A Problem with Music

Lots of people say, "I love music."
I'm not one of those people, but I do have opinions on music.

Lea Ann Miller, former professional figure skater, choreographer, and Olympian, was successful with her choreography because she was able to not only skate to the music, but skate with the emotion of the song.
In the same way music should be sung with the proper emotion.

The song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" helps highlight this. It's easy to sing this song. Sing the notes. Sing the tune. But to sing it right, to sing it correctly, you need to sing the emotion.

It's a duet where the girl is focused off in the distance singing, almost to herself, how she needs to get home, while the guy is singing directly to the girl, doing is best to convince her to stay there, in his nice warm home, for the night.

So, please, sing it right.

Well spoken

At some point, I'm not sure when, I became less able to express my thoughts when speaking.
I am better at it while writing.
I used to be better.
I have trouble quickly remembering.
If my brain were a computer, it would have far too little RAM.
When I pause after being asked a question it is because I am working to remember and provide an accurate response.
I'll answer the question that you ask. Do not assume that I'll know if you try to imply something.

I'm often blunt. Often I do not have time to slowly work my way to a the end.

Quiet Person

My apologies for being a boring person.
It can take up to 6 months before you can get to know me.
Up to 6 months before you know when I'm trying to tell a joke.

I'm difficult to entertain.
I'm an observer.

I am poor at socializing in groups.

Have you seen the show "The Big Bang Theory"?
Raj is unable to talk around women.
I am almost like that in groups of people I do not know.
Almost.

My apologies for being a boring person.
It is not my intent.

Lost Photography

I miss photography. I miss it.
I've been inspired lately to create some new work, but they all involve other people. I have considered using myself in the photos, but I have never been satisfied with self-portraits.

I'm not sure what I'll do. I haven't created anything I've been really proud of in a while.
When did I get worse at photography?
I blame digital for part of it.
With digital it's often a "keep shooting till you hit something" method. But with film you had a finite amount of tries.
Make those tries count. Figure out what you want before you press the shutter release.

I need more things to be set up.
I'm having trouble finding time to set up photo shoots.
Life is busy for me.
Cleaning. Preparing to move. Packing.

I look around and think of what I can get rid of.
What do I not need?
What things are important to me?
Bicycles.
Photography.
A vehicle, when available.

How many pairs of shoes do I need?
How many shirts to do I need?

How can I focus more on my photography?

I'd like more people I could go to to use in photographs.
I don't feel like I have any such people right now.

I'll keep looking.

Maybe it will be easier when I get to Korea.
When I'm there, if I keep a camera always with me and are always taking photographs then those that I'm around may become accustomed to me with a camera and not notice it as often.

This was why I like my waist level twin-lens camera. I'm not covering my face as often. It's not as obtrusive.
But a waist level medium format camera is not in my budget right now.
Mostly because it cost's a full years pay.

I'll keep looking.

Doubt I could live in NYC

Now, on my third trip to NYC I'm finally able to experience what it is like to live in this city, and I'm not sure it's something that I would want to do.
NYC is certainly one of the dirtiest major first world cities that I've visited.
Part of this cities dirtiness I'll attribute to construction and the cleaning methods of the city, and part I'll attribute to how people who live here care for their city.

This city also seems to be very difficult to find things I'm looking for. Khaki pants that I like, used bicycles that I like, and alterations shops.

I currently live in Germany, and was excited to be back in America where nearly everyone would speak English. Hmm… well, I was certainly wrong about that. One because I chose to stay in a very hispanic neighborhood, and also because NYC is a very popular city for people from all over the would to visit.

Maybe it is just large cities that aren't right for me.
Businesses are doing everything they can here to earn a reasonable profit, seemingly to mean that they pack as much as they can into their stores. Laundromats end up in such small spaces and so many machines that they are unable to fit in many chairs or counters to fold laundry.

Many of the people here, who still decide to drive in the city, still drive very large cars. Why? Why do they think it is a good idea to buy a large car for a city with few parking spaces and very very crowded streets.

It is pretty fun thought, to have a 10 mile commute that can take an hour.
Oh, wait, no, it isn't.

NYC is not a city for shy people, and I'm a shy person.

Dear girl on the subway

If you choose to wear stockings with large holes in them, please, please shave your legs beforehand.

Thanks

Well, looks like that is over now

Hillary never turned me down for a photo shoot until two weeks ago.
She turned me down for a photo shoot for the first time in eight years.
That hurt.
I had planned this trip across the ocean for a photo shoot.
But now there is no photo shoot.
That was a big part of me; photographing Hillary.
She is the subject of one of my best photographs, one of the original Bubble Gum photos.
Like Richard Avedon losing Audrey Hepburn or Dovima.
She turned me down with a week and a half window.
Nine months ago we were able to set up a photo shoot with about a three hour window.

This felt like my photographic heart was being ripped out.

Pizza Excitement

I was recently at an even that provided free pizza.
At such events you expect certain types of pizza: Pepperoni, Sausage, Cheese, ect.
At this event I overheard a person utter the amazing words, "They have pepperoni!"
What stuck me as strange was that it was sincere. This person was genuinely excited for pepperoni pizza.

Pepperoni pizza is a cop-out pizza. It's chosen to not offend people. It's plain.
If you buy pepperoni and a vegetarian gets lost and stops by they can easily pick the pepperonis off.

But ordering a cheese pizza is just wrong. A cheese pizza is an unfinished pizza.
Meat and/or vegetables (sometimes fruit) are a requirement for pizza. Fact.
Ordering a cheese pizza says that you don't really want pizza but what to be accepted.
It's the same as ordering an alcohol-free beer; it's done to be socially accepted.

Don't order cheese pizza. It's wrong, and an oxymoron.