Simple Days

a familiar voice can always make a difference in a day.


this past week was filled with ups and downs. mainly from down to up, which is always a good thing. i got to see my family and friends; not all the family i hoped and wish to see, and most of my friends that i did wish to see.

The Holidays

"that time of the year" is almost over, and it's not really my favorite time of the year. i always feel like i am in a bind between two sides of my family. and since things have been an unproportional split this year, it feels even more odd than usual. as long as i do not think family gatherings are a big deal, it won't bother me.

so it's not bothering me, i think. i should just move far away, and it will make things harder yet easier.

if you think you have problems...

well you don't, you can always find someone else that is in a completely bigger bind than you.

don't forget that.

this is what life has become

filled with drinking.

if i could

just imagine me actually playing the guitar and harmonica, making sweet sweet music. that would be awesome, but im not patience enough for learning, though i am for listening.

Ohh Bettie Page.

the queen of pin-ups died December 11, 2008 at the age of 85. she suffered from a heart attack a week before her death, never regained consciousness then died from pneumonia in a Los Angeles hospital.


Bettie Page
April 23, 1923 - December 11, 2008

Winter, it's been here.

how beautiful is winter? extremely i must say. i can live without it, but i feel life just wouldn't feel the same without it. the rough transition into winter brings your mood up and down, then when it finally comes to stay for awhile, your mood just keeps going down. but! if you actually see the beauty in winter, it really doesn't matter at all.

i decided to make this photo fancy with letters and what not, for what reason, i don't know. but this probably going to be the only time.

Fast and the...

so you know that cheezy car/ricer/drag racing movie the fast and the furious? well i believe they stole that name from warner bros. those bastards!!

Why am I always hungry?

In ways i feel like this lady...

Carole Steele's Testimony

Carol Steele is talking about Cabrini Green, a project housing community, which is being torn down faster than homes being built for the people that are residing in the community.

Turning A Corner

trailer to a documentry on Chicago's Sex Trade Industry.

WITNESS

Another on Curator's Choice

another photo of mine on the curator's choice!




check these guys out, Menahan Street Band.

More Bridgeport Photos

i am finally done with my photo final. i kept with a similar theme of bridgeport, but not with the transition into gentrification. it's more of what is left of old bridgeport before it starts to drastically change in to hipster/yuppie world.

here we go.

johnny-o's on 35th street and morgan.


emil's auto body shop on morgan and 31st street.


morgan crossing food mart on morgan and 32nd street.

then into the change, we got a hyphy shop that has opened up in the neighborhood, right on morgan and 33rd street

it's where you can get your fresh kicks, hyphy hoodies, and vinyl toys in your local neighborhood... bah.

The Curator's Choice

straight from 'the about',

The Curator’s Choice is a daily photoblog featuring the best photographs from the best photographers on Flickr. Each image is taken from Flickr’s Curators Choice group where anyone can submit. Everyday, one image will be chosen by the curator and displayed on this blog.

so i submitted a photo, and it's up on the blog. pretty niffy i'd say.

this photo...


and the screenshot


check out The Curator's Choice, http://www.thecuratorschoice.org/

Got it in the mail!

I ordered some polaroids and a book.

Studs Terkel, those who may not know who he is. Studs is a Chicago legend. known to be a great journalist and oral historian. and also inspire radio personals like dick gordon from the story and ira glass of this american life. without studs, there might not be all this great news and stories around.


my knees goes weak to the sounds of motown-ish, doo woppy music.

mayer hawthorne & the country, 'just ain't going to work out'

oh yeah, it's a white boy on the vocals too.
seen on phill's blog first. things.done.changed

Only a few days left!

sharon jones and the dap kings are coming into the chicagoland area. how exciting this is going to be. i cant wait to dance my butt off!!

i got me tickets!


sharon jones and the dap king
vic theater - 18 & up
3145 n sheffield
in chicago
december 4th, 2008 @ 8pm

Thanksgiving Weekend.

the celebration of this 4 day weekend started on wednesday night after my digital imaging class, but before getting into the partying, i was working on a project in class about humanity. and this is what i came up with.

and i am not an animal activist or anything, but its sad that the little life that most farm animals live then get killed, is coped up in a cage force fed and all that crap. i prefer the animals that i myself do not kill, but occasionally eat, is free ranged. i know that isn't possible all the time for me.

after class, i went over to jesse's place. pawel, francis, t2, tomos (sp?) had came over too. we all had ourselves a drink or more and went out to look for the rest of the people. bucktown/wicker park was aZn'ed out! i have never seen so any asian folks out around 6 corners. it was a nightmare...

thursday afternoon, i went for a nice bike ride. after i had to make smash potatoes for thanksgiving dinner. my sister made this ginormous turkey with bacon all over it. i would say it was delicious, but i am not a fan of turkey. the bacon was good though!


afterwards, i went over to a classmate's place, becca's. it was a nice little gathering with whiskey and a table full of food. good times!

oh, and i am a retard. i thought kristine was going to come in that night. so my night was full of worried. then i got a phone call from her saying she is coming in 11/12 friday afternoon... yeah, me=retard.

so kristine came in on friday! we went for lunch with my family, then visit shelonda. oh shelonda what a nut job, but it was good to see her. and while we were waiting for her, we went to the food court at northriverside mall, and they had an awesome carousel where we all most saw a kid throw up! after visiting shelonda, we went over to jesse's and played a good game of scrabble, had a miniature dance party, and i puked at the end of the night.

next day, saturday, i was still puking, but i gained enough energy to go with kristine to visit kurlyn at kay's. i must say everytime i go to that store, i am sick, or need to puke. that might be my own fault though. anywho, it was a relaxing afternoon after the visit, just some television time with kristine before she left. ohhh, how it's nice to have a lovely girl like her around.

later that night, went to jesse's again a played more scrabble.


then in comes down to sunday, where i am suppose to finish up some photo taking, but never got to it cause it's rainy/snowy and windy. so i got a few materials from utrecht and i am call it a night!

Bridgeport's Transition into Gentrification

so for my final project in my photography foundations class, ive decided to do a project on bridgeport's transformation into gentrification.

and here is my start.


bernice's tavern. a local live music bar, mainly acoustic.


bridgeport diner. a lovely homely diner on the corner of 35th and halsted.


the pants shop. they sell pants.

more photos to come!

Ernie is too cute!

M.I.A

sweeeet!

Year of Your Birth, the party

recap on this past weekend.

i had a party, and it went pretty well for me. drunk before anyone got there and because it was a mild crowd, clean up wasn't too bad. i would just like to thanks all the lovely folks that stopped by.










thanks again, guys!

Here Comes the Sun

Nina Simone's Version


enjoy :)

Tuesday Night Enlargements

tuesday nights is the night for my darkroom class. in this class we practice enlarging and get critiqued by our teachers and TA. i never get critique cause it hurts my eyes walking in and out of a darkroom to a bright ass room. i think i should get some advice, but anywho, here is what i got...


an assignment for my foundations class, pictures making up a picture. it's my shoe rack in my room.


a photo of angela at delilah's. this enlargement really doesnt look as good as the print. i edited in photoshop :P


American Brand Beer. I can only find this beer at delilah's, but it's way better than pbr and definitely old style. oh yeah, i had to edit this photo too. there was a harsh line separating a 3rd of the photo, so i soften that line in photoshop. it must be from the drying of water...


Let's Boogie Records and Tape, this place can be found in Bridgeport right on Halsted. never been in there, but i've seen it since i was a kid.

Too Cute!

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Moldy Green 1987 Levin GT-S

back in the summer of 2005. there was this car. 1987 toyota corolla. i almost totaled it. thank god i didn't, but damn it car, you bring back harsh but good memories. the owner needs you back!

im starting a pocket change fund to get Phill's corolla back. the dude that has it now hasn't been doing anything with it. it's been sitting there for two and a half years!

here's a start.


if you would like to contribute, please do so. that car NEEDS to go back it's true owner, Phill.

Baby, Please Don't Go

pink anderson verison makes you just want to sink in and listen.

Big and Little

bucket drummers/street performers

I LOVE YOU, JT!

oh man!

Pilsen Art

friday i went to two art galleries in pilsen. one was at 903 w 19th street, that show was a bit morbid and i didnt take any photos of what was going on. but there was on near cermak and halsted with skulls has the canvas.

and here are some photos






other than that, it was a very uneventful weekend.

More Enlargements

last night I scanned some photos that i've enlarged over the past couple of week.

here is my grandpa,

Liz & Alan,

and some food,

Modern Farms

because people have the urge for order and perfection is the reason why we have genetically selected animals, vegetables, and what not. modern farms are ridiculous, research it. people are over controlling, disgusting freaks!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

remember the movie 'eternal sunshine of the spotless mind,' well it can happen. not for a few decades though.

so if this memory erasing ability were available now and you can get your memory erased, you would also lose all memories of first and individual memories. your first birthday, first first date, first kiss, first child, and future firsts. well there is a particular chemical in your brain that has an important role in the formation in memories. and when your brain blocks the production of this chemical, it will wipe out a traumatic memory. of course this is still in the works. scientist have been testing this out a on lab mice, and it is in works. and later in our lives there will be a pill. a pill government will probably use on veterans with post traumatic stress disorder or other things.

this was first heard on "this american life" for me, the showtime tv show, season 1 episode 6. i absolutely love the radio show and now the tv show. this an article i saw on BBC news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7685541.stm

oh yes, season 1 episode 6 also has a story about chicago's famous weiner circle.

Reach Out

I've been thinking tonight, if everyone tried to reach out to someone it would make things slightly better. Let someone you know you have hardtimes, but also to let them know that you know they are having just as hard of a time but maybe even worst. And also to tell them to see the hard times in others. Everyone's depression is worst than someone else's, but because they are experiencing it, they feel it's worst than anyone else's. And it is because they haven't experience the worst out there, therefore their worst is the worst of it all. Understand what I am getting at?

whoa...

saw this link on the forums of clubfr. must say it's the first vid of car stuff that i did not get bored of watching after a couple of seconds of it. skip the first 49 seconds of it though, after that, it will show some of the obstacle then the driving...

the world would be a better place if...

the world would be a better place if strangers would just smile and acknowledge one another, not say anything (except for a simple hello), be courteous and respectful.

i know i would be in a better mood if life did not look like a sardine can of depress folks heading to a life sucking job.


i love my mom.

Back to the Future!

from this weekend..

biff

doc & marty

lovely ladies