EveryonesJoe.com – An Art Exhibition for Cambodian Children’s Painting Project

Posted on June 14, 2010

Months ago I lost a very close and dear friend, Joe Politzer. He was very involved in the Cambodian Children’s Painting Project, a group dedicated to the impoverished children of Cambodia.

Recently some friends of Joe contacted me and asked if I could pitch in and help out with the site “EveryonesJoe.com” and of course I said hell yeah. The name itself almost brings tears to my eyes as Joe really was everyone’s Joe. I don’t think I ever met an easier person to love (like a brother of course) than Joe.

Anyway they have an event to auction off (or sell I’m not sure yet) artwork created by Cambodian Children’s Painting Project in Cleveland, Joe’s home town. Now it’s up to me to get it designed, developed and running.

Installation of WordPress is done and I have a few ideas as to theme design and logo design. It’s going to be a nightly working project of course but it’s for a great cause, and a cause that was very close to Joe.

If you’d like to learn more about the Cambodian Children’s Painting Project you can check out their Facebook Page.

Ah May, You Hurt So Good

Posted on May 12, 2010

I know, we’re halfway through May and I have yet to write a real post. Truth be told there’s been a lot going on but I’ve been too lazy to share. Between Sunfest, Cinco de Mayo and trips out of town it just seems I’m writing about the same stuff as last year.

Sunfest was a blast. I only did two days this year out of five. Saturday and Sunday and to be honest, the Sunday was a long one. The two days afterwards dealing with the hangover was a key factor in my lack of writing. Lots of live bands, booze and dining but it was a great time.

Cinco de Mayo I busted my ass to get as much work done as possible and only made my way down the street around 4pm. Rocco’s was once again the perfect spot to celebrate.

The rest was all a good time as well. Between taking time off and working my ass to make up for it there’s been little time or energy to record it all. I’ve been trying to get better at it but it seems like I’ve been pretty non-stop with my own clients and my large client in Washington so when the day is done I’m really in no mood to write. Hell, I’ve even slacked off of the FaceBook thing but honestly I think that was getting a bit out of hand.

So many family members are now friends, especially those I haven’t even spoken to years. Ah well, such is life online.

What a Ride

Posted on April 6, 2010

Friday I took off around 12:30 for the motorcycle ride down to Key West. Of course I was a bit nervous about such a ride but to be hones I just needed to get out of here for a while and I haven’t seen my old surf buddy Dan in quite some time. The first leg was obviously the fastest; Florida Turnpike down to Miami then on to the 45 mile per hour section of the trip.

85 on a motorcycle for an hour or so can be a fun ride though and the only real pain in the ass was the tolls. Every few miles it was stop, take off a glove, dig for a dollar then hit it again. By the time I got to the keys my right hand was numb and so was my ass but it was all good. I bought a little piece of plastic which allows me to just rest my hand on the throttle instead of gripping it the entire time which helped immensely. Like an $11 cruise control.

Once in the keys it took about three hours to get to Key West. I had to stop for a beer about halfway down to give my butt a rest but other than that it was a beautiful ride and I’d recommend it to anyone with a bike. Gorgeous.

Dan and Mary were kind enough to house me for a couple days which was really cool of them. I finally got to hang out with ole’ Danny boy and catch up. So good to see him. Since he’s got a little one in the house it was tough to really go out and enjoy the scenery but how much is there really to see that I haven’t already on my last trip. We went out on Friday night for a few drinks which was pretty cool.

The ride back was just as beautiful. I wore full gear all the way back since I felt like I was covered in bugs on the way down. Luckily the weather was perfect, not too hot and not chilly at all. I thought about taking 95 back but then finally decided to just hammer out the last leg of the trip on the Turnpike.

I did finally find the little tiki bar I stopped at last time on the way back. So peaceful, live acoustic guitar and an ocean view while having a cheeseburger. So relaxing, just what I needed. It’s located right next to Hog Heaven on the south end of Islamorada.

Once back it really felt good to be home. Sometimes vacations really make you thankful for what you have.

Thanks again to Dan and Mary for their enormous hospitality. It was a nice trip guys.

Off to Key West

Posted on April 2, 2010

After I finish up this home page comp and grab some lunch I’m off to Key West for the weekend to hang out with my buddy, Dan and his wife and kid. The ride should take me between 4 and 5 hours which is probably the longest I’ve ever been on a motorcycle but it should be a good ride. 240 miles from here to Key West and half of it will be in the keys.

I just really need a good weekend out of West Palm Beach; somewhere more relaxing.

As far as other things in my life, there’s no longer a cute little Brazilian girl (I know I never talk about girls on my site anymore but…) to hang out with. It feels like I’ve lost so much this year… first I made a stupid mistake and now Vinny and family are pretty much absent, Jamie moved back to England, Zack moved to L.A., Ramil is super busy so it’s been kind of lonely around here. Not that there aren’t any others to hang out with but it’s been a stretch. When best friends aren’t around it makes it kind of tough.

Anyway, stoked about the Key West trip. Now back to work…. I’ll be posting images from the trip up on my facebook page. Have a great Easter weekend everyone!

Jamie’s Heading Back Home

Posted on February 8, 2010

My bike riding buddy is heading back to jolly ole’ England after months of job searching here in South Florida. We’re all going to miss the limey bastard. Hopefully he’ll come back and visit.

Farewell old friend, may your future endeavors prove prosperous.

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  • About

    Damien Komala - web designer

    I'm a seasoned 33 year old web designer originally from Cincinnati (born in Wilmington) and now living in West Palm Beach. I specialize in high-end PHP and CSS sites as well as fully functional Wordpress and E-commerce sites for various clients.

    Even though I'm from Ohio I'm a die hard South Florida Surfer and beach guy. I picked up the sport over five years ago and never looked back. Any chance I get I'm in the water, which is sometimes rare considering that South Florida is fairly inconsistent with surf. Those days we do get are always a great gift.

    The blog itself is primary here to communicate with family and friends. If you're looking for my professional site you can go to http://www.mynameisdamien.com/ for a full resume, portfolio and blog.

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