Hurricane Shmurricane

 

Egghead & Shively

This is a reference I think only 2 people reading my blog will get, but with all the talk of hurricanes and evacuations, it immediately popped into my head. I did some searching on the internets, and there really isn't anything out there. I've got an inside connection, so I have an actual DVD of Egghead & Shively, a puppet show from 1992 that aired on UCTV at UConn. One of Egghead's catch phrases was, "Oh! The wind and the rain!!!" I wish I could find something on youtube for you to watch, loyal readers, alas, you'll have to take my word for it, it was awesome!

So, it seems that the East Coast will deal with an earthquake and a hurricane all in the same week. I still don't believe the whole earthquake thing actually happened; I'm convinced it was all an elaborate facebook hoax! I'm really not concerned with Hurricane Irene's impending doom either. Maybe it's because I've seen so many hurricanes miss over my extensive 30 years. Every time, people make a big deal out of it and snatch up every single bottle of water, loaf of bread, gallon of milk, battery and flash light they can find. I'm not kidding, take a look at our front office from earlier today:

I love the fact that one of my coworkers actually stole the shopping cart instead of putting the water in their car. Is anyone else sick of everyone acting like is the end of the world? If this hurricane actually does hit, I'm pretty sure we'll all survive. Why can't we act like civilized human beings? It's pure chaos in stores today, and I can only imagine what tomorrow will bring. 

My hurricane prep? I went to Barnes and Nobles to pick up a couple new books and an LED book light that runs on AAA batteries. I stayed off the Post Road and traffic wasn't that bad, except when I tried to find a gas station that didn't have a line wrapped around the block. I ended up paying for more expensive gas, but trust me, it was worth it not having to deal with the crazies. My external hard drives and camera equipment have been packed up into water tight containers. That's about it. If I have to move to higher ground, I'm ready to go, but I highly doubt the Long Island Sound is going to get enough steam behind it to travel all the way up the hill that I live on. Hey, Mother Nature, if you want to prove me wrong, go for it. I've got my point and shoot camera ready for whatever you can throw at me!

I did notice this bumper sticker on my travels today and it cheered me up for about 5 seconds until the white SUV cut me off in the center of town in Milford. Thanks for that, jerk face, and I hope whatever store you were in a rush to get to was all sold out of whatever item you needed.

Sorry, my sarcasm is in full swing today. Everyone be safe and get through the storm. 

Officially Official

I've never seen anything more incredible than that in my life! Look! My name! My photos! On The Eels Official Webstie!

A friend joked that he wanted me to autograph the website, so I did. If you want to take a look, here's the link. They're a sampler of what I've posted on my blog, and my full set is over on my website, under gallery then under concerts. I swear, I took just as many pictures of E as I did of The Chet!

Hopefully, this is the first step of many for me! Thanks to all my friends that encouraged me to send my photos along to the right people; you know who you are. God damn right, it's a beautiful day!

Happy Birthday, James!

I have the most amazing nephew, who just turned four. Not a day goes by where I'm not utterly impressed by him. We did a family portrait session for his first birthday, which was the first appearance of the infamous stink eye. People tell me it was the sun in his eyes, but it's become his signature expression. As you can see, he's only getting better over time.

Recently, James has taken an interest in photography. I think it's great that he wants to do what I'm doing, so I've let him use my old canon g5. I'm thrilled to have found a use for it!

The boy can strike a pose! Right now, the majority of his pictures are of the ground, but he has a unique perspective. His favorite subject matter is...

Me! I'm not sure if he thinks it's funny to turn the tables on me or if he really likes taking my picture. I have to say, there aren't many of the photographer, so I'm flattered. I need to update my picture on my website and I kinda dig the second shot...How great would it be to have a 4 year old as a second shooter at a wedding? What would he take pictures of?

Happy Birthday, little man! I can't wait to see what you'll get into next!

Something's Coming

I have a hunch more people will be seeing my pictures. I'll let you know as soon as I can, but what I can tell you now is that I'm so excited, I'm doing a combination of the Carlton/Happy Happy Joy Joy/Ed Grimley dance. Need a visual?

P.S. I can't believe my parents let me watch the Ed Grimley Cartoon show!

Busy Weekend

Lack of posts always means lots of pictures! I'm back from my weekend "vacation" in Maine. I use the term vacation loosely, because the majority of it was spent in a car, driving. I celebrated family friends' 45th wedding anniversary and took a few pictures at that. There will be more pictures once I actually have a chance to process them. I then traveled straight from that to James' fourth birthday party. We like to keep birthday parties small so we don't overwhelm the little guy. 

 James with cousin Cassandra.

 Aria learning to smile for the camera.

Super cool Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cake!

After the cake, James told me no more pictures. I guess he's finally sick of the paparazzi...

Hotel Lights CD Release Concert

Good morning loyal readers! I'm running on about 2 hours of sleep right now because I wanted to get these pictures processed and up before I'm gone for the weekend. Last night was the Hotel Lights concert in Brooklyn. Very different experience than my last journey, but equally enjoyable. As I've said before on here, Hotel Lights is one of my favorites, so I was really excited to see them perform as a band. I saw Darren play solo back in 2000 and it's great to see how much he's grown as an artist over the years. The new album, Girl Graffiti, is incredible. Beautiful melodies, instrumentation and lyrics that you need a few listens to fully appreciate.

Although a cozy environment, The Rock Shop didn't give me a whole lot of light to work with, so a lot of my pictures have been converted to black and white. Still, a nice set. I didn't have the chance to write down a full set list, but the music spanned all three albums, including, but not limited to: Girl Graffiti, Dave Sharkey To The Dance Floor, Anatole, Marvelous Truth, AM Slow Golden Hit, Amelia Bright, Chemical Clouds, All My Asshole Friends, Super 8MM, and Small Town Shit. Enjoy!

 

Thanks for a great concert, Darren! And now for a blast from the past...

 

I should be in bed, but...

I've decided this is going to be my signature shot.

I'm going to bed now.