what's up?

disco nights

booted up my computer for a change. been a while. found a catalog of pictures from the foursquare church show back in june. apparently i haven’t done anything with them, after driving out to whittier on a hot day. guess i got busy and forgot about them.

another show that has shrunk over the years. probably was another show the same day, i can’t remember.

check out the pinstriping and airbrushing on this kustom oldies car. pretty sweet.

it’s that time of year again. bah humbug.

mom’s birthday.

five years since dad died.

if i have to hear another version of that insipid, vapid, vacuous, intolerable chorus of “time for me to come home” song on just about every one of the damn hallmark channel movies my mom watches, it will be too soon. nasally renditions just hurting my eardrums echoing “christmas, christmas…” thanks, blake. hear cash registers ring.

i suppose the song is ok. the lyrics aren’t that bad. it’s just the chorus that is the nails on the chalkboard, depending on the singer.

better half had some days off, and still managed to get called in to work three of the five days. the first day, he ended up being awake for twenty-four hours.

he’s supposed to go back to normal hours tomorrow, but he started feeling really fatigued yesterday, and today he’s running a fever.

i suppose i’ll catch it in a few days.

good thing it’s “christmas, christmas,” so i won’t be working anyway. somehow my illnesses always happen when i have the opportunity to relax and unwind.

not many people working at my office next week, so it will be quiet for me. mostly uninterrupted catch up work, i never seem to be able to get to.

i continue to heal from my accident. another set of MRIs should give the doc more info on treating my arm problems.

had an eeg done of my brain, which consisted of something akin to a swim cap with some sketchy pins poked in all over it—i picture hellraiser, though not as cool.

first bit was eyes closed while they did a flashing light show, i guess to map parts of my noggin that noticed. followed by eyes closed and some questions asked for fifteen minutes.

i imagined the doctor should have said, “electricity will now be passed through your body. may god have mercy on your soul. roll on two.”

better half observed. he confirmed that there may be something in my skull, or else they were playing some cool video game.

junk on the trunk

here’s a beautiful back side from several years ago. so smooth. so shiny. subtle airbrush and an interesting color combo. really nice.

i haven’t done much all weekend, except drive out to temecula to see my grandkids. no car show as the alternate reason this time. just to visit.

better half was supposed to work all weekend, but coworkers didn’t show up to do their part, so he kicked back saturday, and cleaned house sunday. the stuff he was cleaning the tub with gave me a headache and the incentive to head over the mountain to see my boy and his family.

he worked regular days yesterday and today, while i mostly slept in. didn’t really get anything i planned to do done. thinking i’ll at least look through the last batch of pictures i took last week at mission san gabriel, or the show before that one, or the show before that one. so many pics…

so tired lately. i have a headache now. they’ll be shooting off fireworks nearby in a few hours, so the traffic and parking should get interesting around here, as always. trying to decide if i should bail and head to my mom’s now or after the hullaballoo.

missed it

here’s a chevy from the bomb club show at santa anita. from five years ago. it’s marbleized like a bowling ball, only better. the pinstriped details help tie in the gold of the rims. and red and gold…my high school colors.

i missed yesterday’s show, since it’s hard to shoot pics at santa anita when you’re in phoenix with no camera, but even with a camera, just couldn’t do it.

from the pics i have seen online, i missed a really good show. :(… looked packed. read about some people complaining that it took too long to get out at the end of the show.

flight from phoenix was happily uneventful. i timed everything out perfectly, from check out at the hotel, to bfast, to car return. only a little wait at security. i actually had an empty seat next to me, so yay.

i will miss the hotel. after a week there, i had deciphered the various ways back to my room from any direction, or outside door, for a quick dash in from the heat. i remember my disappointment when i saw the sign over the door across from my room, “ice stairs,” imagining slippery, cold, blue stairs, with icicle rails. nope. an ice machine, then another door. then plain, cement stairs, warm air, some pipes, leading to the oven that is outside. also, locked on the outside, so always had to walk a little further if i went around that outer perimeter of the building. best to do in the morning or the evening, after five pm.

i haven’t checked on the work i have missed while i was gone, but suspect no one else picked it up for me either.

backing up old files today, doing some shopping, hanging with my better half, who did come pick me up at the airport after all.

i’ve missed this cold, overcast. there’s no place like home.

change of plans

better half and i decided to go to the azalea festival show last weekend at the south gate golf course.

used to wake up early and be there before the sun rose, to get that early morning light on the cars waiting to get in the gate.

then there were a couple of years, where my better half couldn’t go, while he was taking care of his mother. i’d go, but there weren’t as many cars; then the gate guards wouldn’t be persuaded to let me in to take pictures before the official open time.

then another year, i went on my own again. before the sun. in the lot, in the dark before six a.m. before the people running the show and the vendors. before anyone bothered to show up, to line up, to get in. almost left, after sitting for an hour, but then, i’d already waited, so waited some more. not much went in the gate, didn’t wait until start, as they again wouldn’t let me in, so i left.

same thing last year, with my better half. we shot all the cars that bothered to be there, until they all went in, and decided it wasn’t worth the wait, and found a much better show elsewhere.

this year, same deal, but we didn’t get up early, got there after ten a.m..

i was worried we wouldn’t get a place to park. it wasn’t an issue; we were right in the lot.

we were stopped by one employee, asking if we were with the band. nope. better half strode right in the gate where the cars enter, so i followed. i thought for sure that employee would stop him, but they just walked the other way.

where once the golf course was crammed with cars to the outer fences, there were only a few rows. a stage was set up across the way, and a live band played later on.

the vendor’s truck had overpriced food, while outside the course, at the main street front, there were boy scouts selling a reasonably price breakfast for a reasonable amount of food.

also, whatever happened to the carnival part of the festival? there was just a baseball game going on in that field.

we stayed only two hours and shot everything we wanted. chatted with an old acquaintance, who said they search the cars for booze and drugs, don’t allow barbeques, or outside food, which pretty much will eventually kill off this show.

ended up in norwalk, at an easter basket drive, with a whole lot more cars.

here’s a chevy with a really amazing paint job. better half chatted with the owner for a while, who said originally he only wanted a solid color paint job. the painter convinced him it would be too plain, and that he’d be back, he went with it and here is the result.

one of those cars, where you wish you carried a ladder, because i am just too short, and the tripod isn’t tall enough.

i wonder what my better half’s pics look like, or if he’ll post them on his blog.

i don’t think we’ll be back to the south gate show.

we had thought about going to the true pride show yesterday, but those plans also changed. my younger brother had been visiting my mother for the past week. he had been dropped off, while his wife was out of state, and so we ended up in san diego, driving him home, and staying in the area for the night.

it was a good break. our jobs have been very stressful lately, with more work than usual, and we were just exhausted, without realizing it.

fyre

speaking of vail headquarters, here’s an interesting car from the limited amount of time i spent there in the middle of the summer. before i decided to have a heat stroke.

damn, it’s hot out there in the summer.

maybe it’s the flames on this car.

at least my kid showed up with his family and got some pizza from the shop at the back of the complex. highly recommend that place. kinda hungry right now, come to think of it…

good riddance 2020

been so long since i wrote anything here, or even turned on my computer, that my computer is basically dead. at a minimum, it needs a new power button. better half will fix it when he has time, and/or will have to build me a new one at some point.

i know i took this pic of a very blue on blue cycle in west covina, at manny’s el loco. (i think they closed down not too long ago). i really can’t remember if this was a fundraiser for something, or a memorial show. i’d have to look through pics from that day, which i can’t, since as i said, my computer isn’t working. I vaguely think someone had died, and the show was in his honor.

pretty bike. there’s some good airbrushing going on all over the fenders and tank, as well as some elaborate chromework etching.

this past year sucked massively.

do i need to state the most obvious reason? pesky virus.
car shows cancelled.
office closed. job got really stressful.
restaurants closed.
mother-in-law died in june.
better half allows me to visit him in whittier as long as i wear a mask.
my computer is not working.
ex mother-in-law died new year’s eve.

let me explain a few of those bullets, since a few sound pretty sketch when typed.

the virus did a trickle down to several of those points:

my ex mother-in-law topped off the year, by checking out new year’s eve. in spite of living in a house with people that did have the virus, and being in direct contact, she did not get it, and died age ninety-six.we’ll miss you, guadalupe — my ex mother-in-law topped off the year, by checking out new year’s eve. in spite of living in a house with people that did have the virus, and being in direct contact, she did not get it, and died age ninety-six.
we’ll miss you, guadalupe

my office closed, as did most every office. i have worked from home—the front room at my mom’s house—since march. mom loves it; the dog beast loves it; better half doesn’t love it so much, but believes it’s best i stay with her.
with the work computer sitting here 24/7, i sometimes find myself easily working into the evening sometimes, just to meet deadlines, or when there’s nothing better to do. they’re hiring more people, so it’s getting more manageable. i do miss seeing my coworkers everyday, but dammit, i do love rolling out of bed five minutes before start time, and working in my jammies all day. i can probably count on one hand the number of times i’ve bothered wearing a bra, dressing in “work” clothes, and wearing real shoes. flip flops are my daily footwear anymore.
i’d taken several months off from going to car shows before this mess sent everyone into hiding. just when i got out of my doldrums and wanted to head out, they evaporated. sure there are cruises now, but they aren’t really conducive to my photography. i did manage to make it out to one show at xmas time, in between shut downs, so there’s that.
my computer not working, makes it a wee bit difficult to put up new pics. i wanted to work on one this past weekend, but it refuses to power on. even if i kick it, or whisper sweet cuss words in it’s fan vent, not entirely under my breath.
sort of miss being able to go dine in at restaurants. as it is, i bring the food home, and the stupid dog sits nearby, staring at my meal and drooling, waiting for any scraps. he’s as tall as the table, so you can’t really hide anything from his view. he’s getting better, and laying down until invited over, but he still has his moments when he’s all up in your food, at your elbow. drooling on the table. really gross.
with my kid that lives here, out and about, hanging with her friends, my better half thinks it’s safer for him if i mostly stay here with my mom. it’s good for her, as she is never alone in the house. good for him, as he can get things done at home. i do visit him once a week if i can manage it, just to keep him sane.
better half’s mother died. not from the virus; she was just old. almost made it to ninety-four. it was during an ease in visitor restrictions at the hospital, so she was not alone, he and his niece were there with her. now he fills his days with work, and evenings following her directions in getting rid of her things and shredding paperwork.

the year wasn’t all bad.

got my first grandkid on valentines day. they changed her middle name to valentina.
took an amtrak trip across the country with my better half, picked up and drove home with my younger brother, along route sixty-six.
son and his family are buying their first home, so yay, i’ll finally get my condo back.
better half and i will be moving to said condo. i don’t think he’s ever lived behind the orange curtain. it’s going to be too small for both of us, so no doubt, we’ll have to look for something else eventually. that, or we won’t be able to climb stairs as we get older and fatter, and probably not wiser.

so, looking forward to this new year, and being able to get back to whatever normal will be now.

parading?

the uptown parade was this morning. don’t really care about it, but it is right outside the door, so i take the opportunity to shoot the cars that show up. i mean, they are at my doorstep, so how can i not?

this year, they staged it farther down the street and around the block. it also lightly rained early in the morning. the club that drove the pretty pretty princesses down the street last year didn’t participate this year. cars weren’t really parked right at our curb, and didn’t see many that i was interested in.

there were no horses either, which are kind of fun to take pics of too.

i was about ready to forget about it, then spied an old ford across the way. i’d just gotten out of the shower, got dressed quickly, and i went out thinking i’ll just quickly shoot that one car, and didn’t even brush my hair.

after a bunch of shots of that one, i noticed a car at the far end of the block, but by the time i got there, the parade had moved on some more, so i figured i’d catch it when it came around to the main street.

walked back toward the house, and saw that there were some cars down the street by the mortuary. so that’s where they were hiding a few that i’d seen earlier.

that’s where i found this convertible. it seemed to have been meant to be in the parade, but as i walked up to it, they were peeling the parade poster off the side of the door. maybe they had to leave, maybe it broke down, i don’t know. this end of the street is still part of the staging area, and they weren’t going anywhere, so i took a few pictures. pretty sure i’ve shot it before, if i really looked through the archives, but i don’t think i’ve ever posted it.

better half had asked if i’d seen a black one with pinstripes after i’d gotten home—he’d seen it drive past the window. i totally blanked that it was this one and said nope, being all disappointed that i’d missed it. then he walked behind me while i was working on the picture and said that’s the one i was talking about. so duh.

topsy turvy

this past week or so has just been a roller coaster, and all i can do is just hold on. i know you will either be relieved or terribly disappointed that i won’t spill details here—it’s still a pretty sensitive situation, and i suppose i overshare enough when it has to do with me.

apart from that time bomb, my better half has loaded windows ten on my computer, but i lost all my favorite settings in my programs, so maybe my pictures will all be shit for a while. last few i fiddled with today just seem really dark, though my better half disagrees. he says he can hook up my old drive and for settings i saved, there should be files i can just copy over; just haven’t been here enough to get it done. so excuse my pics while i just wing it for a while.

i did get out to the black widows car club barbecue or picnic or whatever last week. waited long enough other cars did eventually show up. stayed longer than expected, only because there was a breeze and shade under trees. otherwise, just the ugly light of midday, and the sun relentlessly shining on my roasting arms. forgot the sunblock again. hate that greasy stuff.

owner of this lovely said there was still another layer of paint and/or a good buff to do on this new paint job. really nice, and different, no? little bit of pinstripes, little airbrush, some flames, and a lot of glitter—stood out anyways.

fucksticks

the moon in retrograde or mercury doing a thing to the tea leaves? these past couple of weeks have just been so stupid. best i didn’t place any bets in vegas…

first my car, in for a simple maintenance, now just a continuing issue to be solved. was again put on eternal hold twice before i was connected to the service manager this afternoon.

check engine light was still on when i took it back this afternoon, so at least they can’t say i’m making it up. left work an hour early, hoping to not get in stop and go traffic, and possibly stalling out on the freeway. finally lost my nerve about beach boulevard, and took surface streets the rest of the way to avoid all the freeway construction slowing things down toward the 605. red light intersections are only slightly less nerve wracking. didn’t use the air conditioner either, since it seemed to make the stalling sensation worse.

at least they saved me a loaner car.

next, work waited for me to get back, so it’s piled up, and more added. i especially like the rush jobs needed by thursday, mostly i suspect because of the holiday weekend.

so i’m pushing back what i can, finding out who is crying wolf on deadlines. otherwise, i’ll either work late if possible with the car sitch, or work the weekend.

now, figuring i’m in whittier, i might as well play with my pictures. no can do. my computer has decided to fuck up, and wants a boot disk we cannot find to make it happy. better half says he’s going to order me an upgrade of the software and a new ssd drive. basically, i’m down until they arrive in the mail, then for the period getting reloaded with all my software and tweaking the preferences for how i like to work. at least a week, if not more, given our schedules.

maybe i can get to a car show this weekend, but unable to download and process anything. frustrating it will be. humpf.

well, i can get back to posting a few of my old pictures on my ipad anyway.

back end of a riviera from mooneyes open house several years ago. amazing paint job; another that needs a ladder or scaffolding to get up above it to capture it better, but this is the best i can do with my tripod.

when i put it out on instagram, someone got sad because one of the people in the shot had passed away since then.

got the blues

missed the imperials’ show this year. dug up this pic from a couple of years ago for tonight. i remember there was a pair of impalas up at the front, but irritatingly roped off, so you couldn’t get a shot without the blockade there. more of a keep off / don’t touch the cars move, and i don’t blame them – they were pretty nice cars.

liked that they used blue lights on a blue car.

no idea where i might end up this weekend; all depends on how hot it is and what time i wake up…it’s been a tough week at work so i’m kind of burned out. gotta listen to my bod. probably will stay close to home.

would have been my dad’s birthday today. missing him extra.

sad and tired, so i guess i’ll go to bed.