A polite and fitful photographic memory!

Good Evening!

Being I am the victim of a bloody virus it has however afforded me a few moments to walk down memory lane by looking through my photo galleries from "Prague", "Peru" and the "San Blas Islands."

Every photograph always bring back memories. Some good. Some bad. Some that just fit in between the two and the others that bring just a slight smirk or a polite grimace covered up by some smart and clever turn of phrase to save the face of accident!

But, after I looked through the galleries - particulary Prague and Peru - I felt an overwhelming desire to re-return to these past assignments and shoot these exquisite and profoundly moving places again, but with the 'eye' of a 39 year-old and not the young photographer I was then!

Sounds pretentious and stupid (and it is!) but it began what became a wonderful afternoon of day-dreaming through all off the worldwide spots I've been blesssed to visit over the years!

I highly recommend this virus for anyone wishing to re-claim their youth for a few days or so!

The flu, splashing around in the "WWW" and joining the IFC!

The new photography galleries are up!

I just have to add the all important text content, print and price information and then we're just left with the minor cosmetics of working links, Google adsense boxes, the PayPal cart system and a dab' of something special that will make a small splash in the whirlpool of the www?

Apart fom that I have been as sick as a pig with the bloody flu!

No photography! No good food! The 20D has been gathering dust! Anna Nicole was finally buried! Britany is not even back page news! "A-Rod" is STILL with the Yankees and 'Hillary' is more corrupt than 'Rudi'!

Did you know this guy's security firm is making millions of $$$$ in guess where? Iraq?

And he's small-fry compared to this country's 'first' Lady!

Anyway some movie news!

We have joined the IFC (Independent Film Center) as an "Auteur" members!

Bloody good deal! Loads of benefits, including free popcorn, guest tix, free midnight and certain weekend shows and I hope a decent selection of good pictures!

We hope to see at least three to four movies a month so I'll report on our findings during the first year!

Right! More Thera-flu for me and back to the futon for meditation!

Fever, films and Split-Pea Soup!

This week I really wanted to get a shot about the NYC winter, the cold, the snow & frost, etc,.

But I haven't been able to shoot anything because I've landed myself a damn pesky cold!

So I've been stuck in bed, wrapped up in layers, drinking soup, sipping 'day-quill's, quite a few "hot toddy's" and watching movies!

I haven't shot much since Florida, well, that's not actually true, I did shoot some stuff on the subway a couple of nights ago that might be good for the blog, but I'm waiting to fill up the 1GB card (like finish a roll of film!) before firing over the RAW files to the I-mac to see if I got anything worthwhile?

So yesterday I saw "Venus"

This instant classic is a charming, gentle movie that is nothing more than a vehicle for superb performances from all the cast, especially of course from O'Toole, Leslie Phillips and new comer Jodie Whittaker.

I'd like to write more but I can't so there! Go and see it!

And smile when you see them die!

Dave, Bukowski & "Notes on a Scandal"

I had the pleasure of watching two exceptional motion pictures and one extremely bad piece of TV in the last couple of days so please excuse my lack of posting to this still small blog,...!

Let's start with the late night TV show hosted by "Dave" and like you know who I'm talking about right?

Can someone please comment on how this guy got to where he is right now?

How this or 'his' written so called entertainment made it to national TV?
Really ...I'm just bemused! I really 'am!

In my wildest senses I cannot see or believe that people line up in Times Square to watch this guy? I cannot believe a TV network pays this guy millions of dollars for, for what? Really this is the land of entertainment and this "Dave" guy is "IT!"

I've lived in this city for years and have seen subway acts with more intelligence,humor and sincerity!

I should stop here and let you comment! Please I want to hear from all of you!

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To recover I watched something with the intellect, honesty and the sincerity of a fallen saint!

The latest documentary on Charles Bukowski!

And boy what a welcome relief that was from you know who?!

I did find it a wee bit depressing but, enlightening at the same time!

Re-discovering my love for a wordsmith who weilded such craft, penning brutal narratives & prose with his acute insight on the pain of human suffering and angst, and then there's always a line that - for me always - makes you smile.

Nothing short than a tortured genius! But he wasn't from the "Bronx" Dave! (Another Dave from NYC who actually has talent!)

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"Notes on a Scandal" - definately worth the $10 just for the acting alone, but also you'll enjoy an intelligent plot structure that uses age, gender, and simple but effective story curves to drive a sharp and well produced picture along, that in its entirety address's a very pertient social situation and more importantly shows another side to the story!

A very timely piece from the United Kingdom! Enjoy!

Good night!

Occupied as a desk!

"A cheerleader involved in fraud seeks religious retreat"!

What is this world coming too?

"The English are warned that they must by-pass happiness!"

I'm Glad I don't live there anymore!

"Apparently penguins have never been happy?"

This according to a report from a remote Scottish research institute located in the Outer, Outer Hebridies!

NEXT!

"A strong rumor is circulating in Central Europe that the Universal Army Of Martydom is gathering it's heretical forces to launch major attacks against the Monarchies of the Catholic Church!"

About time!

Their first weapon is...

SURPRISE! NO,...

Back to CNN for the real news,...

Anna Nicole Smith was buried in a big tent today surrounded by lots of circus folk, cell-phone photographers, mud wrestlers, profiteering priests, her ex-mother, numerous ex-members of her private club and a casket of ashes.

Have a good trip!

And don't forget there's a new scratch card game in tomorrow's paper!

Web galleries and Bukowski.

Spent most of the day with Dave the 'web-guru' and things are coming along nicely!

All the image content for the galleries is now complete! A rather heavy and sometimes savage editing session was needed to get to the final selections!

Now the latest material from Florida needs to be added and also some miscellaneous work that I think is suitable for the site.

So next week will be spent adding all the text information, such as print & matt sizes, pricing and descriptions of each photograph.

We're tackling one gallery at a time - "England" will be first followed by "New York", "Florida" and then I'll be moving back to the film negative days with work from "Prague", Peru", "San Blas" and a few others locales!

Tonight I'm putting the feet up to watch "Bukowski: Born Into This", a documentary filmed over seven years that apparently (according to the sleeve notes!) paints an intimate portrait of a tortured writer. Interesting! I've read most of Charlie's work so I'm looking forward to the movie!

Will post a review in the next couple of days.

The floating point finishing line & naive thoughts about the web biz!

So we're nearly at the finishing line for the launch of the site!

I'm meeting with my mate Dave (Web-guru!) on the Upper East Side tomorrow afternoon and I just hope it doesn't get ugly!

We're hoping to get the galleries edited down to what we think could possibly sell, along with print sizes, prices and then finally we'll be working on the final look off the home page?

Being a bit of a part-time slacker bastard I'm both nervous & excited about the first infant steps of this so called e-commerce, dot.com business slash personal project! So far I've received quite a few positive comments from my silly blog postings that I must say have given me much needed confidence and spirit!

Thanks to Dave, Erwin, "Bubbles", Melissa, "spock69", "GQue", the entire cast of "ShortBus", Kevin (Washington Heights greatest subway news vendor!), Monica (best coffee in the West Village!) and my long lost Uncle Binky Hetherington!

Business in this day and age is all about dealing with the floating decimal point, the automated order email, the invisible customer base, the robot's request, security codes, your mother's maiden name, copyright laws (Shit! That reminds me!) gambling on margins, opting out on options, killing Arabs to hit the bottom line and getting the internet sated general public to wake up and think outside of the hard drive!

So I'm going to try and make this site as less robotic as possible! You'll just have to put up with my bad spelling, grammar, silly English sense of humor and slacker attitude!

Everyone is already telling me that it's not going to happen but I think it's going to be fun to try and have a few giggles on the way!