Guatemalan Church

Guatemalan Church
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

this is what i need. i spent a glorious afternoon here the day i arrived in La Antigua. I was delivering a Christmas package to a friend/co-worker's friend there. this plaza had everything. a little farmer's market. people playing, sitting chatting. as i recall an old man came up to me and we had an interesting little discussion. i thought it might have been the color of my skin. it could have been that he did not recognize me in his little corner of the world. there are so many different ways of looking at a situation. this old church towered over everything in the village. i looked up to gain some perspective and was amazed at how beautiful the sky was that afternoon. once in a while we get to see these kinds of visions more than once. i want to go back...it was simple and easy there.

Mugsy

Blue C
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

Kids have pets...those pets sometimes die. we have had hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, hermit crabs, dogs, cats, and a snake. We have experienced their deaths from age or illness or infirmity. Today, I went to feed my son's bird, Mugsy. Mugsy had squeezed his head through the bars of his cage and had gotten stuck. Mugsy had become an escape artist. He was out when I came in from work. No problem. I put on my leather work gloves (Mugsy would bite if given the chance [maybe this could have been a clue for us] and dutifully caught him and put him back into his cage. Not good enough for Mugsy, I guess. Bird suicide. Perhaps not intentional, but really got me thinking.

We keep animals against their will. Yes, our domesticated pets love us in return. This parakeet was not happy with us; did not enjoy our company and wanted to be free. Maybe Mugsy wanted a different family. We will not know now.

My son is on vacation with his mother. I will not tell him until he comes back here on Saturday. That little bird gives me a sense of great loss. Mugsy, I am sorry.

Blue C

Blue C
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

accidental tourist. free associations within the daily grind. harry connick, jr. is singing to me right now as i type. i was listening to sonya kitchell, kt tunstall, huey lewis and the news before this. my wife took the dog for a walk after she made salmon for dinner. she did not have time to eat because she triple booked herself again. come by me, baby. come talk to me, baby!

have new cards for photo business. cool looking...eventually i hope to have them available as an online card too. Vista Prints free card offer. now their foot is in my door. hope i don't have trouble getting rid of them. maybe glossy next go round. free 250 cards for the cost of s/h.

photo assignment ... accidentally found letters. this was an image i made with the big F4s. i developed the film myself ... that was fun. each camera seems to draw me to a different kind of subject. sad little serenade. i do not know how i came to like harry connick, jr. probably one of the women in my life. brash and cool in his own way. some verve like Sinatra, but still cool like the Miles Davis or Ornette Coleman. anyway he is fun to listen to and he has a wonderful band backing him.

sipping green tea with peach white cranberry juice. it gives it a nice herbal-like taste. should market it. too many irons in the fire already. business is booming. there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes along with a PT business. seems like this is a good time to look for a laptop. tired tonight.

oh, all else is well.

New camera

SP w/Nikon
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

I guess apart from some simple accessories now, the change from Minolta/KonicaMinolta is complete. Here I am with my F4 in my hands and being shot vby the D70s. It will be a good time before I am comfortable with this camera.

Shoo Doop Shooby Do!

i have another court hearing tomorrow. i can't sleep. so i am up late on another day when i have already put in lots of hours. this client is mentally ill; she does not recognize that. it is not just not my opinion. she saw a psychologists who thinks she should go meet with a psychiatrist and hear what they want to prescribe for medications for her. she is also developmentally disabled, although this may be the first time she has heard this. no groups, no therapy, just some medication. maybe she will stop beating on her son. maybe she will be able to live outside of the little solipsism society that she lives in. i doubt it.

so i listen to music and read and surf the 'net when i can't sleep. better than lying in bed feeling sorry for myself. obviously i am bloggin' and i am listening to Buena Vista Social Club and Boyz II Men. ethnic music...barbershop tunes and a little Spanish melodic music.

Cheek Bones

Dazed
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

as i sit here quietly in the morning the house begins to awaken. i hear the a/c kick in. will it be a hot day today? i am listening to the constant gurgle of the aereator in the toad's tank and the water bubbling through the filter in the fish tank. the computer carries it's own low drone and right now i hear a plane outside the window. my wife moans and inwardly complains of her aches and pains. she makes sure that i hear her. i should offer a peaceful compassionate something in her direction - i am not sure what it should be.

so what does this have to do with cheek bones. everything and nothing. S was so patient with all the makeup artists that morning. it gave me pause to think about what people go through for society and for acceptance. i am not sure that many men would subject themselves to such torture. the end result might justify the process of getting there.

competition and wonder.
splendor and grace.
triumphantly we watch
as the soldiers all take their place

grace and pressure under fire
they say. do we really know any
other way? we fight, we love, we struggle
it's true. who am i
and who are you? simple reflections
of what they want us to be!

smart, reliable, simple and free.

4 Things

something interesting that i will share with you all. the world really is connected by X degrees of separation. some of us are closer to 6 degrees than others. some perhaps much closer and some not so close.

here is an entry by my ex
http://kitchenlogic.diaryland.com/

i think it is a good idea.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
probation officer
divorce mediator
child protection social worker
bicycle delivery for pharmacist

Four movies I would watch over and over :
Shawshank Redemption
Red
Back to the Future
Chocolat

Four places you have lived:
Memphis, TN
Mankato, MN
Evanston, IL
Minneapolis, MN

Four TV shows you love to watch:
Stargate SG-1
Stargate - Atlantis
ER
Any CSI show

Four places you have been on vacation:
Greece
Gautemala
Spain
Bahamas

Four of my favorite foods:
Grilled Salmon
Greek Salad
Chicken Salad
Cheesecake

Four songs that remind me of summer
Little Deuce Coup (Beach Boys)
17 (Janis Ian)
Summer (George Winston)
You've Got a Friend (Carole King)

Four places I would rather be right now:
New Mexico
Iceland
Greece
Ghana

Four readers of this journal who should do their own meme:
I am not sure I have any readers.

Reflections on Summer

purpleness
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

we are moving into the later stage of summer. sounds of cicadas outside in the evening with their incredible song. the light is beautiful at the end of my work day and the sunrises are more achievable for me. this is a good time in life. festivals and interestings hues and beautiful light. i can't really say it enough. this part of the summer is when the earth begins to parch a bit. we survived because i was too busy to cut grass. we survived because the grass was long enough not to get sunburned. what a mess it was though when i cut. first i cut; let it dry for day and then i raked and raked and raked. most of the clippings ended up in the compost bin.

summer is a burst of energy. we race about doing this and that. trying to squeeze more activities into a day than there are hours. we wince and moan about opportunities we missed; sometimes so much that we miss the opportunity that is present. ever stop to watch a butterfly or a grasshopper? i do. ever rush to get to the lake when there is plenty of wildlife right in your own backyard or basement? i know i do. what if we took the time to become more "familiar" with what is already familiar to us? watch another "old movie" instead of rushing off to the new release. when was the last time you really watched Casablanca?

We're Done

To End
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

Bride and Matron of Honor from shoot at Macy's on Friday. I met them at the hair salon and we shot away while the bride got her hair done...she was actually quite chatty while she sat under the dryer. I learned quite a bit about her. I find that as the photographer gets to know the subject the photos present themselves. She is a co-worker so we already had a good start. she wanted to know if we were going to pose or have more candids. i told her that i would prefer to just shoot. it worked. this is the final result of one part of the shoot. nice wedding, too!

Cousin II

Cousin II
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

this little man is determined - he loves watching the older boys playing on the field. this was one of those moments when he was "caught" sitting still with his aunt. i recently saw him again at his cousin's park birthday party. determined to swim with the older boys. i hope he keeps this indomitable spirit and his parents offer both encouragement and realistic expectations.

After the Rain (saturated)

After the Rain (saturated)
Originally uploaded by unohuu.

It rained here tonight. It rained all day. My soul was flooded with the rain of tears from my job. Great sadness today as I compromised the life and livelihood of another child. Temptation remains great to "make a deal" so that the case goes away. That was not our issue today. We had a trial. We could have proceeded, but we might have lost as the judge is the sole arbiter of the facts. This particular judge is quite well known for his compassion for the parents.

It is actually raining again. Mother Nature is making up for lost time. Like she was caught and entrapped - unable to assume her charge for replenishing this earth. She seeks balance now. Can we make the sacrifices that are required? Pray that we can!