Late Again

(Click on the photo to enlarge)

Wish I had happened by this spot right
after the hydrant was knocked over.
A wrecked car and water shooting high
in the air would have made this a much
more interesting scene.

What The Hell Happened At QBar?

(Click on the photo to enlarge)
This interesting installation is actually
a broken fountain in front of the entrance to Q-Bar.
Electrical problems with the lights and a leaking
pump mean that I missed a great shot, possibly forever.

Why forever?

Let's back up a bit...
Q-Bar was a neat little nightclub in the former Mama's
building on IH10. The bands liked playing there because it
was small and intimate with crowds that got pretty wild.
It was easy to sound awesome there. Well, it was easy for me.

Today I rolled into the parking lot and noticed a few
things wrong.
Where were all the cars?
Why was the back door already open?
Whose truck is that?
What's that smell?

Upon entering I was greeted by the sights and sounds
of remodeling, and noticed a complete lack of customers
and chairs and music and liquor. Hmmm...

After talking with the property owner I can file this report:
The club's management was several months behind on their rent,
and everything inside is now missing as are the managers.
Sound equipment, computers, lights, booze, chairs, video games...
All Gone.
The place was cleaned out, but I'm sure the SAPD will get to the
bottom of this "mystery".
(*cough*cough*cocai__*cough*)


Meanwhile, we have a contract and are ready to play but
in light of the owner's greater losses I doubt anyone
in our organization has the heart to kick them when
they're down.

As for this photo, it was a long exposure with decent
colors but crappy composition. That's because I don't
take my tripod to work, so I shot this by setting the
F717 on a bench and guessing at where it's pointed.
I took a half-dozen shots but wasn't really putting
much effort into it because I was on the phone with
someone I love the whole time.
And I figured I could try again the next time we played
here, which would have been tonight.

So, I got screwed out of my shot.
Okay, now I'm mad.

May/December Romance

(Click on the photo to enlarge)
While shooting this photo in Port Isabel, I had the added pressure of trying to hurry because I was obviously pissing-off the old man seen here enjoying a romantic sunset with a woman 30-40 years his junior.
I wonder why he was so upset?
Unless he's cheating on his wife or had paid for this
evening's company, why would an amateur photographer
deserve so many dirty looks and hostile comments?
It's not like I was going to post a photo of him on the
internet or anything...until he gave me attitude that is.
Lucky for him nobody visits this site.

The two young girlfriends who arrived while all of this
drama was unfolding also added to my problems.
The 'driver' walked boldly in front of my lens while
her companion proved she was still a true lady by
waiting for me to finish.
This didn't sit well with any of us judging by the earful
of total bitch we received, so rather than stand in the way of
true love I bagged my shots as fast as I could and retreated.

Romance, no matter how unconventional, needs to be respected.
I'm cool like that, but only because I got the photo that I
really wanted in spite of all of the unnecessary bullshit
and 'hatred of all middle-aged white men' I had to deal with.

Fishing Or Drugs?

(Click on the photo to enlarge)
Have you ever been behind a 20 year old car
full of shady-looking characters that's weaving through
traffic at ten mph below the limit, and then laughed when
you noticed the bumper sticker imploring you to
"Support Your Local Police Department"??
This is the nautical equivalent.

Trust me, there are plenty of drugs being used on the
open waters and piers and beaches and rivers of the world.

"Honey, me and the guys are going fishing. Be back in
a few days."
They really ARE fishing, but a good percentage of them
are also snorting speed to stay awake all night when the
fish are biting.
Or smoking weed to help them 'enjoy the beauty of nature'
as well as deal with the boredom between strikes.

I'm not saying the percentage of stoned fishermen exceeds
that of the general population, and I'm much more worried
about the percentage of alcoholic speedfreak rapist cops.
What I'm saying is that I used to fish a lot as a teenager
and it was the perfect excuse for going out and getting high
with your friends, so this sticker made me laugh.