what's up?

early bird

most shows we go to have a posted drive in time and start time. but the host club is usually there beforehand to set things up, traffic, trophies, organizing stuff. 

that means, to us, anyway, that there is always a guarantee of something to shoot if you get there early.

start time this morning was seven. my better half looked at the time stamp from last year's photos, which said about six-thirty, and it was already getting busy. 

so this time, we figured the sun rises by six now, we'll get there before that. we did. about five-thirty. still dark. stores closed. laundry mat didn't even open until six. supposed to rain, but not until afternoon.

drove down the street, just to make sure the no parking signs were up, and that the thing hadn't been cancelled. they were, so we went back around and parked in the parking lot. we chatted about nothing, watched the sun come up, the lady open the laundry, and several women arrive with loads of wash with their choice of machines.

probably about six-thirty we heard the first sputtering engines in the area, and then a few cars arrived. finally. so we got out, unpacked and shot the few that were there.

then the clubs started to show up slowly. originals got there first. clouds came and went, and came back again. we had missed the sunrise, but the skies were making up for it.

weather was the way, i wish it would be all summer. not too hot, not too cold.

saw many people and many cars we've seen before. took time to chat with people, since the light was interesting, and not quickly changing to full sun.

i don't remember seeing this car ever. nice to be suprised once in a while. really beautiful. i caught it before they moved it. and then, only moved it to face the opposite direction, to mirror another packard behind me.

i liked this shot, with the sky, and from this direction, with few other cars, and definitely not the lightpost in the way.

og cruzn

i haven't pulled my cameras out of the bag in a few weeks. been resting my side, like the doctor said. still hurts, so waiting on results of xrays. maybe monday.

got the batteries charged, getting up early for a show tomorrow. always somewhat nervous about going out after not shooting in a while. shouldn't be; it is sort of like riding a bike, and it doesn't take long to get back into a groove.

at least it will be cooler than the last few shows i went to, now that winter is moving in. weather people keep flip flopping on whether it will rain or not. now they've settled on a ten percent chance, so very doubtful.

so, old memories, we will be there early early. hoping for a decent parking place again.


saw this impala at the uptown show back in august. i like the back ends, with the wingspan out to there. didn't care much for the color and glitter, but it isn't my car to stare at all day, every day. 

shot early, still in the staging area...can tell because of location and how they are not parked in the spaces; just sitting in the middle of the street.

like, totally arrrr

i guess i need to think about finding a dress for a wedding. it's only next month. plenty of time. ugh. girl clothes. i hate shopping. been so long since i've had to wear a dress and heels. no idea what to do with this stupid hair. and makeup. i fail at being a girl.

at least i'm not high maintenance. lucky for my better half.

anyway, he's going with me. says he's bringing his camera. he actually likes watching me play dress up, but that's another story for another day.


i've seen this car around a few times now. shot it a couple of times, and now i'm bored with it.

i think i like these pictures from the first time i saw it at mooneyes open house, when i was still all, like, totally, wow, dude. still had some enthusiasm for it.

the details are really fun. a pirate theme going on. nuke the pontiac hood ornament, and put in this skull. should probably paint the screw in his nose black, so it doesn't show so much. maybe people with macro lenses shouldn't shoot up the nose shots?

i liked the pinstriping of pirate wenches, and the stick shifter inside. lots of details. nice paint job. and low, so low on the ground.

for all i know

another busy week, though unusually, not so much at work. as in enough to keep me busy for a full day, but not work overload with multiple deadlines. i actually caught up with everything before the end of the day, which happens about three times a year. then i don't know what to do with the time.

nothing has come to pass with taking executive portraits since they asked a couple of months ago, so i guess everything i've read up on it will fade from my noggin. i could practice shooting family members, but aside from my better half, around here, no one likes to be in front of the glass. i think i'll stick with cars, and call it a day.

looking forward to a veterans day car show this weekend, but for all i know, it will rain. it's been sprinkling around work and in random cities on my commute, but it seems to be missing whittier and los angeles for the most part. does seem to follow a pattern of warming up the weekend then getting overcast for back to work monday.

i do love the overcast and clouds for pictures, though. this chevy pic turned out ok. even managed to get an angle that hides most of the other cars around it, and in between all the people admiring the cars.

choppy waters

i've heard that to help keep your heart healthy, you should do ten thousand steps a day.

the internet says that adds up to about five miles. who the heck has time to walk or run five miles a day? says the girl chained to a computer ten plus hours a day...

i don't have a phone or an app to track steps, but i'm pretty sure i'd be lucky to do that many in a typical week. i think the only time i can is when i'm on vacation, when we have all day to casually walk as far as there are things to do and see. but alas, i'm not on vacation everyday.

today was sunday. i had some time. i walked about three miles. went the other way, from a where i'd take a typical walk, out and about in whittier.

sadly, i didn't see one old car. saw a guy on a harley, who waved to me. maybe i've seen his bike around, but he went by too fast to know for sure.

purposely headed back home down a particular street, hoping to see an old fleetline that used to sit in the same place, on the same road, all the time. i wanted to finally get a picture of it, since i was going to walk past it, but it was gone.

saw a porcelin throne, sitting randomly in the middle of an alley, and a sign in a window that said, "prepare to meet thy god." what the hell kind of message is that? would it be some kind of indiana jones dart blowing fun run, if i had chosen to take that alley path? freestyle target practice? strange way to express your religion, or maybe my mind just ran off on a tangent, and lost the message completely.

saw a few cars from crazy life car club, but didn't shoot them. maybe the one that was parked sitting there, on its highest hydraulics setting would have made a decent picture, but nah. didn't.

not sure when i'll take another long walk. still pretty warm out. i'll wait for the cold. or the rain. or even better, a big car show.

and cars like this one. all the way down at the end of uptown--that walk must have done my heart good, right?

let the sunshine in

i've had a completely unambitious weekend so far. mostly catching up on sleep. did a little laundry.

still need to make some travel plans for next month. kid getting married out of town. those plans are done. also making a road trip out of it, so need to decide how much in debt i want to go, since it would just be me, out and about, during the holiday season. i could hole up in a random hotel somewhere, and hide out until xmas passes.

or i can just head straight home, and spend time with my better half and his mom, then head to my parents' for what is, lately, quiet xmas dinner. my brothers have moved out of state, so it's just my sister and me now.

some years, i just don't want to deal with holiday cheer; some i'll reluctantly participate. this year, i'm feeling a bit indifferent about it. no little kids around for the time being, so i can still choose not to deal with it.

i'm sure the closer to xmas it gets, the likelihood of me just saying 'fuck it' will go up.

-----

getting to car shows early, and catching pictures like this one, cheer me up just fine. 

oldies' san fernando high school car show in july—hasn't disappointed me yet. even if it is hotter than hell there, i try to do my best to at least have a look at every car there. except those extreme machines. hate those cars. really, i do.

almost forgot

i had to boot up an old computer yesterday, to do some work at home, connecting to my puter at the office. today, i had the day off, to get my car fixed. needed regular maintenance and a new starter. awesome.

they needed the car until the end of the day, so i was stuck at home. since the computer was still hooked up, i figured i'd take a look at what files i had on there. found some 2013 files on the hard drive. while looking through over four hundred and fifty pictures of stuff i'd tagged to work on (shows you all the cars i'll probably never get around to fiddling with), i saw stuff from the old memories eastside veterans' day show.

i forgot that the holiday was coming up. i suppose since i haven't been out much lately, no one had a chance to tell me about it. a little internet search confirms that they are having the show again this year...would have been so bummed if i'd missed it. we really enjoy their show.

so, we'll be there early next week. better half is already thinking of getting his wagon out and setting up his video camera contraption he can roll down the street. me, i'll be doing the thing i like doing best, hauling my tripod and picking out my favorite cars and bikes to shoot.

inglorious basterds

better half got called into work this evening. sucks. watching the families walk by, headed uptown for the little kid trick-or-treating at the stores. just saw a toddler dressed up like winnie the poo. that was, dare i say, cute.

so, i have netflix running while i play with my photos. watching inglorious basterds, which is hard to do, since they speak a lot of the movie in german, and it's hard to read subtitles and work on a picture at the same time. didn't see it in the theatre, but someone said it was good. i'm not so sure, so far. did like the guy using the baseball bat on the german guy.

not doing halloween this year. neighbors next door are big aholes, and scared away all the kids last year, so we were stuck with a crap ton of candy. the other neighbor kid really enjoyed it though.

said ahole neighbors seem to be setting up for a similar evening this year, so no kids will dare come up to the door.

i didn't have time to find a costume or pull my old box of outfits out of storage, so there it is.

here is a car, that i see once in a while. i've posted it before, and it seems to be quite popular, if you count views. forgot to shoot it at san pedro this year, though the owner stopped to talk to me. found it here at the viejitos show in march.

junk in the trunk

it's been a crazy week. got back from my trip up north, home for a couple evenings, then out of town again. 

so, friday finally rolls around, when i finally make it home again, i'm too tired to head out to either of the car shows i wanted to go to. hung out with the better half instead, since i hadn't seen him much since last week.

then today, the annual running of the idiots, before six in the morning. i mean, <clearing throat>, the halloween 5k fun run. seriously, why do they need to shut down all the streets, and have idiots running past the house so early? mostly, the "serious" "marathon" runners. the people that just have to win the little trophy. followed later by all the average schlubbs dressed in anything from blue jeans and t-shirts to full on halloween costumes. aren't those costumes going to stink later, when you really need them? polyester 'breathes' so well, you hardly even sweat. actually, no, you're just glowing. pfft.

better half left me the driveway to park in, while he had to park a couple of blocks away. been too warm to hike back over to the plural zed alpha to retrieve it. maybe later.


all i have for halloween, is stuff from the day of the dead show.

figure a trunk full of skulls will do. not sure who the guy in the picture was, as no one was there to tell me about him. i'm sure he is missed.