Dear Mr. President,

2009-02-18-cartoon.jpg, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Dear Mr. President,

As our newly elected leader, I call upon you to to lead us in America. You are a black man, leading the most powerful country in the world. As much as I would like to believe that racism doesn't exist, it does. Please do your part to make it disappear.

I ask this because this week a satirical cartoon was sketched out, and printed in a popular publication. A cartoon that depicts a chimp getting shot by police (for attacking a woman). A cartoon that also pokes fun at the ridiculousness that is the current stimulus bill. Now for me, I see nothing wrong with this. The point of these cartoons is to take current events and joke about them. But you see, Mr. President, many people are making a connection between the primate in the cartoon, the comment, and black people. This I find ridiculous. In 2009, this connection should not be made.

I ask of you to come out to the public, your people, and tell us all that a joke is a joke. A cartoon is a cartoon. Tell us that you personally feel that this is not racism.

With Great Respect,
JonnyUps

7

7, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Ok, so I promised to blog about my appointment that I had on Monday with my new doctor from UCSD Medical Center regarding my health.

I am having surgery on May 15th, 2009.

The surgery is to remove any of the remaining harmful mucus in my stomach, and to ensure that it stays gone for a little while. Since what I have has no cure, this is just a big bandage on my future. Weak stomachs skip this next part:

The surgery SHOULD go like this:

-Sleepy Time
-Epidural Catheter (tube in my spine?)
-Cut Me Open (sternum to belt buckle)
-Clean Me Out (each organ gets a wipe down)
-Fill Me With Chemo
-Let Sit for 90 Minutes
-Clean Me Out
-Sew Up Stomach
-Staple Skin Shut
-Hate Life

It will be a 9 to 11 day hospital stay (on average) and I will be super drugged. No working for 6 weeks. My scar will be gnarly.

That's my update. Physically it's going to suck. Mentally it's hard to grasp. Ultimately I want to live a great life, and if this is what it takes to do that, then I'm all in.

Deere, John

Deere, John, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

When I spoke with nurse at UCSD Medical Center, she said, "Essentially, you have PMP"

What is PMP? Here's what I've found out.

PMP is an abbreviation for a "syndrome" known as Pseudomyxoma Peritonei. Literally, this means false (pseudo) benign tumor with mucinous features (myxoma) of the abdomen (peritonei). PMP is sometimes known as "jelly belly".

Because PMP is such a rare condition, it is an "orphan" disease. This means that there is little knowledge of it in the medical community and little research is being done to find better treatments. This is why it is so important to promote awareness so that an appropriate standard of treatment is recognized and money is raised/made available for research. There is about 1 person with PMP for every 1,000,000 people in the U.S.

PMP is caused by low- to moderate- grade mucin-producing tumor cells that usually arise from the appendix. PMP is difficult to classify in to "low grade", moderate or higher-grade, due to its unpredictable behavior, both in its microscopic appearance and in the individual person. To most pathologist's PMP looks "low grade", but in PEOPLE it can act in a higher-grade fashion growing and spreading, and producing mucin/jelly more quickly than expected. This discrepancy between the microscopic/pathologic/scientific description/classification AND the actual "clinical" behavior of PMP in the patient, makes it much more difficult for the doctor to make accurate predictions, unlike breast cancers and colon cancers where the expected behavior of the tumor cells is more predictable. We generally like to think that PMP severity exists on a spectrum from low to moderate to high grade.. Despite pathology that looks low grade and a big "whew!" from the oncologist ("its just PMP") each person's version of PMP may defy what the doctor's and scientists and pathologist's THINK they know! PMP patients need experienced medical oncologists and surgical oncologists.

With all that said, I'm special. With almost 306,000,000 in America, I'm one of 306 people in the club. Sure, I'm rare, I'm special. But boy, do I feel so alone right now. Reading about this only scares me more. I can't wait to have my appointment on February 2nd. I need answers. I am sitting here in my room. Alone. Drinking 2 liters of laxatives. Preparing for my colonoscopy tomorrow. Not eating because I can't. And I just feel alone.

Leslie is the best. Hands down. You guys reading are the best. Your words comfort me beyond belief. I love you.

God, please heal me. God, please take my fears.

Zebra

Zebra, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

So I suppose I'll update everybody on my health. Today I got a call from my tumor surgeon. He basically admitted defeat and told me I needed a 2nd opinion on my tumor biznass. So he referred me to a specialist at UCSD Medical Center.

After some phone tag, I got the nurse who told me some stuff. That most likely I am going to need another surgery to clean out the remnants of the tumor, and that I will need some (most likely) minor form of chemo to clear the rest of the junk out. I'm not worried, just not ready for another surgery.

She kept telling me that what I have is extremely rare. Mucinous Cystadenoma. I asked how rare, and she said, "Take it this way...what you have is only .5% of all gastrointestinal cancers." and I asked if that meant I was one in a million...and she over-excitedly agreed. I would say that one in a million might be a slight understatement with what I have.

So basically, what I understand to be happening is that the tumor spilled it's junk inside me. My surgeon cleaned out what he could, BUT the leftover crap in my abdomen can actually start sprouting more tumors if left untreated. I don't know how this is still considered benign, but it is. It's just benign with an attitude.

Prayers welcomed. I'm going to be ok. Financially this added junk is going to kick the crap out of me. I've never had debt in my life and over the course of less than 2 months I'm already looking up from the inside of a $7,000 bill. I guess thats a big savings from what I would have payed...so I can be thankful for that. :) Insurance is saving my tail to a great extent. Ugh, money.

There's my update, sorry if I worried anybody. Thanks for checking in on me! Now, go enjoy the (obviously a boy) Zebra at the top of this post.

Friends Don't Let Friends Poop On Other Friends

Friends Don't Let Friends Poop On Other Friends, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

So this past weekend was my 1 year anniversary with Leslie. She's done a great job putting up with me for this long, and is still happy being with me. Quite amazing if you ask me. Or if you ask any girlfriends from my past. I'm sure Leslie would get the title "Super Hero" from all of them.

With that said, nothing commemorates an anniversary like a rhinoceros taking a dump on another rhinoceros. I know, I know...I have a way with words. But seriously, how amazing is this photo? Not for it's photographic quality (which is superb by the way), but for it's content. Here's the caption I wrote for the photo:

"So I saw this happen, but had no idea I had actually gotten a photo of it until just now. The rhino's were enjoying the water when out of nowhere, the anal vortex opened up and shot out 12 lbs of poop. The wall of sweet rhin-ass-eros stench hit us so hard that we took off right after this. Yum!"

Long story short, this event made our special day at the San Diego Zoo that much more awesome. True, we were run over by a semi-truck hauling 73 tons of guano, but we walked away from it all. Most importantly, with a picture to prove it.



To those who have come and gone from my blog and noticed no new posts, I'm sorry. I've been quite busy, and life just keeps moving faster. I keep trying to renew my love for photography so that I can keep giving you new and interesting things to look at. Don't get me wrong, my love never fades, it just gets burried under a mess of life sometimes. All that said, thank you. Keep reading, and enjoy the poopy picture above. :) Heck, make it your desktop. I did.

Big News - Teaser

Big News - Teaser, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

So my big news is coming. It may not be that big to you...or most of my readers really, but to me it's huge.

I will say that my photos are being used in a big way. I feel that as a photographer, it's nice to be noticed. I have had the chance to do some pretty sweet, exciting, fun things photographically...but this is the first time I'm able to contribute photographs to something larger. Much larger.

I'll leave it at that for now. I have some more photos to finish editing, then I'll blog again. I'm sorry to have neglected the blog and flickr lately. This certain project has kept me busy, along with a few other photo jobs, and my health, and work, and that darned girlfriend of mine.

Photos from the San Diego Zoo, coming sooooon.

Moonrise

Moonrise, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

I have some exciting news coming up. I haven't posted here in a while because I've been in the process of starting back up at work, getting a ton of photo stuff done, and chillaxing.

So you've been warned, I might be a little excited in the near future.





*hint: it might have to do with a string of concerts I shot in November

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning, I woke up to some sharp pains in my abdomen. A little back story ... I had arm-wrestled a very strong woman the night before and thought that maybe I had pulled a muscle ... moving on. I went about Thanksgiving day as normal. Eating what I could, laughing when I was able. Unfortunately the pain was there the whole time. I went to sleep that night after fighting with fevers all evening.

The next morning I woke up and the pain had gotten worse. My initial thought is that I need to get my appendix looked at. I get to my Mom's house and she insists that I go to Urgent Care and get looked at. This wasn't something I was thrilled with doing. Yes I have insurance, but I don't have the extra money to cover whatever bills I may incur. Also, I'm what the medical profession calls a "Hard Stick" (laugh now.) Every nurse has trouble finding my veins, and as a result, I get stabbed with needles a lot! This visit was NO exception. 5 brand new holes later and I was sporting an IV.



My CAT-Scan results come back, and sure enough, I've got a perforated appendix. Time for removal. They send me on my way to another hospital where I have a team of surgeons, and a private room waiting for me. I get there and my perforated appendix has miraculously turned into a ruptured appendix. No biggie. They're going to cut me open either way. I let them do their thing to me, and apparently I surprise them in the middle of surgery. Some more back story ... my older brother had his appendix burst and he was misdiagnosed. He made it to surgery just in time after his torso had filled with gangrene and they saved his life just hours before it would have ended ... So here I am, asleep on the operating table. They slice open and BLAM! There it is, looking them in the face. A torso full of ... MUCUS? That's not normal. As a matter of fact, the doctors performing the surgery had NEVER seen this before. When your appendix bursts, it's because something was caught on it, and bacteria attacked. Then your body rejects it as it fills with poisonous infectious fluids and eventually blows up. Well, I had none of this. So what they do is what I would have done. Put the surgery on hold (while i'm opened up) and call in a Pathelogist from home. She wasn't busy, don't worry. They consult with her, finish me up, and let me sleep. They went to talk to my Mom and Leslie to let them know how things went.

"We found something unusual. We think there was a tumor on his appendix. It could be cancerous."

Well crap. Just what my family needs, more cancer. A few hours after being put to sleep, I awake to find breathing tubes and what not.



My body was in pain, but the nurses were amazing. After a couple days in my boring room, I got upgraded to a better room. This room looked over the World Class Torrey Pines Golf Course where Tiger Woods frequents. Just beyond the golf course is the best ocean in the world. Not bad! To top it off, my room was named after the founder of the hospital AND was the room that Mother Teresa stayed in a couple times when she came to San Diego and had heart problems. So good things surround this room.



Painful moments: Removing the Catheter, Standing/Sitting/Moving in general, Removing my drain tubes (oh these were awful, like being punched to death)

Finally, after spending 4 (thousand) days in the hospital, they let me go!



I couldn't even have water for the first day and some change. I was a serious surgery case, and so they had to start my stomach at the basics. Jello was a HUGE blessing to my tongue. Over the course of this experience, I've managed to lose between 10 and 14 lbs!!



Although I look happy, it's slightly bittersweet. I am alive, I am cancer-free, I am healing and doing wonderful. I know that when I hit "publish post" and head to bed, it will only lead to heartache. When I open my eyes in the morning, I will be opening my eyes to a day that I'm supposed to fear. It's been a year since my dad died. I haven't been to his grave site yet. Not since we put his ashes in the wall. I'm not big on visiting graves. Once the body dies, it's gone. No place on this earth can contain what that person once was. This is my dad. I need to visit, because I need to cry. My body hurts too much to cry, but my mind is ready for it.

Goodnight December. You were always my favorite. Why did you have to go and do this to me?

Metal Loves Technology

Metal Loves Technology, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

So this past week was a busy one for me. My friend Tim is in a band (As I Lay Dying) that spent the week shooting their live dvd. They did 3 shows in 3 venues near their home of San Diego.

The first show was Monday, November 17th at the Jumping Turtle in San Marcos, CA. They played their album, "Shadows Are Security" from start to finish.

Their second show was Wednesday, November 19th at Seacoast Community Church in Encinitas, CA. The show was for charity and they played their album, "Frail Words Collapse" from start to finish.

Their third and final show of the week was Friday, November 21st at The Grove in Anaheim, CA. They played all the hits, and took out all the stops for this show. A sold out crowd of 1,600 fans, amazing lights, approx. 12 cameras capturing all of the action. They played to perfection, and even had a DOUBLE ENCORE!

Out of respect for the production of the DVD, and it's creator (Denise), I will not be posting any photos from these 3 shows for a while. I will give Denise first choice, and will MAYBE share a few here along the way if I find some that would be fitting for here.

Thanks for understanding. I have a few photoshoots coming up in the next 2 weeks so I'll fill your visual hunger with those.

Chad, Meet Tim.

Chad, Meet Tim, originally uploaded by jonnyups.

I have other things to be writing about, but this is fresh on my mind.

Last night was the first of three shows this week that I'm hoping to attend and photograph. My friends in As I Lay Dying began filming their live DVD last night at a small venue near my home. It was a sold out show in a tiny venue filled with fans, security guards, HD cameras, recording gear, and everything else that comes along with a hardcore show.

They played their album, Shadows Are Security, from start to finish. They even added a few songs at the end as a special treat. The moment captured above is when Chad Ackerman (Destroy The Runner, Austrian Death Machine) joined As I Lay Dying onstage for some extra vocals. It was a classic moment between friends.

The show ended and the venue cleared out pretty quickly. The dust settled, and even the security guards were bleeding. There are hundreds more from the show and I will be sharing them with the band. Maybe you will see more on here at a later date.

Starting The Day Off Right

This morning I didn't have to wake up at 5am for work. It was a great way to start the morning. I woke up on my own, showered, and headed to Starbucks to visit my girlfriend at work. I missed her lunch by 2 minutes but still got to see her. She rang me up for my drink (which is usually iced, but she was probably distracted by my good looks) and I headed out to work.

It's a nice day. It's hump day. It's pay day. It's a good day.

Emma - 1 Year Ago

This photo, taken quickly under some dull generic hospital lights, remains one of my favorites that I have ever taken. Emma Lynn has been the greatest gift to my life, and she's not even my daughter. She hardly cried as a newborn, and a year later she still hardly cries. She's a well-mannered, even-tempered little girl who can't wipe a smile off her face to save her life.

This is just a placeholder. Be patient, some photos of her enjoying her first cupcake are coming soon. Happy Birthday Emma!

10 Years In The Making

After 10 years of being a Switchfoot fan, I finally got the chance to officially photograph their live show. I've been close on a number of occasions, and it's always fallen through.

The Music Builds Tour (in support of Habitat for Humanity) came through San Diego this past weekend. The tour featured Jars Of Clay, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Switchfoot and Third Day. Quite the line up if you ask me. The above photo is from when Switchfoot's lead man, Jon Foreman, left the stage to join the crowd of thousands for some singing. More photos can be found here: Switchfoot (09-27-08)

My Summer Road Trip, 2008

Jumping Rock, Hume Lake
Originally uploaded by jonnyups.

When I was in high school, I got an almost full-time job and lost my summers. Now that I'm more than 7 years out of high school, I've finally had the chance to enjoy a summer. My current job takes 4 weeks off for the month of July and I took advantage of this time to travel my great state of California.

Leslie and I left San Diego early in the morning on June 29th and headed for Hume Lake. Hume is a camp I would go to as a high school student, and I knew my way around it enough to show her some beautiful places. The picture above is a rock that we would jump off of into the water.



This is from Lookout Rock. You're on a huge boulder on the side of a mountain, looking out over King's Canyon. It feels like you're flying when you're up there.

The night before we left, we sat in some chairs at the edge of the lake looking up at the stars. I took a few pictures of the sky and here's what I came out with.



We left Hume Lake the next morning and headed for her old hometown of Stockton, California. We spent a nice part of that drive going through scenic Fresno. I have nothing against Fresno. I will just never live there. Ever.



Listen to the people. Stop painting the churh.

I've already blogged about Bodega Bay, California...so I won't bother you with that. I'll just post a slew of photos here and if you want to see more you can click any of them to continue on to my flickr page. Please feel free to leave comments. I won't bite.

















This last photo is of Leslie's brother-in-law, Jay. He's well over 6 feet tall and I had to stretch my arm way up high to get a picture looking down at him. I had no choice, this was the perfect setting for a photo. He was the perfect subject for this photo.

And there you have it. My summer in a nutshell. I also went on tour with We Shot The Moon as you may have seen my previous blog entry on that as well. Thanks for reading!

Dancing In The Moonlight

Dancing In The Moonlight
Originally uploaded by jonnyups.

This weekend I shot a wedding. In the past, I have said that I hate shooting weddings. I mean, the money is good, and I am capable of doing it. I just don't like the idea of a persons BIG DAY resting on my shoulders.

Anyways, I was definitely excited about this wedding. I had a couple opportunities to meet the bride before the wedding, and I knew she was awesome and laid back. She had explained how the wedding would run, including a Clydesdale-drawn carriage. All picture perfect.

There's something about doing photography for a living that seems perfect and glamorous. Like any job, that's not the case. Photography is an art, and forcing yourself to turn your creativity on is harder than you'd think. Don't get me wrong, for the most part this all seems to come naturally. There is just the expectation that you're always going to be in "photo-mode" which isn't always the case. There are days I look at my camera and think, "Yeah, I'm not going to pick that up today because we both need a break."

The above photo was one of those moments where I just new a photo had to be taken. I hate to disappoint, but this was not a natural moment. It was definitely staged. Conditions weren't exactly ideal, mostly because it was pitch black outside. But the lights on the gazebo called my name all night and I had to try and get this shot. Hope you enjoy. This also launches the start of a new joint-venture with my buddy Dave.

NotBadPhotography.com (NBP)

If you have any special photography needs, drop us a line. We'll be glad to help. That said, head on over there!

4 Days On Tour...

I am back from my week of shows with We Shot The Moon and the band was kind enough to turn my photos into a musical montage. Every photo in this video is mine (except the last one of course), so please enjoy and check out this amazing band.

Check out this video: JonnyUps - Band Photographer



Thanks to the boyzzz in the band for letting me invade their home (van) for a week.

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday Morning
Originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Today I start my week long journey with We Shot The Moon on the
California leg of their tour. I'm currently sitting on the porch of
singer Jonathan Jones' house in Cardiff, CA and as you can see, the view
is rather beautiful.

Sitting here got me thinking. Thinking about how small I am, about how
my life is a tiny spec of a blip in the big picture. Not in a depressing
sort of way, but in more of a refreshing way. I like these moments, it
allows me to finally slow my mind enough to enjoy life.

A car passes by every 5 seconds or so, and each car carries a different
life and a new story. I get to hear the music each person likes to
listen to, or a quick 2 second glimpse of ther cell phone conversation.
I find out if their a daredevil on a Harley, or a soccer-mom in their
oversized SUV.

Yes, this is the life. Sitting here, letting the rest of the world rush
to their next meeting, or to their doctors appointment while I sit here
and enjoy this creation.

Well, time to go. I need to eat breakfast, run to the bank, brush my
teeth, and hit the road. This relaxing moment was bound to end soon.
--
-jon

Bodega Bay, CA

Bodega Bay, CA
Originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Literally the edge of the world. One of the most beautiful places I have
ever seen in real life. The wind roars past your ears and the waves seem
so small as they pound against the jagges rocks hundreds of feet below.
Its so strange to see a seagull from the top, and vultures wildly
soaring by with their 6 foot wingspan. This place is beauty at its
finest.
--
-jon

Holidays Of Seventeen

Holidays Of Seventeen
Originally uploaded by jonnyups.

When I was in Japan, May 2007, we played a couple shows with an unknown Japanese band. They're name is "Holidays of Seventeen" and you know who they are onstage because they all wear their own band t-shirt during their set.

The second I heard them play, I couldn't stop listening. I bought a shirt. I bought a cd. The shirt didn't fit and the cd was recorded in such a way that I don't know what I'm even listening to. But still, I was a fan. I kept telling them how they were my new favorite band, but humbly they didn't believe me. So I told the record label. They kind of believed me. Until they signed this band. Thank you Fabtone Records.

A little over a year later, they have come out with a video for a song called, "Hey, Scissorman!" and I'm not quite sure what that means, but I love the song, and I love the video. Check it out below ...

HOLIDAYS OF SEVENTTEN - Hey,Scissorman! [MUSIC VIDEO]


If you're at all interested in purchasing some music of theirs, I have found a split-cd on iTunes with another band called, "Local Sound Style" who we also played some shows with. Here's the linky link:


clickity click the photo to head on over to iTunes

or: myspace.com/ho17

So enjoy this taste of Japan, a far away place from San Diego, but good music for your ears.

Joel Hosler

Joel Hosler 1
Originally uploaded by jonnyups.

Most stories start at the beginning, and work their way to the end. I'm not so good at this, I jump around and find my way to the important part of the story before realizing I've left out some major details. All of that to say this:

Listen to Joel Hosler's music.

The main point is this ... I've known Joel for 2 years now and he has come to impress me beyond explanation.

The story behind it all ... 2 years ago, Joel got involved in worship at my church. Not too long after that, he was offered a job at Calvary Chapel in Adelanto, CA. For those of you who know where Adelanto is, I applaud you. I still have no clue where this place is. Anyways, Joel came back to Escondido this weekend to lead worship at Resonate, the service that I play bass for each week. For me, it was difficult to pull my talent together fast enough to make my part of the music sound good. Along the same lines though, I was honored to be a part of the music being made.

Joel Hosler was also the singer for the now defunct band, Noise Ratchet.

Anyways, that's my story. No fantastic plot, no beginning or end. Just the story. Now go, you are probably reading this at work and should be doing something else!