Evan Agee: Live from Richmond Indiana

It has been a very busy and eventful year so far. Not only have things been very busy with work but Kristen and I have also been taking this opportunity to get many things done around the house that we’ve been planning for the last few years.

Office Remodel
Not long ago I built a closet in our office to add some storage space. We went ahead and slapped some paint up as well even though there was a little bit of cosmetic cleanup that needed to be done to the walls. We’ve also noticed a place on the wall that was very weak appeared to be slightly damaged from water, so we decided to have ProSource Construction come in and take a look. As it turns out we had water coming in from the bottom left side of the window frame. We decided to take all of the drywall off of that particular wall so we could make sure there wasn’t any major damage that might need repair. Thankfully it wasn’t damaged that badly at all, we sealed up the area that was leaking, re-insulated the entire wall and we now have new drywall over that wall as well. We’re also having Rick fix some cosmetic blemishes in the room before repainting the entire room. Once all of that is done we’re having light maple colored laminate flooring installed in the room and probably a ceiling fan put up. Then that room is finished!

Dead Tree Removal
In our back yard were 3 very large, old trees. They were one of the things that I loved most about this house when we bought it. They were incredibly tall and big around and the provided great shade to the patio throughout the summer. Sadly 2 of the 3 were in really bad shape and were showing signs of significant decay, so we decided to have a local reputable tree service come and take a look. I wasn’t interested in having the trees removed unless they really needed to be and after they showed us a few tell-tale signs I was convinced that it was necessary. Both trees were removed completely and the stumps ground down. It’s very sad to have them gone, the yard has really suffered aesthetically because of it but I guess it’s worth it to not have to worry about an 80-foot Silver Maple limb crashing on your house one day… We planted a small Bing Cherry tree yesterday in the back yard, but it’s going to be a while before it gives us much shade.

Some New Carpet
We finally got around to replacing the unpleasant (and stained) carpet in 2 of the 3 bedrooms. We were able to get remnants for both rooms so it was very inexpensive and really made a big difference in those rooms.

Minor Kitchen Improvements
We’ve held off on doing any work on the kitchen thinking that it would end up being the largest and most expensive renovation we’d be doing to the house. However, after our bathroom project we felt ready to take it on and confident that it would be an easy project in comparison. For now we’re doing pretty basic improvements, painting, bead board, chair rail and probably painting the cabinets. We looked into getting new cabinets and totally redoing the room but it was just too expensive. The minor improvements we’re making will make a big difference on their own.

Privacy Fence
One of the improvements I’m most excited about is our decision to build a privacy fence around our back yard. Our back yard faces an alley and a several other houses which leaves the back yard feeling a little too exposed. We’d also like to be able to let Pepper be outside more so she can run around and get some exercise. Hopefully we’ll be starting that project in the next month or so.

We’ve got some other small improvements planned as well, all of which will bring us to a finish line in our home improvement marathon. I’m sure I’ll have photos and other blog posts as the projects go forward.

For almost a year I’ve had a seldom updated Vidcast, the EvanAgee.com Vidcast. It has been mostly a video diary series but I’m hoping to change that soon to include videos related to the things that I’m interested in such as web development/design, graphic design, photography, music, etc. It’s now on iTunes so if you’d like to subscribe I’d greatly appreciate it.

The church I attend, First Baptist Church of Richmond Indiana is also now podcasting! We finally got a new computer in our sound booth (a 20″ iMac) so now we’re recording the services digitally and releasing the sermon portion of the service online. You can check that out on iTunes as well. I’m really enjoying working on our church’s podcast, not something I get to do often.

For work I’ve been getting into some video-related work as well. We’re adding a component for uploading video that will subsequently be streamed via our video streaming server. It’s something that’s hard to troubleshoot and requires a bit of time but it’s great fun.

Some other great news is that the band I played with a couple of years back, Unseen, is reforming with a slightly altered lineup. This time around we’re playing mostly original music that I’ve written and we’re in the process of writing more. My brother Mitchell is going to be our vocalist so I’m really excited about that. He can sing well and it’ll be great to have a chance to spend more time together.

Feels like it has been forever since I posted last, though looking at my last post about the iPhone I guess it hasn’t really been that long. Either way, I thought that it would be a good time to stick my head out and say hi and update everyone on what I’ve been up to.

2008 has, so far, been my busiest year… EVER. As soon as January 1 hit I started getting more and more work through Agee Design. Partly due to my sponsorship of The Podcast Answer Man and some good word-of-mouth, I’ve been amazed at the amount of new projects that have been coming in this year. At last count I have no fewer than seven projects running concurrently. Thankfully I’ve been very careful to plan the timelines accordingly so this one-man-show can keep up with the flow, but it’s still pretty busy around here and I’m enjoying every minute of it!

Most of my work on these projects takes place in the evenings and weekends. I’ve been spending the majority of my day doing work for my primary client/employer. There’s been some wonderful work going on there as well, a project about six months in the making is getting closer to completion every day.

Speaking of my employer, I’ve been loving the iPhone they purchased for me! It’s quite an amazing gadget and I’m sure it’s going to be even more amazing once Apple opens up this bad boy to 3rd party developers. My only complaint continues to be that AT&T doesn’t have better coverage in this area.

On the photography front things have been quite for some time. I’ve been messing around with trying to restore some deleted masters in Aperture and finally got our photos from our Niagara Falls trip back, what a relief. Hopefully I can get the other photos from the last few years back. If not, no biggie I guess, will just have to start over. More excitingly I received a call from a local organization that is interested in hiring me to take some photos. I’m going to talk with them and may end up purchasing a new lens (Sigma 10-20mm) if the project does indeed happen.

On a side note, since my favorite office away from home Charlie’s has closed I’m looking for a new hangout. Does anyone have any recommendations for a local establishment that offers free WiFi and is locally owned? Didn’t think so…

So there’s a quick update! I’ve been working on a new episode of the EvanAgee.com Vidcast that I’ll hopefully find time to finish up soon. Hope all is well with you, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to so feel free to email me so we can catch up or post a comment.

I received this message today and nearly killed myself laughing. I don’t recall ever receiving this type of message before and applaud the sender for his wit. I especially like how he’s tried to mask his identity as “The Assassin” but his name and email address(es) are clearly available in the sender details. Have fun! Photo, bolding and italicizing added for effect.

from Nathan Bain <nathh10@live.com>
reply-to nathbain@yahoo.com,
date Dec 13, 2007 9:04 AM
subject PAY ASSASIN OR LOOSE YOUR LIFE
mailed-by live.com

Attention!

I want you to read this message very carefully and diligently.

I’m a professional; hence you have no need of knowing who I am, where I am from, until I arrange for a one on one meeting. I have been mandated to terminate your life for some reasons listed to me by the contractor - someone I believe you know very well and very close to you. Consequently, I have been following you closely for a month now and have seen that you are innocent of the accusation leveled against you.

In your best interest, do not contact the Police or try to send a copy of this to any security agents, because if you do, I will certainly know through the impeccable assistance of one of the secret agents who is a friend, and you will leave me with no option than to be forced to do what I have being duly paid to do, beside this is the first time I’m turning out to be a betrayer against the ethics of my profession.

Now listen, I will arrange for us to see one on one but before that I need the amount of $14,000.00, you have nothing to be afraid of. I will be coming to see you in your home or you determine where you wish we meet, do not set any camera to cover us or set up any tape to record our conversation, I seem to hold the four aces now. You will need to transfer $7, 000.00 to the account I will provide for you, before we will set our first meeting, after you have make the first advance payment to the account, I will provide you with the tape that contains his request for me to assassinate you, which will be enough proof for you to take up a legal action against him (if you wish to do so) and will tell you what to do and protect you, then the balance will be paid later.

You don’t need my phone contact for now till I am assured you are ready to comply, and being silence on this matter is very dangerous. The choice remains yours, and you have the next 72hrs to make that choice, otherwise you will live your limited life watching your back. A word is enough for the wise!

Signed,
Assassin.

As a kid I had only one Christmas tradition that I can recall, the tradition of trying to catch Santa in the act of distributing gifts. Year after year I would wake up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve and make my way to the Christmas tree, hoping to catch a peek at the big man in red. One particular memory that I recalled the other day is especially vivid.

I was a young boy, probably around six or so and we lived in a very small town west of Richmond. The house was an older two story house that was painted a canary yellow with white trim, I always loved that house. It was one of those wonderful snowy Christmases, straight off of a Christmas card from the 50s, the only thing missing was the horse-drawn carriage draped in bows and ribbon. It was the dead of night and the snow was flying and I was on my way quietly down the stairs, careful not to wake my parents and even more importantly scare Santa away.

After what seemed like a lifetime I reached the bottom of the stairs and made my way to large set of pocket doors that separated me from the magical room full of presents on the other side. The trick, I knew, was going to be to open those doors as quickly quietly as possible before Santa could vanish into thin air. I hooked my tiny hands into the grips and pulled them apart slowly. In the room, darkness.

I could barely make my way through the room to the tree it was so dark. My eyes were fully adjusted to the dark and still nothing. I crept forward slowly, my arms stretched out hoping to grasp something familiar. Finally my leg bumped into something, startling me a little. I moved my hands around to feel what it was, it was cold and hard, like metal. I stood for a moment staring in the direction of the object and noticed that I could see moonlight reflecting off parts of it. Still, it was just too dark, I’d have to wait until the morning, mere hours away, before I’d find out what it was.

Until the first hint of daylight came I lay in bed, my mind caught in a whirlwind of imagination. What could it be? Is it even mine? Maybe it’s Mitchell’s present and not mine? Finally I thought it late enough to drag the parents out of bed and down into the room of presents.

To our surprise my brother Mitchell and I find that downstairs waiting for us is the metal object I had stumbled upon in the night. Two matching BMX bicycles sit in the middle of the floor, identical in every way save the cloth seat covers, each in a different color checked pattern. What cruelty the weather had in its heart for us that day, two brand new bikes and countless inches of snow on the ground.