The Drunken Photographer

KachOOzie.Net and Kachoozie.Com!!!!!!

trunion — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:14:11 +0000

KachOOzie.Net
and
KachOOzie.Com!!!!!!

Well I have been working on these sites for sometime now and the day is finally here! The dot net site is online and in the process of being updated. The Stock photo site will be online near the middle of August.

What are these sites? Well KachOOzie.Net is a social networking site, that is not unlike MySpace, but geared more towards folks that work in the Modeling, Art , Design, Photography fields. It will be a great site to establish relationships to further your career or just for fun to get started in the field.

Kachoozie.Com is a stock photo website that will be offering royalty free images to anyone who may be designing a website , brochure you name it! This site will be different than the other stock photo websites, so stay tuned for that .

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

Http://www.Kachoozie.Net
Http://www.Kachoozie.Com
Http://www.NewLifeimages.Net
Http://www.NewLifeimages.Com
Http://www.BloodRoseProject.Com
http://newlifeimages.secure2u.com/index.html
Http://www.CyberMutz.Com
http://astore.amazon.com/cybermutzcom
http://www.cafepress.com/kachoozie
Http://www.FlakeSite.Com
Http://www.Hairballz.Com
Http://www.HomeTheatermaxx.Com
Http://www.Maxxdog.Com
Http://www.MaxxGamer.Com
Http://www.MaxxGamer.Net
Http://www.22crew.Com
Http://www.zerodependence.net
Http://www.streetlifeworldwide.org
Http://www.1615westcanfield.com
Http://www.designbyscottmason.com
Http://www.dubiouswear.com
Http://www.104uptown.com
Http://www.Nirvanguitar.com
http://www.comparephotolabs.com
http://www.barberson66th.com
http://www.152gaston.com
http://www.misterpixel.org
http://www.myfootballhead.com
http://www.venusenvymag.com
http://www.delineationphotography.net
http://www.stoneprints.com
http://www.onedroppr.com
http://www.finetshirts.com
http://www.tylerswebs.com
http://www.kambaza.com
http://www.customcutsonline.com
http://www.indomexicandesire.com

The Importance of Model Releases, and…

trunion — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:35:29 +0000

The Importance of Model Releases, and Other Documents

What I am doing with my blogs are the following, I am alternating them. So in other words I write one that is fun,and goofy, then I will write the next one that is relevant to the Photographic Community, or I will share my experiences with Photography. So for this blog I want to outline the use of documents, and how doing this task will make your life so much easier, in particular if you are planning on selling or displaying any images. By the way if I do sell the images I usally work out some compensation share with the model, that would be a separate agreement.

When I started in Photography I was about 13 years old, yes quite a while ago. I would shoot any and everything. My foot, my cat, an ant! When I got to high school I started shooting more and more images of people, but never gave any thought to getting a model release , since at that time it was for fun, and I really had no intention of actually selling images. At some point I started reading many books on Photography, and not just the creative side, but the business side, and a book that I read explained why you might want to obtain a model release. So there it was , it seemed to make sense and at 17 years old I started having folks sign model releases. I still did not understand fully why but it seemed to make sense. So why would you want a release? Below I have a real life story that hopefully illustrates the point.

The image below you can see is my very first model release, yes the very first one! I was looking for something in one of my old camera bags and came across it. As you can see it is dated 1983! I was actually blown away to find this, since I could actually smell the mountain air when I saw it, as you will see later, it was actually signed in the Great Rocky Mountains right before the shoot.

Why is this a big deal? Well other than the novelty that it is 25 years old?

Well here’s why , the image below is the image I shot that day, just think had I not gotten that release way back then, I would not be able to effectively sell this print. I mean sure the first thing one might think is, the man in the image is dead and gone now, but he does still have heirs and I am sure they would not appreciate an image being published and sold if they were not sure he had agreed to it.

Just a quick note off the topic of forms. This image was shot in the mountains of Colorado. The gentleman and I spent the day, driving up to the mountains searching for the perfect spot. It is funny to look back and think about what I know very well today. Then it was just a feeling. I mean I sort of knew what I wanted to shot, in my minds eye, but not quite. Today I can see exactly what I want the image to look like in my mind, so I guess you could say I have honed that skill. Anyway we find this old church right off of I-70 , and we pull off the road, I setup my tripod and had him do some poses. I knew I wanted some double exposures but I really did not think it to the end, since on the original image the man’s shadow is visible. A double exposure for those who may not know was two images shot on the same frame of film, which in those days required you to use a special button on the camera not to advance the film. Over the years folks who have seen the image have always commented why does the ghost have a shadow? In those days if you wanted to get rid of a shadow you had to get the image printed and airbrushed. Airbrushing was pretty expensive especially if you were 17. I mean my Mom sure could not afford it since she was a single parent!

Well welcome to the new world ! I had the original image scanned (the negative is long gone now) The image was actually in pretty bad shape since it has followed me throughout my multitudes of moves. The print had been mounted, was torn, old and was fading. Once it was scanned , the scanning company cleaned up the bulk of the flaws, bringing a 25 year old photo back to life, and into the digital age , it was a whole new image! I then took it into Photoshop and got rid of that pesky shadow, once and for all. That darn shadow had bothered me every time I would look at the image. I changed up the colors, added some effect and even added another ghost. The other ghost is very subliminal. It will drive you crazy if you look for it.

So back to the topic, had I not gotten that release 25 years ago, it would have been a nice image to hang on my wall and that is about it.

At the end of this blog there is a sample of a release ,please feel free to copy and use it as your own. Today the primary reason I get a model release is to obviously use them whenever I need to without someone having an issue with it.Think about how ardous that would be. I have images on over hundred websites, can you imagine if I had to track someone down each time I put one up? The other reason, really is to avoid any misunderstandings between the model and I. Last weekend I had a young man, who wants to be a model, setup a time with me to shoot. He and his girlfriend came to the studio, and as my wife gave them the release , they started reading it, and between the young man and his girlfriend they decided it was not for him. I am actually not sure why, but they had an issue with the stock photo use and wanted guarantees that the images would not be used in certain areas, for example an STD commercial. When I told him once I upload the image to any of the stock photo companies, (including mine that will be online soon at kachoozie.com), I really have very little control over the images , for some of them I don’t even know where they end up. So in the end both of them decided to pass, I think it was a little foolish since I was doing this for TFCD, which is trade for CD , and essentially was no cost to him, so it would have been a great way to help him get started. I mean who cares where it ends up. The message here is, had I not used that form, and went ahead and did the shot, then uploaded those images( most stock photo companies wont even accept an image of a person without the release anyway) and the young man saw his face on a crooked teeth commercial or something, he most likely would have sued me. The shoot would have been a waste of time for him and I.

The other form I use when I shoot TFCD is specifically for that. When I first got back into shooting, I would shoot the models, and on both sides the expectations of what I am going to deliver were sometimes off, and on a few occasions I had some heated email exchanges due to this. Many young models want all the RAW images, and I wont give them those, since some are obviously rejects and really are worthless. I don’t really want any bad images out there, since it is a poor refection on the model and me. So I decided to have the model read and sign the TFCD form. So when the model calls me a week later wanting all the Raw images, I just refer back to the form they signed and most times that is the end of it. On occasion I have a model that wants to do something different, but I still have them note that on the TFCD agreement then it avoids any he said , she said issues. We both sign the document and we give them a copy, or we will scan it and email it to them. For some I just need to get them to actually read it! So what we literally do prior to the shoot, is sit them down, give them the forms, and have them read them thoroughly. For the most part this has been an effective method and both parties to the agreement leave the shoot happy. There are always the minority that you just can’t please, but at least you don’t go into a shoot with them and end it there.

Below is the form I use, it is allot prettier and has my studio name on it, but you get the point. By the way I do retain the rights in particular if the shoot is TFCD. If the model is paying for the shoot I have a modified form that gives the model and I shared rights. I think that is fair.We also require the model to present a valid id, since you never now how old they are. We did have a young lady that was 15, but really looked 20, if we did not require id the agreement would have been void since she was underage. In that situation, as you can see we have an area for the parent or guardian to sign.

Model Release
For good and valuable Consideration herein acknowledged as received, and by signing this release I hereby give the Photographer/ Filmmaker and Assigns my permission to license the Images and to use the Images In any Media for any purpose , which may include, among others, advertising, promotion, marketing and packaging for any product or service. I agree that the Images may be combined with other Images, text and graphics, and cropped, altered or modified. I acknowledge and agree that I have consented to publication of my ethnicity’s) as indicated below, but understand that other ethnicity’s may be associated with images of me by the Photographer/Filmmaker and/or Assigns for descriptive purposes. I agree that I have no rights to the Images, and all rights to the Images belong to the Photographer/Filmmaker and Assigns. I acknowledge and agree that I have no further right to additional Consideration or accounting, and that I will make no further claim for any reason to Photographer/Filmmaker and/or Assigns. I acknowledge and agree that this release is binding upon my heirs and assigns. I agree that this release is Irrevocable, worldwide and perpetual,I represent and warrant that I am at least 18 years of age and have the full legal capacity to execute this release. Definitions:
“Model” means me and includes my appearance, likeness and form. “MEDIA” means all media including digital. Electronic, print. television, film and other media now known or to be invented. “PHOTOGRAPHER/FILMMAKER” means photographer, illustrator, filmmaker or cinematographer, or any other person or entity photographing or recording me.
“ASSIGNS” means a person or any company to whom Photographer/ Filmmaker has assigned or licensed rights under this release as well as the licensees of any such person or company.
“IMAGES” means all photographs, film or recording taken of me as part of the Shoot.
“CONSIDERATION” means something of value I have received in exchange for the rights granted by me in this release.
“SHOOT” means the photographic or film session described in this form. “PARENT” means the parent and/or legal guardian of the Model. Parent and Model are referred to together as “we” and “us” In this release.

Photographer/Filmmaker Information

Name
Address
Shoot Date _
Shoot Description/Reference _
Signature _

Date _

Witness (NOTE: All persons signing and witnessing must be of legal age and capacity in the area in which this Release is signed. A person cannot witness their own release)

Name(print)

Signature

Date

Model Information:

Name (print) ___________________________

Address

City State/Province______

Country Zip/Postal Code_____

Phone

Email_________________________________

Date of Birth____________________________

Signature ______________________________

Date ______________________________

_
Parents (Guardians)
lf person is a minor or lacks capacity in the jurisdiction of residence.) Parent warrants and represents that Parent is the legal guardian of Model, and has the full legal capacity to consent to the Shoot and to execute this release OF ALL RIGHTS IN MODEL’S IMAGES.
Name (print) ___________________________

Address_______________________________

City State/Province______

Country Zip/Postal Code _____

Phone_________________________________

Email_________________________________

Signature _____________________________

Date _________________________________

Below is the form I use for TFCD, I actually call it TFD, which is download, since I offer a service that allows the model to download the images from home. That saves me a ton of work, since I don’t have to deal with burning a CD, then mailing it. One RAP star I shot, I sent him the CD, then he lost it, I sent him another, it got broken in the mail, finally he got the third one. What a pain, that is why I went to the download service, it is well worth it! Please feel free to copy these forms and use them in your own shoots.

TIME FOR (Download/Images) AGREEMENT

XXXXXX (hereinafter referred to as “Photographer”) agrees to provide the Model with image files containing certain photographs taken during the modeling session.

The Model is authorized to use the images for self promotion in the Model’s printed portfolio only. The Model is prohibited from using the full resolution images in any other media or print. On-Line usage, to be used for Model portfolio only. Under no circumstance may any images be used for any commercial purpose.

From each set photographed, 10 to 100 (The average being around 15) full resolution images,containing the Photographer’s watermark identifying the photographer or the Photographer’s company will be provided to the Model. The images may be re-touched. Any necessary alterations to the images will be performed solely at the Photographer’s discretion, And By the Photographer Only. Raw untouched images will not be provided. Unused/Rejected images will be deleted and not shared with the model.

The Photographer agrees to provide the Model with the above mentioned images via the Internet. A Link to a website will allow download all the images provided for approx 2-3 weeks after the shoot. A CD will not be provided by the Photographer. Images will be provided within 60 days of shoot.

The Model agrees not to alter or change the images in any way without express written consent of the photographer. All changes or alterations to be made by the photographer NOT the Model, or a third party

Both parties affirm that they are over the age of majority and have the right to contract in their own names. Both parties have read the above agreement, prior to its execution. Both parties fully understand the contents thereof.

Photographer:
Signature: ___________________________________________ Date: ____________

Model:
Signature: ___________________________________________ Date: ____________

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

Riding a bike with no hands and a pop…

trunion — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:35:10 +0000

Riding a bike with no hands and a Popsicle

OK this is one of my funny stories, well at least now it is, back then it was not! It was a great summer day in Colorado. Summer in Colorado is heaven, since you basically spend most of your days during the Winter , Spring, and Fall indoors, or sleping to work or school in the snow, so when summer arrives it is indeed a great time to be had, cause you can finally get outside without a shirt and just wear shorts.

During summers of my childhood when I was about 13, my mom would let me ride my bike to places that were, well within biking distance. One of those places was the local Dairy Queen. So here I am freedom to bike anywhere, so I decide to bike on over to the ol DQ. I gathered up my 2 bucks, and threw on some cutoff jeans. Cutoff jeans then were the sheet man, just take some old jeans, cut off the legs and you were stylin for the entire summer. Cutoffs get dirty? Cut some more legs off your other pants, and you are good to go. I did this all summer, till my mom found out and yelled at me for cutting off too many. Man she was pissed when she found out I had cut off all the pants legs of my entire wardrobe. A learning experience there fo sho!

Anyway, I put the cutoffs on, no shirt, grabbed my money and my bike and I was off.

I cruised up to the DQ , and got one of those blue, red and white Popsicles, back then they called them bomb pops. The bomb pop was a Popsicle that had like three different types of flavors, they are still around but I don’t think they are called bomb pops anymore. I get my bomb pop and promptly eat it right there, slurp it was gone! A lady looked at me like I was a homeless kid or something, that hadn’t eaten in awhile. Good thing I had some more dough. So I bought another bomb pop , jumped on my bike and headed home.

What a great feeling , riding along the street with my bomb pop, eating , and bikin’ .Life was good! I loved to ride, and would ride without any hands. The bomb pop was so cold and delicious I could not wait to get home to really enjoy it, while watching Gilligan’s Island! So there I was riding with no hands eating the bomb pop, when I decide to switch positions on the seat. This bike was crazy , it was one of those old Schwinn’ bikes, that had the long banana seat , and the sissy bar on the back. My mom had bought it for me at a garage sale for like 5 bucks. It was a piece of crap, but I didn’t care, it was mine and was paid for. There was one problem with it, that I had no idea was a problem until other kids on the block made me intimately aware of. You see the problem with the bike, was it was a girl’s bike! The neighborhood kids would never let me hear the end of it, but you know , that was the sign of the times, people didn’t have that much money, and you got what you got. Now in my family today, I tell my kids you get what you get and don’t pitch a fit, it seems to work, although they really don’t appreciate the small things. I suppose none of us do when we are kids, until we get older, much older.

Back to riding the bike, I was cruising along on this great summer day, no hands, eatin that bomb pop, I switched positions, and all of a sudden, I see a huge rock in the street, I try to avoid it, but with no hands that is tough, so you guessed it, my wheels turned inward and the bike just simply stopped, but I kept going. Everything was moving in slow motion as I began to sail over the handle bars, and look back at the bike that was laying there in the street. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the neighbor lady watch in horror, I think she even shrieked. Then no mo slo mo, everything sped up and I saw the black asphalt in my field of vision, and blamo, whamo, there I lay in the middle of the street with road rash,bleeding, and friggin bomb pop all over my body. You know how kids are when they get hurt, sometimes they just lay there stunned, well that was me. I lay there in the street not moving, and the neighbor lady freaking out came to see if I was ok. I got up in a daze, bomb pop still on my face, the lady asked me if I was alright, and I just looked at her, and grunted. I gathered up my bike, my wounded pride, and limped home, while the lady just stood there in the street and watched me leave.

When I finally got home, I started crying, not because I was hurt, but my bomb pop was gone, too funny.

Stupid, but it is one of those memories I will always think about, life was simple, and the worst thing that happened all summer was the bomb pop got smashed on the pavement, and I had some really good scars to talk about.It made me a little tougher, I mean how hard was that anyway, I was riding a girls bike! Life was indeed simple then.

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

Barbers on 66th

trunion — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:05:41 +0000

Barbers on 66th

Have you ever been to a barber shop? You know a real barber shop, not some salon, or some cheap place where the ladies go, but a real man’s hangout. A real barber shop is where the guys go to get their haircut, and just to hangout and shoot the shit. Most barber shops are a thing of the past, I mean sure you can go to some upscale place now that is a barber shop but it is not the real thing. This setting takes place back in a time when life was simple and all barbers did was cut hair, and of course offer you some great stories. Oh yeah and don’t forget the standard issue barber pole. I saw a place the other day, and it had a sign that was painted with you guessed it, a barber pole, just was not the same.

The barbers on 66th were a funny bunch, once you walk into the joint you smell the aroma of cheap cologne, it is a smell that whenever you smell it , you are right back in that old barber shop. My Barber’s name was Zelda, man you can’t find a name like that anymore, that is fo sho. Zelda was a beautiful woman, she stands about 5′9″ and has long black hair. She always had standard issue uniform on. The barber apron with hair all over it. Back in the day , the barbers would not clean after every haircut, they would just cut hair all day, you would climb over the mounds of hair at the base of the chair and the barber would have hair all over, but you know what? Not one person ever even thought twice about it. The barber of course would clean up the hair, at the end of the day, that was a sign of a good days work. Zelda was a great lady, she is the type who can hang with the fellas and hold her own, the other barbers (old farts as we know them today) would talk dirty and she did not even flinch, she would just fire right back and them and tell them how they needed help in a certain area, or they walked so slow cause their balls were at their knees. Zelda was the best at her job, she was great with the little boys the dads would bring in. I mean for a little kid the barber is a big deal, getting in that chair, and hearing that friggin buzzsaw coming at your head. The first thing you do as a kid once you get into the chair is start balling, for reasons no one really understands. But once Zelda got you in her chair she would sternly say,”Shud up!” Immediately you would shut up. There you would sit making that after cry noise, like you can’t catch your breath, uh uh, mmmmm, uh uhh mmmm. You know the sound, cause we have all done it.

There of course were the other barbers, namely the one who was kind of a cranky old fort. The one is this shop was Gino. Gino is an old Italian guy from the old school. Gino is the type who thinks kids should be seen not heard, and every time one of those little turds would start crying, he would cringe. Sometimes he would just grunt. He would never say anything to the kid but he sure would eyeball you, especially if you were a crybaby. That all by itself made me want to cry, and I did. So there I sat in the chair Zelda telling me to Shud up, and the old fort eyeballing me. Quite the experience for a little guy, but you know what, it is one of the fondest memories I have.

So when my dad was alive he would take me to the barber, and Zelda would cut my hair. Over the years I came to love Zelda since she was that sort of strong woman that every man really acts like he hates, but secretly totally respects her. Zelda would let me climb into the chair and once I was finished balling, she would put that cape around my neck, and tell me I was superman, I sort of believed it , but a black cape, no way! Once the cape was on, Zelda would crack out the buzz saw. The buzz saw was a rusty old set of shears, those suckers sounded horrible , and I don’t think she ever sharpened them. Zelda would commence to the hair cutting session, trimming and shaving, until I had the perfect bowl cut. For those of you who don’t know what a bowl cut is , your head looks like someone put a bowl on your head and then cut whatever was not under the bowl. Our neighbor Leon actually used a bowl and cut his son’s hair like that. Good cheap haircut, but in today’s standards would not fly, or maybe it would who knows? ANY way, Zelda was a master at the cut, she was done in no time, back then I thought she was some Zen Mistress of hair, cause she could cut may hair in like two minutes. What I did not realize was the cuts in those days were basically trimmers and zap , you were done. Not much to them. When I first started going to the barber shop with my dad, I had to get the board across the barber chair so I could be high enough for Zelda to reach my head. As I grew older I eventually got to be rid of than thing, it was good cause those splinters were a be ach after the cut.

Zelda would finish up my hair, and the reward for all this, was some 2 cent sour apple gum, my dad would get me like two or three pieces, and I would cram them all into my mouth. So for the rest of the day there I would be with the gum in my mouth, chewing, every once and awhile some spit would drip out of my mouth, I would just wipe it up and push it back into my mouth. To this day , if I ever get the chance I buy that same brand of gum and sit there in the living room like a kid with a gum filled mouth , chewing and smiling, if anyone would ever see me , they would think I was insane, after all I am 43 now, but hey gotta live it up, and let me tell you that is clean livin!

One of the saddest days of my life is when my dad died and of course I still had to get my haircut, so my mom took me. You know I love my mom, but it was just not the same, those Saturday’s with my dad were the sheet man, as a little kid I would actually look forward to the trips to the barber, with my dad, and I eventually stopped balling, when I was about 43! It really is embarrassing for my current stylist! Once my mom started taking me, it changed the whole experience, because she would fuss about, and the haircut had to be just so. I could tell Zelda would get a little annoyed too. For a minute I would think she was gonna tell my mom to “Shud up!”, but she never did. For the first few times my mom and I would go to the barber on a Saturday, and in those days anytime you went somewhere you would have to get all dressed up. So there was my mom with her big hair, nice dress, and giant big black pleather purse, full of so much crap I thought it had a portal to China or something. I still think since she had the cure for world hunger in that thing.She would dig around and find just about anything. I remember thinking she should go on “Let’s Make A Deal” where they would ask for a paper clip, or something odd, I was sure she had it in that black bag. Her other stash spot was her bra, I mean how embarrassing was that for her to dig out the tip from her bra? Yikes at 10 that was mortifying. Can you imagine what a kid would do today if that were to happen. They would report her to the authorities.

Cool thing was my mom still bought me that apple gum, and all in the world was right. Wouldn’t it be cool if that were the key to all of the world’s issues? Maybe we should send some apple gum to the middle east?

One time my mom took me to the shop , and Zelda was on vacation, well guess what, that cranky old fort was there, we started to leave, but that crusty old dude said hey I will cut the boy’s hair. You know I am not sure but I think that day that old shit got back at my for all those days of crying , cause he gave me one of the worst cuts I have ever had. My hair looked like someone cut it with a flowbie ( you are gonna have to Google that, it would take way too long to explain). We left and my hair looked like crap, and that day even the apple gum did not make me feel good about my haircut! Old fort, he is probably smoking a turd in hell for that now, I am sure! Either he was evil , or the worlds worst barber, I think it was a little of both

Zelda eventually moved to another barber shop, and we went for awhile but it was just to far, and stopped going. We lost touch with Zelda soon after that. Right about then the quick shops came online, like Supercuts etc, and the barber shop was only a memory for me.

Today I am recreating that memory with my images, enjoy. (Just a quick note, I haven’t shot these yet, but will have some soon, so you have to check back to see them)

Terry Runion

Free Trip to Jamaica

trunion — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:05:25 +0000

Free Trip to Jamaica, and Dream Shoot

This is a promotion we are putting together for both of our websites,(Kachoozie.net and Kachoozie.com) While Kachoozie.Com is not online at this time, participants will be able to sign up there as well and qualify when it does become available. Before we get to the whole rules portion, here is the gist of the promo. We will be giving away a trip to Jamaica for two, which includes airfare from the US to Jamaica,Hotel, and all inclusive amenities -food at the resort. You must be 18 years or older.

This is no time share promo,there is no catch, it is simply to get active quality users to sign up at our websites and increase our user base. The user that recruits the most users wins, it is that simple! The winner will be announced in the April 09 time frame. Travel will be the end of May 09 , or Early June 09. If you are a model that wins, you will also receive a dream shoot on location, the dream shoot will include full shared rights to the images, which means you can sell them!

You will also be awarded points for letting others know about this on blogs , myspace etc. We just have to know about them, so if you do that, just let us know (via email with your Kachoozie user name in the subject line). After all this is a Viral promotion so the idea is the get it out there on the Internet. Feel free to use the Kachoozie name and banners anywhere you like, in relation to this promotion.

OK, now for the rules(we are not trying to be too tough, just want to be clear on everything):

Travel Related Items:
All entrants must be 18 or older
Winner is subject to all rules and regs of the resort we will be travelling to.
This offer is non transferable, in other words you cannot give it to your Grandma, but you can take her.
The offer is for one winner, and one guest (guest must be 18 or over as well)
Travel must be completed per the time designated by Kachoozie which will be sometime during May09 to August09 ( We are doing this to give some flexibility to travel dates).
Kachoozie will purchase the package and transfer to the winner. All travel requirements (passports etc) will be the winner’s responsibility.
This package includes Airfare from the US(departing port to be determined by Kachoozie) to Jamaica, Hotel, and Meals provided by the resort. Any items out side of that are not provided under this promo,or by Kachoozie.
Airfare to the departing hub (Houston, Florida, New Orleans, etc) is NOT included, and must be provided by the winner.
Kachoozie assumes no responsibility for the traveller, or their companions.
There will be no accommodations made for those who cannot make the date, or miss the travel, this is a one time deal. In other words if you win and cannot make the trip you will forfeit the trip.It is not transferable and will not go to the second place, third place or beyond users.
Resort selected will be at the sole discretion of Kachoozie, likely ones are Breezes Montego Bay, or Breezes Negril.

How to win:
The winner will the the person who has gained the most new, quality subscribers, by March 09. By New Quality subscribers we mean those with complete profiles , and active users. We reserve the right to disqualify bogus profiles that are not active and or incomplete.
To receive credit for the sign-up , the new user must forward the welcome email they receive to jamaica@kachoozie.net, the subject line should include the user name on Kachoozie that should get credit for the sign-up . No credit will be offered without this.
All users that are new sign-ups are subject to periodic checks by Kachoozie to determine they are active users, which means , they must log-in at least once every 10 days and be active users on forums, blogs etc for the duration of this promo. Users who do no do this, referrer will not receive credit for the sign-up . It will be Kachoozie’s sole discretion to determine active users versus inactive users.
An Automatic “points” system will be implemented at a later date and points earned from that system will also count towards the winning numbers.
“Points” will also be granted to those who promote this outside of Kachoozie , blogs , my space etc. In order for points to be gathered, notification must be sent to jamaica@kachoozie.net with the Kachoozie user name to receive credit in the subject line, and where the item is located.
Banners and Kachoozie Logos can be used to promote this promo only, the logos may not be used in any other way.

What we will not do:
We will not pay your airfare to the departing destination, so in other words if you are in Montana, and the closest departure point to Jamaica is Houston, the winner will pay for their ticket from Montana to Houston, and Houston to Montana. Same goes for anyone in another part of the world as well. The tickets will be from the US to Jamaica and Back.
We will not be responsible for you or your travelling party in any way, an example might be if your purse is stolen we will not cover it. Most of these resorts also have an all inclusive bar, which means you can drink all day and night, we will not be responsible for your actions should you do something like that. This also covers anything else, you are ultimately responsible for yourself and your travelling party.
Once the travel date is determined we will not change it for any reason, we are giving a three month period to lock it in. If for some reason the winner locks the date in , and cannot make it, Kachoozie will not change the date, we reserve the right to award the travel to any other Kachoozie user that has accumulated points.

If anything is not clear please drop a line to questions@kachoozie.net

Kachoozie retains the rights to modify or amend this promotion at anytime during the promotional period.

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

I am OCD, my newest/original obsessio…

trunion — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:05:09 +0000

I am OCD, my newest/original obsession is Photography!

Yep I have officially been diagnosed with OCD.Actually several years ago. I don’t know how or why, but it something I have had since I was a kid. I just did not know it then. What is OCD? Most people think is is the fear of germs, and while that is one element , OCD can manifest if in different ways with different people. My manifestation is once I get a concept or even something to worry about, it sticks in my head, and I run though it over and over. It is like I can never turn my brain off. You might say,hey that is great your brain is always working,but I will tell you it is an affliction that will make you brand new, and not in a good way.

Like I said my brain will churn , and churn something I am obsessed with, and I will try every variation of what could happen, or what has happened, sometimes it is maddening. My doctor subscribed Zoloft and I took that for about three years, and while it is good, it does some really bizarre things to you physically and mentally. For me the Zoloft made me sort of mellow, kind of a give a shit attitude, it made me non reactive, non caring, and non passionate. One good thing it did was give me some serious longevity in the sexual side of things, it was like I could never finish or stop , kind of weird but my wife never complained about it. :}

About a year ago in May 07 , I decided to stop taking the Zoloft and live with it. Well this may sound strange but I actually found a new obsession, actually an old obsession, and that is photography. I never realized it but in school, photography kept me focused on something and kept me from obsessing on things. When I was a kid before I got into high school , I would ritualize things, everyday things, that I had control over , like how I brushed my teeth, how I walked to school, and how I interacted with others. One day I remember I was in 5Th grade, and as I arrived at school I put my lunch in the lunch bin in the classroom, for the entire day I wondered did I bring my lunch? What did I do with it? Did I remember to bring it? The entire morning I thought about the lunch sack that I thought I had forgotten. By lunch time I went to the lunch bin, and even though my lunch bag was there, I thought is was someone else’s. How could this be mine? It wasn’t mine? Someone took my lunch! Who took my lunch? Now what ? Someone had taken my lunch, I had no money so I could not get lunch in the cafeteria. I stood there mind racing , wondering about the lunch sack that was right there.I had convinced myself it was not mine, and that someone took mine. So I opened the window to the classroom and jumped out.I had to do that since going out the front door I would have been busted right away. It was a good thing it was the first floor. I ran home , and when I got home, my mom asked what are you doing home? I told her someone took my lunch, then I just stood there and cried. My mom made me a grilled cheese sandwich, and told me to get back to school. I ran back to school, and you guessed it, the entire way I obsessed about what trouble I was in at school, even though my mom had given me a note, I still obsessed. I got back to school and the teacher was pretty pissed off that I just left. I gave her the note and she had me go sit down, then I was OK until the next time.

Back to last year, when I decided to stop the Zoloft. At first it was kind of strange , I mean feelings were coming back that I had not dealt with for a few years. The first phase was I was an angry , angry man, it took very little to set me off. the second phase, my passion started coming back, then finally I realized I needed something to keep me busy. I started to get back into photography , and I shot over 10000 images over the course of the summer. My new obsession was back, and believe it or not I actually felt much better having that passion, and drive, the obsession was there but it was channelled into something productive. While I still have certain times when I get caught up in a pattern, I usually try and go shoot some images to get my mind off of it, and so far it is working well. Occasionally I do grab something and wont let it go, but for the most part, now that is succeeding in this endeavor.

So what have I done the past year? I have shot a ton of images, and I also realized I love to shoot images of people, models, or just regular folks, it is my way to connect with them. It seems it is also my way of changing the world in some small way. I feel like every time I shoot an image of someone they are now a part of my soul in some way.For my very best images, they tell a story , and I hope they make the people who look at them feel something. I look at the images and can remember the way things felt at that moment, the weather, the look on their face, the way they reacted to the images. I try to write it down, but usually I don’t have too much time to do so, but I know I can come back to that shoot and recall every detail to document it. I know it sounds strange but perhaps this is how a creative mind works I don’t know , but it is how my creative mind works. So not only have I been able to recollect the details, I have made some very potent friendships out of the deal, and most of them that I am close with , I consider my deepest , closest friends.

Why do I write this? Well it is not to have people pity me, but it is to illustrate that our society is way to over medicated, and there are absolutely other outlets to explore to fill the gaps. Mine just so happens to be the photographic image. I do still obsess to a point even with that , I work til 2 or 3 am in the morning and get up and go to a day job at 7 am each day, but I still find time to spend with my family , and while I do spend allot of time at it, the craft has made me a much better person, and father.

So in this crazy, hectic, violent world we live in try to find your outlet, and live it, live it to the fullest!-ter

Terry Runion
http://www.kachoozie.net
http://www.kachoozie.com
http://www.newlifeimages.net

He Pooped in the Car

trunion — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:04:27 +0000

Wilbur

OK here’s the deal, I have a 3 year old Bassett Hound his name is Wilbur. I love the dog, but I feel so bad, since no one in the entire family ever plays with him, so I decided it was best to find him a great home. We hope to find him a home where he will be happy and well cared for, a family that loves him, and plays with him daily.-ter

Well here is Wilbur’s story:

Hello my name is Wilbur, I live in a dog run with another dog named Maxx. Maxx is cool but he is kind of annoying since he is like 12 years old, which is like 180 years old in dog years, thing is, he still thinks he is 2. Maxx acts like a two year old , fetching balls, and barking, what an idiot, but hey the people who own us think it is cute so hey more power to him!

I don’t know what the deal is, but the people who live in the house, occasionally come out to see us, Maxx and I. They say hi, and make goofy faces and sounds, we think it is a hoot, the people must smoke ganga or something. We don’t care since after all we are dogs, and we love everything! Well except cats, and the occasional bird who shits in our food! Anyway, so I think the people want to find me a new home, they think I might be happier with a new family, I am not sure since I kind of like these folks just fine. I mean after all , they hooked me up with a couch in the dog run. A COUCH, I mean who does that? That is totally cool since I spend the day snoozing on the couch, it is the shit!

They also take real good care of me, they feed me daily, they pet me, and again make those funny faces at me, I love that!

So this past Sunday, well I think it was Sunday since I don’t really keep track of the days, you know I am very busy snoozing on the couch. So this past Sunday some people come over to see me, and I am kind of skeered, since the one guy I can tell is not really into Basset Hounds. I can totally understand that since I do slobber allot, and my bark is pretty loud. The guy just looks at me. One of my peeps tells the family, I am a great dog and need some attention, all I need is a good bath and my nails trimmed.I also have valley fever, which really sucks cause I have to get meds, well it sucks for the people, but I actually like it since every night they give me pills in a HOT DAWG. God do I LOVE HAWT DAWGS!!!!!!

The new people decide they like me, well the lady anyway,so they get a leash and take me. They lead me to the car, and then I decide , you know what, I don’t really want to go. It is tooooo late they drag me to the car and put me in the back seat with two little girls. The little girls are great , but I really don’t like that guy.He just keeps eye balling me! WTF?

The guy drives off, and as he does I have a diabolical idea. You know dogs are simple creatures, but on occasion we have some great ideas. The time I pooped on the pool deck was not one of my better moments, but we try.

So I stand up in the back seat, crouch, the little girls look at me and ask the guy what is the doggie doing? As I crouch, I begin to push. You got it! I push out the biggest, steamiest piece of crap I have ever took! It was a total work of art I tell you. Nice and large! You know what, taking a dump there on the car seat was probably one of the most gratifying moments of my doggy life, I mean who gets to do that? The little girls look at me in horror, I am not sure actually, it was not that big of a deal to me anyway. I was so proud I took a dump, then I started barking at the guy, he only glared and I think he started cussing. The little girls screamed in anguish, and moved as close to the windows of the car that they could get.

What is this? I think I felt the car do a 180. Yep it did, the cars tires squealed , and it seemed we were going back to my peeps house! Wow my diabolical scheme worked like a champ. The lady that actually liked me, took me out of the car and walked me to the door. This house smelled very familiar, yep I was back home. The lady rang the doorbell, and my real little girl answered. She took me in, while the lady explained that the guy said no way could I have a dog that took a dump in the car, geeze what would be next, pooping on the pool deck, yea I will do that again fo sho?

The little girl took me in the house, and out to the backyard, to my dog run, to my wonderful couch, I was back. I was back indeed, heheheh.

The moral of my story, if you don’t want to do something, just dump on it!-Wilbur ;}

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

HMFIC

trunion — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:17:14 +0000

HMFIC

This is really one of those blogs that really has no purpose, other than just some rambling things clinking around in my head. :} I was thinking the other day, how many funny things I just say everyday,well maybe they are not funny, but they are kind of odd. How did I pick these up? Well I really think that as we travel through life when we meet people, and the ones we get to know, some part of them ends up with you to carry through your life, some good , some bad, some OK. For me every single person I have ever got to know I have learned something from them , in some way, shape or form. That is a much heavier discussion for another blog.

For this blog I am going to recall certain sayings I have picked up over the years and I know we all have them, sometimes it is just fun to remember who said it and when, so here are a few:

HFMIC- Head Mutha Fucka in Charge–I first heard this when I was in high school and worked at Shakey’s pizza , the guy’s name was Louis Amos, he was quite a colorful character and I learned a ton from him. If you are out there I would love to chat with ya.

Fo Sho- Another one from Louis

Guess What? Chicken butt, you know why? Cause it is all dry? - While I have never understood what in the hell this means, it is still kind of funny- The guy I heard this from was a guy I went to High School with Micheal Hathaway.

That’s a FAC, JACK- Well that one came from Wolfman Jack, he was a classic , I wish he were still alive.

It’s your world , I just live in it- Honestly I can’t remember who said this to me, but I know it was a very long time ago!

That bitch is so ugly it looks like someone hit her with a number 12 ugly stick- Another one from Mike Hathaway, I still want to know who came up with the system to measure ugliness via sticks and what is the highest number?

You must be having a Manual moment- From a guy I work with, Frank Self, it refers to the high school I went to in Denver, and lets just say it was a bad school.

Slop Bucket- This is a great one, it mean basically a sloppy person

Made me brand new- This one is a great saying it basically means, when you have gone through

Old School- sort of been way overused but I still use it , since I am from the old school!

My hair is on fire- I got this one from an IT guy, it is so true when you are working on a big project

I am going to go apeshit on his ass- I used to use this one back in the 70’s , and stopped , then I met a salesman who said it and it was baaaaak. Now I have my wife and all her friends saying it.

I think my head is going to explode- This one I made up on my own, and use it quite often. When I do use it I am very animated so people think it is great, although at the moment I use it , I don’t find it very humourous.

WTF- thanks to the Internet for making this one a reality, although I have said it for years, it does work for almost any situation.

Polish the Turd- I picked this one up from another IT guy Bob Kenney. It was a term we used at Motorola when someone could not make a decision. We called this process polishing the turd.

Here are some business buzz words that I really hate and try like hell not to say, I won’t put down the persons name who says them but you know who you are!

At the end of the day- What happens then?
I had to do a dive and catch- WTF?
It is, what it is- This has got to be the phrase that replaced Y2K for the 00’s
We are going to have to do a deep dive on that- Funny thing is it almost never happens.
We are going to take that conversation offline- Same thing, usually the conversation nver happens
When have you pinged that customer last? What are they a node on the Internet?
Best of Breed- Are we raising dogs or horse here?

Been There done that- Cool now shut-up and DO IT Again!

Think outside of the box- Where is this box and who defined it?

Win-Win Situation, now there is another WIN WIN WIN -geeze when will it stop?

Analysis Paralysis - The guy that says this, I want to put some duct tape on his mouth
DR -Disaster Recovery why does everything need to be an acronym?
Bandwidth- I don’t have the bandwidth today. WTF?
Sync UP- why?
What is the disconnect here? What is disconnected? This is another one where you never find the disconnect!
Going forward- We are always going forward whether we like it or not, stating it is just retarded.
He must be drinking the KoolAId-Honestly I don’t know anyone who still does! My kids don’t even drink it.
ROI- return on investment- I don’t think I have ever seen one that is based in reality, usually they are made up by some salesman to sell you something you don’t need

Update 04/15/2008 - For crying out loud the dude I am referring to came up with some new ones today:
I’m just trying to keep the wheels on the bus
We don’t need to burn any more cycles

There are so many more, but honestly I have to stop cause “my head is going to explode!”

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

Mortgage Dilema

trunion — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:08:12 +0000

To Whom it may concern,

How do I start this email/blog, I really don’t know due to all the frustration I feel right now. I guess I will start by saying, about 3 years ago we sold our old house and purchased the current one we are in. We like many, many other people got an ARM. I was well aware of the ARM requirements, however; I planned in short order to get the loan refinanced into a 30 year fixed . In my wildest dreams I never would have thought things would have played out the way they have.

First I tried to refinance both and was told due to the market conditions , my home had dropped so much in value my LTV was no longer conducive to a refinance, not to mention even if I did refinance Beneficial had a prepay penalty of about 10,000.00, so I decided to wait a while longer. By the way when we purchased this home it appraised at 425,000.00 we purchased it for 369,000.00 . We just got the house appraised, (which is a whole other issue I will address later ) it appraised at 315,000.00 despite having a brand new A/C unit that cost 11,000.00 new carpet, new paint, the entire house has essentially been completely upgraded. What I find hard to understand is how I read in the paper homes have dropped about 10% in my area, which by my math should be about 42500.00 which would put the house value at 382,500.00 . With the amount os the current appraisal , that would put the total amount of decline at around 30%

About two months ago, we heard credit was opening up and decided to give it another run, we entered our information into lending tree, and had several calls, and one we decided to go with was Jon at American Sterling Bank, Jon told us we could probably refinance the ARM but they could not refinance the 2nd. Jon told me Beneficial would have to do a loan subordination which basically means in my mind , that Beneficial would have to give American Sterling first right should we default on the loan. Just as a note we have never missed a payment, with the exception of Chase Bank’s error ( when Chase bought the loan, they did not process two of the payments from the old mortgage company, something I am still trying to get corrected on my credit report). Here is some nice information on Chase’s tactics http://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/chase_mortgage.html .

So, we went ahead and scheduled the appraisal, at 450.00 and had it done. Only after did I find out that Beneficial will not subordinate loans, so now not only can I not get the ARM refinanced but am out 450.00 , that I really can’t afford to spend since my payments are so high. You can only imagine how angry this makes me!

Here is the bottom line, these mortgage companies are basically painting me into a corner, because at this point the ARM is scheduled to rachet up yet again, and once it does I will be forced into bankruptcy, which means I will have no choice but to default on both the first and second loans. I also have an unsecured loan with Beneficial that I will be forced to include in the bankruptcy since if I take that drastic of a step, I am going to hit them all. It is a shame since we have put so much into the house, and it is in a very nice area, so someone will have a really nice house at some point. The sad thing is I am not alone at all in this, I am sure many others are finding themselves in this position as well. I just don’t get it, the mortgage companies would push someone into this dilemma with no real way out, so they end up losing tons of money, it just does not make any sense at all. This obviously drives the economy into a downward spiral.

I have had people who I know tell me , well this is your fault , you knew what you were getting into when you bought the house. My response to that is, how did I know I would not be able to refinance? How did I know my house would appraise at more than 100k less than when we bought it? How ? You tell me.

My take on the situation, is sort of like what Chris Rock says in his stand up routine, there are the people that are rich, and then there are those that are the very wealthy, I personally think, those very wealthy individuals are driving the economy, not only housing but gas prices, I am sure there are a select few who need a new yacht , or want to be sure there family is well cared for into the next millennia , I am also sure they really don’t care about the poor shleps who get up and go to work on a daily basis, they could absolutely care less. I mean, HSBC is one of the largest companies in the world , along with Chase , the people at the top there, really don’t ever see the folks down here at the bottom, they just see the bottom line, and that is what counts, right?

Finally , basically all I am asking for here, well really pleading, is Beneficial give American Sterling Bank the subordination they need to get the ARM refinanced. Beneficials interest will be secure, I will make be able to make my payments, and all will be good. You folks at Beneficial can look at my payment history and see I have never defaulted, not missed a payment, never been late. Oh by the way I have been a Beneficial customer for about 10 years now, that ought to count for something?

Terry.Runion@NewLifeImages.Net
Http://www.KachOOzie.Net
Http://www.KachOO.Com
Http://www.NewLifeImages.Net

Gino

trunion — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:05:47 +0000

Front man for Kachoozie.net He is a Riot