Tracy does not make Phx

Sad face....

Before flying back to Cleveland, I planned to shoot with three photographers in Phx to raise some cash for the Reading Airshow - Tracy was booked for those three shoots as well ....

We were also planning on doing the Salt-River Trip on Sunday afternoon.... She invited her boyfriend Josh, so I invited Patrick (even though I was pretty sure he would not be able to make it).... But Patrick changed his work schedule around and paid a few extra dollars to move his flight back a few days... all excited... the four of us getting drunk on inner-tubes all day! Whooo!

Friday morning, Tracy calls: She cannot make it (I cancel our Sat morning shoot). Saturday afternoon Tracy is not feeling well, still cannot make it (I cancel our Sat evening shoot). Sunday Tracy calls me crying, saying that she is having a mental breakdown (I call our Mon shoot with decent notice. He reschedules another model. Pat borrows his sister's car to get me there).... I love Tracy and I know that is not her fault and I know that she is been going through a lot (most of which is not my place to talk about on here)... But geeze, Phx sucked big-time. Lost $400, had no transportation, Pat and I were stuck at his sister's apartment with barking dogs and nothing to do all day.... it was hell-ish....

Luckily - Pat remembered that the new Pixar movie Up! came out - in 3D! His big sister took us out to see it.. At that point, I think, Pat was just trying his best to keep me from getting upset. Which only half worked.... Because if you saw Up! - You know that you spend at least half the movie bawling over the cute-lonely-old man with all the colorful balloons...haha... or at least I did!....

RibFest In Cleveland 05/23/09

Allib BBBB's Photo!

Litty Kitty

Dumpster Diving

When Matthew moved to Syracuse, he moved in with some super vegan, organic, save-the-world types.... He learned to buy clothing at the Salvo and to purchase his food from the local Farmer's Market. He mastered the makings of a compost pile and how to reuse all his plastic bags.

It was a great flip from his Manhattan New York lifestyle which was mostly designer clothing and materialistic things.... Can you believe how surprised I was to hear that he has been dumpster diving! I love it! I mean, I have lots of friends that dive... but never, in my life did I picture Matthew jumping into a bin of smelly garbage, sporting rubber gloves, trashy clothes, tearing through dumpsters until 7am! Yay Matthew!

I guess, Syracuse University let out last week and the students are ditching their stuff! So many of the kids are from overseas..... throwing away everything imaginable.... Matt's nextdoor neighbor found a brand-new Mac-book Pro tucked away in a garbage bag on South campus... Matt found a necklace from Tiffany's, a really cute bong, so many bags of clothing, packaged food, furniture, Easter baskets, skiis, a new stereo, art supplies - he has so much salvaged stuff from the dumpsters - his entire living room is no longer a room to live-in.... just piles and piles of stuff. After they wash everything, I think, Matt and Sara are going to have a garage sale next week. I have to get over there and take photos... you have to see his house... it is madness!

Electric Six and Franklin Castle

Pat's been working a lot lately - so I have had wayyyy too much time on my hands.

Friday night, I decided very last minute to go check out Electric Six at The Grog Shop..... grabbed my ipod and wandered a half mile down the road towards Coventry.... Once in line, I found myself sandwiched between the extremely drunk punk-kids and the obnoxiously drunk college-kids, howling Electric Six lyrics over my shoulder... "something something about a dinner and a menu...!!! Oy! Oy! Oy!" I must have impressed them with my sober attempts to Oy!.... or perhaps I failed miserably and they felt pity...... But the minute we got through the doors, they bought me a handful of red-headed-sluts to catch up. Hot Cha Cha was a great band.... Electric Six played the Danger Danger song that I love.... watching the geeky highschool kids play that weird block/shoot game was totally worth the entire concert....

According the David Lynch - Ideas are like Fish....

According to the Scientists - The Universe tastes like Raspberries.

Last night, I picked-up and checked out the Franklin Castle tour.... I was the only visitor to show up! So it was me, this guy who owns the place, and his castle cat. The castle was built in 1881 for a wealthy merchant... So much original woodwork is still part of the walls and the fireplace mantels. The owner was telling me that he is planning on restoring as much as he can and then getting a lease from the Historical Society to help with the rest. If all goes well, sounds like the Castle will become a Bed and Breakfast in a few years... Cannot tell you in Franklin Castle is haunted... I did not see anything that would lead to that conclusion.... but I would not want to get locked in there at night, that is for sure.

Around 9pm, a bunch of his old highschool friends showed up - and we all hung out until midnight - Random evening in a very unexpected place. Not every day you get to drink a few beers on the third floor of a Castle....

Aron's Photos

Jeff Metter and Springtime in Cleveland!

Cat hair all over my keyboard! At this rate, if I continue picking hair out of my keyboard, I will be able to make tiny miniature kitty replicas of all of Tracy's cats in no time...

Had the such an entertaining flight home yesterday! I sat next to Jeff Metter, the lighting director for Kenny Rogers. Most of the band was on the flight too - the fiddle player, the guitar guy, all the sound technicians. Jeff just completely blew me away. He has been cage diving in Cape Town, he has toured forty-two countries, he is happily married (which always impresses me), he lit a stage south of France for a crowd of 360,000 people (that is six times the amount of people who attend Burning Man... I cannot even fathom it). He has worked with The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Lenny Kravitz, The Beach Boys.... even Jenny Lewis! I was randomly expressing to him that the only musician at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that really sparked my interest was Madonna.... and he is like, "Really? Madonna? I used to call her Daisy..." And he pulls out of photo of the two of them together from the 80's.... he is all long haired and tattooed... Madonna is in her bra, flashing the camera. Totally friggin awesome...

In other news..... Cleveland! Believe it or not - I am actually very excited to be back here. When I left this city, my car was covered in snow and rock-salt .... and now, returning almost three weeks later, all the snow is gone and everything is green!! You cannot realize how happy I am.... I found a lilac tree last night! Pat and I wrote poems in chalk on the sidewalk! I can walk to Coventry without a coat on! I can play my banjo outdoors and bug my neighbors! Cleveland is not so shabby in the springtime.... not so shabby at all.

"Remember - you do not have to be a penguin to have Happy Feet!"

Photos: Self-Portraits: Canola Fields in Manitoba Canada July 2008....