Digital photography is easy.

These are some of my favorites of the last few days. I think I'm prejudiced against light, every shot I want to take lacks it's presence. Luckily most of those shots lack movement as well. I'm enjoying shooting with the LX3, but it just increases the desire to find a replacement for my shutter failing 35mm. The digital age only pushes me harder back to the imperfections of film, and I can't wait to not have the options that a digital camera gives you. For now convenience is king, and I will continue my attempt to capture beauty with a silly point and shoot digital camera.

Doctor?

Our good friends, The Night Doctors, played a great show at Hensley's this evening. As usual they sounded excellent and had a great crowd movin' and shakin' on the dance floor. I shot some photos, not my best work, but it hasn't been easy getting familiar with this camera with no time to shoot. I wasn't pleased with the over-saturation from the stage lights, so I put everything in B&W. There's a few that look okay, but overall it was a good time, so I'm not going to complain too much. This band is always a good time to see, so check 'em out!

Is This Thing On?: First shots with the LX3

Haven't had time to take many shots but here's the first of 'em. Don't know much about the digital photo world, but I will say that I like this camera. It's fun to shoot with, and its Manual settings make it familiar for someone like me who is used to shooting with a 40 year old SLR. It just takes some studying to find those settings in a digital menu.

Off camera adjustments made to first three photos, no adjustments made to last two. I'm sure they will get better as I get more familiar with this camera.

Digitalimagery

So I should be able to more easily add some visual stimulation of my own to the b-log soon. I ordered the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 to snap some fun digitals with. I haven't actively shot film in a long time and I miss it, I know it's not gone from me forever, but in the meantime I just need a toy to play with. If someone can find me a Minolta CLE, I promise I will shoot the crap out of some film and not stop to sit down for a while. The stuff I've shot in film just wouldn't have as much meaning to me if they were done in digital, that may not make any sense at all. I will always love film and nothing will ever replace it's value.

Regret: Not getting a ticket

Why am I not going to see Daniel Johnston tonight? I think I'm gonna kick myself a hundred times for this one. If you have not yet watched "The Devil and Daniel Johnston", just go buy it, you'll understand when the credits roll. The man is a tortured soul, a condition of his condition I'm sure, and in a way, something his existence is dependent upon. The way he puts words together is simple, brilliant, and exceedingly sincere. He really gives all of himself in his music, which is more than you can say about 99% of musical artists. There is simply no image involved in what he does, no pretentious facade in the way he places himself in front of a crowd open to criticism. The man truly is the face of undiluted bona fide music.

So long, and thanks for all the picture messages.

I thought I'd share a random text I got from some random person unknown. I meant a lot to me Ω and I just wanted this person to know.

From Baby Joker to Mistery Clown, (a satirical letter to the man who sent me the picture)

Thanx for sending the pictur holms it realy put a smile on my face. Its nice to see that your staying hard and not forgeting abowt the hood. Life just isnt the same with out the gang and I want you homys to no that I will always rememer you even if Im not ther any more. O yeah an tell selma that if she hooks up with other dudes when Im gone Im gonna be pissed yo!

peece
Baby Joker

A Dance With the Devil

Years back a good friend introduced me to a band called The Devil Makes Three, I can't thank him enough for that introduction. This band in the last couple years has gained a lot of steam, and their pure talent and distinctive style is something that will take them far. In the early days of Flogging Molly (pre-Hensley), I had a feeling that their days of pub shows were limited, I have the same feeling about DM3. This trio hammers out some tunes that you can't resist movin' your feet to, and croons some ballads that give you that feeling of pleasant nostalgia.

Last night they played their third show in San Diego at Brick by Brick. Their first show in SD almost exactly one year ago was at Winstons, not one of my favorite venues, but still worth venturing for this band. May 7th was their Casbah show (amazing), and so appropriate for a band on their way to the top. Last night they played hard and the crowd danced and swayed like sailors. The band was cajoled into a couple of encores, and the crowd responded with a mighty roar. It was a noteworthy performance as usual (hence the note), and we eagerly await their return to our town. If you have the opportunity to see this band live, do not let it pass you by. Grab yourself a couple beers, post up next to the stage, find a spot for your backup brew and enjoy. You will not be disappointed.

Let's Trade

I've spent a lot of time doing a lot of different jobs in my short life. I've tried several trades in construction, I worked in a kitchen as a teenager, and I currently work in the world of graphic art. I like the experiences I've had, but I'm not done finding new experiences. A conversation with a friend recently reminded me how much I like the tools that go along with particular trades. The simplicity of classic tools is amazing, the fact that so many of them haven't changed in centuries gives me a feeling of contentment. A friend that works in sheet metal showed me a hammer that belonged to his grandfather, this tool carries so much blood, sweat, and tears and a legacy that my friend is proud to carry with him. My dad handed me his brass hand level when I started working in grading construction, this little brass cylinder was a part of so many childhood memories and I'm not sure if my dad realized the how significant it was to me.

When I see a tool I have never used before, I want to pick it up and try it out. Many times I see a tool and I want to have the experience of working the trade that goes with it. I know I am ready to try something new, but I'm taking time with such a decision. As I look at this beautiful piece of metal, I'm getting the desire for the full experience. The precision and the care involved make me thirst for it more. I'm ready for a new set of tools.

Thanks for the…

This is old, but still a fond memory I thought I'd post.

July 20, 2008

Drive

It's safe to say that the last three weeks has been difficult and strange.
With our own mortality on our mind after the loss of friends or family,
we're shaken but not yet broken. Friendship lost and friendship gained,
it's evident that life is in constant motion and there's no time to sit still.

So a saturday night at another house party, rather uneventful. Four
friends all needing something more, and not quite knowing what it is
begin to drive home.

1:45am
an idea: drive
a destination: The Salton Sea

Nobody willing to back down from the idea, on the road by 2:00am.
A case of beer, some doritos, pretzels, cigarettes, and a soundtrack
meant for driving, it begins. Our first stop, a lookout point 1000 feet
above the desert floor. The moon lighting up both the vast desert and
our faces, words are spoken and nothing in life is taken for granted.
Realizations of what we have, who we are, and where we are headed
are all revealed. I could not even explain the feeling in this moment,
except that whatever it was that we were feeling, we had been
awaiting for a very long time. The four of us howled at the moonlit
desert and the coyotes replied. Lighting flashed in the distance, and
the dark sky began to turn a lighter blue. We traveled on.
With the music playing loud, we made our way across the valley.
Dawn in this valley was one of the most gorgeous sights any of us
had ever seen. We stopped at one point to get out, stretch our legs
and enjoy what was all around us. I came across a brick sized piece
of petrified wood, a pretty nice find just 10 yards away from the car.
We had another beer, shot some more pictures with a disposable
camera, maybe one more group hug, then continued our journey.

6:00 am
Delirium begins to set in.

Music was the a key element in this journey, it made every moment
just a little more interesting. | We pulled up on the wasteland known
as the Salton Sea, a sight I've seen before, but not ever seen by the
other three. The air became hotter, the flies began to swarm, and
our sanity slipped further away. A quick breakfast before our furthest
destination had us sitting across from each other wondering if we
were awake or dreaming. If this was in fact just a dream, it was a
dream not worth waking up from, it was a revelation.

We carried on to the east side of the sea where our mad delirium
found a home, Salvation Mountain. This place is proof that "faith
in God" can be altered by the dessert heat and paint fumes. It's like
somebody took the same journey in the same state of mind as us,
but decided to stay. I can only imagine that is what might happen.
We had finally made it, four people needing to let go of everything
too heavy to hold on to, four people with the realization that it all
becomes easier when you have four to sort it all out. It only took
12 hours to learn so much about 3 other people and learn a bit more
about myself. 12 hours to see experience so many things that may
never be forgotten.

It was time to head home.
Don't ask me what time it was,
I have no idea.

The drive back through the desert was beautiful. The stop at the
Border Patrol checkpoint was hilarious when the officer looks at only
me and asks "what is your citizenship?", racial profiling CAN be funny!
We stopped in Julian for some chocolate shakes, a root beer float, a
scoop of strawberry ice cream, and some french fries. What else
would you eat after a sleepless drive through the desert???

We made it home safe, mentally cleansed and physically filthy.
The only thing we could think of was sleep and shower.
We all walked away from that experience with something gained,
maybe that something is something different for each of us, but it
was done together, and that's what will be shared in all our minds
for a long long time.

And so we waits…

My Tom Waits playlist in progress.
These are all songs from albums after 1980, I wanted
to put together songs specifically because of the raspy
quality in his voice starting develop around that time.
The order of the songs is being chosen based on a long
drive I'd like to take while listening to them. It starts quiet
and rough, gets louder and gains momentum, then starts
to get a little tired, a little saddle soar and ready to roll out
it's bed on the sand and look up at the stars.

Songs after 31

Two Sisters
Low Side Of The Road
Buzz Fledderjohn
Books Of Moses
Get Behind The Mule
Gun Street Girl
Walk Away
Chocolate Jesus
Make It Rain
16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought-Six
Shake It
Gin Soaked Boy
Big Black Mariah
Goin' Out West
2:19
On The Road
Jockey Full Of Bourbon
Union Square
Big In Japan
Cold Water
Lucinda
Dog Door
Clap Hands
Top Of The Hill
Just The Right Bullets
Kommienezuspadt
What Keeps Mankind Alive
Flash Pan Hunter
Crossroads
Way Down In The Hole
Rain Dogs
The Earth Died Screaming
Telephone Call From Istanbul
Jesus Gonna Be Here
Tango Till They're Sore
Black Wings
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
Russian Dance
Hearattack and Vine
More Than Rain
Altar Boy
Trampled Rose
Straight To The Top (Vegas)
Lucky Day
Cold Cold Ground
That Feel
Diamonds & Gold
Lord I've Been Changed
Dead And Lovely
Everything You Can Think
Green Grass
How's It Gonna End
Yesterday Is Here
Come On Up To The House
Blow Wind Blow
Bottom Of The World
Goodnight Irene
Rains On Me
Anywhere I Lay My Head
Innocent When You Dream (Bar Room)
Never Let Go
Take Care Of All My Children
Train Song
November
Ol' 55
Who Are You
Fannin Street
Dirt In The Ground
A Little Rain
Flower's Grave
Tell It To Me
Fawn
It's Over
Alice
Day After Tomorrow
No One Knows I'm Gone
The Fall Of Troy
Danny Says
Widow's Grove
Long Way Home
The Briar And The Rose
You Can Never Hold Back Spring
Hold On

Thirst for more image.

I've always loved skateboarding, it's always been important in one sense or another in my life. Got my first plastic skateboard when I was two years old


and spent my early days butt-bombing the hill in front of my house. Skateboarding as a culture has influenced fashion, music, art and even other sports so visibly it's hard to believe. For the most part I like the influence, as a general statement I think it has opened up the minds of both designers and the public alike.

What gets on my nerves are the big name skateboarders who focus so hard on their image, and the fact that children and simple fools buy into it.
Seriously, Duffail manages to look like an idiot most of the time. The so called "attitude" of guys like this that is looked up to by the young kids is pathetic, contrived, and completely unnecessary. It's no wonder the little brats are turning into such. I could go into the "when I was a kid" rant, but I'll spare you. Yeah, everybody is entitled to their own style I guess, but this is just stupid, quit trying so hard, "go back to your room and change, you look like a whore!"

An introductry introspection.

Good morning, and welcome to the wonderful world of words, written for my own enjoyment. Will there be any order or method to these words? That is yet to be determined. I am but a simple man, I speak plainly and honestly, I promise not to attempt to impress you with a pretentiously forced use of vocabulary which exceeds my own level of intelligence (did that seem forced? argh!). My perspectives are not always popular, but in their absurdity they can be found entertaining to those with like minds (basically I'm saying that if you're a simpleton, you might enjoy this). Sometimes the entertainment will be completely visual (especially if I'm having the writer's block). If my attempt to create something that I'm happy with fails, this blog will be abandoned and never looked upon by my own self ever again. Thanks for reading.