Dance After Dark Photography

I was going to wait until I got back before editing any of my photos, but I had some free time today when, despite a promising 80-degree morning, the sun decided to bake the city once again.

That’s my favorite so far, and I think the reason is obvious. Prettier pictures below:

Sunset over the South Maricopa Mountain Wilderness

First Baptist Church, or what’s left of it after fire damage

Statue atop the Orpheum Theater

alt title: Phoenix update # who knows? I can’t be bothered to check.

I was entirely lazy this morning, so I sit here typing instead of walking around downtown Phoenix and taking photos of the Willow House like I intended. The original plan was to walk down there (about a mile), and then I found out that the AZ Irish Festival is also today and down the street from aforementioned coffee house. Trick is, I wanted to walk to the Willow House and take photos very early, like 7:00. Irish Fest gates open at 10:00.

In the end, I talked myself out of both. I have lots of time to get the photos of the Willow House. They’re moving in a week, but the building will be there regardless. When you see pictures, you’ll understand. As for the Irish Fest, I didn’t realize it was just a one-day affair. That doesn’t sound terribly impressive. It starts at 10:00, and we’re due in Casa Grande by 11:30. Maybe I’ll drop in this afternoon, when we come back from Casa Grande and Jenn goes to work. Festival is over at 5:00. Maybe not. I’m indifferent.

Much fun has been had, though! I already feel like I’ve had a few weeks of vacation, and I’m not even halfway there. I watched Mr. Show last night because Jenn keeps making references. I’d never heard of it, so I’m glad I dragged it out. It stars Bob Odenkirk and David Shaw with a metric ton of other comedians you’ll recognize. Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, several of the folks now on the Sarah Silverman Show whose names I don’t know. I find my sense of humor warping. More and more I enjoy awkward, uncomfortable humor.

Okay, it’s time to start thinking about breakfast. Do I make the mesquite-smoked turkey breakfast burritos w/ avocado & muenster, or do I wait for Jenn to get up so we can get something on the way to Casa Grande? Decisions, decisions.

Awesome. I’m chilling at Ben’s house while he drops his son off at school. Last night Ben made Thai fried rice with deep-fried tofu chunks. Can you say fabulous? I can. I “helped” by getting in the way and not quite stirring the rice enough. I’m a very helpful person.

Pimpty Jr. is a great kid. We had a swordfight with foam tubes this morning, and he was very amused by my lightsaber sound effects. With no prompting at all, he calls me Skywalker. (Apparently that was his first reaction upon hearing my name, even prior to my arrival. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: The Force is strong with this one.)

I’m going to cut this relatively short so I can get out of Ben’s hair as soon as he gets back. I drove up into the South Mountain Wilderness last night just in time to catch the sunset. I didn’t quite get there early enough for the truly spectacular shots, but it was still a pretty sight. I wish I had a lens that could capture the full moon over the mountains. It looked immense, but of course in the camera it’s reduced to a pinpoint of light. I still don’t understand why that happens with lenses vs. the eye. I read an explanation once upon a time. Maybe it’s time to break out Wikipedia again.

One funny and annoying side note: I was taking a 2-minute exposure of Phoenix as seen from Dobbins Lookout. It was just long enough for a yutz and his family to walk into the center of the frame, take a snapshot with their camera’s built-in flash, and consequently put themselves into my picture. Without the flash, they wouldn’t have shown up at all. I got a lot of that, although I have to admit that headlights playing over the stonework of the lookout point pavilion-thingie made for a nice effect.

Jenn and I went to her friend Matt’s birthday party last night at Donovan’s, “the finest upscale steak and chophouse in Phoenix.” Let me tell you, that place was snazzy! I’ve never felt more like an awkward ugly duckling in my life. (heh) Very cool, though. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent, and I enjoyed getting to meet & talk with all of the people at the party. (Thanks again for a great dinner, Jenn.)

After dinner we went to Charlie’s, which is what Cowboys in Orlando should be. I mean, there’s a hot pink neon “cowboys” sign out front. How is that not a gay bar? *grin* Charlie’s was far less flaming on the outside, much more so on the inside. Drag queens and muscle-bound bartenders with big cowboy hats were the norm. At this point my back was killing me from trying to keep proper posture at Donovan’s. I guess I did that to myself, but Donovan’s doesn’t strike me as an elbows-on-the-table kind of place. We ducked out of Charlie’s early on my account, but not before I got to meet some more of Jenn’s co-workers and friends.

We got in at about 12:30 — impressive in my book, but waaaaay early in everyone else’s. I’m used to going to bed between 9:00 and 11:00, so I get the feeling I’ll be fighting Pumpkin Syndrome for a few more days while I acclimate to the new schedule.

Today’s agenda is not to have an agenda, although my vague plans include wandering around downtown some more with a 50% chance of hiking in the afternoon. The scar on my ankle has been tightening over the past few weeks anyway, but being in this dry heat has accelerated the process. Walking hurts, but it helps too.

I’m killing a little time until Jenn gets off work and we head off to meet a local model named Stacey for a photo shoot. I’m also recovering from drinking Poor Man’s Black Velvet, Cuba Libra, and a very good margarita last night. It’s an odd mix, and I think the tequila has it in for me.

You’ll all be amused by my airport misadventures. My plane left Orlando at 2:41. Accordingly, I planned to be at the airport at 12:41. Unfortunately, I planned it so far in advance that I convinced myself the plane was leaving at 12:41 and I needed to be there at 10:41. On top of that, Daniel gave me a ride and we wound up being a little early for being early. I sat at the airport for about 4.5 hours. iPod, you are my salvation. (And thanks again, Daniel. You saved me a hell of a lot of money.)

Last night Jenn, Ben, and I went to Seamus McCaffrey’s for a late dinner. We had a feast of fried things: fish, chips, mushrooms, jalapeños, and zucchini. Pub food and vegetarians don’t get along well, and deep-friend was the only option. From there we walked to Burn to check out the goth night turned semi-raver. Cool people, but the music wasn’t entirely appealing. It was at Burn as someone checked out my t-shirt from a northern Georgia state park that I chimed in, “Tallulah Gorge is my stripper name.” Much amusement, at least on my part.

After Burn, we went to the Bikini Club. Talk about dive! I loved it, though. White-boy reggae DJ who didn’t quite nail the accent all the time, but everyone was having fun. It was proven that sometimes there can, in fact, be too much cowbell. Dawn the Bartender made the smoothest margarita I’ve ever had. No bite to it at all, and the tequila only hates me about 1/3 as much as it usually would the next day.

I went grocery shopping this morning. Just had a nice mesquite-smoked turkey & muenster sandwich, and the kitchen that was already clean is now gleaming. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the kitchen. I just started with one dish and couldn’t stop myself. I should seek professional help. In other news, we have chicken, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and sweet onions. I’m not sure if that’ll be dinner tonight or tomorrow, but it will be good. Jenn has fresh pasta in the fridge, and I plan to usurp it.

So! This is much more of an update than I expected to make on the entire trip. We’ll see how much more I’ll be able to share. I foresee a lot of free time.

P.S. Construction in downtown Phoenix can suck my balls.

Apparently, Tallulah Gorge is my stripper name.

Alrighty, folks. I’m checking out for about two weeks. I fly to Phoenix in a few hours. I’ll be back Nov 5th and back to work on the 7th. I may be online periodically while I’m out a-wanderin’, but I make no promises. Most of my time will be spent outside, and I get the feeling most of my inside-time will be spent in the kitchen. There’s a twice-weekly farmer’s market within a few blocks of Jenn’s place, and I’ve already spoken with Empty about working some culinary mojo.

And I’m off!

Anhinga

Jive Turkey!

This is what advertising should be, gosh darn it! I don’t mind spending money when someone works this hard to entertain me. There’s even a game to download. Crazy!

Fight For Kisses

And no, it’s not what it sounds like. Cutesy computer-animated baby and deadly flatulence. Enjoy.

The fact that I’m getting 15% return on my 401K investments delights me to no end. Does that mean I’m a geek, I’m old, or both? I know I’m both, so I guess it’s a moot point.

In 6 months, I’ve made close to $300 for doing practically nothing. I adjusted my investments once because I saw a consistent drop in performance over a period of a few weeks. I wasn’t losing money, but I wasn’t gaining as much as I had been. In the 3 weeks since that adjustment, my year-to-date return has jumped from 5% to 15%.

Speaking of geek, did you know that the phrase “moot point” has come to mean exactly the opposite of the original? I suppose it’s a commentary on human nature. A moot was a meeting of government or ecclesiastical leaders, and a moot point was originally something that could only be decided by agreement among all the leaders. People being as they are, perhaps the modern usage of the phrase comes from the futility of trying to get everyone to agree on a course of action. Pure speculation, but entirely possible.