Heartbeat

Part of the fun of writing these blog entries has become tying them in to the musical recording project that's also in the works at the cozy mountain retreat.  Alphabetically, you've all been plodding through my (and Mrs F's) vinyl album collection, guided by usually strained references to something that happened during the photoshoot.  Today, we are skipping ahead a little- the lifelong project has hit a wall of Genesis, and The Knack seemed much more relevant, for several reasons.



First, the world is saddened to hear of the passing of Doug Fieger, lead singer for the Knack, on 2/14/10.  As much as The Knack was a one-hit-wonder (and no, the one hit wasn't Heartbeat.  Choosing the one hit would have been far too obvious.), apparently Doug was still performing live shows with some of his band mates from the 70's.  Another random fact- Doug was the brother of attorney Geoffery Fieger, who got plenty of face time whenever his most well known client, Jack Kevorkian, was in some legal trouble.  So what, you ask?  Well, let's face it- you are not here for hard-hitting journalism.  Enjoy the tidbits.

Second- These games and this post formed the bread on a Valentine's Day sandwich, so out of all the Knack songs that could have been a title-  none seemed more fitting.

As for the games, the Lady Royals completed a three game sweep of the visiting  Warriors from Wyoming Area.  Senior Day festivities were on the agenda as well, so there were lots of photo ops throughout the day.

Nothing particularly smart-alecky is coming to mind, so here are a few quick favorite pics before the links-

Enthusiasm for the Freshgirls continues to amaze me- photo orders coming in before the pictures are even announced.  Thanks to those girls and their parents- rest assured, I will do everything I can to make your playoff games.

Individual accomplishments are not usually noted here- this is, after all, a team sport.  It was hard not to notice the day Shannon M. had though- nearly outscoring the entire opposing team.  She looks cute with her tongue out too.

Paige gets quite the game face too.  Rumors are that the injury she sustained later in the game was serious- lets hope she recovers quickly.

Here is another one of those photos I am glad to be able to take.


This time, my fellow photographer definitely had the better angle.


Further-

Freshgirls

JV

Varsity

www.FotoFink.net

Dance On A Volcano

Ok, I know- skiing isn't really dancing, and Snoooo Mountain is hardly a volcano.  But the lifelong project is in the middle of a long stretch of Genesis, and this is about the most appropriate title within reasonable sight of current recordings.  As blog entries progress, there will be bigger stretches, trust me.

This is a bit of an experiment in the format also- by embedding the  clip, you should be able to let it play while you enjoy these pearls of wisdom.  Or not.  Suit yourself on that- as has been noted, the musical part of this project is more to keep me sane than anything else.  You can join that part of the trip or not.



Explanations now over, lets get onto some more interesting fare.  Ski club concluded this past Friday, and as has become tradition, FF sent a staffer to cover the excitement.  Efforts to generate a flash mob for some on-hill action shots failed miserably, but the skiers we found made up for the lack of numbers with a high level of enthusiasm.  Thanks to Elizabeth, Abbie, Nicole, Erin, and Casey for their patience on the hill while I fumbled around the camera controls with frozen fingers.

Once inside, the group did manage to assemble for the traditional group photo, and a few random shots as well.

How many times have I gotten the "money shot" Nate?  Every time you pose for it.

Two young men saw me snapping pictures and asked if it was for the website.  Naturally, I assumed they meant my website (are there others?) and was happy to include them.  I had no idea that they were not HoRe students, and surely they have no idea what website they are appearing on.  Nice pose.

Sorry Katie- My bad.  They can't all be winners.

Thanks for the onion rings.  You're my boy, Blue.

Speaking of my boy....  Reminds me of the line at the 1:15 mark of this clip.

Mrs. FotoFink is ending up all over this post.  Last time, I promised a picture from the archives, which actually turned into a separated at birth update.  I've long suspected that she doesn't actually read these posts- so this will be a test.  If I have a black eye tomorrow, she's reading.  BTW-  If you are new to the land of FotoFink, that gallery is worth exploring a bit.

Before this ends, let's send a big thank you out to the moderators- who sacrifice Friday after Friday so that Ski Club (and the pasta/stir fry bar) continues.  There were a number of attempts made at this picture- Mrs. Alfano preferred her crazy eyes in this one, Mrs. Decker preferred this shot, and for obvious reasons, I preferred this one.  To each, their own.

Note that this is a right-clickable, low/no price gallery.  Steal 'em all if you want 'em.

Ski Club Pictures are here.

FotoFink is here.

Note the new web address- the old ones will work, but you can now find us at www.FotoFink.net.

Catch you later!

Mercy Mercy Me

Schedules miraculously cleared on Monday night, and our staff was able to attend another triple-header of girl's basketball action.  In fact, it hardly seems worth going out any more unless it's a triple-header- a fact that pleases our shooters, but plagues our photo editing department.  The games ended in the typical 2-1 split, with Redeemer ending up taking the two wins.  All three were close games, made notable for the most part because every single fan in attendance decided to help the officials.   It's so nice when everyone chips in!  In the photo at the top of this post, the WVW coach has clearly had enough-  I am pretty sure he was saying "Mercy Mercy Me"

Motown is a bit of a departure from most of my music archive, and to be honest, it is the influence of Mrs. FotoFink.  You are about to see more of that influence as the lifelong project moves on- we are headed in to a fairly steady diet of Genesis- While I tended to favor the later, Phil Collins pop stuff, my bride was more into the early, Peter Gabriel artsy stuff.  No wonder it took a decade before we actually merged the album collection.

Some notes from the floor-

First off, thank you to the freshmen girls (freshwomen?  freshgirls?  Never mind- you know what I mean) for warming up without....  well- warm-ups!  The layup/shooting drill in the game uniforms made for some great photo ops.  If the other teams want to take note.....  (hint, hint....)

If my musical tastes ever turn to disco, its nice to know that Marissa can help me with the supporting photos.  There isn't really much chance of that disco thing happening though, trust me.

Monkey see, Monkey do?

It's a little disappointing to see no cheerleaders at the girls game, and no Red Sea/Red Tide/White Noise either.  At least one fan kept her spirit up regardless.  I am not sure which side she is from- do horns make you a Spartan or a Royal?  Or is she just a Favre fan?  I don't really care, I just like that hat.  Somewhere, buried deep in the archives, I have one of Mrs. Fink in similar garb.  I'll try to find it for the next post.

The lack of cheerleaders was actually not such a big issue, as the fans were treated to what is still the best halftime activity ever-  Mites!

Kind of an interesting effect here, as it looks like Anne Marie is running into some sort of glow from her opponent.  In truth, this was shot just as the other photographer's flash went off- so I guess you will see that shot from another angle in the paper.  What I still think is mysterious are the extra legs....

Officiating controversy continued into the varsity game- This was apparently an offensive foul- Olivia may disagree.  This may actually have been one, but I cannot say for sure that it was called that way.  That picture actually reminded me of another one- from back in the day.

Enough blogging-

Freshgirls

JV

Varsity

FotoFink

Enjoy!

No Fun Aloud

First things first- Careful readers will notice that Glenn Frey represents a small bit of progress in the lifelong project- let the wild rumpus begin!  There really were no good song titles to use for this post, but I was so excited to have something new to draw on, I was determined to use it somehow.  So rules get bent, album titles are now fair game, and the world keeps spinning.

No Fun Aloud is, of course, a play on words (6 1/2 years of college gave me a lot of keen insight).  It's a bit of a stretch for a blog post title, but it seems to be an appropriate caption for this shot.  Apparently, the word is out after the great inflatable attack of last week.  The constable has issued an orange alert for further activities...

Facebook followers of FotoFink (yes- we have a facebook group now- if you are on facebook, you can find it) will note that I was not planning on attending the varsity game of the triple-header- I had hockey tickets for a 7:05 faceoff.  Faced with the choice after the JV game-  out in the cold to see this, or stay put for some of this- was there really a decision to be made?

Your Royals went 2-1 in the 3 games, and each of the outcomes was in doubt until the final buzzer.  Game recaps are probably not why you are here though, so let's move on...

This photo is cropped a little wider than usual, but if you were there, you know the significance of the foot in the lower left corner of the shot.  I stopped snapping for the bloody parts.

In our "These two should get a room" moment of the week, I present this photo.  Since there are children reading this, we will assume that there is a basketball between them that is warranting all of the attention.  Also in contention was this shot, but since Steve was in a compromising position last week, it seemed wise to spread the joy around a little.  Draw your own conclusions about why Steve keeps popping up in these positions.

Even without a theme, the Royals faithful made an impressive showing.   Who's face was on those popsicle stick masks anyway?  As for Coughlin, granted, it was an away game, so it's probably unreasonable to expect a lot of the fans to make the journey.  While their crew seemed to lack some organization, I do have to give them credit for the "Lamb Chop" cheer.  That's just funny.

To say that it has been a rough few months for Alex Lauer is a gross understatement.  Can we agree that it is good to see him back?  Let's hope it's not too long before we see more of this.

The goods-

Freshmen

JV

Varsity

FotoFink

Enjoy!

Right Next Door

I am reminded recently of how FotoFink has become more than just a photo website.  Of late, there seem to be three identities- photo sales (thank you all for that), an archive of memories, and a small community.  It is the sense of community that brought me to the Wilkes gym on Saturday- with 2 players and a coach on the women's basketball squad that had some FotoFink history, it seemed fitting to get some shots of some alumni who were right next door.

Amanda Palowski has been appearing on FotoFink since our first year, which was also Hoban's last.  That shot was from a memorable playoff game in Hershey, and was probably the last appearance of a Bishop Hoban sports team.  Since then, she's been on the basketball court, she's been caught in an embarrassing moment or two on the sidelines (she still says its a scratch...), we've watched her graduate, and now, after taking a long road to Wilkes, she's back.

Megan Kazmerski joined the ranks after the great merge.  As part of the girls volleyball team, she helped bring Holy Redeemer its first district championship in 2007.  After that, she was also part of the girls basketball team, and their runs into the state tournaments.  We were fortunate enough to be there for the prom (that's Meg in the yellow) and of course, we were there as she graduated as well.  As of now, she's a huge part of the Wilkes team in her freshman year.

Meredith Alexis was part of the Bishop Hoban community BFF (not what you are thinking.....  try Before FotoFink....).  After a stellar high school career in both basketball and volleyball, she went on to play basketball at James Madison University, then played professionally in Europe before returning home.  Just an FYI- no, I did not just happen to know all of that-  in this world of facebook and google, we have no secrets anymore.  Meredith was part of the coaching staff that took the boys volleyball team to the state tournament last year, and even managed to crack a smile on camera by the end of the season.  Currently coaching basketball and volleyball at Wilkes, she seems to have found a recurring place here on the website.

Alright- as noted, FotoFink is a community, FotoFink is an archive, but FotoFink is a place to buy pictures as well.  Feel free to do so-

Wilkes vs Delaware Valley

All of FotoFink

Enjoy!

Fruitcakes

 Sometimes, it's actually difficult to come up with a theme/song/thread for these posts to follow.  Sometimes, it's beach bash celebration night at Holy Redeemer and these entries practically write themselves.  Once again, I will ask forgiveness while I indulge my Hoban-ness - for me, this is a tradition that reaches back to the Argent Nation, later became the Red Sea, and now- the unstoppable force of Beach Bash 2010.  As much as I am an old-school, traditionalist kind of guy, I have to say that I like the latest version.

Beach bash --> Jimmy Buffett was an easy step.  Why Fruitcakes?  That should be pretty clear too.  Some of these fans definitely came out of the oven a little early.  Major FotoFink props go out to you if you knew there was a lost verse missing from that video- and if you hear the universal laughter ringing out among the stars.

The rowdy show in the stands helped fuel a pretty strong day on the courts- your Royals went 2-1 for the 3 levels of game that I attended, and the varsity was an exciting nail-biter.  Crestwood showed an interesting version of the 2-minute drill (don't shoot/don't tie???  Do we need a shot clock at this level?) but came back strong on the heels of an incredible run of three point shots.  In the end, the fan support carried Redeemer to victory, even without the palm tree.

I had the pleasure of standing next to Mrs. Degnan at the moment that Lou kicked the game winning extra point at the Holy Cross football game.  Tuesday, I ended up next to Mrs. Ell as Zach took the line for some free throws with seconds left and the game on the line.  Some advice-  if you are curious about how nerves can affect a person- don't look at the player who has the game in his hands.  He's fine.  Find the mother of that player, and you will know what nerves can do.

I am constantly amazed by how the camera can catch our athletes in the most embarrassing of moments.  Of course, I am far too immature to leave any of them off the site.  For a while, Jimmy Valentine was the clear winner in this category, but apparently, there is a new contender.....

Apparently, there was some confusion in the house of FotoFink at the time of the last blog entry- there seems to be no basketball this weekend, as originally thought.  Since the real job is forcing me out of town next week (yes- Florida in January!), it looks like the next time out for photos will be Saturday the 30th, for yet another triple-header at the Redeemer gym.  In the meantime-  Have a Very Fruitful Day!

Freshmen

JV

Varsity

FotoFink

Hello Again

Faithful followers of FotoFink may have noticed a....... pause.... in posts here at the blog.  The end of fall sports led to the holiday season, which in turn led to a sense of complacency (laziness), which finally ended as I realized that the basketball seasons were slipping away.  Truth is, it is good to be back.  The off-season pushed our staff dangerously close to finding the answer to the age-old question of "How many holiday photos can you take before you begin to lose your sanity?"

So-  Hello again!  Saturday presented a perfect way to get back in the swing with a triple header of girls' basketball at the Holy Redeemer gym.  While the focus (there's that bad pun again) here is generally on varsity sports, it's worth noting that last year's freshman girls basketball pictures are still recording a stunning number of hits.   Armed with this knowledge, it seemed appropriate to include all levels in this year's efforts- so you will notice 3 galleries linked at the bottom of this post.

You may also notice that Neil Diamond is not any further down the list in the life-long project.  It turns out that a hiatus is contagious, spilling over into all aspects of one's recreational pursuits.  Who knew?  Perhaps the restarting of the FotoFink machine will bring some advancement through the record cabinet as well.

Not much to note from the games themselves- the gym floor is still hard if you sit on it for three straight games.  Pulled pork sandwiches have been replaced by chicken-wing pizza as the concession food of choice.  Your home teams won one, lost two.  The high point for me?  The halftime show of the JV game-  Mites!!

Naming the players in each photo was quite an adventure, since I had no rosters, and apparently the teams have no websites.  Many thanks to Mary Griseto for her help in identifying players on the JV and Varsity teams.  She also helped with the freshmen, but the photos had already been posted without the tags.  Next time I will ask sooner.

Now that things are underway again, the FotoFink schedule is rapidly filling.  Tuesday MAY bring our staff out to the Redeemer boys basketball game, as there is a rumor that the fans are preparing something special.  Saturday looks like another triple header of basketball at HR, and there have been quiet requests for wrestling and swimming pictures as well.  As always, our staff will strive to cover as much as possible.

Here's the beef-

Freshmen

JV

Varsity

FotoFink

Enjoy!