Opa! Ouzo!
Sep 6, 2008 in Photos
It's not too late, you can still make it to the LA Greek Fest and enjoy the food, rides, and booze. If you've been down near USC you've probably noticed St. Sophia Orthodox Cathedral at Pico and Normandie. I had no idea they had a Greek festival there every year but the AIG heard about it on the radio at the gym this morning and, let's face it, the prospect of grilled lamb is way too much for either of us to pass up. Read on...
Lemons, Lemonade, You Know the Drill
Sep 1, 2008 in Photos
A little too much on the old to-do list has made this vacation weekend a little less than a vacation chez Juniorbird.com. I could see it was heading for twilight on a bright Labor Day when I finished the last task, and I'd been wanting to shoot all weekend long. With nothing to do at the last minute I thought of the old saying in the title and headed for the lemon tree in the backyard. Read on...
Housewarming!
Jul 21, 2008 in Photos
I moved! Did you hear? I'm renting a wonderful house with the wonderful AIG and, after 10 weeks, we've finally got the place set up. We had a great party Saturday night where many of our friends came by to see the place and turn green-eyed with envy have a great time and try our Spanish-style Tapas and our homemade infused vodkas. Can I show you the place? Would you like to see?
Read on... (plus 9 Comments)
In Which I Fall Behind on My Posting 'Cause I'm Relaxing on the Beach, Suckas
I'm sorry I haven't written! But I've been so, well, relaxed, and busy doing relaxing things. For instance, sleeping in. And sleeping on the beach. And sleeping next to the pool. And drinking almost every rum-based drink known to man. But I did take some pictures in between, because I care. Or, because I did wonderful things and want to make you jealous. To wit: Read on...
Flyin'
May 29, 2008 in Photos, Travel
From the busy, crazy Honolulu -- at least, if you ask the locals, it's a high-stress, high-traffic place -- we flew on one of those little jets made by dirty Canucks, to sunny and slower Kauai. The "garden isle" of
Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Will You Need a Blue Sky Holiday?
May 27, 2008 in Photos, Travel
Today was a very relaxing day; which was good, because we both needed it. Normally, I plan out my vacations ahead of time -- learn what sites I want to see at each stop, plan out the day to make sure I hit my itinerary, and make sure my list is completed each day. But this has been a less-planned trip, and we're trying to relax. This is what happens when two type As relax. To wit, today's complete schedule: Read on... (plus 10 Comments)
The Secret Word is "Vacation"
May 26, 2008 in Photos, Travel
As promised, I am in fact on vacation. The AIG and I are on a trip to Hawaii; badly needed, since this will make something like two vacations since 2000 for each of us. Perhaps I should've brought a book on how to relax? Read on... (plus 2 Comments)
Making Room in the Fridge
Feb 22, 2008 in Photos
In the very back of my house, above the closet in my office, I have a rather deep shelf with a narrow sliding door. Over the years, I've managed to fill this shelf with one forgotten thing after another; naturally, the stuff that I wanted to keep all ended up sitting on the floor or in other temporary locations. But, with a 3-day weekend under my belt, I actually cleaned out the shelf. Oh, the crap that I threw away. But some of it: not so bad. Like, for instance, this: Read on... (plus 4 Comments)
Dreambag
Nov 9, 2007 in Photos
When my camera got stolen, I also lost the camera bag that went with it. Not so serious, since said bag was actually too small; I used it for the occasional gad about town, but, in general, I kept my body and lenses in padded containers in my backpack when out shooting. My replacement camera came with a replacement holster-style camera bag, which was good enough for the Canon with the smaller lens attached, but too small for my 300mm zoom. Hey, it's Christmas, maybe I should ask for a camera bag that fits the zoom? I mean, I do have a dream camera bag... Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Unexpected Visitor
Sep 30, 2007 in Photos
I was sitting at my computer the other day when I saw an unexpected visitor outside my window -- a Yellow Warbler. Warblers are small, bright birds with lovely singing voices. They're also classic subjects for birdwatching travels -- a summer getaway to Texas or Georgia can net a Californian several exciting additions to their life list, provided that the birder is patient. Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident, That Things Should Go Boom in the Sky Every 4th of July
Jul 5, 2007 in Otherwise Uncategorized, Photos
I don't really have an entry here; I just schlepped my camera along with me as I enjoyed my fourth of July, and I thought I'd share it with you all. Now, some might say that I should've schlepped a tripod, too, what with the night pictures of fireworks and all, but those people would be spending waaay too much time thinking ahead and waaay too little time getting out of the house. OK, normally that's me, but for once I thought I'd just go for it.
Read on...
In Which I Reveal My Real Feelings on the Martini
I fear I'm about to make a great many enemies; but it can't be avoided. Sometimes, one has strong opinions, and it's at those times that one must stand up and state one's beliefs, damn the consequences. This is one of those times. And this is my belief: A Martini is not a gin drink, or a vodka drink: it's a vermouth drink. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
New Camera!
Jun 24, 2007 in Photos
I got a new dSLR! Yay! It's party time at my house! Also, thank Farmer's Insurance time. I've been itching to take some photos for weeks now (of course I wanted to shoot as soon as I had no camera!), and there could be no better birthday present than finally getting a digital SLR again. Read on... (plus 4 Comments)
Lomomomomo
Jun 11, 2007 in Photos
It was late, and the sun was going down, and I was looking forward to seeing the AIG. So I was happy when she called me, and a little surprised when the call turned out to be not for dinner, but to take some pictures for her work. I had to rush; light would fail shortly. But when I got over, there was an unexpected payoff:1 the pictures were to be taken with a bunch of Lomos. OK, this would be fun. Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Dear Wade,
Apr 24, 2007 in Dear So-And-So, Photos
Thanks for leaving your car window open while running into the AIG's place to pick up one last thing on your way to your weekend getaway. I really appreciate how you gave me the chance to replace that boring old Treo, iPod, and digital SLR that some folks just reached in and liberated. Read on... (plus 5 Comments)
Another Day, Another Destination Wedding
Mar 20, 2007 in Photos
There's nothing like getting out of town for a wedding. I've been to some pretty exotic places for weddings in the last few years, but last weekend's getaway to Pasadena was a pretty darned satisfying getaway. Two of the Actual Irish Girlfriend's1 friends were getting married, and I was lucky enough to tag along.
Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Oy! The Traffic In This Town.
Nov 16, 2006 in Photos
There's this overpass crossing the 405 near me, on Palms between Sepulveda and Sawtelle. They've been doing something to this bridge for nearly two years now, and have blocked off half of it to traffic. Unfortunately the blocked half is the good half, visually -- every time I go past at night, I see miles of the 405 stretching downhill towards LAX, traffic bumper-to-bumper as it is on that fine freeway, just past the wooden scaffolding that the construction crew put up. To thousands, these red and white dotted lines track the futility of their commutes; to me, they looks like great photography. Walk past the "construction - do not enter!" signs, throw in a little soft focus and shutter drag, and you get the below! Read on... (plus 2 Comments)
Best of Southeast Asia
If you're like the friends I instant message with -- and who isn't, these days -- then you took one look at my Southeast Asia vacation photos and said "hey, there are more than 400 photos here! Aren't any of them good?" The answer, of course, is "sorry, no!" But, despite that unfortunate fact, I've collected this "best of" list so that you can pretend to have looked at my photos, and compliment me on them, while not actually having to wade (heh) through them! And away we go! Read on... (plus 2 Comments)
Finally, Photos!
Jul 29, 2006 in Photos, Travel
I've finally managed to upload my photos from my Southeast Asia trip. It's amazing, I actually had all of them edited by the time I got back to the US, it's just that I needed a couple of days to upload them to Smugmug. Anyway, check them out -- I've got photos... Read on...
Wedding Destination
Jul 26, 2006 in Photos
I know I owe you all pictures of Southeast Asia, but, hey, first things first. Specifically, friends' weddings first -- because what could be more important than the happiness of ones' friends? And a destination wedding, in beautiful Waikiki? Granted, I had to fly there right after arriving home from Southeast Asia, so, thanks to a 14-hour time change, I mostly slept through my mini-vacation. Read on...
Oh Yeah, LA has a River
May 25, 2006 in Photos
I like taking photos. In fact, I like taking photos enough that I'm going to try to make it a part of my life -- I'm going to go out shooting regularly. Hopefully this will result in me getting, you know, actually good at it. In the interim, you'll get to see me traverse that space between "you admit to taking that?" and "hmm, might use that as my desktop background!" My first shot was with my friend Vance in the scenic and verdant LA River. Read on... (plus 4 Comments)
Hospital Visit
May 21, 2006 in Photos
The ex-WG's grandfather had a medical crisis last week; fortunately he's doing well now, but he's been in the hospital for a bit and is still recovering. I went down to San Diego to visit her family and provide support. It was a tough time for everyone involved but it was also good to be around people I care about and like. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Junior!
May 10, 2006 in Junior, Photos
I was going to go shooting with a friend this week, but I've been swamped by administrativa. Still, between that plan and Amy's new hardware, I had to get some practice in. Specifically, I had to better understand the exposure and color performance of my camera. For a project like that, I needed a subject that had bright whites as well as dark details. Hmm, it occurred to me, I have one of those sitting next to me! So, without further ado, here's my best buddy, Junior Bird. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
So That's What a Quarter of a Million People Looks Like!
May 1, 2006 in Photos
Being now a man of leisure, I took most of the day off to head downtown and take some photographs of the protest for immigrants' rights. Coincident with an immigrant boycott of all business around the country, marches like these were designed to bring the current absurd lack of meaningful policy conversation, much less reform, into the spotlight. We'll be lucky if they succeed. Read on... (plus 6 Comments)
It's Their Baby!
Apr 24, 2006 in Photos
My one friend treasures her dog; my other, his new Harley. Who am I to judge? I'd rather take photos:
Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Downtown LA's Evolving Skyline Tour
Apr 19, 2006 in Photos
The fun Art Society of Marshall was kind enough to work out a deal with the LA Conservancy whereby we could take their tour of downtown's evolving skyline, so, needing an opportunity to give my new camera body a workout, I jumped at the chance. The tour turned out to be fascinating, although I spent more time setting up shots than listening to the knowledgeable guide. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Camera Pr0n
Dec 9, 2005 in Photos
I have this theory that I have four types of readers: those who prefer true life stories, those who like to hear about food, those who like my photos, and those who come here for my technical articles from their searches on Google, etc. I know I haven't provided much for my photo-focused readers lately, but, since Juniorbird.com is all about serving you and catering to your interests, I thought I'd put something together for you all. And that something is: my new 70-300mm telephoto. Read on... (plus 2 Comments)
Downtown LA (In Black & White)
Oct 21, 2005 in Photos
I haven't shot black-and-white film since college, but, now that I'm back into photography, I've been itching for the chance. Well, itching and fearing it; it's very different to shoot black-and-white than it is to shoot color. With color film, you're trying to reporduce the world as it is, or to highlight certain juxtapositions of colors, while, for black-and-white, you're more interested in shapes, lines, tones, and patterns. This is a different task, and, hardest of all, requires a set of thought processes that are very different from the visual thought processes that one uses when going through the world. Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Fire In The Sky
Sep 30, 2005 in Photos
My exhausted bones quailing at the thought of cutting a frozen chicken into parts or strugging with my deteriorated old stove, I walked down the street to the Overland Cafe to get a turkeyburger and garlic fries. Then, turning the corner, the sky rose from behind the apartment building next door and the light of the world changed. The long blue of the evening suddenly became bright red and orange from the cloud rising above the fires. I could almost cry, thinking of the empty camera at my home. I walked a block in dejection, but with my face turned up to look hopelessly at the wonderful sky. Finally the scene overcame me and my desperation drove me to take low-res photos with my cameraphone. Better to get something than nothing. So, not nothing below. Actually, quite a bit more than not nothing: Read on... (plus 2 Comments)
Working Hard or Hardly Working?
Sep 28, 2005 in B-School, Photos
So this morning I wrote a 10-page paper. This is either a sign that I'm working really hard or that I'm a total slacker who puts big projects off 'til the last minute. Since I'm finding time to blog right now, one might be inclined to pick the latter.
Anyway, this brings up the big question of the second year, which is: "do I work hard and learn a shitload and get out in the world ready to take on any challenge, or do I take the easiest classes I can find and try to get out of here with as much of my sanity intact as possible, given that I get the same three letters after my name either way and Marshall doesn't report GPAs to potential employers?" Read on... (plus 4 Comments)
Arizona Photos
Sep 17, 2005 in Photos, Travel
So, Arizona may have been hot and generally mediocre, but it was, from time to time, pretty. Since I don't feel like using my words, here's a few photos for your entertainment. Read on... (plus 4 Comments)
Bonus Alexandria Pics From The Baltimore Trip
As I mentioned, when attempting to fly home from Baltimore I instead found myself stuck in a hotel in Alexandria. Well, what better to do at a time like that than to finish off the roll of film in the camera? Say hello to said remainder of a roll of film!... Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Baltimore Fells Point Photos
Sep 2, 2005 in Photos
Fells Point is one of the oldest, most beautiful, and most fun parts of Baltimore, so of course I had to take pictures when I was there. And, then, provide them to you on this blog, complete with click-to-zoom facility. Read on... (plus 2 Comments)
Baltimore City Pictures
Aug 30, 2005 in Photos, Travel
Tired of my travel photos yet? Not me! Here is the first of four sets of pictures from my trip to Baltimore. These are just general pictures of the city itself. Beautiful city, good company, what more could I want from this trip?... Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Mexico City Cathedral
Aug 27, 2005 in Photos, Travel
While, someday soon, we may actually have textual content, for the moment I'm not in the mood. So, more pics from Mexico City. Don't worry; there's only one gallery of these left (and four from my trip to Baltimore). If you click on these photos, Smugmug will offer you many added features. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Mexico City Zocaló Pictures
Aug 26, 2005 in Photos
The Zocaló is more than just the bustling commercial center of Babylon 5 -- it's the central square in Mexico City. Pictures, zoomable with a left-click (stealable with a right-click).... Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Mexico City Anthropology Museum Photos
Aug 25, 2005 in Photos
When in Mexico City, I was lucky enough to visit the Anthropology museum and see native dancers and voladores. Here are these sights, thanks to modern technology compressed to fit on your computer screen, and enlargable with just a click.
Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Mexico City Ninos Heroes Photos
Aug 23, 2005 in Photos, Travel
One of Mexico's most famous recent monuments (that is, excepting the Aztec and Maya ruins) is the Ninos Heroes in the Bosque de Chapultepec. It's a very proud monument for such a sad story. I've done my best to take proud, nationalist photos of it, despite being from the nation that inspired the cadets' jetteé. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Mexico City Castillo de Chapultepec Photos
Aug 20, 2005 in Photos, Travel
In Mexico City's Bosque de Chapultepec you'll find the Castillo de Chapultepec, home of many of Mexico's governments, including the initial Revolutionary government, Emperor Maximilian, and most of the Governors-General. It's a bizarre hodgepodge of various styles of architecture, with components obviously built by experienced military men with an eye for a defensive position, and components built imitating the styles of the grand French chateaux. The Castillo has a great view of the whole city and is definitely where I'll make my home, when I'm king. Read on...
Mexico City Bosque de Chapultepec Photos
Aug 19, 2005 in Photos, Travel
The Bosque, or forest, is a large area, around a hill, that has stood green since the time of the Aztecs, and which held the rulers of Mexico City from the time of the Conquistadors to well after the Revolution. Here are a few pictures I took on my recent trip to el D.F. As usual, click to enlarge, etc. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Love at First Sight
Aug 18, 2005 in Photos
After driving and driving on Monday through the desert, I finally got back to my little house in the Palms neighborhood of LA. I'd both desperately anticipated and feared my homecoming; I was ready to leave Phoenix but I feared I'd idealized my home and would be dissapointed by its small size, its rickety construction, its lack of air conditioning, or the ghetto that surrounds it. But my homecoming was everything I'd hoped. The house was cute (if "rustic", as was commented), it was comfortable, and the neighborhood was vibrant and filled with fun things. Hello Los Angeles! Read on... (plus 2 Comments)
Rio Beaches PRIME Photos
Aug 17, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
I've had all of these galleries of photos from South America, but the number one question I get is: "what about those beach babes in thongs on Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio?" Well, this is the entry in which I finally answer that question. Read on...
Fort Copacabana Rio PRIME Photos
Aug 13, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
As promised, pictures of the impressive Fort Copacabana in the Rio Harbor. Click to zoom. Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Corcovado In Rio PRIME Pictures
Aug 9, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
One of Rio's most famous landmarks is the large statue of Christ on the Corcovado mountain. This was one of the banner stops on my second day in Rio. Click to zoom, etc. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Pao de Azucar at Rio de Janeiro PRIME
Aug 6, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
Pao de Azucar, or Sugarloaf Mountain, is one of Rio's major attractions. In our first day of sun, we climbed up the mountain and took in our first sights of the city. Click to buy mousepads from Smugmug, etc. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
Churrasco in São Paulo PRIME Pictures
Aug 6, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
Brazil is famous for its Churrasco -- all-you-can-eat barbecued meats served tableside by waitrons bearing skewers of the food and sabers to cut out the portions. I especially recommend the chicken hearts; drink with copious guaraná. (Click to enlarge photos.) Read on...
São Paulo Churches PRIME Pictures
Aug 3, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
São Paulo has some lovely churches in it. As mentioned here, these include a lovely old cathedral and and old cemetery, both in the middle of the downtown commercial district. Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
More Santiago PRIME Pictures
Aug 1, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
These are from the Cerro Santa Lucia, which I wrote about with (hopefully) some minimal skill here. As usual, click to enlarge! Read on...
Santiago PRIME Pictures
Jul 30, 2005 in B-School, Photos, Travel
As long promised, my pictures from PRIME. Presented without commentary, because I already provided a lot of that (which you can read here and here and here if you want). Read on...
Camino Real Hotel Mexico City
Jul 11, 2005 in Photos, Travel
Strangely enough, one of my more popular entries (insofar as it seems to turn up in my top-visited pages in my logs) is my photo entry on Houston's Hotel Derek. In the spirit of that entry, here's my experience at Mexico City's Hotel Camino Real, the stylish hotel I stayed at in Mexico City. Read on...
Hotel Derek
Dec 26, 2003 in Photos
So, as noted in the last entry, every Christmas we go out of town and stay in a hotel. This year was no different, with Christmas celebrated at my grandmother's while my parents and I stayed at a hotel. For many years we stayed at the Four Seasons in Houston, but they never remodeled. Sometimes an old-fashioned hotel can be nice, but the unremodeled Four Seasons was just an expensive place with threadbare carpet and, worst of all, cheap furniture with drawers that barely pulled at all. So we changed to the Intercontinental, which was beautiful, if a bit expensive, and was frequented by Air France crews so it had a French TV channel in all rooms, which my parents loved. But expensive is expensive and my parents are always happy to cut a budget, so we found the Hotel Derek. Derek is a modern hotel, newly-built and well-located. The interior designer had a fun theme: a hotel for a man named Derek, who the designer saw as an aging British rocker. So the interior is eclectic and fun and filled with bright accents. My room is pretty well-designed, with an attention to detail and only a few bad touches (sadly, one is the alarm clock -- a failing shared, admittedly, with just about every other hotel out there). A few pics, as per the request of my Wonderful Girlfriend: The meat of the room is along one wall, where the TV, the mini-bar, the mirror and the closet are all built into alcoves: If you look under the TV there, you see a few boxes, which fulfill the role usually assigned to a chest of drawers: I actually like this, clothes are kept out of the way but it's all very stylish and, best of all, the drawers never fail to pull as they once did in the Four Seasons. Next to the alcoves is the desk: Past the desk, along the exterior wall, is a built-in sofa: In some nice attention to detail, there are contemporary photos of urban items next to the sofa: The bed is giant and comfortable, although I have to say I found the pillows quite hard even for me: Even the bathroom is stylish: There are a few mistakes. The desk lamp is too stylish -- quick, how do you turn it on and off? (The answer: it's a three-way light, tap it once for each light level) The clock radio is difficult-to-operate, with too many functions; there has to be some better wake-up solution than an unfamiliar and multi-buttoned machine: The curtains, seen behind the sofa, are also a bit of an annoyance; look at the picture above, where's the blackout curtain? Now look again: The answer is, behind the light curtain, the reverse of what you see in most hotels. A new arrival may not know of the blackout curtain, and anybody coming in after dark won't be able to tell if it's down or up without lifting the light curtain aside. And even after discovering the existence of two curtains, there's the matter of operating both of them. The light curtain has a pull chain, the blackout is operated with a crank: Sadly, the crank is difficult to operate with the light curtain down. But that's all there is to... Read on... (plus 1 Comments)
New House: Living Room
Dec 21, 2003 in Photos
About a month and a half ago, I moved into a new place. It's a little house I found for rent about two miles away from where I used to live. The new neighborhood, to the southeast of the old, is lots of fun and filled with stores and restaurants -- photos of that someday, maybe, in the future. The house doesn't quite fit into the 'hood; all the other buildings are 10-20 unit apartment buildings but, on this plot of land, there's just three small houses. They all seem quite old, with wood paneling on the interior walls and little internal wiring. But I love my new house! It's cozy and has been fun to fix up. And, now that it's fixed up, the pictures will begin. Since, between the new job and the business school applications, I've got next to no free time, we're going to do this one room at a time. First room: the living room. The only real downside here is that the gas heater on the far wall is the only source of heat for the whole place. I'm not a big home entertaiment center kind of guy, but I've got to have my TV and cable. Best of all, the laptop's got wireless Internet thanks to my AirPort. If you're ready to leave already, here's the door: The view out the front window ain't great, but at least I've got a tree: That tree grows like a mother and I have to keep it clipped back! That's the first room. Gripping, ain't it? More rooms to follow.... Read on...
Ojai
Sep 15, 2003 in Photos
Me and the Wonderful Girlfriend went to Ojai, just north of Los Angeles, for a relaxing weekend getaway. It was exactly what we were looking for! We had great treatments (she came back from one literally glowing!), sat beside the pool for way too long, and ate great food at the cafe and at a little place called Suzanne's. I read the entire latest Harry Potter and the Girlfriend read about 20 pages in The Age Of Innocence. I could go on and on, but how much can I write about doing nothing? So I'll just show y'all the pictures.... Read on... (plus 3 Comments)
Sharkeez
Sep 2, 2003 in Photos
Better late than never, here are the pics I took at T-Dog's party at Sharkeez. Enjoy! This time, instead of using the rather unsatisfactory mac.com photo gallery, I used Adobe Photoshop Elements' Web Gallery feature, which quickly built pages for photos I'd already tweaked. I found this to be an entirely satisfactory process, although I'm no big fan of the html the program put out; I'll have to see if I can tweak this.... Read on... (plus 4 Comments)
Now That's A birthday Party! The Photos
Aug 20, 2003 in Photos
I took a whole bunch of photos of the aforementioned Wonderful Girlfriend's birthday party with my Nokia 3650. Then I used iPhoto to put them in a nice album and slideshow for my local benefit, which was wonderful (probably more on that later). Then I used .mac to publish them to a Web site. Not so great, although quick and easy. More on that later probably too. Anwyay, the pictures are most likely more interesting than the technical details of their posting. So, without further ado: The party The day after Enjoy!... Read on... (plus 4 Comments)
The Getting-Wade-Out Project
May 29, 2003 in Photos
One of the virtues of living in LA is that everybody you know is part of some scene. This one friend, she's plugged into the house/hip-hop/world music scene - she puts on shows, she writes, she's a woman about town. And sometimes she drags me out to see shows I'd otherwise avoid.
Read on...Man, That Catherine Zeta Jones Is One Smart Lady!
May 26, 2003 in Photos
Ya know those ads for T-Mobile where Catherine Zeta Jones snidely makes fun of people who walk down the street absorbed in their work and other important activites, rather than paying attention to silly people around them? She says, well, if only this person had a camera phone, they'd notice the, like, world full of unimportant stuff? Well it's totally true! I walked up the street earlier today to drop some letters in the mailbox, and I brought my Nokia 3650 with me. Once I realized I could take photos of everything, I did actually pay more attention to stuff around me. So, here's my 'hood: I live on a busy street. Many cars! But not as noisy as you'd think. There's no more apartments north of me, so a lot of people park their car on the street and slap a for sale sign on it. With all that traffic (and people stacked up on the street at rush hour), they figure lots of potential buyers will see it. Not a bad idea, and generally the parking enforcement folks will let for sale cars stay there for 3-5 days before slapping a ticket on it. Some of these cars are even pretty cool! Some proportion of the cars parked up the street aren't for sale - they're for living in. It's nice in some ways that people get this second chance. I've seen a whole bunch of our "neighbors" at the bus stop, and you'd never believe they were living out of cars. Many people live in mobile homes or camper shells, and move from street to street around here. Round the corner and you find yourself in a quiet residential neighborhood with little traffic. What a change! The flags are out for this memorial day! Some of the houses have elaborate gardens. One includes this very long flower. Another has cute bonsai trees in it. Seems like a fun thing to try! End of entry ahead!... Read on...