what's up?

low battery

here’s a fleetline from the azalea festival in south gate. so sparsely attended this past year, was relatively easy to set up a good shot from any angle.

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sitting in an eatery uptown. apparently they had a pride parade or something earlier here in whittier. or it could just be halloween is coming, but i did see a guy dressed as a nun wearing a fully oversized headdress, a la sally field’s flying nun, only like albatross size.

a group of large local college gurls are in here dressed half assed pridey, with rainbow hair and a ribbon, but otherwise, just jeans and tshirts. they’re using valley girlesque speech to talk about some guy they all seem to know in common, and how if they ask if he wants to “smash” and he says no, he’ll still be their friend. i’m thinking, they’re here for the pride thing not because they are gay, but more just so they can dress up and say they were there. sounded like shallow dipshits anyway, the type that can get a guy to “smash” them after a few too many drinks and last call. stupid bitches.

i’m in a mood. alarm went off at five-fifteen, as directed. every intention of going to a nearby car show pancake breakfast fundraiser. then went back to bed instead. maybe i’ll try an evening show later.

stayed up too late chatting with my better half, who i haven’t seen for most of a week because i’ve been sick. unless you count the five minutes i came back to whittier to get clothes. he met me at the back door wearing black rubber gloves and a face mask—no, he wasn’t suggesting what could be a good time for some people—he handed me the same, then ran off to the front room.

his mother’s door was closed and i was allowed to go back to our room to pack some clothes. he could have packed a bag and left it outside but was afraid he’d pick the wrong things, so ok. he called me patient zero. surprised he didn’t ask me to say, “i am oz. the great and powerful..” or some heavy metal songs…”bow to me splendidly…” i think he expected me to float off the ground and my head to do a three-sixty, nashing my teeth.

threw some stuff together and left quickly. no doubt he lysol-bombed the room, hallway and laundry room after i left. the usual steps to keep his mother from catching a cold which would put her in the hospital. whatever.

i’m also an idiot for trying to wean off of some medicine i’d been taking for over a year, only to realize i’d been taking the incorrect dosages about the time i’m down to what should have been the last days of the stuff. no wonder i was sooooo tired, and apparently, probably caught the cold as an added bonus because of it.

so, i’m put back on about half of what i was originally taking, and slowly going to taper off all over again. nasty shit, supposedly really bad to take for long periods of time, and i was feeling a lot of the negative side effects. hoping what i was originally taking the stuff for has gone away, because i don’t have a lot of options otherwise. alternative med made me swell up and just want to die, which is generally not a desired result.

hmmm, what else is going on since i last shared? lots of things, many i shouldn’t mention, cuz it’s not about me. i’m an observer—could i just share my observations? maybe some other time.

as usual, too much work, looming deadlines, not enough hired help. out of the office for two days didn’t help either.

daughter and her dog beast living at my mom’s now. another broken boyfriend, who was “the one” out the door. she has no where else to go with that big dog. i was in the process of kicking her out of my condo, when the hoa changed the rules so her beast isn’t allowed anyway. come to think of it, they probably changed them because of that dog.

sister should be coming back from a vacation in russia this weekend. always to strange, far off places. i always wonder if she’ll make it back alive, if not in some foreign prison, accused of being a spy or transporting exotic monkeys in unmentionable places. interesting stories galore, but, i’d have no interest in going so far for a good time.

i suppose i should head back to the house. probably have to go to the office tomorrow, so need to spend “quality” time with my guy. the way i’m feeling, it will probably be more like a long nap instead.

pardon the delay

here’s a beauty from the azalea festival car show out in south gate. sun still going up, shadows filtering through the trees.

a week ago today, i was set to be taking pictures at the bombs on the bay show in san diego. i had a three-day weekend scheduled, hotel booked.

instead, saturday morning, i hear my name being called. i roll over and instead of bedsheets, i see carpet. i turn over and see my better half coming toward me quickly, looming over me. it’s a weird, worms-eye view of the world…how did i get here? i’d gotten up to use the bathroom, and remember standing in the doorway, but don’t remember how i ended up on the floor.

i get sick, explosively, a couple of times. apparently i passed out again, eyes rolling up, turning whiter than i already am, foaming at the mouth. i don’t remember that. i remember seeing my reflection in a mirror, and thinking i look kind of pasty, like maybe the light bulb has a bad color cast.

i get walked down the hall to the bed. better half is calling my son, asking him to come take me to the hospital. kid is forty minute drive away with no traffic; he is there within thirty. better half has been checking my o2 and pulse. o2 is low, pulse is racing.

i have a dream with the bright light, and shadowy figures in the distance. better half wakes me up, an ambulance has been called.

emergency personnel are concerned, and question everyone. stupidly ask me questions, that i can’t recall; apparently i was still being a smart ass with some of my answers–my own kid said it wasn’t the time for that–i don’t remember him saying that or being a smart ass. nice to know i’m consistent, normal or fucked up.

ambulance crew decide to carry me out the front door and down the steps instead of listening to one their own, who have been there before, saying out the back, a ramp, no stairs. a female officer has me under the arms, around my chest, and a male has my thighs. by the time they get me to the stairs, my boobs are being pinched by her arms, her strength is slipping, and the guy is pinching my leg with his grip. i’m saying, just let me walk. by the time we are at the bottom, on the sidewalk, the girl is almost dropping me, but the guy has let my legs go, so i can stand and get on the gurney.

i’ve only been in ambulance once, but not as a patient. let me just say, whittier has some bumpy roads, as the guy tries to insert an iv in my arm. turns out to be a crap iv, and the hospital can’t use it, but it is left in for the balance of the day.

better half can’t leave his mom, and is left helpless on the doorstep. my son is sent to sit with me in the emergency room, which ends up being about ten hours, before they admit me for the night.

after all the tests, they still didn’t know what happened. all the doctors stopped by the room for a minute, so they could bill me for their time, guessing stomach flu or dehydration. sent home the next day, late afternoon. arrive at home, with a fever i didn’t have at the hospital. took a pill, it went away and didn’t come back. very weird.

took a couple of additional days off past what was my three-day weekend. saw my own doc, so i have more tests scheduled. i’m guessing dehydration, but why so suddenly and grossly violently, is the question. i did go to work for a couple of days, and other than tiring, was ok.

i’d meant to go to chino yesterday for the corn fed run, but frankly, i’m a little scared to go too far. i went to covina instead, where i expected some friendly faces, just in case anything happened. i wasn’t disappointed, and saw several people i knew. they would keep an eye on me.

i’ve got a second trip planned for chicano park this weekend. hoping all will be good to go. will try to talk my mom into going with me. better half is worried. he’s a worrier. if i don’t feel good, i won’t go. simple.

at least my kid got the hotel to refund one night on my reservation.

short and sweet

SONY DSC

late. gotta get to bed but wanted to get something posted from the azalea festival car show.

used to be packed at this show, with cars parked in the lot in the dark waiting for the gates to open.

this year and last year, not so much. just me, a cop car and the groundsmen sitting out there before sunrise. then some little kid baseball/softball people started arriving. briefly thought about taking pictures of them practicing, for old times sake, but my kid is all grown up and i didn’t want to be the creepy stranger with a camera.

at least i got my car parked in the lot and not down the street.

a few show cars arrived a little after seven. a few impalas and some year suburban.

then this veteranos’ car shows up and alls well. getting to know the owners more, since i’ve chatted with them at several shows now. not the first time i’ve posted the car here, and not the last.

since it was a bit away from the other cars, i had a little room to play. they just recently had some pinstriping added too.

had to use my better half’s cameras. he loaned me three different wide-angle lenses to use, since mine wasn’t meant for a full frame camera.

his were all prime lenses, so i needed room to move, since there was no zoom at all with them. i took a few shots with the one he said was best, then tried the one he said was similar to mine. never did try the third lens. didn’t want to get dust on the sensor anyway.

whole point of getting there early is to catch that low light, but since it was already over an hour into sunrise, best i could do was work with where the sun was at the time. got a lot of pictures with sun flares testing these lenses. sharp, but flares are octogons instead of circles.

this one came out ok. i have others from when it was parked on the grass later, but this was pretty satisfying.

change of plans

pretty sure this picture is from the azaelia festival show, because i've been to very few shows this year that had the cars parked on grass. thirty-nines are one of my favorites, after fleetlines. the sun is bit high for my taste, but i still like the shot.

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i was showered and ready to pack up my gear for a show when i noticed i had missed a phone call.

was my kid, no message. so i called back and he said, "wassup?" i said, "i dunno, you called me, or was it a butt dial?" i can hear he's in his car, and the signal isn't the best.

apparently, he woke up this morning, and just had a thought that he wanted to take his wifey wine tasting. she likes it, he doesn't particularly, but he likes to keep her happy. solvang is one of her favorite places, so he booked a room.

they usually take her mum and/or sisters, but they were all working. so he had called me, knowing how much i like roadtrips, and to mention they had the dog with them. i guess they had hoped i'd say i wanted to go, and they would have swung by to pick me up, but by the time i'd called back they were already to calabassas.

my mind was ready for a car show, but my heart put the kibosh on those plans, to spend the rare opportunity to travel a little with my boy and his little family. threw some clothes in a bag, better half cleaned the windows on my car (thanks d!), and i hit the road. sad part was driving off, waving bye to him. one of these days he will travel again, but he can't right now.

and it was really a perfect perfect day, weather-wise for a car show. overcast, and in the seventies. damnnit. there will be other shows...

so here i am in solvang, sitting in the dark and typing on my ipad. had expected to be sitting in my own room with the dog, while they stayed out late at a wine bar or the beer garden. after a late dinner, they were both very tired, and decided to call it a night.

beer garden is open until midnight, and is pet friendly, so they could change their mind, but i'll be asleep.

i could have still taken the dog, but then i'd have to get up and walk him in the middle of the night and in the morning, so nah. and i'm in a hotel down the street from them, so if he got too hyper, i'd have to walk a block in the dark.

going to meet them after checkout, for lunch, then pick up some fresh pastries for my mother-in-law, then head home.

only brought one camera, no tripod, so even though i know of a few car shows on the way back to whittier, i won't be stopping.

it's going to be a weird week at work, so i guess i started it off weird too.

merry go round

one thing after another around here lately. sort of a carousel.

one emergency over, another to worry about in the next week or so. being ambiguous. i like that word. more mysterious than just saying anything directly. if you know what i'm talking about, you're on the inside, if you don't, it's not important that you do.

didn't have the energy to go to any car shows today, nor probably this weekend, though i badly wanted to be there. maybe next year. big shows next week...definitely next week. that can be my mantra, no matter what happens this week.

you do miss me when i'm gone, don't you? nah, i'm more successful at being the fly on the wall, quietly walking through your life, shooting pictures of your cars. you probably haven't noticed.

saw this car sitting down at the end of the parking lot. dude sitting inside, talking on the phone to someone. he didn't appear to be in a hurry to get inside the show. i do not remember the half of the conversation that i might have overheard, but i'm going with he couldn't decide whether it was worth it, or if his friends were going to show up.

it really was a lightly attended show this year, so not sure that i'd blame him.

waiting

...waiting on the world to change.

my turn to sit my watch at the hospital. better half gone home to take a break and eat i suppose.

really i have nuthin' to say, much less think. things are looking up, but we're all very sleep deprived.

had this bike mostly ready, so since i took five minutes to check my email earlier, thought i'd put it out there. i don't think it's one of my best, but it appealed to my mood just now.

congrats to my son, he's a shiny new uncle as of yesterday.

showdown

back in washington dc with my bro. his wife and kids flew in yesterday. their hotel reservations got screwed up and not enough beds. bro stayed with me, since i had two beds.

now she's spending her morning on the phone yelling at expedia customer service, trying to switch hotels. she has already been disconnected once. feeling like we should fetch the kids and take them out while she deals with that.

anyway, a few more days and headed home. has been fun, but missing my better half. hope he will pick me up at the airport. pretty sure he will...ya he will, no worries.

another sunrise shot. tired of them yet? i suppose i should sleep in more often and just shoot when the sun is high and harsh, and see if there is any 'mood' to be found at high noon. middle of a dusty road, shoot-out, just like an old western flick.

just testing

clearly, i haven't bothered to learn any video editing skillz, but i'll still shoot some video sometimes. usually, when the cars are moving and i can't do what i like to do.

haven't tried uploading video here, since i switched over to the new layout, so figured i'd give it a try.

shot some video clips last week, since they gate guard wouldn't let me in, so just shot cars while they rolled past.

i'll add a few more, if the first one works ok, for chuckleberries.

jack sprat

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.

goals

appropriate signage, no? i'll add this to my annual review goals: work hard and get me a stylish old chevy. think they'd go for it? nah. but they might be interested in this picture if the little in-house photo competition actually happens, unless they make me be a judge. then i couldn't participate, right?

i'm kinda thinking i got better shots out in the parking lot than inside on the grass. mostly because i got the early morning light here versus later, harsher light. pfft. it happens. i say i got lucky; better half says the more i shoot, the luckier i get.

i've shot this car elsewhere, but i do kinda like this one now. and if i shoot it again in the future, i'll probably like that one better too.

limping my way through two more weeks until vacation. though the time off i have scheduled this month for vacation and business trips will make me miss a few of my favorite annual car shows. that part sucks, that and traveling without my better half; hoping to spend some time with my brothers, so i guess that will make up for things somewhat.