From Flickr, “Flickr labs have been hard at work creating a way to show you some of the most awesome content on Flickr. We like to call it interestingness.”

The skies were just filled with storm clouds all day yesterday and into the evening. When I got out of work, I got home as quick as I could, fed my cat, grabbed my camera and tripod, and rushed the hell out the door to try to get a few shots of the Boston skyline during sunset. I got to the site and the buildings were glowing a spectacular orange/red, but time was running out.

Unfortunately, after walking down to where I wanted to shoot, the sun had finished setting, but I was out there, and the clouds were still looming above, so I thought that might make for some cool shots. I guess I was right, because one of them ended up on Explore this morning! Very cool. My first Explored photo. Certainly feels nice to have people favorite one of your photos. And it sure gives me motivation to keep shooting and getting better.

Clicking the photo will take you to the photo’s Flickr page.

Baseball season is almost over. Less than two weeks left in the regular season. I can’t believe it! 162 games sure goes by quickly.

I know I live up in the Boston area now, but I will never stop being a fan of the Philadelphia Phightin’ Phillies! They are surging towards the National League East Division Title again, and man am I excited! Tough weekend series against the Marlins, who have won eight in a row and have nothing to lose. Could be a scary team to face. Phils have seven in a row under their belts, though, and they seem to be hot when they’ve got a lot on the line. Going to be exciting for sure.

The NFL season is officially two weeks in now, too! The Philadelphia Eagles looked unstoppable in their opener against the Rams (but, uh, it IS the Rams), and almost pulled a win out of the thrill ride in Dallas. One thing is for sure: The offense is clicking, and they look like a playoff contender again. This Sunday they face a formidable opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Could be a tough game, but remember this, folks, The Steelers have not beaten the Eagles at home since 1965. E! A! G! L! E! S! Eagles!

I’ll basically just use this post to offer something (hopefully) new for you. Here are some of my favorite songs or bands to which I enjoy listening lately.

Darkwater - The Play, Part II.
Darkwater is a progressive metal band from Sweden. Below is a single-edit of the song The Play, Part II. The album version is about three minutes longer, and is so, so, so much better. But the single is still pretty awesome.

Eluveitie - Elembivos
Eluveitie is an interesting band. Hailing from Switzerland, they play folk metal with some melodic death influence. Uniquely, they flawlessly blend traditional Celtic instruments with heavy guitars, and sing mostly in the extinct language Gaulish. The song Elembivos is mostly an intrumental number, with chanting throughout. Repetitive, yes, but man does it rock.

Machine Head - Hallowed Be Thy Name
Machine Head is one of the most popular metal acts today. Fueled by their epic album, The Blackening, they’ve skyrocketed to heavy metal superstardom. The video below is the band performing the Iron Maiden classic Hallowed Be Thy Name. No one can hold a candle to the original, but Machine Head sure pull it off well.

Poisonblack - Bear the Cross
Poisonblack is a hard rock/metal band from Finland. The singer, Ville Laihiala, formerly fronted Sentenced, who have since disbanded. This song, Bear the Cross is far from their best work, but it’s still a decent example of the band. I find Laihala’s vocals to be much weaker on their latest album, too, but they still rock hard.

Well, there you have it. A few songs from a few different genres. I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to comment or ask any questions about the bands.

I’m going to use this space to promote a friend of mine really quick. His name is Jamey Jackson, and he is a terrific artist.

I’m currently working on designing a new Web site for him. If things go smoothly (which they are, so far), it should be live within a few weeks. At that time, I’ll post it up for everyone to see.

Anyway, if you need anything done in the vein of fine art — all mediums of painting or sculpture — check out Jamey’s work and contact him. He’s a great guy and, like I said, a fantastic artist.

Yesterday I posted about how UPS is stupid and didn’t have my lens at will call like they said they would, but they have redeemed themselves, because now it’s in my possession. Like I said, it’s the EF 17-40mm f/4 L. It rules my face off.

Went out in Charlestown, by the harbor, and took a few shots of Boston last night. Clicking on the photos will take you to a larger version on a black background.

Can’t wait to shoot some architecture in the daytime with it. I plan on heading out this weekend into the city to play.