Paint the World
Yesterday I decided it was high time to paint my bathroom. The paint has been peeling off of the door and above the shower for months. In retrospect, I should have just called the building manager and had someone come up and do it for free, but I'm far too paranoid about people working in my apartment to let that happen.
I intended to paint just the bits that were peeling. I should have known it wasn't going to be that easy. I started by scraping, sanding, and applying a coat of Kilz to the affected areas. That stuff is BRUTAL. I was wearing an N95 mask and safety goggles, had two fans running, and still felt like I was putting myself in serious danger with the toxic fumes.
I should have stopped there. Kilz is just a primer, but it didn't look too bad. I must have been dizzy from the chemical high when I busted out the paint, noticed it was much brighter white than I needed, and started painting. As soon as I made the first brush stroke, I knew I was in for the long haul.
Two hours later, my hair gray with dust and my face streaked with paint, I was done. I still can't get the paint off of my hands and imagine it will still be there tomorrow, which is okay. It's moving day at work.
I really wanted to get out and take some photographs this morning, but was too exhausted. After my painting adventure, I couldn't sleep. I turned on HBO or Showtime (can't remember which) and stayed up until 2am watching Saw. Not scary. A decent horror film, but not anything like what I expected.
What's the scariest movie you've seen? I'm looking for something crazy to watch on Halloween.
Suspicious Subscriptions
Today I opened my PO Box to find the second issue of Metro. What I don't get is that I have never subscribed to this magazine, nor have I subscribed to any other local magazines. I received an issue last month as well, which I figured was a one time deal to promote the magazine. Is anyone else getting free copies of this in the mail? It's not bad and I've actually purchased a copy, not knowing that I have a subscription. Or do I?
To add to the mystery, I started getting monthly copies of Outside, which one of my coworkers is thrilled about. I'm personally not the outdoors type and don't know why I have a subscription...or why it's being sent to work. The only thing I can figure out is that something that I ordered from Amazon, B&H Photo, or Ebay triggered a promo subscription. Maybe it was the Waveboard I ordered to replace the one I broke.
Time for an Imaginery Girlfriend
Now that I have my strobe lighting setup (I decided on three Elinchrom monolights with grid spots, Chimera softboxes, and umbrellas), I need some models to help build my portfolio. I've also got a couple of ideas for personal projects that I need models for. So, this weekend I signed up for an account on Model Mayhem and One Model Place.
The response so far has been amazing and there will be no shortage of models to work with. The problem now is finding the time. In a few weeks I'm going to have to organize an intense weekend of shooting, but I need to solidify my ideas and secure locations before then.
To that end, I picked up a copy of Elle and Vogue to study the lighting techniques and posing. When I brought them to the register, the clerk asked, "Are these for your girlfriend?"
"Um, no." I then went into my whole story about why I was buying them.
My response next time? "Yes."
Weekend of Violence
On Saturday I got up and forced myself to head out with my camera to do some shooting. My goal was to head down Broadway, but I started seeing too much graffiti around and never made it. Instead, I spent about 4.5 hours walking around NE Minneapolis and the Stevens neighborhood.
At one point in an abandoned lot where I wanted to take a photo, there were 3 guys yelling at each other and occasionally throwing swings. I avoided that situation and went back there about 30 minutes later. They were gone and I got the shot I wanted.
Yesterday I got word of a graffiti battle happening at a building in North Minneapolis. I found to the spot, which is one of the best legal graffiti walls I've seen here. Nobody was there. I took a bunch of shots while waiting for people to show up. I can't believe I've never found this place before! I can't wait to go back.
Nobody ever showed up, so I walked around the area taking photos while waiting to hear more about the battle. I found out that it got moved to Intermedia Arts and headed over there.
The scene was pretty intense. Lots of shit talking lead to someone getting punched in the face and the puncher was tackled to the ground. I was glad to be a neutral party. It basically gave me a free pass from getting involved in anything. Everyone on both sides of the battle was really cool about talking to me and letting me take photos.
The cops showed up once, but it was because there were gun shots in the neighborhood. I remember hearing a single shot around 2:30pm. Very strange.
Toward the end of the battle, things got really heated and there were at least two more scuffles. Not being emotionally involved with either side helped me stay calm and I did my best to step in and yell at the guys to stop fighting. I also did my fair share of talking to everyone individually to diffuse the situation, since I knew they were all cool with me. I think I helped out a little.
No, I didn't take pictures of the fights.
Watching: I saw The Departed and caught up on the new Showtime series Dexter this weekend. Both were good, but The Departed was particularly excellent.
After Innocence
I just watched After Innocence, a documentary that tells the "story of the exonerated - innocent men wrongfully imprisoned for decades and then released after DNA evidence proved their innocence."
This is easily the most heartbreaking documentary I've seen to date and I defy anyone to watch it without bursting into tears.
