favorite things 03

i like to form deep and long lasting relationships with the objects in my life. maybe that's why it is hard for me to get rid of things. especially when they still work. i've had this razor for over twenty years and it still works as well as it did then. it's traveled all over the country, been dropped over and over and has shaved my face (and my wife's legs) when i wasn't trying to grow a beard thousands of times. now it has this really great patina, and it's only just getting broken in. i love it too, because it requires no maintenance and no electricity. just a basin of hot water, my shave cream and a mirror and i clean up good. and that's why it is one of my wife's favorite things too!

citrus heights to auburn
i must have played them all
that deaf dumb blind girl...

i had so many pics i didn't post yesterday from the mc show i thought i'd put a few more up. you're all beautiful. i love each and everyone of you!

james (dad) with a james

greves desert sled

the japanese...

the italians...

take your pick.

vintage mc show

went to our local bmw dealerships’s vintage motorcycle and scooter show yesterday with my father in law. it was a hot one, but a great turnout with a strong representation from most of the classic marquees. i rode my toaster over and it blended right in. it’s pretty amazing when folks bring all these bikes to meet in one place. it makes you wonder why you don’t see more of them on the road. although i did see many of them trailered in, as many or more rode in which is always nice to see. river city beemers cooked burgers and dogs in the parking lot and clement salvadori showed up to talk about many of the old bikes he’s owned over the years and judged the best in categories. overall a real nice event. thanks a+s for giving a bunch of mc nuts a place to go on a warm saturday! below are a few nice examples that tickled my fancy...

pair of airheads

nice bsa lightning

lambrettas

part of the lineup

va-va-vrooom.

does anyone remember where they were the day the pog market crashed?

spotted owls

been seeing a lot of these guys lately. i work the overnight shift and just about every night one will appear as i'm on my break outside. it's weird. i don't think i've ever seen more than one or two before this. now, they fly over my head and screech as if to say "we are here. we've always been here. you are here now. you are one of us. we are the night. welcome brother night owl"

volkswaffle

this great vw is a familiar site up where we live. it's a husband and wife team that spend all summer cruising around our area hitting all of the major events. and let me tell you, there's nothing quite like a volkswagen powered waffle. they're air cooled. so as summer gives way to fall and the temperatures begin to drop it will be harder to find them, but the memories of these great belgian waffles will live on. jah, der peoples vaffle!

need some alone time
hiding here it smells like pee
and feel like crying

summer days end now
we all turn to face the change
leaves soon start falling

sing it sister

been watching a lot of the classic movies lately. one of the things i love about the old ones is the great dialogue. we just don't talk that way anymore. (if we ever did) i imagine during that golden age of film the endless stream of immigrants arriving in america and heading to the movie palaces after working all day. not only was it a chance to get off their feet and be entertained, but for many a lesson in how to talk "good american" and supplant their broken english. then they could head back to their jobs in the factories and butcher shops and reataurants with some new vocabulary and a fresh attitude. "what are you lookin' at?" so here are my top five favorite old movie quips.
5. what's eating you?
4. that guy really burns me up
3. keep your shirt on
2. take a powder
1. quit trying to make a monkey out of me!

make yourself some chocolate milk today. mmm. come on, you deserve it!

rock-em sock-em

it's always a grudgefest at our house when the rock-em sock-ems come out. these two just really don't like each other. it's like they've always got a chip on their shoulder. the taunting, the calling out. and the language. sheesh. anyhow, here are some photos from one of their recent big bouts. it went the full fifteen rounds this one. and the funny thing is, blue came back and won this one...

blocked by shadows hand
reaching for my destiny
let the son shine in

helping my brother-in-law move today. more later...

life swirls around us
decisions in the moment
regrets sifting waste

standing in shadows
i almost missed him until
he asked me spare change

how i ended up
here i'm not sure though i think
where i started too

still here...

pictures of me change
from moment to moment now
watch as i fall down

the night before had been a drag. he hadn't slept well in the motel room across the street. the noise of the hookers slamming the door to the lobby to come in and use the pay phone had woken him up each time. the outlets in his room were outdated and he couldn't plug in the adapter for his laptop. he'd gone down to the bar to watch some of the game and chatted with the bartender. she was pregnant and kind and even though younger than he called him "hon". he listened to the construction workers ask where the action was. they were on a job and would be here for several weeks. he looked at the loud one and noticed the wedding band. the bartender told them how to get to a bar up in lodi. he overheard the conversation between the businessman and his mistress as he laid down the rules for their relationship. "now, you...don't ever...call...me" he was lonely and depressed. but early the next morning he hauled himself out of bed and checked out. he drove across the street and parked, walked inside the denny's and sat at the counter. "grand slam, a coffee and a large juice please" two waitresses circled each other in a wide orbit through the restaurant with coffee pots in their hands speaking as they passed each other. "don't forget to pick up the flowers mom" "i won't forget the flowers honey" "i'm going to remember everything for you. so the only thing you have to worry about is you and that dress and getting to the chapel on time" "if i had more stuff to do, maybe i wouldn't be so nervous. were you nervous before?" "of course honey" "why am i nervous? is it because i'm afraid? why am i afraid?" "because you're giving your heart to someone. forever. you're taking a big risk, and it's scary" "but i love him. and he loves me right? what am i afraid will happen?" "that he'll stop..."

work day after day
ten thousand cups of coffee
longing for that place

fire hydrant 002

while walking through the japanese gardens in hayward one day i noticed this little guy hiding amidst the zen. i thought it was a great juxtaposition of the natural and serene with the unnerving yellow mechanical. it's like he's sitting back there screaming "i'm here! hey guys, if there's a fire i'm here to help! i'll be here...waiting...just playing it cool."

for sale willys jeep
one owner well looked after
low miles lots of fun

the chief

i'm at one of my freelance gigs today in palo alto at the stanford shopping center. next door there's a cosmetics store with this great old indian on display. (don't ask me what cosmetics has to do with old indians) i really dig all of the art deco styling on these bikes. the sense of movement and sweep even when it is stationary. beauty. maybe there's the connection.

canonet junior roll 001

i got back the first roll from my canonet junior, and here are some samples. everything seems to be ok with this one. no light leaks. although i did blow out the exposure on quite a few of the shots. i also need to get the focus right on close ups. overall i'm pretty pleased with my five dollar investment. next up will be some b/w experiment. maybe a little san francisco in the rain. hmmm.

let's be together today

my mom tells me that when i was a little kid i was completely enthralled with mr. rogers. that i used to stare at the television fully engaged, hanging on every moment. of course when your mom tells you this as a teenager, you're totally in denial. "no way mom, mr. rogers isn't cool" as i grew older one of the things that i began to see is how unconditional mr. rogers always was with his love and affection. i wonder for how many kids in my generation he was the only source of unconditional love and affection. it's funny too how many parodies have been done over the years. i think there is a deep seeded denial (or affection) there too. of course when you stop and listen, it is hard to believe that this is actually real. that there is no guile or pretense here takes a lot of disbelief in our cynical culture. but hey, give it a try. see if you can, just for a few moments take yourself out of your own head and imagine that you are still a child, full of wonder and trust. and here's this really nice guy who just wants to share a little bit of his time to invite you into a safe world to create some songs to sing with you. so come on, Let's Be Together Today.