So far, this year has been little but work, work, work… I have got to remind myself to take a break.

Today feels like the first day I can finally take a moment and ease myself into the new year. The past couple weeks were just so jam packed… even when I was doing nothing. I hope I remember it all:

The driving all over Trinidad to find my long lost granny,

The time spent doing nothing with Flash II on the veranda in Tobago.

The Cris and caviar.

The death of my D80.

The feeling of a brand new D300 in my hands.

The shoot out in LA.

The drive up the Pacific Coast Highway.

The editing in NY.

It’s so much. Now, I just hope I remember to kick some ass in 2008.

For a few years now, I’ve been designing or using some of my photography to make desktop wallpapers for my personal use. Sometimes, I would even make these available to the world via a couple different web outlets like my work site. The downloads have really been phenomenal for quite some time, so I’ve finally decided to launch a site just for these desktop wallpaper downloads.

Say hello to MyBestDesktops.com!

At this site, I’ll upload ALL of the past desktops and continue adding new desktops practically everyday for the foreseeable future! That means vector desktops, photo desktops, text based desktops, fun desktops, serious desktops, animal desktops, travel desktops and everything between!

So, check out MyBestDesktops.com and get downloading! I’ll do my best to remember to update it as often as possible.

El Toro, the new wooden coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, is simply amazing (Just check out people’s expressions in this shot of the first plunge)… and I’m not even into rollercoasters.

Everything about it screams of a fantastically designed experience. It’s simply the smoothest riding coaster I’ve ever ridden. Its lift is quickly paced leaving no time for regrets, no time for the old-school (and if this ride is any indication) unnecessarily drawn-out moment of anticipation before gravity takes control and no time for nonsense. It just cuts to the chase which is awesome!

From the first nearly 80º initial plunge, to the bucking bull modeled and relentless hills, to the completely expected twisting finally; nothing is superfluous. Nothing pulls you out of the thrill.

And this is the odd part about it: the ride doesn’t seem to try to scare you. It doesn’t allow time for it, so the whole thing is just a massively good time. Just thinking about it again gets my heart rate going.

I have to remember to make it back out to Great Adventure this Summer for another ride!

I had the pleasure of visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain out in LA the past few days and I gotta say, that’s one nice park. It’s super clean and has some truly amazing rides including their newest: a shiny orange and red flying coaster named Tatsu. Unfortunately, since the trip was almost all bidness, I didn’t get a chance to ride Tatsu. (Just Colossus)

I gotta remember to ride that beast next time whether anyone cares to join me or not!

Producing large websites the likes of sixflags.com for a company as unique as Six Flags Theme Parks is an undertaking so large, so full of potential pitfalls, and so amazingly complex that it’s no wonder complete interface to infrastructure redesigns of this size don’t happen all that often. That said, the all new web presence for Six Flags is a huge step into the future everyone involved should be proud of.

Highlights include large expanses of space for gorgeous new photography on nearly every page, massive video streaming at HD resolutions larger than many HDTVs, immersive 360 degree panoramic photography users can use to experience what it’s like to be at the top of the scariest rides on the planet, two original Flash games, over 2000 pages of rewritten copy, and more image assets depicting more rides, stores, events, entertainment, emotions and experiences than you can imagine across numerous park sites coast-to-coast!

The best part is that the new site will only just keep growing with more new content, new features, sweepstakes, partnerships with leading companies and more. So, sign up for the all new Team Six to stay up to date with the latest Six Flags news, but remember that despite the fact that this new site is chock full of experiential content, the only way to get the full Six Flags experience is to visit the one closest to you! Get your tickets, Season Passes, or VIP tours here and enjoy!

I gotta remember to visit Six Flags Great Adventure as soon as it opens!