WOIDS!

I've found a lot of pictures (5) over the past two weeks and all of them except for this one I've found while walking or riding my bike (I was walking with my feet, not with my bike). I have fairly strict rules for what I consider found- and I prefer to find them when walking in an area where I spend a lot of time.

But, sometimes I'll be leafing through an old box at work and come across something like this. I think this is one of the best pictures I've ever found.

Give it a click to see it bigger- it's worth it.











In other news, pop idol and lyrical genius behind such songs as Goodbye Amy, Don't Ever Have Sex and Tidal Wave Chris Freeman is about to release his new album of songs. He's currently living (back in) Tennessee and has enlisted a band to help him flesh out his unabashed pop gems. This is the cover art that is being silk screened onto the sleeve (in a sweatshop full of hipster boys in girl-pants no doubt).

If you haven't already requested your free copy of his first album, the Tennessee Sessions you should do that now before the demand is too great for him to keep up with.

You think I'm joking.

Chris also has an excellent photo blog, and middle name.

Lunch, Made Clear

A Time for Change

Holy Deserving!

These Things Have I Seen

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I'm up to (well, now I'm way past) my arse in work but today, on the day designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and made memorable by the two excellent radio stations in RVA (WCLM, and WRIR) playing his speeches throughout the day, I went to a metals recycling facility on the south side.

I can't help but post all the pictures that were taken. You drive through a large bay and onto a scale. The guy who reviews your metal, and determines that it is worthy grunts and motions you to go out the door, to the right, and in the direction of a bunch of machines that are flinging metal around like the grizzlies flung Timmy Treadwell and his girlfriend.

Navigating the world of the manly man, as most people know, is no fun- every new place I go- whether it's to a place that makes air filters for HVAC, the hardware store, or the lumber yard has a completely different language and set of codes that all the guys that belong to that particular club revel in making others feel outside of. I never know any of the right terms and need to gesticulate wildly, draw in the air, and (recently) bring in digisnaps, all the while wondering if the burly man I'm waving my arms in front of is going to smash me beneath his paw, or call me a fag, or ask if I'm a Jew, or accuse me of being Catholic, or Middle Eastern, and warn me that I'd better leave quick.

When the hanging, swinging magnet drops into the bed of the truck and is activated by the guy in the thing that swings the arm around, you can feel your truck (well, it's your truck if you're not a wuss renting yours from Uh*%l) begin to lift a little off the ground. The guy in the thing though is a master and knows just how much to activate the magnet and you are not lifted and thrown into a pile of scrap.

It was awesome.

I also saw this:
In lieu of old tennis shoes hung over power lines, someone in R is throwing clusters of baby dolls over the wires. Kim and I saw some on the north side the other day and I saw these tonight in Cary Town. Has anyone else seen this. Anywhere? Did some hipster go to Br*$Klyn recently and come back with an idea? I like it and think that tomorrow I'll head over to Pleasant's and see if those guys over there know anything about this recent development.

...Zerbina! Crisis of the Veal!

I am up to my arse in work and lack anything interesting to say that doesn't become a rant on class, art, politics, and now global warming. The internet is already filled with this shit so in lieu of spending a day cuddling with Zippy the Pinhead, (he would understand me) you get this:

Pictures of freezers by three different people!!! One of them is me- can you guess which? Scroll down for the answer***


Well, no, it's not the pic w/ the book Crisis of the Real nestled among the meat. You get extra points if you've read (or know, or have maybe heard) that the obituary I wrote for myself as part of grad school (ahhh) mentioned my having died after having read Andy Grundberg's book. But this photo is the work of Thomas Gardner. He calls it Postmodern Photograph #1 and to get all postmodern on you gives the meta data: Canon EOS D30. Photographers are sooooo boring. Here's the crit thread people left him on his snap:

D Poinsett , July 01, 2004; 10:53 P.M.

Crisis of the veal.

——

jonathan w. , July 28, 2004; 04:12 A.M.

"Crisis of the veal".

Funnier than the photograph. Sorry, Thomas, but Eggleston's freezer is nicer to look at.

——

Thomas Gardner , July 30, 2004; 11:46 P.M.

Eggleston wasn't in my mind at the time this image was created and it will be a cold day in hell before I create any images as empty headed as Eggleston.

Just an aside, anyone who finds the contents of a freezer nice or nicer to look at, should consider professional help. Why? It's a stupid freezer man, get a grip:)

Thank-you for stopping by and leaving comment.

——

Robert X , December 11, 2005; 02:31 P.M.

from an interview:
interviewer: Are there things that are intrinsically interesting to photograph ?
William Eggleston: I think it was Gary Winogrand said to me once that "You can take a good picture of anything."

***It's the first one pal. The last one is Eggles'.

My apologies to Zoe, Alec and the rest...

(Not) Dead City Blog

I got an email from Judy that said (among other things) that Richmond blogs were a little thin these days. How true! Where are we, what are we doing? I'm not sure about the rest of us (although I think Martin at Anaba may be in the midst of a move to LA to work in the movie business, and George is also consumed by the movie business these days). I have been eating nonstop the past 10 days (we get lots of time off at VACR which means lots of time to OD on sugar and salt) and am now trying to readjust to my old peanut butter and jelly, augmented by bowls of lentils diet. I've also been working with Brad on a new project called SAMETIME that when we get the (my) website all straight I'll announce and you can click on over. It is an exciting project and is leading to more than a few updates of my website. I'm also updating my CV, applying for residencies (I always say this this time of year) and trying to map out the next few years. I'm applying or a new passport in hopes that I might be able to use it sometime soon. I'm also wowing at the fresh-faced kid pictured in the one I got 11 years ago.

And finally, I'm spending just a few moments wondering whether James Taylor is trying to re-image himself these days. Isn't he looking an awful lot like the late Burroughs?