The Wedding Daze Part 1: The Readying

I never seem to get around to posting this blog because, besides the general business of life, it's hard to figure out how to write about a day that you can only remember half of. A lot of it is a big blur of hand-shaking, and thanking people all around. Nonetheless, I need to commit these things to this blog while I still remember as much as I do, because I am horrible when it comes to journaling. (I only want to write in my journal when I feel miserably awful). So this blog is really the best place to record the good stuff. I think I will break it up into parts so that it doesn't overwhelm my long-suffering, and neglected 8 readers. So here goes:

In spite of all predictions to the contrary, I actually slept like a baby the night before the wedding. I had gone down to the local 7-11 to get a movie from the Redbox. I got Terminator 3 with Christian Bale, because I really didn't want to think about what I was watching. About 27 minutes into that film I was out like a light. The next thing I know I flung myself out of bed to the quiet sound of a text message alert. It was 7am. I don't remember what the message said, or how I responded. It was from Rachel. I do remember that. But then I even fell back asleep until 10 or 11.

I then got out of bed and made myself a high-protein breakfast, just in case it was the last food I would get to eat. I was feeling very practical and wise at this point. I then proceeded to get myself ready, which took no more than 20 minutes. I am a man, after all, and I was not going to put my tux on until I arrived at the hotel. Then I watched an episode of the Colbert Report which made me laugh until I cried, and then I was ready.

Then I creepily creeped over to Rachel's Dad's house to gather a couple of covert items, and made a couple of other quick stops on my way to the hotel for some last minute necessities.

I didn't arrive at the hotel until around 3:00. I thought this would give me plenty of time. So I went out to check out the area where it was all to take place, and see that everything was coming together. It was. In fact, everything was pretty much done. Angel was putting some finishing touches on the flower arrangements, which were completely fabulous. Angel does not run a flower business, but she should. Then I asked Cannon, our wedding coordinator, a couple of practical questions, and returned to my dressing room to hang with Trent, and Robert, and Josh, and my Dad, and pretty soon there were about 30 dudes in there. It was total chaos. It turns out that even I can take forever to get ready when I have to put on cuff links. Things got frantic for a few minutes. There were ties, and socks, flying every which way, and a cloud of musk in the air.

Then it was time...

(to be continued)

Seeing New Things In Old Places

I feel like I have to re post this picture because it serves as a reminder to me of how mysterious photography really is. Every now and then I look at all the photos on my website just to see how I feel about them now, and see if I notice qualities I hadn't thought about in my own work.

This particular photo was taken in Iceland, and made the final cut of the series that I consider to be the best expression of that journey, mostly because it's so strange and unusual. Without me explaining it to you, you probably have no idea what sort of situation happened here. I always liked that it had a post-apocalyptic feel with the trashy tent city going on all around, but also a surreal mystery around the guy with the silly wig, and the other guy with the skull on his back.

Because I never enlarged this, and only look at it in small form on my computer screen, I managed to look at this photo dozens of times, and never notice the guy peeing in the background. I don't think I ever saw him when I was taking the picture either, because you'd think I would remember that. It's always strange when you discover these kind of things in a photo you have looked at over and over again.

So this photo is a rare one that has continually grown on me over time, and I always find new reasons to love it. I must be close to finally getting the punchline because today I looked at it and burst out into hysterical laughter for a good five minutes, until tears were literally streaming down my face. The best part is I still can't figure out what's so funny about it. I never thought it was funny before. I feel like my 2008 self told me a really good joke, and I'm just starting to get it.

Ready For Winter

It's cold up in here! But, like proper boy scouts, we are prepared.

If I Had a Billion-Trillion Dollars...

It's always hard for me to figure out how to spend my fantasy money. But first I would definitely quit my job so that I could spend more time reading, and being with friends and family, and take my wife on lots of awesome dates. Then I would take my woman on a Mediterranean Cruise:



Then I would probably buy a decent house:



Or two:



Maybe a condo in Moab:



Then I would probably buy a lot of film for my film cameras:



And then I would spend the rest of my life figuring out what to do with the remaining cash. That would take a lot of study and meditation in places that look like this: