hamster

there's a speaker thingy from ye olde tymey drive-in theatres hanging on this perfectly fine packard. would there really have been a packard sitting at a drive-in with a speaker thingy hanging on the door? not even of the same era are they? hell, where's the food tray? i want popcorn.

i like the hood ornament and the coon tail.

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i've been letting my hair grow out for the last year, just to see how long it might get. it's getting a bit shaggy looking, so i was going to have the ends trimmed a bit. last time i wanted a cut and a color, it had been several months since i'd gone in, and the stylist i liked was no longer there. didn't even let me know. maybe she doesn't do hair anymore.

so this time, i was going to see my back up stylist, one that i'd gone to off and on for over a decade. called the salon, and the guy says she hasn't worked there for months. wtf. so now, i don't know where to go.

sure seeing another stylist besides your usual stylist is sort of like cheating, being double-dumped sucks. fine. i hate going in for a hair cut anyway. hate having to fake small talk with a practical stranger. it's like repeatedly going on awkward dates every once in a while.

and as long as i'm bitching about girl stuff. i hate shopping. i hate clothes shopping specifically. not a teeny bopper anymore, not that i ever was, and i'm not old enough for those polyester pants for the double-wide, though i'm starting to look like my mom more every day. can't stand any of the clothes in my closet, but can't seem to pick out anything at the store that fits or that i like, and doesn't feel like a cheap dishrag.

i guess i'm just in a mood. maybe i'll just try to sleep. hell of a week at work, and more coming. hamster on a wheel, man. hamster on a wheel.

suburbia

i'm tired. servers at work never came back up today, and i've got rush jobs that i can't get to the files. so fingers to the temple...POW.

hopefully, the system will be up and running in the morning, so i can rush to meet the deadlines. yay. probably won't be able to sleep, my mind is racing. should have gone and walked my kid's dog today. he wears me down and out.

i'll just put this chevy up for the night and head to bed. let it speak for itself. nice car. wish the back window was closed.

flight of fancy

awesome. work server is down, might as well post a picture. and i got a rush job to do, so extra special awesome.

worked over the memorial day weekend, so now i gotta pick another day to take off. better half's mom has a cold, and he needs to take a business trip, aside from being busy himself, so i guess a long weekend escape is off the table. guess i'll just stay home and take care of stuff i like to put off vs going to a car show.

found this hood ornament on a car from last year's whittier area church show. making me think about traveling. need to decide where to take our anniversary trip this year. already know it will either be a month early or a month late, because his coworker's spouse will be popping a kid around that time, so my better half has to be there to support east and west coast offices.

haven't been to san fran for a while. east coast weather has been a bit dicey the last few years, but maybe dc or florida.

i know for sure it will be somewhere. maybe just throw a dart at a map?

looking back

i've been out for a few walks this weekend, but otherwise, have stayed in the house. worked on stuff for the office most of the day yesterday, except for a couple of hours spent watching game of thrones and walking uptown for dinner with my better half.

being that i use my old computer when i have to connect to the office, i left it hooked up after finishing work last night. figured today, i'd have a look around on the hard drive for any interesting old shots stored there, before getting back to work again.

found this old ford made new again. it's an ok shot. the car is damn near too perfectly polished that it's almost boring. but i liked the lens flares catching the light of the sunset, and bouncing it around on the camera sensor. photography purists may say this is a throw away, but some of my favorite shots are sprinkled in flares.

now, off to work toward a deadline...

rub it, rub it

gratuitous post here. of all the cars that reine has, this one isn't my favorite.

it's hard to get over your first love, but i go ahead and shoot all his new babes when i see them. he is keeping them on the other side of the 605 this year, so i don't get to see them or him very often.

silly rule, but whatever works for him. can't wait to see the flavor of the month if he shows up at the uptown show this august, breaking his own rule.

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now i get to do some work for work, when i would rather be out at a car show, under this perfect overcast for pictures. :(

mary poppins

been another busy week. my son graduated law school. has been sort of lost since he took his last final, with nothing to do. not a problem. now for two months of studying for the bar. then the waiting begins.

work busy again too. i have deadlines that are forcing me to work a day or two over this holiday weekend. better half, same story. oh well.

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posting these, only because the owner chatted and seemed interested in seeing pics of his car.

these cars are almost twins; same year, same paint, same details. turns out the owner of the car on the left built both of them. the only difference i'm seeing is that the car on the left has a chrome spare wheel cover and the other matches the car.

they're practically perfect in every way. just close the hood and slam down the trunk next time.

eight-track

went to the wingfest this past weekend, hoping for a lot full of impalas. got there close to nine, not too early, but before official start time, hoping for fewer people in the shots too.

ran into a fellow flickr friend, rudy, who knew me by name, and after getting his name, recognized him again. last saw him a couple of years ago at the majestics new year's show.

met another photographer, who said he had driven in from indio. he admired my rollie bag, and i marveled at all the camera gear he was carrying around, slung about his shoulders and waist.

and also victor, who i'd seen the day before at the la mirada show. he gave me a heads up on the show, and also mentioned one out at santa anita, if i needed more cars to round out my weekend.

there were only a few cars there. fine. i'll shoot them. more cars trickled in. gave them the benefit of the doubt, that people were at church or nursing hangovers. 

hoods and trunks started being popped open. <sigh> ignoring my usual dislike of shooting them that way, i just shrugged and rolled with it. 

before i left, there was a reasonable number of cars, but with lots of space for more. wished the cars that were there had moved to allow for more space between cars, since it seemed available. oh well, shoot ‘em as you find ‘em.

this car was over toward the back corner. i was looking at it, wishing the trunk was closed. few people were around it at the time, and i liked the trees, clouds, and the broiler sign framing it out.

owner was sitting there with his better half. he said i should look inside...check out the eight-track player...asked if i knew what one was. said a lot of people don't know what they are anymore, and hoped i didn't take the fact that i knew what it was in the wrong way. no worries. we're all getting older.

haven't seen one since my dad sold off his old cadillac...in the eighties...and his crap music collection came and went with the car. 

told me about how he had found it online, and also had some recorder, if i understood, that he could make his own cartridges of music.

well, it made him happy. rock on.

duck walk

i took a few shots of this bel air, then moved across the aisle to shoot a chevy delray. i was kneeling down, pulling my other camera out of the bag, when i look over and see this mallard and his girl walking toward me.

weird to see walking thru a car show, and they did not seem at all afraid, so i took a few shots of them too, and they walked right next to me. didn't realize they got to participate in the relay as well.

relay for life

made it out to la mirada today. american cancer society's relay for life and car "exhibit." it was mostly overcast, which makes for really good pictures without harsh shadows.

duke's car club chapters from everywhere were the hosts, so there were lots of chevys to keep me happy, and they have lots of friends. heard about the show from a whittier guy we met at chicano park last month.

saw lots of cars and people i haven't seen in a while. took lots of pictures.

sun peeked out momentarily, then went away and then unexpectedly, it started to sprinkle. it wasn't in the forecast, but you know what i think about weathermen...they're always wrong. my camera is mostly ok with a little rain, but the lens not so much.

when it started getting a little more persistent, i had to go over to a nearby building with an overhang. i waited about half an hour, hoping it would clear up.

owner of this car happened to be walking into the building, i suppose to "wash his hands" and mentioned that i had taken pictures of his car and would be interested in seeing some pictures of it. i liked this shot best. this side view is also ok, i suppose.

chocolate silk

another from chicano park. i'm sort of on the fence when it comes to cars painted in this matte finish. some of them just look meh, and then others really stand out. 

this one stands out. sort of sedate, with subtle pinstriping. this one just sort of looks good enough to eat.