furry fabrics are the ones that say “fluff, chic mink, polychenille, and chenille”. Just email me back with your fabric choices and a shipping address and we’ll get it to you ASAP. Congratulations!!

Also, Dorrie and I went for the first ultrasound yesterday. Baby is healthy and normal. We now know the baby’s gender, but aren’t sharing (sorry). Baby must have my sense of humor: In one of the pictures, he/she is sticking his/her tongue out. That’s my boy/girl!

The only reason I decided to participate in NaBloPoMo was that I discovered a way to post photos directly to my blog via my phone via Flickr. I realize that posting a photo to a blog is a cheap and dirty way out of the obligatory post-every-day rule, but I am a photographer more than I am a writer and I wouldn’t have participated otherwise. At the beginning of the NaBloPoMo experiment I thought I would end with about 28 posts containing a photo with no text, and maybe two “real” posts with text but no photo. I ended up writing much more than I though I would, especially in the end.

Over the month of November, as I thought about things to write about, I came up with ideas for actual writing projects related to photography. One of those ideas, “Stupid Tricks”, I started during NaBloPoMo (here and here). I’ll be writing more of those in the future, but I’ll probably come up with a better title at some point.

NaPoBloMo gave me an idea for my next blog-related project: Cameraphone 365. This is (or will be) a variation of Project 365, where you post a single photo every single day for an entire year. The variation is that I will use my cameraphone to take the photos rather than having to lug my Nikon around with me every day. I’ll set up a special blog for the project and begin January 1. Anyone care to join me? All you need is a cameraphone that can email pictures and a free Flickr account. I could host your blog. Come on. You know you want to. We’ll do it together. It’ll be fun.

GPS, originally uploaded by mmunhall.

Dad bought me this awesome GPS.  I always thought it would be fun to have one, but now that I’ve used it I can’t believe I got by without one for so long.  This is one really cool tool.  My favorite feature so far is that you can find any restaurant, gas station, museum or anything else simply by pressing a few buttons and letting the GPS tell you where everything is.  The data is thorough and current, too.  All of my favorite non-chain restaurants are listed.

If you ever get a GPS for your car, my only advise would be to be careful driving while the novelty of the toy is still fresh.  It’s easy to get distracted while driving.  Trust me on this.

1125071058.jpg, originally uploaded by mmunhall.

It is difficult to see the bruise there under my eye, but believe me - I can feel it. This is the type of bruise you get for mouthing off to your wife, I’ve learned. In this case, though, I gave it to myself with a racquetball racket while playing with Ronk and my brother-in-law, Patrick. I won the damn point.

Alex & Dana & Nadia, originally uploaded by mmunhall.

Alex, Dana and Nadia stopped in for a night on their way back to Albuquerque from Wyoming. (Nadia is crashed out on the couch in the background.)

Happy Thanksgiving Fellow Gluttons, originally uploaded by mmunhall.

Brendan Says Hi, originally uploaded by mmunhall.

This is AFI’s list of 100 Top Movies. The new list will be out later this month. Highlight the ones you’ve seen, add 5 more at the bottom, and post to your blog.

1 CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2 GODFATHER, THE (1972)
3 CASABLANCA (1942)
4 RAGING BULL (1980)
5 SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
6 GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
7 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
8 SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993)
9 VERTIGO (1958)
10 WIZARD OF OZ, THE (1939)
11 CITY LIGHTS (1931)
12 SEARCHERS, THE (1956)
13 STAR WARS (1977)
14 PSYCHO (1960)
15 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
16 SUNSET BLVD. (1950)
17 GRADUATE, THE (1967)
18 GENERAL, THE (1927)
19 ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
20 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
21 CHINATOWN (1974)
22 SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
23 GRAPES OF WRATH, THE (1940)
24 E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
25 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
26 MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
27 HIGH NOON (1952)
28 ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
29 DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
30 APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
31 MALTESE FALCON, THE (1941)
32 GODFATHER PART II, THE (1974)
33 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST (1975)
34 SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
35 ANNIE HALL (1977)
36 BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE (1957)
37 BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE (1946)
38 TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, THE (1948)
39 DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
40 SOUND OF MUSIC, THE (1965)
41 KING KONG (1933)
42 BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
43 MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
44 PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE (1940)
45 SHANE (1953)
46 IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
47 STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A (1951)
48 REAR WINDOW (1954)
49 INTOLERANCE (1916)
50 LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE (2001)
51 WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
52 TAXI DRIVER (1976)
53 DEER HUNTER, THE (1978)
54 M*A*S*H (1970)
55 NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
56 JAWS (1975)
57 ROCKY (1976)
58 GOLD RUSH, THE (1925)
59 NASHVILLE (1975)
60 DUCK SOUP (1933)
61 SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS (1941)
62 AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
63 CABARET (1972)
64 NETWORK (1976)
65 AFRICAN QUEEN, THE (1951)
66 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
67 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (1966)
68 UNFORGIVEN (1992)
69 TOOTSIE (1982)
70 CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A (1971)
71 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
72 SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE (1994)
73 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
74 SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE (1991)
75 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
76 FORREST GUMP (1994)
77 ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)
78 MODERN TIMES (1936)
79 WILD BUNCH, THE (1969)
80 APARTMENT, THE (1960)
81 SPARTACUS (1960)
82 SUNRISE (1927)
83 TITANIC (1997)
84 EASY RIDER (1969)
85 NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A (1935)
86 PLATOON (1986)
87 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
88 BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
89 SIXTH SENSE, THE (1999)
90 SWING TIME (1936)
91 SOPHIE’S CHOICE (1982)
92 GOODFELLAS (1990)
93 FRENCH CONNECTION, THE (1971)
94 PULP FICTION (1994)
95 LAST PICTURE SHOW, THE (1971)
96 DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)
97 BLADE RUNNER (1982)
98 YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
99 TOY STORY (1995)
100 BEN-HUR (1959)

Mine (With the exception of Raising Arizona, these aren’t necessarily favorites, just movies that I really liked.  My top five list changes from day to day.  If I wrote this list tomorrow it would be different):

1 RAISING ARIZONA
2 DEAD MAN
3 GHOSTBUSTERS
4 SLC PUNK
5 USUAL SUSPECTS

Tonight’s sunset was spectacular. These three photos, if stitched together, would show the sunset from west to north. This was a perfect end to a great weekend with Nate and Laura. Thanks, guys. We’re lucky to have friends like you. Next time, though, I’m bringing my “A” game for Trivial Pursuit and Boggle.

Sunset 1, originally uploaded by mmunhall.

Sunset 2, originally uploaded by mmunhall.

Sunset 3, originally uploaded by mmunhall.