WORTH 1,000 WORDS
5 August 2003
I didn't take the laptop with me to Los Angeles. For one thing, I
knew Michael had a computer I could use, and for another, I was going to be struggling
with a backpack, camera, and fanny pack (and semi-functional arm) and didn't want to add a
heavy computer as well.
But what that means is that I didn't have the ability to do anything
with the photos I took during the weekend. My old digital was great because everything
went on floppy disk and I could download photos onto any computer. But now that I'm in the
age of Smart Memory cards, I have to have the right hardware and software to do anything
with the photos.
So I set up a shell journal entry before I left, so that I could at
least have a "photo of the day" already in place...and I said I'd just publish
some photos when I got home.
 First, I told you to remind me about the fur and baguettes (which Mary did nicely in my guestbook). This is a
photo I took on Rodeo Drive (my most interesting photos came from Rodeo Dr.)
I'm not an artist, or a window dresser, but this window just had
both Michael and me standing there saying "huh???" We didn't know if it
was a bakery with fur or a furrier with baguettes.
It is an interesting concept, I guess. In other
windows were more bread and possibly some cheese or wine or something.
I dunno...it's just...weird.
 I also liked this photo of a gull that I took when we walked along
the beach at Santa Monica.
I really enjoyed our walk and was glad that the restaurant wasn't
open when we got there. It's a lot easier to walk down near the water's edge than to
slog through the dry sand near the highway (plus you get to watch the waves and smell the
salt and the seaweed). We probably didn't go that far in the hour we walked, but I
was all sweaty and panting when we got back to the street.
The weekend was kind of a revelation--and not a pleasant one--for
me. I've spent all this time working up my energy, keeping up my stamina, getting
ready for doing walking and exploring in Australia and in 2 months of inactivity, I've
lost a lot of all the hard work I've done. I'm running out of time to build my
strength back up again.
 This devilish looking fellow is one of Michael's two cats,
Figaro. I'm surprised he actually let me take this picture, since he's quite an
expert at turning his head just before the flash flashes, since he hates it. I could
have fiddled with this and colored in his eyes, but I kind of like the effect here.
It's definitely not appropriate for Figaro, who is one of the
world's biggest sweethearts. We had such fun watching him chase a twist-tie around
the living room, throwing it up in the air and chasing it, while his companion, Jett, just
looked on incredulously. Later, Jett tried batting the twist-tie around a bit and
you could almost see him shrugging his shoulders as he walked away, thinking "I don't
know what he sees in this thing!"
 A big part of any concert or play that Steve is in is the
"meet and greet" afterwards (more accurately, "meet and hug").
These two women were friends of Michael's and we had dinner with them and some other
friends of his before the show.
Fascinating women. I enjoyed talking with both of them, about
the decline in the educational system in this country (they are both teachers), and the
political course we are on under the "leadership" of George Bush et al.
 But Sunday night it was back to Sacramento (after a nearly one
hour delayed flight). I just love the baggage claim in Sacramento, with this pile of
lost luggage used in place of pillars. It's fun to get up close and examine the
pieces that are included, which include more than simply suitcase, but also golf clubs and
other sorts of things that one might check as luggage on a flight.
I normally take a lot more photos than I did on this weekend.
I probably would have taken a lot more, too, if I'd been by myself. I never feel
comfortable, except with a few other people who are also photographers, stopping every 50
feet to get the perfect shot. But I covered the high spots, got enough photos for Steve's Journal so he could write an entry
about the show this weekend. And better than spending time taking pictures, I got to
spend time with Michael, who is becoming a very good friend.
(this is in lieu of showing his
"contemplating my new wardrobe" photo) |
