have you ever thought about the best taco you ever had, while sitting in taco bell, thinking about the best taco you ever had? ya, that happened. but, my fault for wanting something quick.
sometimes i shoot cars that aren't my favorite, because something catches my eye. this day, the paint was it. fresh, shiny, detailed work here.
1956 chevy bel air
i made it out to another fundraiser for jorene. she has cancer. i don't even know her, but i've met her people, and those that care about her. they bring out their cars, i bring out my camera, and donate the little bit i can afford.
it was local, i wasn't sure how my arm would handle it, so it was perfect for me to go.
small parking lot, and i heard cars had been turned away earlier, as it was by invitation only, for the limited spots available. they seemed to shuffle cars later on, so they probably should have come back by later in the day for a spot.
out along whittier boulevard, there was a lot of passing cars gawking and honking their horns. maybe if they'd put up a banner asking for donations, people would have stopped and kicked in some cash.
i had to ask which table was collecting the donations, so i could hand over my little bit. apparently they traded for raffle tickets. i didn't stay late enough for the raffle, so i handed them to some other photographer on the way to my car.
i did ok. not sure that i would have been ok, had i gone to pomona instead. long walk, so many cars. maybe next time.
1970 chevy impala
is it bad that when i walk uptown to get lunch or dinner, most any place i frequent, already knows what i will order? they already know to bring me a coke without asking first.
i sit at my favorite table, and let them bring me my food. is that more godfather or tony soprano?
so here i am, at the mexican cafe, sitting in my window seat, watching for old cars to drive by. already saw an old, black, noisy chevy, and of course, the "mayor" and his fifty-six bel air are down the street.
i may not make it to a car show, but there is always one to be had uptown if you wait long enough.
saw this impala out at legg lake a while back. not one of my favorite years, and i usually don't bother shooting them, but maybe it was the paint job or the way it was up in a yoga pose that i did this time.
at the house, the tree is down, but still a lot of xmas to be boxed and stuffed back in the garage. better half undid my computer while i was out of town, and it's not back together yet, so can't work on a picture right now. i wanted to book a hotel for an upcoming roadtrip too.
i guess i could reconnect everything, but the visiting grandbaby is trying to fall asleep, so i shouldn't make a racket.
harley davidson heritage softail
new year. new day.
started well so far. for some bizarre reason, i thought i had january second off, same as we had the day after xmas off the week before. and i was enjoying it; slept in until nine, had breakfast, watched some inane youtube videos, and was about to start working on some pictures.
then i went back to the bedroom to get my ipad and phone. picking up the phone, noticed i'd missed an hour old text message from one of my coworkers asking if i was ok. wtf?
texted her back asking what/why? ten minutes later she responded asking if i was coming in or taking the day off. i'd missed a telecon, and no one had heard from me.
so after pleading idiocy, told her i'd be there by noon. first time i'd ever ever screwed up like that in all the years i've been working.
then i get to the office, and by one o'clock, i'm being asked/told i need to do a photo-shoot of someone for a press release—and they'll be there at two.
i haven't touched a camera in three months. hadn't set up the lighting equipment in three months or more. my brain is not thinking clearly. i looked at some old notes, then texted my better half for what camera settings i should use because he is a tech and camera geek, and dragged the equipment out of the closet.
asked if the other designer could come help me set up. he usually does the videos, and had used everything recently. he was out to lunch, but would be there soon.
so i set stuff up from memory, and it was mostly fine. only the camera was set up for video, and i had to surf through the menus, to make sure everything was good for a portrait. but it was still set for video, blinking standby.
the other guy shows up, i explain it isn't doing what i want, and that i haven't touched a camera for a while, and i'm sort of already having a weird day. he walks over and turns the dial on the camera from movie to manual. omg. duh, so basic.
manual setting wasn't working for me, lights weren't bright enough, didn't want to crank up the iso and add noise. flipped to aperture, like i'm used to shooting cars.
by then, i realize i've left my ipad in my car, because my day is already screwed up, and i have ten minutes before the person is supposed to be there. got there and back with a few minutes to spare. and i have to pee. no time, don't think about it.
then, i hadn't had lunch, so i start feeling dizzy. i think now, it was mostly nerves. suck it up, it will be over soon.
next, i hear the guy will be half an hour late. whew. more time to worry, but at least i can go take a leak.
when they finally do show up, it takes all of five minutes, got the shot, and they were gone. all that for a quick shot. and it turned out all right. i even managed to seem cheerful, to undercut how uncomfortable i was with humor. told them about my day so far, and got a smile from them, so it worked. i'm an idiot, nice to meet you.
so i guess, when i do go out to a car show again, i will be ok. muscle memory will kick in, not to worry. just got to get my eyes refocused, and get my head back in the game.
shot this bike in late november, at the latin gents/dukes toy drive. i think it might be with the majestics club, or maybe it was just parked near their pop-up. mostly, i think i liked the paint job, as it was otherwise, just a harley.
1947 chevy fleetmaster
i've decided that i feel like shit because of the meds i've been taking for the past week. three more days to go. because if it's not that, then there's something else, that i will not want to deal with, things being so beyond my control just now.
my dad says his one doctor is recommending that he opt for open heart surgery vs the up the leg bit that he'd settled on. i know he has more appointments scheduled to discuss it with several docs this week, so we shall see what happens.
we had been talking our tenth anniversary/vacation just a couple of weeks ago, but that is totally on the shelf now. life happens. as my better half says, it's the tenth year all year, so we can go some other time.
still hoping to squeeze in some car shows when i can, when i feel better, when it's not so hot out. i still have time to get over to legg lake, if i just feel a bit more myself. i'll think about it. batteries charging, just in case.
saw this car out at the bomb club show at santa anita. here it is, sitting out in the parking lot, waiting for them to open the tunnel to the infield. interesting paint job. color coordinated hood ornament. nice car, overall.
i need to get to bed, but i was messing around with this picture. still needs some tweaks, but i wanted to post something. my hard drive is almost completely full, so i'm surprised i got it to do this much.
saw this rivi at los boulevardos show last week. i should really post some other point of view of it, so you can see the really interesting paint job on the roof.
there are a couple of shows to choose from tomorrow, and i've never been to either one, so don't know when to go or where to park. i think they start later, so no point at beating the sunrise really. wait too late, no parking and i can't take the heat.
stayed at my mom's house last night. woke up this morning with half my cheek puffed up a bit, and my eye sort of squeezing shut. guessing something bit me in the night, otherwise i have no other explanation. kind of calmed down to mostly normal by the end of the day.
if it had turned red, into pink eye, i would have blamed my brother...maybe he let one go on my pillow when i wasn't looking...
1959 chevy impala
was my turn to run all over hell and back today.
decided to run down to the oc fair really quick, to see my pictures on the wall. had to go down to my office just to turn on my computer so i can do an unexpected/unplanned work from home day tomorrow, and the fair was on the way.
got there just before they opened the parking lot, so got a good, close parking spot near the entrance. then, since i already had my ticket, got to head straight to the entry gate, where i ended up being first in line, which meant i got to stand under the tent cover, out of the sun until official open time at eleven. you don't know how much i needed that.
they let us in at eleven on the dot. i stopped for a drink before heading to the visual arts building, where i had to sit outside until i finished it, since i wasn't going to trash an eight dollar drink.
found my pictures in the usual place, the far corner of the building. two cars, one ferris wheel...ferris wheel got an honorable mention, wouldn't you know. hope my better half can go see them sometime.
spent an hour looking at all the other art in the building and enjoying the air conditioning. so chill. the weather outside was actually pretty good, being relatively close to the ocean, a breeze blowing constantly, and some cloud cover as i headed back to my car.
another ten miles down the freeway, five minutes in the office, and the return trip to whittier, with three stops at various stores, with a brief shopping list at each. hot in whittier, and managed to miss whatever they were doing uptown and streets were open again.
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damn stunning paint job on this impala at the imperials show. usual internal whining about needing to drag a ladder with me sometime. i do love the back ends on these cars, sleek curves up to the arcs of the fins.
saw this great bike the other day at the imperials show. might have belonged to one of the vendors, but so what. it was named the evil mistress.
lots of great details, with skulls and bones hidden here and there. airbrushed women in dia de los muertos face paint and fancy ostrich skin seat. a gun and an oversize bullet there too. i'll have to add a few detail shots when i have time. totally forgot, and i'm sitting at my desk typing before i'm on the clock at six. enjoying the air conditioning, ya know?
stumbled down the hall in the dark this morning, just before four, to take a shower. it was warm last night, so i was just wearing my underwear. figured my mother-in-law was asleep, so she wouldn't notice as i walked past her door, and i know my better half wouldn't have minded, had he been awake...he'd have been up... anyway covered my boobs with my hands, just on the off chance she woke up.
in the bathroom, shut the door, turn on the light, start the shower. have seat on the porcelain throne, cuz, ya know, my eyes are floatin'. on the floor in front of me, is a foot bath and a scale, both leaning up against the wall. my tired eyes see a momentary movement, something dark. not getting the total heebie jeebies, i figured it was just another cockroach, courtesy of our neighbors, but a mighty big one.
in a split second the damn thing ran toward me, along the baseboard, and literally ran over my foot, and behind the toilet. i made a stifled squeal, because, ick, and also i didn't want to wake everyone up.
but then the thing, ran out, and across to the towel cabinet, and back along the tub.
it wasn't a cockroach. it was a fricking big brown mouse. not a rat, didn't have the creepy tail. but still.
so i'm sitting there with my feet up, watching this thing do a few circuits around the room, before disappearing under the sink cabinet. finally put my feet down, wiped (yes, let's not forget to do that) and flushed, then out, closed the door. standing in my panties, topless, tapping my better half on the butt. he rolls over and says hi.
told him there's a mouse in the bathroom, be the man.
while he's waking up, i went back, peeked in the door. didn't see it, so jumped into the shower--i gotta go to work, and i've only so much time to get ready.
better half shows up with a broom and a dust pan. i guess his intent was to crush and carry. he poked all the corners, then looked where i'd last seen it.
there's a one-inch gap, with a void to under the cabinet, hidden behind the shower curtain. ya, that's where it went. no idea if it was still under there, or if it leads to a space between us and the neighbors', but that would explain one way for the roaches to get in.
anyway, that's my morning so far...
1963 chevy impala
really liked the paint job on this one. and since the owner came over and said hi, thought i'd post it.
talked to some guys that drove down from fresno. they said this heat was nothing to them. one of them chatted about my cameras, which sony models i'd used or liked and why. he said he's seeing more people interested in getting them. he knew the difference between full frame and cropped sensor, so not a novice.
forgot to ask him which car was his, or i'd post it if i shot it. maybe he'll read this and let me know.
1925 ford model t
feel like posting something different. saw this ford last week in south gate. the car was just a car, but it did stand out just because the entire body of it was covered in airbrushed figures and skulls. big modern wheels, with tires so new, the sticker is still on that front tread.
the little back lantern lights remind me of the haunted mansion, or maybe herman munster.
better half has been working from home for over a month now, with a couple more to go. he has his reasons. he has taken advantage of the time to also eat better, since the kitchen is right there. he has a lot on his plate, so to speak, but is dealing with it in healthy ways.
to get to the point, he's lost more than twenty pounds in a month, mostly by eating vegetables and fish, and avoiding sugar. and he likes it.
me, i never liked veggies, and barely can stand to eat a salad once a month. and i think i easily gain five pounds in the same amount of time, without trying, especially since i hit the last big birthday milestone.
don't know how many nights i go to sleep, thinking tomorrow will be the day i will stop drinking coke, only to fail by lunchtime.
i cannot imagine how he can say he likes eating vegetables, it's just not in my vocabulary. they're just gross. maybe my mom just didn't cook them right or just overcooked them to make them unappetizing. maybe i was a picky kid who has become a picky big kid. mentally i know i need to make lifestyle changes to kick my metabolism back into gear, but i never had to think about it before. and i don't know how. how do i say no to the random craving for cookie dough? just don't, i know--diversions.
trying to walk more, now that i have changed my work hours, but i'm inconsistent. mostly, i just want to sleep.
so what i'm trying to say is i'm happy for my better half getting healthy. sorry i've gotten so squishy the last five years; time has caught up with me, and i guess i will have to figure out how to do better just to keep up. it sucks getting old.
