Briar Cliff’s Nicole Hoogeveen tries to block a shot by Morningside’s Andra Pedersen during volleyball action at Briar Cliff University Tuesday, October 30, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal) Click here for more photos.

Ask any of my friends, they will tell you I have a long list of pet peeves. And I was reminded of a major one tonight as I drove back to the office after the Briar Cliff – Morningside volleyball game and saw an ambulance driving my way with it’s lights and sirens on. I’m appalled by how many people will not pull over for an ambulance.

Come on people, it’s the law. When an ambulance, fire truck, police car or any emergency vehicle is coming down the road with their lights flashing, pull over. Even if they are coming from the other direction, pull over. I know many of us drive like it’s a life or death emergency to get wherever we’re going to as fast as we can, but for the ambulance crew it really is a life or death emergency. That few seconds it takes from your life could make the difference in saving someone else’s life.

OK, I’ll get off my soap box now. Here’s some photos from the volleyball game.

I was looking at the Des Moines Register Web site and saw a readers photo gallery of a house burning down. (See Sunday Fire: Neighbors’ Photos) Some poor guy loses his house and five, yes, five different neighbors are outside shooting photos to send to the Register.

Seeing this made me wonder what I would do if my neighbors house were burning down. Would I help them and make sure they were OK, or would I be grabbing my cameras and shooting away. I hope that if the fire department wasn’t there yet I would dial 911 while pounding on their door to make sure they were out of the house before shooting photos.

What if it were my place? Of course I’d be shooting photos.

B Wells performs in Don Jeffries basement studio Sunday, October 28, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

This weekend I photographed some local rappers for a story on the rap scene at the Chesterfield. I was surprised how good they were. My car radio is permanently tuned into the local classic rock radio station so I’m not normally exposed to hip hop, but I was impressed.

Travis Coleman will have more about the rap scene in the Journal this week and you can also read more about it on his blog, Heard Mentality. You can also check out a photo gallery of a couple of the rappers.

Nathan Groth, 11, South Sioux City, dresses as a box of Kleenex during Spooktacular at the Sioux City Community Theatre Saturday, October 27, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

I was looking at my calender and just realized that Halloween falls on my day off this year. Cool! OK, that may not seem like a big deal to normal people out there who work a day shift, but I usually don’t get to be home when the trick-or-treaters come by. And of course that means that I get to go out and buy five times more candy than I’ll ever hand out since I don’t want to risk running out. And that’s the best part of Halloween — leftover candy.

Briar Cliff’s Billy Mousel tackkles Nebraska Wesleyan’s Dan Sloup during football action at Memorial Field Saturday, October 27, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal) Click here for more photos

The older I get, the more chicken I become on the sidelines. When photographing football, it’s not unusual for a play to come my direction and the players run out of bounds right at me. Fifteen years ago, if a play came right at me, my first instinct was to grab my second camera with a wide angle lens and keep shooting. Now I find myself backing up more and worrying less about the photo.

Call it experience. Call it old age. But the older I get the more I realize that the are many photo opportunities at every game, but I only have two knees. And I enjoy having knees that work and being able to walk.

Nowadays I shoot mostly with zoom lenses and I can zoom out to 70mm with my telephoto and still let the action get fairly close before I hit the panic button. And occasionally I’ll still get a cool action shot with a wide angle, but not at the expense of my knees.

North’s Danny Hays blocks a punt by Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson’s Brad Brown during football action at Olsen Stadium Friday, (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

Hard to believe that tonight was the last night of the regular season for football. And the most amazing part is that I never got rained on at a Friday night game this year. I probably shouldn’t open my big mouth yet since we still have the playoffs. But it’s been a great year.

Tonight I was at the North game as they easily handled Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson. You can check out photos from the game here.

North’s Teddy Case runs a blocked punt in for a touchdown against Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson during football action at Olsen Stadium Friday, October 26, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

Bon Homme’s Austin Koch is tackled by Dakota Valley’s Mark Mahnke and Blake Gunderson during football action at Dakota Valley Tuesday, October 23, 2007. Dakota Valley loss, 13-6. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal) Click here for more photos

I’ll be shooting Dakota Valley football tonight for the third time this season. The top-ranked Panthers will be taking on Bon Homme in state play-off action.

Looking at the weather it’s hard to believe that it’s play-off time already. I’ve been very lucky so far this season. I haven’t had to shoot any games in the rain, yet, (I wish I could say the same about shooting practices for preview stories.) And the winter coat is still buried somewhere in the closet.

Check back later for photos from tonight’s game.

Heelan students Ed Hagen, Ben Sitzman, Chris Calvillo and Joe Greer dress up to cheer on the Crusader volleyball team as they take on LeMars during regional volleyball action at the Long Lines Family Rec Center Monday, October 22, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

It’s not often that I have to shoot an indoor sporting event in a place that has less light than Heelan’s gym. But this time of year the regional volleyball games are played in the Long Lines Family Rec Center. That place is a cave.

The ambient exposure in the Rec Center is ASA 3200, 1/180 second at f/2.8. Yikes! I miss the good ol’ days before the building was remodeled at it was called the Sioux City Auditorium. The old lights in the Auditorium weren’t as bright as the Tyson Events Center, but they were respectable. I remember shooting NAIA basketball in there at ASA 1600, 1/500 second at F/2.8.

I can look up at the ceiling and still see the old lights in place. I wonder if they still work? But for now I’m stuck having to use flash for volleyball.

Heelan’s Kelsey Tweet hits the ball past LeMars’ Tara Lehner during regional volleyball action at the Long Lines Family Rec Center Monday, October 22, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

Morningside’s Pete Lewis is tackled by Dana’s Delano Allen during football action at Morningside College Saturday, October 20, 2007. (Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

I found out why I was able to park in the parking lot at the Morningside football game yesterday. Most of the student are gone for fall break.

But I’m still wondering why they usually have less parking available than when the high schools play at the same stadium, but Morningside doesn’t appear to have more fans at the games. I’ll have to pay more attention to the attendance numbers if they announce them. Maybe it’s just an optical illusion.