Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
I hope you had a nice day today, perhaps enjoying the snowy weather or working on a project in one form or another. I did see a few of your posts - only available on "posts You like" - one of them had to do with James and his penchant for grilled cheese, lol, and another was a clip of an upcoming release from a band. It had a space motif. Maybe they are friends of yours, or you have an inter-band connection to them? I am guessing one of the two. I don't know how you got involved with Versus Me, but they seem to have a big following, so maybe you can connect with other bands through them.
Still super chilly in The 'Ridge. Tonight I watched a new series, "Fear The Walking Dead". It's like with "CSI" - they franchised it out, and with that show you got "CSI Miami" and a couple others. This one could be called "Walking Dead Los Angeles" because it takes place here, and the first couple episodes are actually quite scary because they show how disorienting and chaotic such a scenario would be, as it is unfolding. In regular "Walking Dead", which is the standard bearer, that series began with lone characters and their experience as the ordeal was already underway. It was pure reaction, dealing with hundreds of zombies immediately, and finding themselves in an instantly changed world. In the new series, the situation involves many people, family members in a city, and shows how the city dissolves into panic.
Yeah, cheery stuff, I know! :)
But if you're a fan of the original "WD" like me, it's a pretty awesome and different take on the original (which is a classic and still the best).
On an entirely different score, I also finished watching a Charles Dickens mini-series called "The Old Curiosity Shop". This was a BBC version made in 1979. I found it at the library and figured that Dickens goes with Christmas, so I began watching it about a week ago.
I have gotta say that the English actors are just incredible in the way they can bring an old story to life. They really know their own history, and the language of that time is so interesting, everyone speaking in paragraphs full of self-reference and slang, yet formal all the same.
Shakespeare, at least from what I have seen, wrote all his characters to speak in very formal language for the most part, with slight variations of class-based slang or humor. Charles Dickens wrote his characters, as far as I can tell anyway, in "formal slang", i.e. everyday speech from the Victorian era. Everybody talks a blue streak and seems nervous......
But it's incredible writing, and use of the English language, and of characterization, and I think I'd have to put Dickens up there as possibly the equal of Shakespeare, if not in precision of language, then certainly in drama and creation of characters. "The Old Curiosity Shop" is an epic story, and this version blew me away at the end......
Now I will look for more Dickens productions on dvd. :)
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and as usual I will keep things local and low key. It's of course a work night for me anyway, so we will watch the ball drop in Times Square and let the New Yorkers do the partying for us. It's always a fun night even vicariously, but if you are going out, have a blast!
I will see you in the morn at the usual time. Sweet Dreams until then....
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Excellent
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
Wow, your picture today is one of your best portraits ever. Everything about it is just right, and it is the model's eyes and the way they are made up that really draw you in. All the details are great : the snow in her hair, the motion of the falling snow (glad to see you captured that), and one detail that I noticed a little while ago, which is the slight hitch in her left shoulder - right side in the picture - which causes a "stance" in her posture, and that right there is a quality you see in all the best model shots - a stance or posture that suggests action or attitude (which is usually only slightly suggested, and rightly so, as in your picture). You may have directed her to stand that way, or she may have only done it because she was cold, but it is those kinds of small physical indications that can give a pic an added plus.
As somebody on FB noted, that looks like a photo from a movie scene or advertisement. It looks like you front-lit her, the way the color of the model stands out from the background. (do you have the equipment to bring lights out in a snowstorm?).....
But yes, a fantastic picture and that gal is a good model for you.
Not a lot to report for me, just a basic day. Freezing again, yikes! But, we already have an extra eight minutes of sunshine added to the day, and tomorrow it'll be nine.
See you in the morning. I Love You! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wow, your picture today is one of your best portraits ever. Everything about it is just right, and it is the model's eyes and the way they are made up that really draw you in. All the details are great : the snow in her hair, the motion of the falling snow (glad to see you captured that), and one detail that I noticed a little while ago, which is the slight hitch in her left shoulder - right side in the picture - which causes a "stance" in her posture, and that right there is a quality you see in all the best model shots - a stance or posture that suggests action or attitude (which is usually only slightly suggested, and rightly so, as in your picture). You may have directed her to stand that way, or she may have only done it because she was cold, but it is those kinds of small physical indications that can give a pic an added plus.
As somebody on FB noted, that looks like a photo from a movie scene or advertisement. It looks like you front-lit her, the way the color of the model stands out from the background. (do you have the equipment to bring lights out in a snowstorm?).....
But yes, a fantastic picture and that gal is a good model for you.
Not a lot to report for me, just a basic day. Freezing again, yikes! But, we already have an extra eight minutes of sunshine added to the day, and tomorrow it'll be nine.
See you in the morning. I Love You! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Lemmy
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
It took me a little longer to get situated here tonight, hence the semi-late start, but maybe you are still awake. I hope you were able to get some good pictures today, if the snowstorm did materialise and if you got your models for the shoot. Weather.com shows snow due tonight, so maybe it started earlier. But it continues through Wednesday, so that is good too. I saw your picture of Stephane by the lake, which would probably be frozen by now (would it not?) if you were having a normal Winter.
Just so you don't get the interminable Deep Freeze, right? Man, it sure is cold here. Not as bad tonight because of the cloud cover, but still mighty chilly......
You know, with the news about Lemmy, I was trying to remember how I first got into Motorhead. With many bands, I can remember who introduced me to them, or if I discovered them myself, where I bought my first record by a band, etc. So many of my all-time favorites came to me via the College Records connection, from the guys who worked there (like Ono or Jon Sutherland) who knew all the great bands and turned little 14 year old me onto them.
But with Motorhead, I'm pretty sure I discovered them for myself. I know it was when "Ace Of Spades" came out, so I Googled the release date and it was November 1980. That sounded about right. About that time, I was listening to Judas Priest, Rainbow and Rush mostly. Those would've been my big three, with Van Halen up there, too. I was listening to almost all hard rock in those days.
I think I read a review of "Ace Of Spades" in Kerrang! (exclamation point was part of the title) or some other music magazine. The name "Motorhead" sounded cool, and the album cover may have actually been the thing that really drew me in. It looked like an image from a Clint Eastwood movie.
I never was one to just take a chance on bands, but if I remember correctly, that's what I did with Motorhead and "Ace Of Spades", because of the great review, and the badass album cover.
I very distinctly remember playing the living you-know-what out of that record, once I got into it, which was immediately. 1980 was a weird time, an in-between time, because the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) was still two years away. Few knew who Iron Maiden were in 1980. American bands like Metallica and Slayer hadn't even formed.
But here was Motorhead, with "Ace Of Spades". Every song was fast, and this was before speed metal or any of the metal genres. Motorhead wasn't metal anyway, not really. And they certainly weren't punk, despite what many writers want to say was an ingredient in their music. I hated punk, so you know I would say that, but it's true. No punk band could play like Motorhead.
So they weren't metal and they weren't punk, and they weren't really traditional hard rock. So what were they?
I think, in their early stages, when they had the classic line-up of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, that they achieved the result that all bands should aspire to : they sounded like no one but themselves. If anything, they took basic '50s rock structures, modernized them and amped them up with massive drums, volume and guitar solos, and then added the voice and lyrics of Lemmy as the distinctive ingredient.
Lemmy was on fire back in those days. "Ace Of Spades" is a start-to-finish classic, every song is great and every song is memorable, lyrics and all. The follow up album, "Iron Fist" was good, but not as good, and Fast Eddie left soon after it was recorded. They replaced him with Brian Robertson from Thin Lizzy, who was a great guitarist himself, but in a different mold.
That's when the interview happened, the one I went to, in May 1982. It was right after Clarke quit and Robertson joined. Lemmy was super cool at that interview. He was a real hero to me and my late friend Dave Small at that time.
I have probably mentioned this at least once, but when a street crew was repaving Rathburn Avenue (the street I lived on), I took a stick and carved "Motorhead" in the newly poured soft concrete of the gutter. It stayed there for many years and might still be visible. I haven't checked, but I may do so now.......
I got to see Motorhead with Fast Eddie and Phil Taylor (the original and best lineup) one time, in 1981, probably in the Summer. I saw them a few other times, too, with Robertson.
I stopped following them around 1985 or so, because the only guy left was Lemmy, and while he was great, and a legend, I have always liked original member bands, or bands with at least more than one guy still in them. I don't like it when one single guy becomes a band's focal point. Lemmy probably wrote a lot of the Motorhead music, but to me it was all three guys who made the original lineup so great.
But without Lemmy, there would never have been a Motorhead in the first place. It was his creation all the way. His voice powered the music more than anything.
He was one of the coolest guys in rock history, and a true original. I hadn't followed his band or his music for the last 30 years, but in the years that I did, Motorhead was one of my favorite bands, and I'd say that "Ace Of Spades" is in the 30 or so greatest records ever made.
Wow.
Lemmy & Motorhead.
What a time that was. :)
That's all for tonight, Sweet Baby. I will see you in the morning. Fingers crossed for snow and good photo results........
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
It took me a little longer to get situated here tonight, hence the semi-late start, but maybe you are still awake. I hope you were able to get some good pictures today, if the snowstorm did materialise and if you got your models for the shoot. Weather.com shows snow due tonight, so maybe it started earlier. But it continues through Wednesday, so that is good too. I saw your picture of Stephane by the lake, which would probably be frozen by now (would it not?) if you were having a normal Winter.
Just so you don't get the interminable Deep Freeze, right? Man, it sure is cold here. Not as bad tonight because of the cloud cover, but still mighty chilly......
You know, with the news about Lemmy, I was trying to remember how I first got into Motorhead. With many bands, I can remember who introduced me to them, or if I discovered them myself, where I bought my first record by a band, etc. So many of my all-time favorites came to me via the College Records connection, from the guys who worked there (like Ono or Jon Sutherland) who knew all the great bands and turned little 14 year old me onto them.
But with Motorhead, I'm pretty sure I discovered them for myself. I know it was when "Ace Of Spades" came out, so I Googled the release date and it was November 1980. That sounded about right. About that time, I was listening to Judas Priest, Rainbow and Rush mostly. Those would've been my big three, with Van Halen up there, too. I was listening to almost all hard rock in those days.
I think I read a review of "Ace Of Spades" in Kerrang! (exclamation point was part of the title) or some other music magazine. The name "Motorhead" sounded cool, and the album cover may have actually been the thing that really drew me in. It looked like an image from a Clint Eastwood movie.
I never was one to just take a chance on bands, but if I remember correctly, that's what I did with Motorhead and "Ace Of Spades", because of the great review, and the badass album cover.
I very distinctly remember playing the living you-know-what out of that record, once I got into it, which was immediately. 1980 was a weird time, an in-between time, because the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) was still two years away. Few knew who Iron Maiden were in 1980. American bands like Metallica and Slayer hadn't even formed.
But here was Motorhead, with "Ace Of Spades". Every song was fast, and this was before speed metal or any of the metal genres. Motorhead wasn't metal anyway, not really. And they certainly weren't punk, despite what many writers want to say was an ingredient in their music. I hated punk, so you know I would say that, but it's true. No punk band could play like Motorhead.
So they weren't metal and they weren't punk, and they weren't really traditional hard rock. So what were they?
I think, in their early stages, when they had the classic line-up of Lemmy, Fast Eddie Clarke and Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, that they achieved the result that all bands should aspire to : they sounded like no one but themselves. If anything, they took basic '50s rock structures, modernized them and amped them up with massive drums, volume and guitar solos, and then added the voice and lyrics of Lemmy as the distinctive ingredient.
Lemmy was on fire back in those days. "Ace Of Spades" is a start-to-finish classic, every song is great and every song is memorable, lyrics and all. The follow up album, "Iron Fist" was good, but not as good, and Fast Eddie left soon after it was recorded. They replaced him with Brian Robertson from Thin Lizzy, who was a great guitarist himself, but in a different mold.
That's when the interview happened, the one I went to, in May 1982. It was right after Clarke quit and Robertson joined. Lemmy was super cool at that interview. He was a real hero to me and my late friend Dave Small at that time.
I have probably mentioned this at least once, but when a street crew was repaving Rathburn Avenue (the street I lived on), I took a stick and carved "Motorhead" in the newly poured soft concrete of the gutter. It stayed there for many years and might still be visible. I haven't checked, but I may do so now.......
I got to see Motorhead with Fast Eddie and Phil Taylor (the original and best lineup) one time, in 1981, probably in the Summer. I saw them a few other times, too, with Robertson.
I stopped following them around 1985 or so, because the only guy left was Lemmy, and while he was great, and a legend, I have always liked original member bands, or bands with at least more than one guy still in them. I don't like it when one single guy becomes a band's focal point. Lemmy probably wrote a lot of the Motorhead music, but to me it was all three guys who made the original lineup so great.
But without Lemmy, there would never have been a Motorhead in the first place. It was his creation all the way. His voice powered the music more than anything.
He was one of the coolest guys in rock history, and a true original. I hadn't followed his band or his music for the last 30 years, but in the years that I did, Motorhead was one of my favorite bands, and I'd say that "Ace Of Spades" is in the 30 or so greatest records ever made.
Wow.
Lemmy & Motorhead.
What a time that was. :)
That's all for tonight, Sweet Baby. I will see you in the morning. Fingers crossed for snow and good photo results........
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Monday, December 28, 2015
Happy Late Sunday Night
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
I'm just checking in to say hi. Not much to report today except good singing in church, and very cold once again, 34 degrees as I write. Thank goodness for houses, and walls, and insulation, and heaters, lol. I hope you had a nice day, and I saw that you are gonna do some portrait photography in the upcoming snowstorm.
No cold wimp you! :)
Seriously though, I hope you were able to get some models, and also that you get some good flurries. I just looked at weather.com for your area, and it looks guaranteed. There is all kinds of potential for great shots, with lots of white, lots of texture, and even motion as well (if you are shooting while snow is falling).
Post a picture or two if you wanna; I know you will get some good ones. :)
Well, that's all I know for tonight. See you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I'm just checking in to say hi. Not much to report today except good singing in church, and very cold once again, 34 degrees as I write. Thank goodness for houses, and walls, and insulation, and heaters, lol. I hope you had a nice day, and I saw that you are gonna do some portrait photography in the upcoming snowstorm.
No cold wimp you! :)
Seriously though, I hope you were able to get some models, and also that you get some good flurries. I just looked at weather.com for your area, and it looks guaranteed. There is all kinds of potential for great shots, with lots of white, lots of texture, and even motion as well (if you are shooting while snow is falling).
Post a picture or two if you wanna; I know you will get some good ones. :)
Well, that's all I know for tonight. See you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Settling Back In
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
I am back at Pearl's, writing again at the Usual Time. Another freezing cold and windy night in the Valley. I went on my walk, of course. But now I am shifting back into work mode and schedule after my holiday week off.
I hope your day was good. I actually saw a post of yours in the news feed this afternoon. By "news feed" I mean the main scroll of posts that goes down the middle of FB (as opposed to the much smaller "news ticker" on the side, which I don't have anymore anyway). But yeah, it's been a long time since a "like" by you showed up in my news feed. It's weird as I've said, because I have all my settings in your favor, but anyway, maybe it's a good omen. The "like" was of that "black metal classroom" video, which was a riot. :)
Today was low key, not much to report. Tomorrow morning we will be singing two songs in church. Usually we do just one, but somebody must have renegotiated our contract. :)
You are no doubt working on the Fall ll Rise video, or maybe you've finished it?
Well at any rate, I will be around in the early morn before church, and then back afterwards at about 1pm.
See you then!
Sweet Dreams..........
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
I am back at Pearl's, writing again at the Usual Time. Another freezing cold and windy night in the Valley. I went on my walk, of course. But now I am shifting back into work mode and schedule after my holiday week off.
I hope your day was good. I actually saw a post of yours in the news feed this afternoon. By "news feed" I mean the main scroll of posts that goes down the middle of FB (as opposed to the much smaller "news ticker" on the side, which I don't have anymore anyway). But yeah, it's been a long time since a "like" by you showed up in my news feed. It's weird as I've said, because I have all my settings in your favor, but anyway, maybe it's a good omen. The "like" was of that "black metal classroom" video, which was a riot. :)
Today was low key, not much to report. Tomorrow morning we will be singing two songs in church. Usually we do just one, but somebody must have renegotiated our contract. :)
You are no doubt working on the Fall ll Rise video, or maybe you've finished it?
Well at any rate, I will be around in the early morn before church, and then back afterwards at about 1pm.
See you then!
Sweet Dreams..........
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Late Christmas Night Love (wonderful season)
Happy Late Christmas Night, my Darling,
I hope you had a nice holiday today. I will post now, then come back and write more. Back in a few minutes.......
I'm back yet again. This will be the last night I do it this way, at least for a while, because tomorrow I am back at work and I'll be writing at a somewhat more reasonable hour (I know - only a half hour earlier, but still......).
Anyhow, as I say, I hope it was a nice Christmas for you and your family. I did see several of your posts today - one was from your friend Tristan, that "tattoo > Christmas" in a manner of speaking. That is funny, because he's such a character. Another was Sarah's post about explaining her year to relatives, "riding around in a van, etc.". Life on the road, in other words. I love it, and for you I have to re-state one more time that I know that you had a total blast on the Holiday Run tour, and it makes me super happy that you did have a blast, and even though you can't wait to do it again, I can't wait even more, because I want you to have as many awesome & true-to-life rock n' roll experiences as you possibly can. Because of the way everything has unfolded - like magic - I want it to keep going, and there is no doubt it will. :)
The doubly awesome part about having these experiences, especially at a young age, is that they accumulate. And as they do, you start to realise that this is your life. And that's the really great part.
To put it in context, imagine being in, say, a monotonous factory or a job you don't care for, and feeling stuck, and then thinking the same thing : "this is my life".
Your life is gonna be as an Artist (which includes all things therein - rock n' roll, photography, your own music, et al.) It will take you all kinds of places, and there will be times when there are pressures and it will feel like work.......but mostly........it will be An Experience. A Continuing Life Experience.
And it will consist of many singular experiences and adventures, like your recent road trip.
For me, to know that you had fun makes me happy. So I win too. I want you and all the bands to keep advancing and have a blast in the process. :)
I also saw your post of Clint and his girlfriend, so you know I liked that one too! :):)
It has been a wonderful Christmas season, I think.
I had a nice day today myself. I went to Pearl's for an early Christmas dinner, and then we went and saw lights again, this time up in Granada Hills. Then I came back home and did my walk, even though it was fruh-heeeeeeeeezing cold, and super windy. They say Chicago is the Windy City, but at the moment it's Northridge. :)
Now it's nice and warm in my apartment. I am grateful for a nice Christmas and looking forward to the New Year.
Sweet Dreams, and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I hope you had a nice holiday today. I will post now, then come back and write more. Back in a few minutes.......
I'm back yet again. This will be the last night I do it this way, at least for a while, because tomorrow I am back at work and I'll be writing at a somewhat more reasonable hour (I know - only a half hour earlier, but still......).
Anyhow, as I say, I hope it was a nice Christmas for you and your family. I did see several of your posts today - one was from your friend Tristan, that "tattoo > Christmas" in a manner of speaking. That is funny, because he's such a character. Another was Sarah's post about explaining her year to relatives, "riding around in a van, etc.". Life on the road, in other words. I love it, and for you I have to re-state one more time that I know that you had a total blast on the Holiday Run tour, and it makes me super happy that you did have a blast, and even though you can't wait to do it again, I can't wait even more, because I want you to have as many awesome & true-to-life rock n' roll experiences as you possibly can. Because of the way everything has unfolded - like magic - I want it to keep going, and there is no doubt it will. :)
The doubly awesome part about having these experiences, especially at a young age, is that they accumulate. And as they do, you start to realise that this is your life. And that's the really great part.
To put it in context, imagine being in, say, a monotonous factory or a job you don't care for, and feeling stuck, and then thinking the same thing : "this is my life".
Your life is gonna be as an Artist (which includes all things therein - rock n' roll, photography, your own music, et al.) It will take you all kinds of places, and there will be times when there are pressures and it will feel like work.......but mostly........it will be An Experience. A Continuing Life Experience.
And it will consist of many singular experiences and adventures, like your recent road trip.
For me, to know that you had fun makes me happy. So I win too. I want you and all the bands to keep advancing and have a blast in the process. :)
I also saw your post of Clint and his girlfriend, so you know I liked that one too! :):)
It has been a wonderful Christmas season, I think.
I had a nice day today myself. I went to Pearl's for an early Christmas dinner, and then we went and saw lights again, this time up in Granada Hills. Then I came back home and did my walk, even though it was fruh-heeeeeeeeezing cold, and super windy. They say Chicago is the Windy City, but at the moment it's Northridge. :)
Now it's nice and warm in my apartment. I am grateful for a nice Christmas and looking forward to the New Year.
Sweet Dreams, and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, December 25, 2015
Merry Christmas! (church & lights)
Merry Christmas, Sweet Baby,
I am back from Midnight Mass at Our Lady Of Lourdes, my Mom's church just a block up from my apartment. I will post first, then come back and write. :)
I am back. The service at OLL was very beautiful and traditional. The Catholic Mass is very participatory, with congregation responses following certain recitations, and it is also ceremonial and ritualistic. Prayers are said in a distinct order, followed immediately by music. It's all very powerful, especially with a packed church. I am always in the overflow section of the crowd, standing in the narthex (lobby) area. The Mass was about 80 minutes, with lots of singing.
Earlier in the evening I also went to the Christmas Eve service at Reseda Methodist. We had a pretty full church, too, more than usual and of course you get that on major holidays like Christmas Eve or Easter. This service was unique because it was bi-lingual. They had a band singing in Spanish and then the congregation would alternate with them in English. It was certainly different, but nice. All of us choir members were in the audience. It was a short service, only 45 minutes, so afterward we headed over to Candy Cane Lane, which is a Christmastime name for several streets in the neighboring town of Woodland Hills. Candy Cane Lane started out in the 1940s or 50s as just one street, now it's several, and it's in an upper-middle class neighborhood. People on those streets have a decades old tradition at Christmas of lighting their homes to the hilt, and it's really something to see. I've been going for years, but this year - wow. The lights and decorations were beautiful as always, but I have never before seen such a line of cars to get in.
You'd have thought it was a U2 concert at a stadium or the World Series. The traffic began to back up about a mile from Candy Cane Lane, and then it came to a stop not much further. From that point it moved at a crawl, and it took us (me, Pearl, her daughter and The Kobedog) about 45 minutes just to reach the streets with the lights from that point. One of the all time traffic jams, but it was worth it because the lights were beautiful and it was nice to see so many people enjoying them. Even the Channel 7 ABC News was there.
So that was my night, a good one with a lot of Christmas Spirit.
I hope your day was good, and that you had a nice Christmas Eve with family and maybe friends too.
I saw your Taya Iv post this morning, and it was absolutely perfect! It summed up everything that this year has been about, and the part about climbing a mountain was right on the money too. :)
So, now I'll be heading back to NORAD in Colorado Springs. We're gonna be tracking Santa for the rest of the night, and it'll be a pretty busy one, but I imagine he'll be all done by morning, so I should be back home and awake by the usual time, 10am or so.
In the meantime, Sweet Dreams! And Merry Christmas too........
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I am back from Midnight Mass at Our Lady Of Lourdes, my Mom's church just a block up from my apartment. I will post first, then come back and write. :)
I am back. The service at OLL was very beautiful and traditional. The Catholic Mass is very participatory, with congregation responses following certain recitations, and it is also ceremonial and ritualistic. Prayers are said in a distinct order, followed immediately by music. It's all very powerful, especially with a packed church. I am always in the overflow section of the crowd, standing in the narthex (lobby) area. The Mass was about 80 minutes, with lots of singing.
Earlier in the evening I also went to the Christmas Eve service at Reseda Methodist. We had a pretty full church, too, more than usual and of course you get that on major holidays like Christmas Eve or Easter. This service was unique because it was bi-lingual. They had a band singing in Spanish and then the congregation would alternate with them in English. It was certainly different, but nice. All of us choir members were in the audience. It was a short service, only 45 minutes, so afterward we headed over to Candy Cane Lane, which is a Christmastime name for several streets in the neighboring town of Woodland Hills. Candy Cane Lane started out in the 1940s or 50s as just one street, now it's several, and it's in an upper-middle class neighborhood. People on those streets have a decades old tradition at Christmas of lighting their homes to the hilt, and it's really something to see. I've been going for years, but this year - wow. The lights and decorations were beautiful as always, but I have never before seen such a line of cars to get in.
You'd have thought it was a U2 concert at a stadium or the World Series. The traffic began to back up about a mile from Candy Cane Lane, and then it came to a stop not much further. From that point it moved at a crawl, and it took us (me, Pearl, her daughter and The Kobedog) about 45 minutes just to reach the streets with the lights from that point. One of the all time traffic jams, but it was worth it because the lights were beautiful and it was nice to see so many people enjoying them. Even the Channel 7 ABC News was there.
So that was my night, a good one with a lot of Christmas Spirit.
I hope your day was good, and that you had a nice Christmas Eve with family and maybe friends too.
I saw your Taya Iv post this morning, and it was absolutely perfect! It summed up everything that this year has been about, and the part about climbing a mountain was right on the money too. :)
So, now I'll be heading back to NORAD in Colorado Springs. We're gonna be tracking Santa for the rest of the night, and it'll be a pretty busy one, but I imagine he'll be all done by morning, so I should be back home and awake by the usual time, 10am or so.
In the meantime, Sweet Dreams! And Merry Christmas too........
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Post First, Then Write (photo styles)
Happy Super Late Night, Sweet Baby,
In keeping with recent blogs, because of the hour I shall post first and write afterward. Back in a few minutes.....
Okay, I am back. My problem is that when I have time off, I'm like a kid in a candy store : I wanna try a little bit of everything. So, I wake up and wanna play guitar. Then I wanna walk down to the library to see what movies they've got. Then I wanna come back and read a chapter of one of my books, and after that it's about three o'clock and time for a hike. And when I get back from that, I've got all evening to do stuff, which means read from another book, watch a movie, go for my walk, play more guitar (actually some of my best guitar playing time is when I'm watching movies or shows on dvd)....
Yeah, I know I'm nuts. That's been established.
But that's why I turn into a Night Person, is because I want to cram as much activity into my day as possible. Today I did get a hike in, as you may have seen if you saw my pics on FB, from Limekiln Canyon. That's the one which is just down the road from Aliso Canyon. I don't visit Limekiln as often, because Aliso is more picturesque, but today I found a great spot where the light was coming through just right, and I got some good color pix.
You got another great live shot of Clint, this one an impromptu moment as you stated. It's an in-the-moment shot, and you want to get as many of those as you can, because they compliment and contrast the carefully composed shots like your close up pic of Betty Rise. Now, I am guessing that shot is from the video, and so it is purposely set up that way - lighting, composition and all. But even if it were a live concert shot, it would have been one you had to wait for.
You know what I mean, when you are pointing your cam at someone in the band (or maybe the whole stage) and you're waiting for a perfect moment........and then you snap it.
That's what I used to do, and in the days of film you kind of had to do it that way, because you had a limited amount of exposures. My picture of Todd Rundgren in mid-guitar solo is one such shot : me, pointing....pointing.....pointing the cam......waiting, framing.......and then snap it.
But the opposite kind of shot is when something just happens and so you snap spontaneously. That can also give shots an immediate feel. A photojournalistic feel. So you want to get a lot of those, too, like with your shot of Clint. He turned around; you took the pic with audience in background - it has an immediate feel.
Keep up the good work, in other words! :)
What a year, I saw your post about having a million things to finish during the holiday season, meaning video and photos jobs in your case. Incredible how things have turned out, considering that a year ago you were just home from art school in Italy.
My goodness. :)
Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I will be up at around 10 as usual this week. Probably just gonna be around the pad for most of the morn and early afternoon, no excursions or hiking or anything, because I've gotta do some shopping and then at 6pm I am gonna go to the service at church with Pearl and her daughter. We won't be singing in the choir, but everyone in the choir is gonna be there, and there will be sing along carols. Then later, I will attend the 10:30pm Mass at Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Church one block up from my apartment. It was my Mom's church and I love their Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. It's very special and ceremonial, and they have a lot of singing too. :)
So, I'll be around for most of the day, and then back for late night, just in time to keep track of Santa Claus.
See you in the morning, Sweet Dreams until then!
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
In keeping with recent blogs, because of the hour I shall post first and write afterward. Back in a few minutes.....
Okay, I am back. My problem is that when I have time off, I'm like a kid in a candy store : I wanna try a little bit of everything. So, I wake up and wanna play guitar. Then I wanna walk down to the library to see what movies they've got. Then I wanna come back and read a chapter of one of my books, and after that it's about three o'clock and time for a hike. And when I get back from that, I've got all evening to do stuff, which means read from another book, watch a movie, go for my walk, play more guitar (actually some of my best guitar playing time is when I'm watching movies or shows on dvd)....
Yeah, I know I'm nuts. That's been established.
But that's why I turn into a Night Person, is because I want to cram as much activity into my day as possible. Today I did get a hike in, as you may have seen if you saw my pics on FB, from Limekiln Canyon. That's the one which is just down the road from Aliso Canyon. I don't visit Limekiln as often, because Aliso is more picturesque, but today I found a great spot where the light was coming through just right, and I got some good color pix.
You got another great live shot of Clint, this one an impromptu moment as you stated. It's an in-the-moment shot, and you want to get as many of those as you can, because they compliment and contrast the carefully composed shots like your close up pic of Betty Rise. Now, I am guessing that shot is from the video, and so it is purposely set up that way - lighting, composition and all. But even if it were a live concert shot, it would have been one you had to wait for.
You know what I mean, when you are pointing your cam at someone in the band (or maybe the whole stage) and you're waiting for a perfect moment........and then you snap it.
That's what I used to do, and in the days of film you kind of had to do it that way, because you had a limited amount of exposures. My picture of Todd Rundgren in mid-guitar solo is one such shot : me, pointing....pointing.....pointing the cam......waiting, framing.......and then snap it.
But the opposite kind of shot is when something just happens and so you snap spontaneously. That can also give shots an immediate feel. A photojournalistic feel. So you want to get a lot of those, too, like with your shot of Clint. He turned around; you took the pic with audience in background - it has an immediate feel.
Keep up the good work, in other words! :)
What a year, I saw your post about having a million things to finish during the holiday season, meaning video and photos jobs in your case. Incredible how things have turned out, considering that a year ago you were just home from art school in Italy.
My goodness. :)
Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I will be up at around 10 as usual this week. Probably just gonna be around the pad for most of the morn and early afternoon, no excursions or hiking or anything, because I've gotta do some shopping and then at 6pm I am gonna go to the service at church with Pearl and her daughter. We won't be singing in the choir, but everyone in the choir is gonna be there, and there will be sing along carols. Then later, I will attend the 10:30pm Mass at Our Lady Of Lourdes Catholic Church one block up from my apartment. It was my Mom's church and I love their Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. It's very special and ceremonial, and they have a lot of singing too. :)
So, I'll be around for most of the day, and then back for late night, just in time to keep track of Santa Claus.
See you in the morning, Sweet Dreams until then!
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Night Owl (astronomical)
Happy Super Late Night, my Darling,
Once again, because it is so late, I am gonna post this right now, and then come back and write. You are probably asleep already anyway, but just in case........(back in a few minutes)
Okay, now I am back. As you know, when I am off work I revert to being a night owl, and I was caught up in my Tom Van Flandern book, reading about the Exploded Planet Hypothesis which likely caused the asteroid belt and comets, and a lot of other stuff. It's a mind boggling book, and the going is slow because of astronomical technical jargon, and also because I have to keep stopping to Google stuff like the Spokane Flood Event, in which a massive amount of water was released in that area at the end of the Ice Age or perhaps earlier.
I am fascinated by Catastrophism, and the strong likelihood of the Biblical Flood being a reality, which would mean that a major event happened in the Solar System that affected all bodies including Earth. One of the reasons the rocks out at Chatsworth and in the Santa Susana mountains are so interesting to me is because they were formed underwater. The giant boulders are sandstone, i.e. made of sand, compressed under incredible conditions. So all this stuff blows my mind and I love to read about it, but I'm not one for conventional theories on many scientific subjects, as you know. Often, the conventional (meaning "accepted") explanation is the one that sounds far-fetched, in comparison with more recent, so called "alternative" theories that take a more comprehensive and deductive approach, leading to more obvious answers.
So now I am learning the difference between de-ductive and in-ductive reasoning, and stuff that a lot of people took in high school or college, haha. And I'm having fun.
It was a rainy day anyway, so no hike was to be had. I did sneak in a few miles on my regular walk route, during breaks in the clouds. Watched a classic old fashioned Christmas movie called "It Happened On 5th Avenue" that I got from the library. All the best Christmas movies, like this one, or "It's A Wonderful Life", or "Miracle On 34th Street" or "Holiday Inn", were all made in the 1940s......
I bet you were working on the Fall ll Rise video today. I know you are meticulous with your editing/synching process, and that you put in a lot of hours completing each video.
And also, Christmas is in three days! So everything is happening at once. :)
Tomorrow is again a free day for me, so I will be up at around 10am (give or take) and then if the weather clears I may try again for a hiking and photographic destination. But I'll be around one way or another.
Sweet Dreams (you may already be having them) and I'll see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Once again, because it is so late, I am gonna post this right now, and then come back and write. You are probably asleep already anyway, but just in case........(back in a few minutes)
Okay, now I am back. As you know, when I am off work I revert to being a night owl, and I was caught up in my Tom Van Flandern book, reading about the Exploded Planet Hypothesis which likely caused the asteroid belt and comets, and a lot of other stuff. It's a mind boggling book, and the going is slow because of astronomical technical jargon, and also because I have to keep stopping to Google stuff like the Spokane Flood Event, in which a massive amount of water was released in that area at the end of the Ice Age or perhaps earlier.
I am fascinated by Catastrophism, and the strong likelihood of the Biblical Flood being a reality, which would mean that a major event happened in the Solar System that affected all bodies including Earth. One of the reasons the rocks out at Chatsworth and in the Santa Susana mountains are so interesting to me is because they were formed underwater. The giant boulders are sandstone, i.e. made of sand, compressed under incredible conditions. So all this stuff blows my mind and I love to read about it, but I'm not one for conventional theories on many scientific subjects, as you know. Often, the conventional (meaning "accepted") explanation is the one that sounds far-fetched, in comparison with more recent, so called "alternative" theories that take a more comprehensive and deductive approach, leading to more obvious answers.
So now I am learning the difference between de-ductive and in-ductive reasoning, and stuff that a lot of people took in high school or college, haha. And I'm having fun.
It was a rainy day anyway, so no hike was to be had. I did sneak in a few miles on my regular walk route, during breaks in the clouds. Watched a classic old fashioned Christmas movie called "It Happened On 5th Avenue" that I got from the library. All the best Christmas movies, like this one, or "It's A Wonderful Life", or "Miracle On 34th Street" or "Holiday Inn", were all made in the 1940s......
I bet you were working on the Fall ll Rise video today. I know you are meticulous with your editing/synching process, and that you put in a lot of hours completing each video.
And also, Christmas is in three days! So everything is happening at once. :)
Tomorrow is again a free day for me, so I will be up at around 10am (give or take) and then if the weather clears I may try again for a hiking and photographic destination. But I'll be around one way or another.
Sweet Dreams (you may already be having them) and I'll see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Super Duper (great photo + snowy owl & raccoons)
Happy Super Late Night, my Darling,
Because I am posting so late, and because I didn't post yesterday, I am gonna go ahead and put this up right away, before I finish writing it, just so you'll know I'm here. Then I'll come back and actually write the blog. Back in a minute with more..... :)
Okay, now I am back. I saw your photo on FB this morning, and wow! That is a big time rock photo, Elizabeth. I don't know if it's a still shot or from your video, but either way it's fantastic. For a shot of a singer, the emphasis is perfect : lips, mouth and microphone. Her highlighted hair above her nose gives the shot motion, i.e. "live-ness". You nailed the framing, and the whole thing is really, really good. So as always I am looking forward to seeing the video. You must have two or three ready to go now, by the different bands you've recently worked with.
I hope you are enjoying your Christmas week, too. I did see another post of yours, the photo of the snowy owl. What a beautiful sight that would be! You guys have some great birds up there (and is an owl considered a bird? I would imagine so...)
But yeah, a snowy owl, too perfect on the first day of Winter. I am glad to see that you are not getting hammered by the Deep Freeze thus far. On weather.com it said 38 degrees for Madison today. Not too shabby (though it would be a Deep Freeze for us here, lol). We are probably in the mid-40s as I write, but once that cloud cover is gone, we are gonna be down in the mid-30s ourselves, at least at night, and that qualifies as official L.A. Cold. :)
One of my favorite things about the Winter Solstice is that every day after is a minute more of sunshine. So by January 21, it is light outside for a half hour longer, and so forth. And by March, you get the return of daylight savings. Right now, though, I am enjoying the dark skies and twinkling Christmas lights. Today, I hung around The Pad until late afternoon, when I went for a hike at Aliso Canyon. Didn't get any good pics, but it is always nice to be there, and this time there was a little water in the creek from recent rain.
Other than that, I'm just enjoying my time off. The weather should be clear tomorrow, so maybe a trip to Santa Su is in order.
I forgot to mention that I saw a family of raccoons the other night at CSUN. They were coming out of some bushes up near the science department. You notice their behavior, and so I saw Mama Raccoon pause on the grass, a few feet from the trash can she was heading for, and even though I was standing about ten feet away, she didn't run. So I knew she was waiting for her kids, and sure enough, here they came : one at a time, emerging from the same bushes as Mama had. I've seen 'em before (maybe even the same family), and that's how Raccoon kids always do it : one at a time. They play it really safe. So I always stand super still to be unobtrusive, so I can watch them. It's fun. This time, though, I was maybe a little too close, because they wouldn't go all they way to the trash can. They just stood there on the lawn, Mama and three kids, all hunched over like Raccoons do. They were looking at me, waiting for me to leave, so I did. But it was really cool to see the whole family. :)
That's all I know for tonight. I will sleep in tomorrow, but should be awake by 10am or so. Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox :):)
Because I am posting so late, and because I didn't post yesterday, I am gonna go ahead and put this up right away, before I finish writing it, just so you'll know I'm here. Then I'll come back and actually write the blog. Back in a minute with more..... :)
Okay, now I am back. I saw your photo on FB this morning, and wow! That is a big time rock photo, Elizabeth. I don't know if it's a still shot or from your video, but either way it's fantastic. For a shot of a singer, the emphasis is perfect : lips, mouth and microphone. Her highlighted hair above her nose gives the shot motion, i.e. "live-ness". You nailed the framing, and the whole thing is really, really good. So as always I am looking forward to seeing the video. You must have two or three ready to go now, by the different bands you've recently worked with.
I hope you are enjoying your Christmas week, too. I did see another post of yours, the photo of the snowy owl. What a beautiful sight that would be! You guys have some great birds up there (and is an owl considered a bird? I would imagine so...)
But yeah, a snowy owl, too perfect on the first day of Winter. I am glad to see that you are not getting hammered by the Deep Freeze thus far. On weather.com it said 38 degrees for Madison today. Not too shabby (though it would be a Deep Freeze for us here, lol). We are probably in the mid-40s as I write, but once that cloud cover is gone, we are gonna be down in the mid-30s ourselves, at least at night, and that qualifies as official L.A. Cold. :)
One of my favorite things about the Winter Solstice is that every day after is a minute more of sunshine. So by January 21, it is light outside for a half hour longer, and so forth. And by March, you get the return of daylight savings. Right now, though, I am enjoying the dark skies and twinkling Christmas lights. Today, I hung around The Pad until late afternoon, when I went for a hike at Aliso Canyon. Didn't get any good pics, but it is always nice to be there, and this time there was a little water in the creek from recent rain.
Other than that, I'm just enjoying my time off. The weather should be clear tomorrow, so maybe a trip to Santa Su is in order.
I forgot to mention that I saw a family of raccoons the other night at CSUN. They were coming out of some bushes up near the science department. You notice their behavior, and so I saw Mama Raccoon pause on the grass, a few feet from the trash can she was heading for, and even though I was standing about ten feet away, she didn't run. So I knew she was waiting for her kids, and sure enough, here they came : one at a time, emerging from the same bushes as Mama had. I've seen 'em before (maybe even the same family), and that's how Raccoon kids always do it : one at a time. They play it really safe. So I always stand super still to be unobtrusive, so I can watch them. It's fun. This time, though, I was maybe a little too close, because they wouldn't go all they way to the trash can. They just stood there on the lawn, Mama and three kids, all hunched over like Raccoons do. They were looking at me, waiting for me to leave, so I did. But it was really cool to see the whole family. :)
That's all I know for tonight. I will sleep in tomorrow, but should be awake by 10am or so. Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox :):)
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Every Good Boy (plus Sweet Babyism)
Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
I haven't seen you around for the last couple days, but I know you had the Ultrea concert last night, and I'm sure "The Force Awakens" was also on your to-do list. :) Or it could just be my FB. Not having a news ticker really sucks, and I never know if "posts You like" is gonna show me anything new or not. But at any rate, I hope you've been enjoying your weekend. I am sure you got a lot of great shots at the concert and had a blast in the process.
I am off until next Saturday, and I've been home all day just chillin', reading and trying to reorganise my cds, to double 'em up on the shelves so I can free up some room and get a lot of books off the floor. I need an extra bookcase, but in The Tiny I don't have enough space. So I've become a master of arrangement instead.
I am looking at Treble and Bass Clef charts to try and familiarise myself with the note progressions. I remembered Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge from music class in junior high (what they now call middle school), and just tonight I remembered F.A.C.E. for the spaces in between. Pretty cool, eh? It won't help me all that much, because at this stage of the game, I will still always learn by memorization rather than identifying each note, and I am getting pretty good at reading the notes as an ascending and descending ladder. But knowing the EGBDF and FACE allows me to look at the music and play the notes on my guitar, and that in turn helps with memorization of some of the more complex lines. We do practice in choir for an hour every Sunday, but it's still easy to forget the counterpart lines and just sing the melody, if you don't memorize your part.
A little bit of rain tonight. Cold, too, but thankfully not freezing. Tomorrow morning I will go to church and practice afterward, and then I'll be home. Looking forward to Christmas week. Post if you get the chance.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I haven't seen you around for the last couple days, but I know you had the Ultrea concert last night, and I'm sure "The Force Awakens" was also on your to-do list. :) Or it could just be my FB. Not having a news ticker really sucks, and I never know if "posts You like" is gonna show me anything new or not. But at any rate, I hope you've been enjoying your weekend. I am sure you got a lot of great shots at the concert and had a blast in the process.
I am off until next Saturday, and I've been home all day just chillin', reading and trying to reorganise my cds, to double 'em up on the shelves so I can free up some room and get a lot of books off the floor. I need an extra bookcase, but in The Tiny I don't have enough space. So I've become a master of arrangement instead.
I am looking at Treble and Bass Clef charts to try and familiarise myself with the note progressions. I remembered Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge from music class in junior high (what they now call middle school), and just tonight I remembered F.A.C.E. for the spaces in between. Pretty cool, eh? It won't help me all that much, because at this stage of the game, I will still always learn by memorization rather than identifying each note, and I am getting pretty good at reading the notes as an ascending and descending ladder. But knowing the EGBDF and FACE allows me to look at the music and play the notes on my guitar, and that in turn helps with memorization of some of the more complex lines. We do practice in choir for an hour every Sunday, but it's still easy to forget the counterpart lines and just sing the melody, if you don't memorize your part.
A little bit of rain tonight. Cold, too, but thankfully not freezing. Tomorrow morning I will go to church and practice afterward, and then I'll be home. Looking forward to Christmas week. Post if you get the chance.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, December 18, 2015
Rock 'N Roll
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
I am hangin' with The Black Kitty tonight, here in Pearl's dining room. I let her in cause it's freezing outside. She normally sleeps in the shed out back and doesn't come in the house much even if I offer, because usually The Kobedog is around to chase her away. But he is currently sound asleep back in Pearl's bedroom, so she did come in this time. Now I just wish she'd stop pestering me, lol, and playing with the computer cords.
I see you will be attending the Ultrea/Fall ll Rise show on Saturday night. That is great, and it's nice that the concert continuum is continuing! I hope all bands continue to gig regularly, get noticed by management & promoters and all those good things. That will translate into more work and more notice for you, and all you've gotta do is keep making the bands look good in photos and videos, which is What You Do so it's a piece of cake.
Hey, being in the rock biz is pretty cool, eh? :)
Not a lot to report on my end, though I am glad - (I think) - that Deep Purple will be getting into the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame. I'm glad for Ritchie's sake, even though he won't be there because he doesn't do stuff like that.
I finished Season Five of "The Walking Dead" tonight, so now I've gotta watch it on TV like everybody else. Luckily for me, Pearl has AMC, so now I will check the schedule for Season Six episodes, which aren't on dvd yet. Not sure where they can go with the plotlines, because it certainly can't get anymore gruesome or violent, but maybe they will finally find out what caused the human race to turn into Zombies in the first place, an aspect the show has never explored. I had never before this year watched even a single episode of any cable hit show phenomenon (Sopranos, et al), but Grimsley got me hooked on "Breaking Bad" and now "Walking Dead", so I'm in it for the duration.
Tomorrow morn I will take The Kobester to Le Groomer at 10am, then come back and help Pearl with her Christmas cards, but I'll be around most of the day. And then after Saturday morn, I'll have a week off until December 26th.
That's all I know for tonight, Sweet Baby. Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I am hangin' with The Black Kitty tonight, here in Pearl's dining room. I let her in cause it's freezing outside. She normally sleeps in the shed out back and doesn't come in the house much even if I offer, because usually The Kobedog is around to chase her away. But he is currently sound asleep back in Pearl's bedroom, so she did come in this time. Now I just wish she'd stop pestering me, lol, and playing with the computer cords.
I see you will be attending the Ultrea/Fall ll Rise show on Saturday night. That is great, and it's nice that the concert continuum is continuing! I hope all bands continue to gig regularly, get noticed by management & promoters and all those good things. That will translate into more work and more notice for you, and all you've gotta do is keep making the bands look good in photos and videos, which is What You Do so it's a piece of cake.
Hey, being in the rock biz is pretty cool, eh? :)
Not a lot to report on my end, though I am glad - (I think) - that Deep Purple will be getting into the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame. I'm glad for Ritchie's sake, even though he won't be there because he doesn't do stuff like that.
I finished Season Five of "The Walking Dead" tonight, so now I've gotta watch it on TV like everybody else. Luckily for me, Pearl has AMC, so now I will check the schedule for Season Six episodes, which aren't on dvd yet. Not sure where they can go with the plotlines, because it certainly can't get anymore gruesome or violent, but maybe they will finally find out what caused the human race to turn into Zombies in the first place, an aspect the show has never explored. I had never before this year watched even a single episode of any cable hit show phenomenon (Sopranos, et al), but Grimsley got me hooked on "Breaking Bad" and now "Walking Dead", so I'm in it for the duration.
Tomorrow morn I will take The Kobester to Le Groomer at 10am, then come back and help Pearl with her Christmas cards, but I'll be around most of the day. And then after Saturday morn, I'll have a week off until December 26th.
That's all I know for tonight, Sweet Baby. Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Instruments
Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
Wow, so you are selling your piano? It's a classic, just from the "Autre Temps" video alone. It has a very natural sound, too. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding a buyer, and maybe you've already gotten some calls. You say you will be moving a lot; does that mean you are gonna get your own place? But then it wouldn't be moving a lot, but just moving. So maybe by moving a lot, you mean lugging musical instruments around from place to place.
I remember when I sold my Gibson 335. I think there is a picture of me with it in my "Photos From The Past" album on FB. I bought that guitar from a guy in Hollywood on either May 21 or May 24 1980. I think it was the 21st, though that was a Wednesday and I should have been at work. But I remember it because I am pretty sure we went to see "The Empire Strikes Back" on opening day, and I know I bought the guitar the same day. If it was the 24th, that means we went on a Saturday, a day off.
But yeah, that was when I bought that guitar. I had it for 17 years, and then in 1997 I had to sell it to pay a storage bill. I had all my stuff in storage and was behind on the rent, and they had locked up the unit and were gonna do an auction.........so, 335 to the rescue. Man, I loved that guitar. But by that time, the neck and frets were really worn down, and I was living in an apartment instead of a house and I couldn't play it loud anyway..........so the point is that it really hurt to sell it at first, but then that feeling went away after a few days.
As for "Empire", I have always thought it was the best "Star Wars" movie. I will probably see the new one at some point, maybe even in the theater. I admit I didn't see any of the prequels. For me, the original was a game changer for high-tech sci-fi. I think it was the first time we ever heard of Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects company that a guy named John Dykstra ran out of a Van Nuys werehouse. Then "Empire" took it to a new level, especially with the battle scenes in the desert with those tall "crane"-looking things. I'm not versed enough on the Star Wars world and characters to know what they were called, but you know what I mean. Whatever those things were, they were incredible. So that was my favorite Star Wars movie, and I got my guitar the same day. It sat in the trunk of my car while my pals and I watched the movie at Graumann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.......then I took it home and played it for years. :)
So are you going to "The Force Awakens" this weekend? Maybe on opening day? Possibly a dumb question on my part. :)
I will be off from Saturday afternoon for a full week through December 26, so I will catch up on some movies then, and play a little guitar, too.
Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wow, so you are selling your piano? It's a classic, just from the "Autre Temps" video alone. It has a very natural sound, too. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding a buyer, and maybe you've already gotten some calls. You say you will be moving a lot; does that mean you are gonna get your own place? But then it wouldn't be moving a lot, but just moving. So maybe by moving a lot, you mean lugging musical instruments around from place to place.
I remember when I sold my Gibson 335. I think there is a picture of me with it in my "Photos From The Past" album on FB. I bought that guitar from a guy in Hollywood on either May 21 or May 24 1980. I think it was the 21st, though that was a Wednesday and I should have been at work. But I remember it because I am pretty sure we went to see "The Empire Strikes Back" on opening day, and I know I bought the guitar the same day. If it was the 24th, that means we went on a Saturday, a day off.
But yeah, that was when I bought that guitar. I had it for 17 years, and then in 1997 I had to sell it to pay a storage bill. I had all my stuff in storage and was behind on the rent, and they had locked up the unit and were gonna do an auction.........so, 335 to the rescue. Man, I loved that guitar. But by that time, the neck and frets were really worn down, and I was living in an apartment instead of a house and I couldn't play it loud anyway..........so the point is that it really hurt to sell it at first, but then that feeling went away after a few days.
As for "Empire", I have always thought it was the best "Star Wars" movie. I will probably see the new one at some point, maybe even in the theater. I admit I didn't see any of the prequels. For me, the original was a game changer for high-tech sci-fi. I think it was the first time we ever heard of Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects company that a guy named John Dykstra ran out of a Van Nuys werehouse. Then "Empire" took it to a new level, especially with the battle scenes in the desert with those tall "crane"-looking things. I'm not versed enough on the Star Wars world and characters to know what they were called, but you know what I mean. Whatever those things were, they were incredible. So that was my favorite Star Wars movie, and I got my guitar the same day. It sat in the trunk of my car while my pals and I watched the movie at Graumann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.......then I took it home and played it for years. :)
So are you going to "The Force Awakens" this weekend? Maybe on opening day? Possibly a dumb question on my part. :)
I will be off from Saturday afternoon for a full week through December 26, so I will catch up on some movies then, and play a little guitar, too.
Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Wow
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
Well, once again I see that the reports are all good. I was able to see two posts in the "posts You like" function, and one is of the video clip James posted, presumably shot by you, in which the fans are holding up lights of some kind. Can't tell if they are lighters, but that's usually what is raised at a concert, and especially during a sing-a-long. James seems like a cool guy, and he is rightfully very happy about his tour experience. He, like me, also described it as magical. The only difference is that I would tell him it isn't cheesy to say so!
No, what it is, is totally magical and that's the way it should be described.
I am beyond happy for all of you guys, and that includes the fans, too.
To make people happy with music is one of the greatest things in the world, and conversely, to be in the audience making the band happy with your response is equally great.
When I was about 20, 21, I remember coming out of concerts like Judas Priest and just feeling three feet off the ground.
But more than that. What I felt, was like "this is The Real Me, at this concert".
Whatever happened at the concert brought out The Real Me, the way I knew I ought to feel.
It was a world I knew I belonged in, and not only belonged in but could thrive in, and feel everything I knew I was always meant to feel.
It was amazing to me, to have such a realisation at such a perfect age.
Early 20s is such a great time, so soak up every minute of it.
Soak it up, and let it sink in, because as I have said, it's gonna continue. Those guys already have a lot of fans, devoted fans, and with the right management moves they will get more tours, bigger tours, and their following will continue to grow.
Once you've got the fire started, you just keep feeding it until it's blazing.
I must say, the other post I saw, the one with Princess Leia and Han Solo?.............
Well, I just happen to love that one too. But for other reasons. :):) !!
As all of you guys have said, what a great way to end the year and to set the stage for 2016.
Guaranteed to be awesome.
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Well, once again I see that the reports are all good. I was able to see two posts in the "posts You like" function, and one is of the video clip James posted, presumably shot by you, in which the fans are holding up lights of some kind. Can't tell if they are lighters, but that's usually what is raised at a concert, and especially during a sing-a-long. James seems like a cool guy, and he is rightfully very happy about his tour experience. He, like me, also described it as magical. The only difference is that I would tell him it isn't cheesy to say so!
No, what it is, is totally magical and that's the way it should be described.
I am beyond happy for all of you guys, and that includes the fans, too.
To make people happy with music is one of the greatest things in the world, and conversely, to be in the audience making the band happy with your response is equally great.
When I was about 20, 21, I remember coming out of concerts like Judas Priest and just feeling three feet off the ground.
But more than that. What I felt, was like "this is The Real Me, at this concert".
Whatever happened at the concert brought out The Real Me, the way I knew I ought to feel.
It was a world I knew I belonged in, and not only belonged in but could thrive in, and feel everything I knew I was always meant to feel.
It was amazing to me, to have such a realisation at such a perfect age.
Early 20s is such a great time, so soak up every minute of it.
Soak it up, and let it sink in, because as I have said, it's gonna continue. Those guys already have a lot of fans, devoted fans, and with the right management moves they will get more tours, bigger tours, and their following will continue to grow.
Once you've got the fire started, you just keep feeding it until it's blazing.
I must say, the other post I saw, the one with Princess Leia and Han Solo?.............
Well, I just happen to love that one too. But for other reasons. :):) !!
As all of you guys have said, what a great way to end the year and to set the stage for 2016.
Guaranteed to be awesome.
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Great Pictures, Very Happy About The Whole Thing Cause It's Magic
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
Those are some fantastic shots you took, looking from the stage at the crowd last night. Great stuff, and you really captured the energy of the audience inside the club. I think one of the shots has the band(s) and maybe the overall tour entourage positioned in front of the audience? I say that because I see James in that pic, and a guy with an acoustic guitar. That pic is so cool, and it will be like a time capsule for those guys to remember their tour by. And for you, too.
It's so great to capture the moment in pictures and to tell the story of life in this way, for your bands and for yourself and for the viewer as well. I have also recommended that you keep a notebook or journal, just to jot down a paragraph or two each day during your gigs, or even every day. In that way you will have a recording of your thoughts and impressions in the moment as well, and one day you can compare them with your photos and have a written record of your experiences as well. I know - from doing it myself - that it takes extra effort to write a little bit with pen and paper, but it's really worth it because it all goes together, words and pictures, and who knows what you can create when they are put together?
Just the same, though, your pictures are so good in and of themselves, and you got some great lighting and color effects in addition to capturing the immediacy of the moment in which they were snapped.
I am enjoying reading in the FB text things like the band's amazement at the audience knowing all the words to the songs. All of that is super cool, such a part of the rock n' roll experience, and I am also excited to see that in just about every post of one of your photos, you are not only credited but mentioned and thanked.
It's also part of the experience, including the overall life experience, to look back and see how you got from A to B, and to try and see the Magic at work. Of course there is work and a steady progression of events behind this process, but when you look at a couple years ago, and then now, it can feel like it comes out of nowhere. It's like with me, today I thought: "If you had told me a few years ago that, 1) I'd be singing, and 2) That I'd be singing as part of a church choir, and 3) That I'd be singing in a program with a group like the Master Chorale, I would wonder how that would come to pass". But that's the Magic Of Life, when you leave yourself open to things. In your case, it's pure Intent, as we have talked about, because you have wanted to do the things you are doing, and now it is happening. But you began by intending to do it in your mind.
Pretty awesome, eh?
I am always looking forward to whatever is gonna come next, but with a sharp Intent myself and a focus on the Magic. That's how you make it happen, by wanting and believing in it.
I am so glad that all the bands have believed in you and have chosen you as their photographer and videographer.
It makes me happy, and all I can say is "Wow"!
But I always knew it was gonna happen. :)
Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning, Sweet Baby.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Those are some fantastic shots you took, looking from the stage at the crowd last night. Great stuff, and you really captured the energy of the audience inside the club. I think one of the shots has the band(s) and maybe the overall tour entourage positioned in front of the audience? I say that because I see James in that pic, and a guy with an acoustic guitar. That pic is so cool, and it will be like a time capsule for those guys to remember their tour by. And for you, too.
It's so great to capture the moment in pictures and to tell the story of life in this way, for your bands and for yourself and for the viewer as well. I have also recommended that you keep a notebook or journal, just to jot down a paragraph or two each day during your gigs, or even every day. In that way you will have a recording of your thoughts and impressions in the moment as well, and one day you can compare them with your photos and have a written record of your experiences as well. I know - from doing it myself - that it takes extra effort to write a little bit with pen and paper, but it's really worth it because it all goes together, words and pictures, and who knows what you can create when they are put together?
Just the same, though, your pictures are so good in and of themselves, and you got some great lighting and color effects in addition to capturing the immediacy of the moment in which they were snapped.
I am enjoying reading in the FB text things like the band's amazement at the audience knowing all the words to the songs. All of that is super cool, such a part of the rock n' roll experience, and I am also excited to see that in just about every post of one of your photos, you are not only credited but mentioned and thanked.
It's also part of the experience, including the overall life experience, to look back and see how you got from A to B, and to try and see the Magic at work. Of course there is work and a steady progression of events behind this process, but when you look at a couple years ago, and then now, it can feel like it comes out of nowhere. It's like with me, today I thought: "If you had told me a few years ago that, 1) I'd be singing, and 2) That I'd be singing as part of a church choir, and 3) That I'd be singing in a program with a group like the Master Chorale, I would wonder how that would come to pass". But that's the Magic Of Life, when you leave yourself open to things. In your case, it's pure Intent, as we have talked about, because you have wanted to do the things you are doing, and now it is happening. But you began by intending to do it in your mind.
Pretty awesome, eh?
I am always looking forward to whatever is gonna come next, but with a sharp Intent myself and a focus on the Magic. That's how you make it happen, by wanting and believing in it.
I am so glad that all the bands have believed in you and have chosen you as their photographer and videographer.
It makes me happy, and all I can say is "Wow"!
But I always knew it was gonna happen. :)
Sweet Dreams and I will see you in the morning, Sweet Baby.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Monday, December 14, 2015
Singing With SFVMC (Day Two Of Musical Weekend)
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
I hope you had a great homecoming show tonight at High Noon Saloon. Maybe a little celebration afterwards for a successful tour. Maybe you can report on it just a bit on FB. I am excited to see your pix, too, and would also love to know the overall sense of how it went, i.e. driving from gig to gig, just all the road life stuff. My FB is still without a ticker, and by now I don't hold much hope that they are gonna fix it, but I will hang in there anyways, and I look forward to anything you will post.
Today was almost all day at church, and it was a good thing The Kobedog started barking to be let outside at 8:30 this morn, or I'd have surely overslept and missed the morning service. Just tired from all the driving and running here to there and back again, but thank goodness he did bark, and so I woke up and we made it to church on time. Good singing and practicing afterwards, then a 90 minute break and it was time to get ready for the afternoon concert.
We were spectators for most of it. I was very impressed by the SFV Master Chorale. They sound like a group you would hear on the radio or a cd, trained voices all, and several that are operatic. I was looking up the credentials on a few of the singers, and it's all this university or that, degrees in voice, many performances with different groups. Wow. There was also a kid, a twelve year old Boy Soprano who was fantastic in "Ahmal and The Night Visitors". They must have got him from a children's music or talent school, but could he ever sing.
At the end, our choir joined with them to sing three carols, "Angels We Have Heard On High", "Joy To The World" and "Silent Night".
We are not in their league, but what's cool is that when you sing with a group like this, it helps your own voice to resonate. And we also had a conductor, so that was cool, too.
All in all, a great musical weekend for both of us.
What will come next? I don't know, but keep your expectations high and your options open.
See you in the morning. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I hope you had a great homecoming show tonight at High Noon Saloon. Maybe a little celebration afterwards for a successful tour. Maybe you can report on it just a bit on FB. I am excited to see your pix, too, and would also love to know the overall sense of how it went, i.e. driving from gig to gig, just all the road life stuff. My FB is still without a ticker, and by now I don't hold much hope that they are gonna fix it, but I will hang in there anyways, and I look forward to anything you will post.
Today was almost all day at church, and it was a good thing The Kobedog started barking to be let outside at 8:30 this morn, or I'd have surely overslept and missed the morning service. Just tired from all the driving and running here to there and back again, but thank goodness he did bark, and so I woke up and we made it to church on time. Good singing and practicing afterwards, then a 90 minute break and it was time to get ready for the afternoon concert.
We were spectators for most of it. I was very impressed by the SFV Master Chorale. They sound like a group you would hear on the radio or a cd, trained voices all, and several that are operatic. I was looking up the credentials on a few of the singers, and it's all this university or that, degrees in voice, many performances with different groups. Wow. There was also a kid, a twelve year old Boy Soprano who was fantastic in "Ahmal and The Night Visitors". They must have got him from a children's music or talent school, but could he ever sing.
At the end, our choir joined with them to sing three carols, "Angels We Have Heard On High", "Joy To The World" and "Silent Night".
We are not in their league, but what's cool is that when you sing with a group like this, it helps your own voice to resonate. And we also had a conductor, so that was cool, too.
All in all, a great musical weekend for both of us.
What will come next? I don't know, but keep your expectations high and your options open.
See you in the morning. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, December 13, 2015
All Day Music
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
I am back from the concert, and actually got back a little while ago at about 11:45. Hilary played the concerto by Henri Vieuxtemps that is on her latest record. Really fantastic, what can be said except that she is one of the greatest musicians of all time. The L.A. Phil is quite an orchestra, too, and when you are inside Disney Hall listening to them, the music has an organic, three dimensional quality. An 80 piece orchestra has so many things going on all at once that it's amazing to watch, and to pick out who is soloing in a certain place, or to watch the different section - the cellos, the violas, the percussion, etc.
After the intermission, when Hilary's piece was finished, they played a 45 minute symphony by Tchaikovsky that was very dynamic, layered with strings, woodwind highlights.
It was a musical day, and I was at the 3pm practice for our little segment tomorrow with the SFVMC. Most of our choir members showed up. The Master Chorale - boy can they sing! They get that "hushed" tone, that soft blend that you hear in the best choral music. Like opera singers if they were singing very softly, and in harmony with one another. You know what I mean, cause you've been in a choir before and you know Eric Whitacre's music. Morten Lauritzen, too. It's that kind of singing, and while I can't say if they are on the level of a top chorale like L.A. Master, they are certainly close.
So it was fun to sing with them, and what's really cool is the blending. Because when you sit right next to another tenor who is singing really well, you find that's it becomes easier to hit the notes yourself. You can tune your voice instantaneously to the voices on either side of you, and blend. And then you can adjust your volume accordingly, as you gain confidence in the tenor vocal line.
So that was my day, lots of music, and also a trip out to Burbank this morning to take Sophie shopping. It was go-go-go all day, and tomorrow will be go-go but without all the driving. It will just be singing, mostly. At church, then at choir rehearsal, then at the concert which starts at 3:30. Our little part will be at the end, probably around 4:30 or so.
I hope you had a good time at the Fall ll Rise show this evening, and now you are probably back in Madison. And then you've got the show tomorrow night as well. Have an absolute blast, and may this first tour, even though it was brief, have an exponential effect and lead to more tours and more connections! And even more than that, may you have a ton of great memories from your travels, and at the clubs and the stops in between, so that when you are back home and thinking about the whole thing, that it will settle in how cool it is. I know you already know how cool it is, but when that feeling settles in........
Then you comprehend it, and that provides more optimism and intent for the next project or road trip or whatever may come up.
And you know it will!
I will see you in the morning, Sweet Baby. I'll be here for a little bit before church, then back for maybe an hour between 1 and 2pm, and then back in the evening around 5pm, when the concert is over.
I Love You! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I am back from the concert, and actually got back a little while ago at about 11:45. Hilary played the concerto by Henri Vieuxtemps that is on her latest record. Really fantastic, what can be said except that she is one of the greatest musicians of all time. The L.A. Phil is quite an orchestra, too, and when you are inside Disney Hall listening to them, the music has an organic, three dimensional quality. An 80 piece orchestra has so many things going on all at once that it's amazing to watch, and to pick out who is soloing in a certain place, or to watch the different section - the cellos, the violas, the percussion, etc.
After the intermission, when Hilary's piece was finished, they played a 45 minute symphony by Tchaikovsky that was very dynamic, layered with strings, woodwind highlights.
It was a musical day, and I was at the 3pm practice for our little segment tomorrow with the SFVMC. Most of our choir members showed up. The Master Chorale - boy can they sing! They get that "hushed" tone, that soft blend that you hear in the best choral music. Like opera singers if they were singing very softly, and in harmony with one another. You know what I mean, cause you've been in a choir before and you know Eric Whitacre's music. Morten Lauritzen, too. It's that kind of singing, and while I can't say if they are on the level of a top chorale like L.A. Master, they are certainly close.
So it was fun to sing with them, and what's really cool is the blending. Because when you sit right next to another tenor who is singing really well, you find that's it becomes easier to hit the notes yourself. You can tune your voice instantaneously to the voices on either side of you, and blend. And then you can adjust your volume accordingly, as you gain confidence in the tenor vocal line.
So that was my day, lots of music, and also a trip out to Burbank this morning to take Sophie shopping. It was go-go-go all day, and tomorrow will be go-go but without all the driving. It will just be singing, mostly. At church, then at choir rehearsal, then at the concert which starts at 3:30. Our little part will be at the end, probably around 4:30 or so.
I hope you had a good time at the Fall ll Rise show this evening, and now you are probably back in Madison. And then you've got the show tomorrow night as well. Have an absolute blast, and may this first tour, even though it was brief, have an exponential effect and lead to more tours and more connections! And even more than that, may you have a ton of great memories from your travels, and at the clubs and the stops in between, so that when you are back home and thinking about the whole thing, that it will settle in how cool it is. I know you already know how cool it is, but when that feeling settles in........
Then you comprehend it, and that provides more optimism and intent for the next project or road trip or whatever may come up.
And you know it will!
I will see you in the morning, Sweet Baby. I'll be here for a little bit before church, then back for maybe an hour between 1 and 2pm, and then back in the evening around 5pm, when the concert is over.
I Love You! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Great Shots + The Whole Thing Is Too Cool :)
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
So it looks like tonight was your last night in Michigan, in Battle Creek. I trust it was a great show and a good crowd and reception for the bands.
Okay, wait a minute.....now I just checked your FB and see other photos posted by Lee & James, and I see that the show was sold out! Excellent....... :)
You got some terrific shots, Elizabeth. Good action, sense of motion. In the one posted by Lee, you have the two band members onstage performing, offset by the heads of two audience members looking right at them. That's a nice balance. Background shows lights & other equipment and staging. A good mix for a live shot! Your composition is also good in all the shots. Framing and angles, all good.
Awesome job, and the job of such photos (at concerts or any photojournalism where a story is being depicted) is to give the viewer a feeling of what it was like to be there, and you are capturing that.
It's all Too Cool, and even though you may not have (or maybe you have, I dunno), it would be extra cool if you keep a journal of such road trips and concerts, just little paragraphs and notes, so that you can look back on them in later years and read for yourself how you felt in the moment, and what you experienced on a particular night. The life of a rock n' roll photojournalist. Beyond cool. :)
Well, tomorrow night you will be back in Madison for the Fall ll Rise show. And then Sunday, back with IP/VM for the final night. A busy weekend for both of us. Tomorrow I have gotta haul some booty if I am gonna get everything done. I will try to leave for the Sophie shopping trip fairly early, so that I am not rushing back to make that choir practice on time.
I should be back from the Hilary Hahn concert no later than 12:30am. I am reconsidering my plan to possibly take the subway to Disney Hall. Did I mention I was maybe gonna try that? Previously, I have always driven there, because the nearest subway stop is almost a mile away. I don't like driving in Downtown L.A., because there are a lot of one way streets, and the freeway exits are confusing, and the parking is expensive, etc. So I figured I might try the subway this time. I take it everywhere else Downtown, and a mile is nothing to me, a fifteen minute walk. But tonight in the Valley, our normally mild weather was replaced by cold, gale force winds. So I may drive after all. We'll see.......
But I will definitely be home by 12:30 either way, and I will write then. Have a blast tomorrow night yourself, and congratulations on your first tour! More to come........
See you in the morning and then again at Pearl's 4:30-6:30. I Love You.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
So it looks like tonight was your last night in Michigan, in Battle Creek. I trust it was a great show and a good crowd and reception for the bands.
Okay, wait a minute.....now I just checked your FB and see other photos posted by Lee & James, and I see that the show was sold out! Excellent....... :)
You got some terrific shots, Elizabeth. Good action, sense of motion. In the one posted by Lee, you have the two band members onstage performing, offset by the heads of two audience members looking right at them. That's a nice balance. Background shows lights & other equipment and staging. A good mix for a live shot! Your composition is also good in all the shots. Framing and angles, all good.
Awesome job, and the job of such photos (at concerts or any photojournalism where a story is being depicted) is to give the viewer a feeling of what it was like to be there, and you are capturing that.
It's all Too Cool, and even though you may not have (or maybe you have, I dunno), it would be extra cool if you keep a journal of such road trips and concerts, just little paragraphs and notes, so that you can look back on them in later years and read for yourself how you felt in the moment, and what you experienced on a particular night. The life of a rock n' roll photojournalist. Beyond cool. :)
Well, tomorrow night you will be back in Madison for the Fall ll Rise show. And then Sunday, back with IP/VM for the final night. A busy weekend for both of us. Tomorrow I have gotta haul some booty if I am gonna get everything done. I will try to leave for the Sophie shopping trip fairly early, so that I am not rushing back to make that choir practice on time.
I should be back from the Hilary Hahn concert no later than 12:30am. I am reconsidering my plan to possibly take the subway to Disney Hall. Did I mention I was maybe gonna try that? Previously, I have always driven there, because the nearest subway stop is almost a mile away. I don't like driving in Downtown L.A., because there are a lot of one way streets, and the freeway exits are confusing, and the parking is expensive, etc. So I figured I might try the subway this time. I take it everywhere else Downtown, and a mile is nothing to me, a fifteen minute walk. But tonight in the Valley, our normally mild weather was replaced by cold, gale force winds. So I may drive after all. We'll see.......
But I will definitely be home by 12:30 either way, and I will write then. Have a blast tomorrow night yourself, and congratulations on your first tour! More to come........
See you in the morning and then again at Pearl's 4:30-6:30. I Love You.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, December 11, 2015
Thanks, Orson (plus Shootin' & Singin')
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
So, how was Day Two of the tour? Are you having a blast? I hope so. I know you are getting good pix, as evidenced this morn by the shot of the guitarist from last night. Are ya shooting video as well? I will guess "yes". Also, I see that you will be back for the Fall ll Rise show on Saturday night, so you will be leaving the IP/VM tour after tomorrow night's show and heading back to Madison.
No news today on my part, though I did go to the final screening of the Orson Welles retrospective at CSUN. Welles only made 12 completed films (and had a ton of unfinished ones) so we finished up with another documentary about his life called "Orson Welles: One Man Band" by Oja Kodar, his companion for the last twenty years of his life. I went into this retrospective not knowing much about Welles other than "Citizen Kane" and "Magnificent Ambersons", and now I've gotta say he is one of my favorite filmmakers and all-around characters. An Artist of the first order not just for his films and other works, but for his Orson-ness. :) Loved this series, and we are on a roll recently, with Satyajit Ray last year, then Powell and Pressburger, then Ozu and now Welles. Man, that is some serious filmmaking right there, just one great movie after another........
Tomorrow should be a fairly easy day (though much cooler, the weather has changed), and then the weekend will be extra busy. Saturday I've gotta drive to Burbank to take my sister Sophie shopping, then back here by 3pm to rehearse at church with the SFV Master Chorale for the Sunday concert. Then at 6:30 I will be headed Downtown to see Hilary Hahn at Disney Hall. So, lots of back and forth on Saturday. Then Sunday, a ton of singing. First in the morning, at regular Mass and rehearsal. Then back to church at 3:30 for the concert. We in the choir will only be joining the SFVMC for three songs, but it's still gonna be a blast, singing with such a large and talented group, which I have never done before and could not have pictured myself doing a little over a year ago, before I was "encouraged" (read: coerced, lol) into the choir, and somewhat against my will, haha........ :)
But now?
Gotta sing.
So, that's the weekend. Then on Monday begins The Twelve Days Of Christmas. I mean, I don't know if it's the actual Twelve Days (which may extend after December 25, I'm not sure), but it begins the Twelve Days leading up to and including Christmas, so that's good enough for me. I love The Season. :)
That's all I know for tonight, Sweet Baby! Have fun on the road, and good shootin'!
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
So, how was Day Two of the tour? Are you having a blast? I hope so. I know you are getting good pix, as evidenced this morn by the shot of the guitarist from last night. Are ya shooting video as well? I will guess "yes". Also, I see that you will be back for the Fall ll Rise show on Saturday night, so you will be leaving the IP/VM tour after tomorrow night's show and heading back to Madison.
No news today on my part, though I did go to the final screening of the Orson Welles retrospective at CSUN. Welles only made 12 completed films (and had a ton of unfinished ones) so we finished up with another documentary about his life called "Orson Welles: One Man Band" by Oja Kodar, his companion for the last twenty years of his life. I went into this retrospective not knowing much about Welles other than "Citizen Kane" and "Magnificent Ambersons", and now I've gotta say he is one of my favorite filmmakers and all-around characters. An Artist of the first order not just for his films and other works, but for his Orson-ness. :) Loved this series, and we are on a roll recently, with Satyajit Ray last year, then Powell and Pressburger, then Ozu and now Welles. Man, that is some serious filmmaking right there, just one great movie after another........
Tomorrow should be a fairly easy day (though much cooler, the weather has changed), and then the weekend will be extra busy. Saturday I've gotta drive to Burbank to take my sister Sophie shopping, then back here by 3pm to rehearse at church with the SFV Master Chorale for the Sunday concert. Then at 6:30 I will be headed Downtown to see Hilary Hahn at Disney Hall. So, lots of back and forth on Saturday. Then Sunday, a ton of singing. First in the morning, at regular Mass and rehearsal. Then back to church at 3:30 for the concert. We in the choir will only be joining the SFVMC for three songs, but it's still gonna be a blast, singing with such a large and talented group, which I have never done before and could not have pictured myself doing a little over a year ago, before I was "encouraged" (read: coerced, lol) into the choir, and somewhat against my will, haha........ :)
But now?
Gotta sing.
So, that's the weekend. Then on Monday begins The Twelve Days Of Christmas. I mean, I don't know if it's the actual Twelve Days (which may extend after December 25, I'm not sure), but it begins the Twelve Days leading up to and including Christmas, so that's good enough for me. I love The Season. :)
That's all I know for tonight, Sweet Baby! Have fun on the road, and good shootin'!
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, December 10, 2015
On The Road
Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
I am thinking you might even be on the road at this moment, as you guys must be travelling in a van or vans, am I correct? And since the gig probably ended a couple hours ago, maybe you are en route to the next tour stop. Just a guess on my part.......
You probably have got some great shots already and I'll be looking forward to seeing them when you post 'em. Today I was able to see a few of your posts, one via Lee Milbrandt (photo of venue) and one of James's first laminate, which he is justifiably proud of. This is so cool for all of you guys.
I also saw the "quote" that Sarah posted, lol. Don't get me started on that gibberish, haha. Or maybe you posted it just to get me started....... ;)
I went on a minor hike this noon, while Pearl was at a Reseda Woman's Club meeting, up to Stoney Point, which is just north of Santa Susana State Park. Stoney is a small mountain made out of big sandstone rocks. I've been there several times before, usually just for picture taking because unless you're a rock climber there isn't much hiking to be done, just around the mountain and back. But I did get the one shot of the hawk, so that was cool.
This eve, same as last night : One episode of "The Pacific" (horrific depiction of Iwo Jima) and one of "Walking Dead". Lots of reading, as always.
Another warm day, about 80. But tomorrow, the cold is supposed to set in and stay with us for awhile, low 60s in the daytime, mid 30s at night. Ah, but that's Christmas in L.A., a cold clear black sky at night with lots of sparkling lights. I always enjoy The Season.
Continue to have a blast on your tour, and I will see you in the morning!
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I am thinking you might even be on the road at this moment, as you guys must be travelling in a van or vans, am I correct? And since the gig probably ended a couple hours ago, maybe you are en route to the next tour stop. Just a guess on my part.......
You probably have got some great shots already and I'll be looking forward to seeing them when you post 'em. Today I was able to see a few of your posts, one via Lee Milbrandt (photo of venue) and one of James's first laminate, which he is justifiably proud of. This is so cool for all of you guys.
I also saw the "quote" that Sarah posted, lol. Don't get me started on that gibberish, haha. Or maybe you posted it just to get me started....... ;)
I went on a minor hike this noon, while Pearl was at a Reseda Woman's Club meeting, up to Stoney Point, which is just north of Santa Susana State Park. Stoney is a small mountain made out of big sandstone rocks. I've been there several times before, usually just for picture taking because unless you're a rock climber there isn't much hiking to be done, just around the mountain and back. But I did get the one shot of the hawk, so that was cool.
This eve, same as last night : One episode of "The Pacific" (horrific depiction of Iwo Jima) and one of "Walking Dead". Lots of reading, as always.
Another warm day, about 80. But tomorrow, the cold is supposed to set in and stay with us for awhile, low 60s in the daytime, mid 30s at night. Ah, but that's Christmas in L.A., a cold clear black sky at night with lots of sparkling lights. I always enjoy The Season.
Continue to have a blast on your tour, and I will see you in the morning!
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
On Tour! (super cool)
Hey, Sweet Baby,
Happy Late Night on the road! It looks like your first concert will be tomorrow night in Traverse City, Michigan, across the lake and way up high on the Mitten. Then three more stops in that state - boom, boom, boom, Thursday/Friday/Saturday - before you guys wind up back in Madison for the home gig. You are now experiencing Life On The Road, totally cool! And I would say that this makes you a photojournalist, certainly for this trip, as you are accompanying the band on the road and will be shooting behind-the-scenes. You are documenting the tour, so - photojournalist you are!
I think it's awesome, and I have just gotta repeat yet again how great the Whole Thing has been. Remember when I said, "Life Is Magic", waaaaay back about early 2013 or so? Well, now we are seeing it in action.
Those black & white shots from behind the guitarist that you got at the Sonic Boom last Summer are killer, with the humongous crowd in the background, so you are on a roll, and here, try to get some "gritty" rock n' roll shots, i.e. before the show, anything like cramped dressing rooms in clubs, rock n' roll grafitti, tour bus stuff (or van), just all the Real Life Stuff you can get your hands on - plus the concerts of course, but that was what really brought home the experience in the rock magazines of the 70s like Creem and Circus, was all the off-the-cuff stuff. Shoot when nobody is looking, get real cameo stuff.
For your stage shots, compose and shoot as you always would, in your natural styles. But in the off-stage stuff, just be a fly on the wall, and shoot at any old angle whatsoever to capture Real Life. Don't let 'em know you're shooting and you'll get great shots.
Well, I am glad that Geddy Lee straightened out the Neil Peart situation. I knew that the wording seemed strange : "retired from music". And Geddy, God Bless him, said today that's baloney, that it was just a case of a writer who took a quote from Neil out of context, and insinuated something that wasn't meant. Neil may be retired from touring, said Geddy - and even he seems to not believe that 100% - but he added that in no way is Neil retiring from music altogether, nor has Rush broken up.
I didn't think so. Freakin' rock journalists!
Not photojournalists! I didn't mean you, Sweet Baby! Just the kind of writers who want to stir something up. Rush will outlast 'em all.
A basic Tuesday for me, taking Pearl to Golden Agers, reading books (Stephen King & Van Flandern) and this evening watching episodes of "The Pacific" and "Walking Dead". It was so warm and Summery this evening that I went for my walk with no jacket, not even a sweatshirt. Just a t-shirt, like July. Go figure.
Have a blast on your tour! I will see you in the morning. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Happy Late Night on the road! It looks like your first concert will be tomorrow night in Traverse City, Michigan, across the lake and way up high on the Mitten. Then three more stops in that state - boom, boom, boom, Thursday/Friday/Saturday - before you guys wind up back in Madison for the home gig. You are now experiencing Life On The Road, totally cool! And I would say that this makes you a photojournalist, certainly for this trip, as you are accompanying the band on the road and will be shooting behind-the-scenes. You are documenting the tour, so - photojournalist you are!
I think it's awesome, and I have just gotta repeat yet again how great the Whole Thing has been. Remember when I said, "Life Is Magic", waaaaay back about early 2013 or so? Well, now we are seeing it in action.
Those black & white shots from behind the guitarist that you got at the Sonic Boom last Summer are killer, with the humongous crowd in the background, so you are on a roll, and here, try to get some "gritty" rock n' roll shots, i.e. before the show, anything like cramped dressing rooms in clubs, rock n' roll grafitti, tour bus stuff (or van), just all the Real Life Stuff you can get your hands on - plus the concerts of course, but that was what really brought home the experience in the rock magazines of the 70s like Creem and Circus, was all the off-the-cuff stuff. Shoot when nobody is looking, get real cameo stuff.
For your stage shots, compose and shoot as you always would, in your natural styles. But in the off-stage stuff, just be a fly on the wall, and shoot at any old angle whatsoever to capture Real Life. Don't let 'em know you're shooting and you'll get great shots.
Well, I am glad that Geddy Lee straightened out the Neil Peart situation. I knew that the wording seemed strange : "retired from music". And Geddy, God Bless him, said today that's baloney, that it was just a case of a writer who took a quote from Neil out of context, and insinuated something that wasn't meant. Neil may be retired from touring, said Geddy - and even he seems to not believe that 100% - but he added that in no way is Neil retiring from music altogether, nor has Rush broken up.
I didn't think so. Freakin' rock journalists!
Not photojournalists! I didn't mean you, Sweet Baby! Just the kind of writers who want to stir something up. Rush will outlast 'em all.
A basic Tuesday for me, taking Pearl to Golden Agers, reading books (Stephen King & Van Flandern) and this evening watching episodes of "The Pacific" and "Walking Dead". It was so warm and Summery this evening that I went for my walk with no jacket, not even a sweatshirt. Just a t-shirt, like July. Go figure.
Have a blast on your tour! I will see you in the morning. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Neil (plus love and thoughts)
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
Today I was able to see two of your posts, the first one was in the morning and was an appreciation by the poster of all the people and circumstances that allow him to do what he does. It was beautiful, a real expression of gratitude and I wish I could remember who the original poster was, but FB took it out of the Posts You Like feature within a half hour of my seeing it in the first place, and then that feature was back to just the usual dozen post listings from years past.
But I'm glad I saw it, and the words were just beautiful as I say.
The other post I saw actually showed up in my newsfeed, and that was the concert you will be attending of I Prevail & Versus Me at High Noon Saloon on the 13th, this Sunday. I am glad you are going, and I imagine you'll be taking pix as well. That afternoon, my band The Choir will also be playing our gig, lol. That will be our little spot in the concert by the SFV Master Chorale, so it will be a good day for music for both of us.
And speaking of music, wow - the news today from Neil Peart. Of course, all Rush fans were half expecting something like this ever since they announced that the R40 tour would be their last. And we all knew that Neil not wanting to tour anymore was the main reason. What shocked me today was his wording : "I am retiring from music". Not just "from touring" but from music altogether. I hear some people on the Internet going on, blah blah blah, about how anybody would feel the same way after 40 years at the "same job".
As if being one of the greatest musicians in the world is akin to being in an ordinary job-job.
Whatever the reason he said that - and the two most likely are physical pain from tendonitis and wanting to be with his family - it's also true that Neil is an emotional guy, and given to Grand Pronouncements.
What I say, is : You don't "retire" from music, or from any art form. Especially when it has been your life. You may stop touring, or even playing live altogether. You may even stop making records.
But when you are the greatest drummer to ever pick up sticks, it is doubtful you will never pick them up again, and when you do (which is likely to be sooner rather than later), your emotions will change.
Especially given some time to rest. Because music is in your blood. It's a huge part of who you are.
When emotions change, words change. Then decisions can change, too.
Obviously the guys in Rush are getting up there.
But Ritchie Blackmore just reformed Rainbow for a few headlining gigs at humongous festivals next Summer, and he will be 71 by then!
Rush has been such a huge part of my life that until I hear they are officially broken up, I will still hope for more. I was fortunate to be at the last two shows of the R40 tour, and overall I've been to 30 Rush shows in my life, going back to 1978.
I've seen many great drummers in that time. The only guy I'd put up there with Neil is Carl Palmer, who's performance at California Jam with ELP was probably the greatest drumming I've ever witnessed. But Neil was just about that great, and in his own way equally great, and he did it night after night, tour after tour, for 41 years. That's unreal. And last August, at The Forum, possibly the final Rush show, he gave what I consider the performance of a lifetime. I got to see him many times, and that one was the best.
So - thanks Neil! I hope he unretires at some point, 'cause you can always do that, too.
Just always remember that music, and all art, is Life, Sweet Baby. You can't retire from it, until.......
And that's still a long ways away, for Neil and for all of us.
That's all I know for tonight. Sweet Dreams, and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Today I was able to see two of your posts, the first one was in the morning and was an appreciation by the poster of all the people and circumstances that allow him to do what he does. It was beautiful, a real expression of gratitude and I wish I could remember who the original poster was, but FB took it out of the Posts You Like feature within a half hour of my seeing it in the first place, and then that feature was back to just the usual dozen post listings from years past.
But I'm glad I saw it, and the words were just beautiful as I say.
The other post I saw actually showed up in my newsfeed, and that was the concert you will be attending of I Prevail & Versus Me at High Noon Saloon on the 13th, this Sunday. I am glad you are going, and I imagine you'll be taking pix as well. That afternoon, my band The Choir will also be playing our gig, lol. That will be our little spot in the concert by the SFV Master Chorale, so it will be a good day for music for both of us.
And speaking of music, wow - the news today from Neil Peart. Of course, all Rush fans were half expecting something like this ever since they announced that the R40 tour would be their last. And we all knew that Neil not wanting to tour anymore was the main reason. What shocked me today was his wording : "I am retiring from music". Not just "from touring" but from music altogether. I hear some people on the Internet going on, blah blah blah, about how anybody would feel the same way after 40 years at the "same job".
As if being one of the greatest musicians in the world is akin to being in an ordinary job-job.
Whatever the reason he said that - and the two most likely are physical pain from tendonitis and wanting to be with his family - it's also true that Neil is an emotional guy, and given to Grand Pronouncements.
What I say, is : You don't "retire" from music, or from any art form. Especially when it has been your life. You may stop touring, or even playing live altogether. You may even stop making records.
But when you are the greatest drummer to ever pick up sticks, it is doubtful you will never pick them up again, and when you do (which is likely to be sooner rather than later), your emotions will change.
Especially given some time to rest. Because music is in your blood. It's a huge part of who you are.
When emotions change, words change. Then decisions can change, too.
Obviously the guys in Rush are getting up there.
But Ritchie Blackmore just reformed Rainbow for a few headlining gigs at humongous festivals next Summer, and he will be 71 by then!
Rush has been such a huge part of my life that until I hear they are officially broken up, I will still hope for more. I was fortunate to be at the last two shows of the R40 tour, and overall I've been to 30 Rush shows in my life, going back to 1978.
I've seen many great drummers in that time. The only guy I'd put up there with Neil is Carl Palmer, who's performance at California Jam with ELP was probably the greatest drumming I've ever witnessed. But Neil was just about that great, and in his own way equally great, and he did it night after night, tour after tour, for 41 years. That's unreal. And last August, at The Forum, possibly the final Rush show, he gave what I consider the performance of a lifetime. I got to see him many times, and that one was the best.
So - thanks Neil! I hope he unretires at some point, 'cause you can always do that, too.
Just always remember that music, and all art, is Life, Sweet Baby. You can't retire from it, until.......
And that's still a long ways away, for Neil and for all of us.
That's all I know for tonight. Sweet Dreams, and I will see you in the morning.
I Love You! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Monday, December 7, 2015
Sunday Night Love
Hi, Elizabeth,
I'm just wondering how you're doing since I don't see any posts from you for several days now. I know it could just be because of my own messed up FB, but whatever the case, I hope all is well. You don't have to post just on account of me, and I imagine you have a lot going on anyway. Unless they fix - and permanently fix - my Facebook, we will have to figure a new method of communication, if you want to that is. Let's wait to see if they fix it...... :)
This was our third week in choir of practicing with the director of the SFV Master Chorale for our part in the Christmas concert they are giving next Sunday at the church. I think I finally have my part down. Boy is it hard, lol. I mean, it's really not that hard - once I get it memorised - but this is different to any part I have sung, because the tenor part is so counterintuitive to the melody. Your brain wants to sing the harmonies it understands, and these notes jump around to all sorts of places, to match up with different inversions of soprano/alto/tenor/bass. It's something you've really gotta get into your system to do it right. As you know, because you have done this type of singing yourself! :)
The main thing is that, for me, it's a blast, and on some parts I can nail it and match up with the director, which feels good.
After choir we drove back to Pearl's to pick up The Kobester and then headed straight up to Granada Hills for the Christmas Parade, as you saw by my FB photos. It was a lot of fun as always, and especially to see all the Labradors from Guide Dogs Of America, which is Kobi's favorite part of the parade.......
It's a warm December thus far. Fingers crossed that it'll continue.
That's all for tonight. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I'm just wondering how you're doing since I don't see any posts from you for several days now. I know it could just be because of my own messed up FB, but whatever the case, I hope all is well. You don't have to post just on account of me, and I imagine you have a lot going on anyway. Unless they fix - and permanently fix - my Facebook, we will have to figure a new method of communication, if you want to that is. Let's wait to see if they fix it...... :)
This was our third week in choir of practicing with the director of the SFV Master Chorale for our part in the Christmas concert they are giving next Sunday at the church. I think I finally have my part down. Boy is it hard, lol. I mean, it's really not that hard - once I get it memorised - but this is different to any part I have sung, because the tenor part is so counterintuitive to the melody. Your brain wants to sing the harmonies it understands, and these notes jump around to all sorts of places, to match up with different inversions of soprano/alto/tenor/bass. It's something you've really gotta get into your system to do it right. As you know, because you have done this type of singing yourself! :)
The main thing is that, for me, it's a blast, and on some parts I can nail it and match up with the director, which feels good.
After choir we drove back to Pearl's to pick up The Kobester and then headed straight up to Granada Hills for the Christmas Parade, as you saw by my FB photos. It was a lot of fun as always, and especially to see all the Labradors from Guide Dogs Of America, which is Kobi's favorite part of the parade.......
It's a warm December thus far. Fingers crossed that it'll continue.
That's all for tonight. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Late Saturday Night Love & Stuff
Hi, my Darling,
Happy Late Night. Sorry I didn't write yesterday, but I can't see a thing on FB. Not even on the "posts You like" search feature. It just shows the same dozen or so posts it always does, with nothing new mixed in. Same thing today. Nothing new whatsoever. I mean, I'm sure you must have posted some "likes" in the past couple days, but for whatever reason, my FB has all but shut them down. Without a news ticker I can't see a thing, and what gets me - and seems fishy to me, like someone is messing with me - is that I have you set first on everything - the "close friends" list, the "see first" post setting, the "always notify" setting.......
And still I get trillions of unwanted posts from people I am FB "friends" with but don't know (some of whom post endless political screeds), and nothing shows up from you.
So, I am trying to hang in there. Maybe after the New Year we can figure something out, if you want to, and if they don't fix my news ticker by then......
I haven't much to report anyway, just Typical Day Stuff. No hikes since last week, weather kinda windy and crummy, chilly.......
I did see a movie this evening called "Under The Skin" with Scarlett Johansen. I saw it at the libe and figured I'd give it a try.
Having seen it, I will put it right up there with "Tideland" (by Terry Gilliam) and "Quintet" (by Robert Altman) as the Worst Movie Ever Made. Oh, and that movie with Robert Pattinson a couple years ago where he rode around in a Limo.
A huge problem with some - or even many - of these new filmmkers, is that they cannot write a story. They can put up good pictures on the screen, good camera shots, but no drama.
"Under The Skin" takes it to a new level, down into the basement, and it ranks with a movie I saw earlier this year called "The Turin Horse" (by Bela Tarr) as films in which absolutely nothing happens.
At least with "The Turin Horse", I think the guy did it on purpose.
But this movie tonight was just plain awful.
Time for some Christmas movies, I think. And by Monday or Tuesday I should have some new "Walking Dead" discs waiting at the Libe.......
Tomorrow morn, singing in choir. Our song will be "Gift Of Love" by a guy named Chris Christian. Our choir director cracked up at that name, lol..... :)
Tomorrow afternoon I am gonna try to take Pearl and The Kobester to the Granada Hills Christmas Parade, weather permitting (and if Pearl isn't too tired). It's the parade we go to every year, and if we do go I will try to take some pics. So I'll be around in the morn for a little bit before church, and then probably later, after the parade, about 3 to 4ish.
I hope you had a good day, and that all projects and fun stuff is coming along well. And I hope they fix my FB soon.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Happy Late Night. Sorry I didn't write yesterday, but I can't see a thing on FB. Not even on the "posts You like" search feature. It just shows the same dozen or so posts it always does, with nothing new mixed in. Same thing today. Nothing new whatsoever. I mean, I'm sure you must have posted some "likes" in the past couple days, but for whatever reason, my FB has all but shut them down. Without a news ticker I can't see a thing, and what gets me - and seems fishy to me, like someone is messing with me - is that I have you set first on everything - the "close friends" list, the "see first" post setting, the "always notify" setting.......
And still I get trillions of unwanted posts from people I am FB "friends" with but don't know (some of whom post endless political screeds), and nothing shows up from you.
So, I am trying to hang in there. Maybe after the New Year we can figure something out, if you want to, and if they don't fix my news ticker by then......
I haven't much to report anyway, just Typical Day Stuff. No hikes since last week, weather kinda windy and crummy, chilly.......
I did see a movie this evening called "Under The Skin" with Scarlett Johansen. I saw it at the libe and figured I'd give it a try.
Having seen it, I will put it right up there with "Tideland" (by Terry Gilliam) and "Quintet" (by Robert Altman) as the Worst Movie Ever Made. Oh, and that movie with Robert Pattinson a couple years ago where he rode around in a Limo.
A huge problem with some - or even many - of these new filmmkers, is that they cannot write a story. They can put up good pictures on the screen, good camera shots, but no drama.
"Under The Skin" takes it to a new level, down into the basement, and it ranks with a movie I saw earlier this year called "The Turin Horse" (by Bela Tarr) as films in which absolutely nothing happens.
At least with "The Turin Horse", I think the guy did it on purpose.
But this movie tonight was just plain awful.
Time for some Christmas movies, I think. And by Monday or Tuesday I should have some new "Walking Dead" discs waiting at the Libe.......
Tomorrow morn, singing in choir. Our song will be "Gift Of Love" by a guy named Chris Christian. Our choir director cracked up at that name, lol..... :)
Tomorrow afternoon I am gonna try to take Pearl and The Kobester to the Granada Hills Christmas Parade, weather permitting (and if Pearl isn't too tired). It's the parade we go to every year, and if we do go I will try to take some pics. So I'll be around in the morn for a little bit before church, and then probably later, after the parade, about 3 to 4ish.
I hope you had a good day, and that all projects and fun stuff is coming along well. And I hope they fix my FB soon.
I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, December 4, 2015
Thursday Night Love
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
Tonight was the next-to-last week of the Orson Welles retrospective at CSUN, and we saw "F For Fake", which was actually his last movie. Next week, for the final screening, we are gonna see a documentary about Welles. "F For Fake" was really fun and interesting. It's not a dramatic movie but a real life story of an art forger named Elmyr de Hory, who created fake paintings of the great masters, and whose fakes now apparently sit in galleries all over the world. The movie goes further, because the man who wrote a famous book about Elmyr - author Clifford Irving - was himself also a fake. He wrote another book about the diary of Howard Hughes, whom he claimed to know, that turned out to be a fake story in itself, and he was arrested and went to prison.
So in the movie, Welles explores the nature of what is fake and what isn't, as it relates to art. To me, if you can recreate a masterpiece, that's fine and a talent in itself. Just don't represent it as being by the original artist, because then you are deceiving the whole world. After seeing this movie, I will feel uneasy in art galleries for a while. But the movie itself is excellent, and totally Welles.
I hope you had a nice day. I wasn't able to see any posts, but I am looking forward to whatever you've got coming up.
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo :):)
Tonight was the next-to-last week of the Orson Welles retrospective at CSUN, and we saw "F For Fake", which was actually his last movie. Next week, for the final screening, we are gonna see a documentary about Welles. "F For Fake" was really fun and interesting. It's not a dramatic movie but a real life story of an art forger named Elmyr de Hory, who created fake paintings of the great masters, and whose fakes now apparently sit in galleries all over the world. The movie goes further, because the man who wrote a famous book about Elmyr - author Clifford Irving - was himself also a fake. He wrote another book about the diary of Howard Hughes, whom he claimed to know, that turned out to be a fake story in itself, and he was arrested and went to prison.
So in the movie, Welles explores the nature of what is fake and what isn't, as it relates to art. To me, if you can recreate a masterpiece, that's fine and a talent in itself. Just don't represent it as being by the original artist, because then you are deceiving the whole world. After seeing this movie, I will feel uneasy in art galleries for a while. But the movie itself is excellent, and totally Welles.
I hope you had a nice day. I wasn't able to see any posts, but I am looking forward to whatever you've got coming up.
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Wednesday Night Love and Thoughts
Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
I hope you had a nice day. I wasn't able to see any posts from you, except the Black Metal You which is a classic of course. :) Are you still playing guitar? Maybe at least a little bit. I know you are so busy with everything else that is going on.
I sure hope FB is gonna fix my page, and I hope it will be permanent. It's the only means I have to communicate, by responding to your posts.........
Anyhow, it was a low key day for me. More violence, unfortunately. San Bernardino is about 85 miles from here. I think I've mentioned it before as a place we used to go to concerts in the mid-70s and early 80s. In those days it was kind of a backwoods place, run down. I actually got robbed there, by some gang bangers, with my friend Dennis after a Black Sabbath concert in 1975. It was never a place you would go to for any reason except to see a concert if it was the only place a band was playing.
And now today.
Being a student of history, and also philosophy and just life in general, I believe "this, too, shall pass". This era of random civilian violence. What disturbs me, somewhat, is hearing "experts" sounding off on how we've gotta get used to living this way. That is a bunch of baloney. There is a solution to every problem, including this one. I wish I were President so that I could solve it, because this is so different from the America I grew up in during the 60s and 70s.
It should never be something to get used to. Any "authority" espousing that view ought to be disregarded.
At any rate, all we can do is just keep doing what we do. I wasn't around during World War Two or the Civil War, but we made it through those things. I think 24/7 media is a big part of the problem. If nobody ever heard about these killers, or heard less about them and without the sensationalism, they might not "take the stage" so readily. They are "monkey-see, monkey-do" types, and they see these things happen on TV and it fuels them to do the same. Deranged psychology spreads in that way.
But love and good vibes will always be more powerful, and more lasting. That's the bottom line.
The amount of awesomeness in the world is overwhelming, a fact that is never reported on the news, except perhaps in small "feel good" doses. But we know it to be true to the fullest degree.
If Sofronitsky were here, he would just keep playing. I am listening to his CDs a lot this past week, and reading my Stephen King book, and taking the Kobester on nighttime catwalks.........
I Love You, Sweet Baby. I will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I hope you had a nice day. I wasn't able to see any posts from you, except the Black Metal You which is a classic of course. :) Are you still playing guitar? Maybe at least a little bit. I know you are so busy with everything else that is going on.
I sure hope FB is gonna fix my page, and I hope it will be permanent. It's the only means I have to communicate, by responding to your posts.........
Anyhow, it was a low key day for me. More violence, unfortunately. San Bernardino is about 85 miles from here. I think I've mentioned it before as a place we used to go to concerts in the mid-70s and early 80s. In those days it was kind of a backwoods place, run down. I actually got robbed there, by some gang bangers, with my friend Dennis after a Black Sabbath concert in 1975. It was never a place you would go to for any reason except to see a concert if it was the only place a band was playing.
And now today.
Being a student of history, and also philosophy and just life in general, I believe "this, too, shall pass". This era of random civilian violence. What disturbs me, somewhat, is hearing "experts" sounding off on how we've gotta get used to living this way. That is a bunch of baloney. There is a solution to every problem, including this one. I wish I were President so that I could solve it, because this is so different from the America I grew up in during the 60s and 70s.
It should never be something to get used to. Any "authority" espousing that view ought to be disregarded.
At any rate, all we can do is just keep doing what we do. I wasn't around during World War Two or the Civil War, but we made it through those things. I think 24/7 media is a big part of the problem. If nobody ever heard about these killers, or heard less about them and without the sensationalism, they might not "take the stage" so readily. They are "monkey-see, monkey-do" types, and they see these things happen on TV and it fuels them to do the same. Deranged psychology spreads in that way.
But love and good vibes will always be more powerful, and more lasting. That's the bottom line.
The amount of awesomeness in the world is overwhelming, a fact that is never reported on the news, except perhaps in small "feel good" doses. But we know it to be true to the fullest degree.
If Sofronitsky were here, he would just keep playing. I am listening to his CDs a lot this past week, and reading my Stephen King book, and taking the Kobester on nighttime catwalks.........
I Love You, Sweet Baby. I will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
The Sky's The Limit
Happy Late Night, my Darling,
Hey! That was a fantastic picture of you this morning, and somewhat of a surprise too. I say "somewhat" instead of A Total Surprise because I had seen the pic of you getting ready to fly when you were in Europe last year. But with that one, I just figured it was kind of a lark - maybe something you and your classmates were doing for fun on a day off. I did not know that flying was an ongoing interest of yours, and - wow!
Sometimes that's all you can say, as I've said before. :)
Have you always wanted to fly, or is it a recent thing? I remember being in first grade or thereabouts, and I grew up in the jet age, so when the teacher asked what everybody wanted to be, many of the little boys - myself included - said "jet pilot". And I have had a fascination with jets ever since.
But to actually do it, to actually fly, is something else. I think you just plain Have It In You. :)
I have not flown much myself (as a passenger, naturally), just a few flights to San Francisco back in the 1970s, but I was in a Cessna one time in 1995 with my friend Dennis (he's on FB) and also the late, great Mr. D. I have to say, for me, it was not my favorite experience, because the pilot (a friend of Dennis') wanted to show us a "zero g" manouver. We agreed, not knowing exactly what it would be, but it entailed him shutting off the engine momentarily, while simultaneously swooping the plane downward. The guy actually had us unbuckle our seat belts beforehand, so we could see what zero gravity felt like. He claimed it was safe, and that he'd done it many times.............I remember floating out of my seat for a second or two........then he turned the engine back on and righted the ship.
Later on, I thought, "what the hell did I agree to that for"? But the rest of the flight was fun: we flew over Disneyland, and Dodger Stadium, over the ocean and the Valley.....
It felt a little weird, being in such a small craft, up in the air, but the flying itself was very smooth. I actually brought my Pentax ME Super on that flight, a film camera, and I got some sunset pictures that are very similar to one that you posted from your trip home from Europe, with the Sun almost a pinpoint, setting beneath a slight curvature of the Earth, which as you know is visible from that height.
Bottom Line : I am impressed, Elizabeth. You are a very talented lady, and adventurous as well. When I think about it, it makes sense - if I am gonna be up there, I would want me to be doing the flying. If you are the one doing it, then you are in control.
And soon you can fly yourself to gigs and shoots all over the country!
Remember a few years ago, when you couldn't get the car on a Friday night?
Things sure have changed.... :)
Well, that's all I know for tonight. I will see you in the morning. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Hey! That was a fantastic picture of you this morning, and somewhat of a surprise too. I say "somewhat" instead of A Total Surprise because I had seen the pic of you getting ready to fly when you were in Europe last year. But with that one, I just figured it was kind of a lark - maybe something you and your classmates were doing for fun on a day off. I did not know that flying was an ongoing interest of yours, and - wow!
Sometimes that's all you can say, as I've said before. :)
Have you always wanted to fly, or is it a recent thing? I remember being in first grade or thereabouts, and I grew up in the jet age, so when the teacher asked what everybody wanted to be, many of the little boys - myself included - said "jet pilot". And I have had a fascination with jets ever since.
But to actually do it, to actually fly, is something else. I think you just plain Have It In You. :)
I have not flown much myself (as a passenger, naturally), just a few flights to San Francisco back in the 1970s, but I was in a Cessna one time in 1995 with my friend Dennis (he's on FB) and also the late, great Mr. D. I have to say, for me, it was not my favorite experience, because the pilot (a friend of Dennis') wanted to show us a "zero g" manouver. We agreed, not knowing exactly what it would be, but it entailed him shutting off the engine momentarily, while simultaneously swooping the plane downward. The guy actually had us unbuckle our seat belts beforehand, so we could see what zero gravity felt like. He claimed it was safe, and that he'd done it many times.............I remember floating out of my seat for a second or two........then he turned the engine back on and righted the ship.
Later on, I thought, "what the hell did I agree to that for"? But the rest of the flight was fun: we flew over Disneyland, and Dodger Stadium, over the ocean and the Valley.....
It felt a little weird, being in such a small craft, up in the air, but the flying itself was very smooth. I actually brought my Pentax ME Super on that flight, a film camera, and I got some sunset pictures that are very similar to one that you posted from your trip home from Europe, with the Sun almost a pinpoint, setting beneath a slight curvature of the Earth, which as you know is visible from that height.
Bottom Line : I am impressed, Elizabeth. You are a very talented lady, and adventurous as well. When I think about it, it makes sense - if I am gonna be up there, I would want me to be doing the flying. If you are the one doing it, then you are in control.
And soon you can fly yourself to gigs and shoots all over the country!
Remember a few years ago, when you couldn't get the car on a Friday night?
Things sure have changed.... :)
Well, that's all I know for tonight. I will see you in the morning. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Late Monday Love
Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
I guess I must have got the date wrong for the Versus Me video. Either that or they pushed it back for one reason or another. I hope you had a good day, though, and I did see one post that was a list of tour dates for another band, Starset. Aren't those the guys with the far-out space outfits? That looks like a big tour they are on, with a national act, so once again that is good for you, assuming you will be shooting at least the local show in Madison.
I am looking at the music for the chorale version of "Joy To The World" and trying to remember the various jumps in the tenor line that we rehearsed yesterday with the director. Wanna get it right to make a good impression.
Pretty much a normal Monday. Got my Sofronitsky CDs in the mail from Japan. Took almost three weeks from the date of order, but worth the wait. Sublime pianism, sounding entirely without effort - literally - as if he is in a dream of the music as it comes through him. Of course the effort to reach that level is monumental, but when this guy got to that point, he made his considerable technique invisible, leaving only the soul of Scriabin exposed. For me, it's as good as it gets, though admittedly it took me a long time to be able to fully appreciate this music, which is like a free flowing stream of consciousness. Very beautiful, though, and spiritual, mystic even.........
Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday I will try to get in a hike and take some photos. I hope they fix my FB again, and soon.
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
I guess I must have got the date wrong for the Versus Me video. Either that or they pushed it back for one reason or another. I hope you had a good day, though, and I did see one post that was a list of tour dates for another band, Starset. Aren't those the guys with the far-out space outfits? That looks like a big tour they are on, with a national act, so once again that is good for you, assuming you will be shooting at least the local show in Madison.
I am looking at the music for the chorale version of "Joy To The World" and trying to remember the various jumps in the tenor line that we rehearsed yesterday with the director. Wanna get it right to make a good impression.
Pretty much a normal Monday. Got my Sofronitsky CDs in the mail from Japan. Took almost three weeks from the date of order, but worth the wait. Sublime pianism, sounding entirely without effort - literally - as if he is in a dream of the music as it comes through him. Of course the effort to reach that level is monumental, but when this guy got to that point, he made his considerable technique invisible, leaving only the soul of Scriabin exposed. For me, it's as good as it gets, though admittedly it took me a long time to be able to fully appreciate this music, which is like a free flowing stream of consciousness. Very beautiful, though, and spiritual, mystic even.........
Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday I will try to get in a hike and take some photos. I hope they fix my FB again, and soon.
I Love You and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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