Alex.

Your big daddy has no place to stay. Bad communication. I feel like the president of the USA -Colby Kern

On my desk.

Lately I've been reading a lot about astrology and zodiac signs, particularly my own. I am not one of those people that invest too much belief in these things, but I have begun to realize some parallels between my zodiac and my life. There's no doubt that there are specific energies in the stars during different times of the year, what interests me more is if those energies influence our being. For instance, I was born under the 7th astrological sign, libra. Has that energy in the universe on the day I was born shaped my personality and desires?

Because of my innate libran (if you will) curiosity, I turned to literature for some answers. I came across some interesting reads, and discovered some interesting and sometimes scary things about what it means to be a libra. However, I realized that if I wanted to know if these had some truth to them, I needed to learn about all the other astrological signs and compare.

That's when a friend recommended the book Sextrology by Starsky + Cox. Immediately, the title sparked my interest, and I read it. It's basically an in depth look into each astrological sign and breaks each down into specifics. For example, there is a chapter for gay male libras. In all the other books I read, none of them mentioned differences between gay and straight people. I also loved that the book wasn't dry and confusing, though it did take a couple reads to grasp everything.

The title? Well the book focuses more on the body, soul, and sex of the zodiacs. From what I've read about my friend's signs, it seems to be accurate. I can also attest that what it said about libras is true.

But why am I so curious about my sign? Where did this desire to understand my inner self come from? You could argue that it's my libran personality to find harmony with my mind and soul. But in this instance, I think it is human nature to look for answers. It is also comforting to know there are reasons for the things I dislike about my personality.

I found it beyond compelling what the book said about how libra men conduct themselves. A libra is his own greatest masterpiece, he doesn't just put on clothes or style his hair as much as he art directs himself, and indeed his entire life. It also talked in depth about the many different characters a libra makes for themselves, and rarely really shows his true self. His hyperactive imagination gives him advantages. I find this to be true most when I am having conversations. I have already thought of what to say, and likely already deciding on a myriad of characters to deliver it.

At first, I thought this was negative. How can anyone ever really know a libra, or myself? Then I thought about it more. No one part of myself is phony in the least. My mind is full of characters that I pull my various faces from. What sounds like psychosis is simply a natural thought process for me. I am a living breathing art form. This also applies to a few other zodiacs, but the libra does so with the greatest and strictest orchestration.

It's not easy being a libra, let me tell you. We have the strongest personality traits of any zodiac. Possibly because we are the only zodiac whose star sign (the scale) is inanimate, everyone else being represented by animals or people. A libra man is an idealist in all aspects of life. We value love, grace, beauty, art, and harmony above all else. We are poised and disciplined, unfortunately this is seen by others as a superior demeanor, and I have personally encountered this countless times.

Well, anyways, none of this is remotely interesting if you aren't a libra. But I do recommend this book if you at all curious about your zodiac sign. I have enjoyed reading about other signs as well, it helped me to understand other people's actions and how to interact with them more successfully.

Forgotten Photos

Over the years, I have taken thousands of photos, most of which I forget about. Since I bought my new iMac, I have been organizing picture files, and I have come across photos that I've taken years ago but never remembered! Some of the photos I'd rather just delete from existence because they suck. I have definitely grown as a photographer, and still growing.

But these photos are from 3 years ago, and I happen to really enjoy them. Often times people will label my work as pornography or lewd. I don't agree with either of those statements. I do not see porn here. I am always surprised by people's disturbance with nudity, even when portrayed tastefully. I don't believe the human body is something to be ashamed of, and I don't feel the need to hide it. Again, these photos (or any I've taken) are not pornographic, they are an honest portrayal of a human being, and I love that. -Colby Kern