celebrate.

a few days ago, hung out with some friends to celebrate jeff's birthday. a simple occasion, pizza and drinks in SF, warrants a simple post. although i have to say, there was some interesting art on display at the bar so be warned.

happy birthday, kid.

obamination.

in the words of fellow photographer todd spoth, happy change day.

stayed my first night in sacramento last night so i could spend the morning with congregation members of st. paul's baptist church in the oak park district for the inauguration. the energy was amazing, everyone was cheering and crying and praying, it was really beautiful. thanks to st. paul's for inviting the community out and allowing me to share the historic moment in my new city.here's to a new president.

tear sheet.

a break from the regular blogging to say i was published in FADER this month... so awesome!

the road home.

i didn't manage to leave florida until close to 6 pm on the day after christmas, despite my best efforts. that meant an 11-hour drive to my first stop in houma, louisiana. i arrived at just about 4:30 am thanks to the time difference, and promptly fell asleep on the couch at the home of the wonderful misty mcelroy. the next morning, i jumped in the car with misty and far too much luggage of my own, and we were off to california. a solo road trip is fun, but having company is always better.the first stop was houston, tx. second visit, round-trip. this time we spent the evening visiting with fellow photographer todd spoth and his crazy friends. an evening of fireworks, jam sessions of songs i've loved since high school, and burnt hair. houston is on my texas must-stop list forever.after houston was a 12-hour drive into the wee hours of the morning, arriving in tuscon, arizona, at close to 5 am. james gregg was kind enough to pull himself out of bed at the crack of dawn to greet us and provide us with a couch-fort to sleep the morning away on. after a quick (and late) breakfast and an even quicker goofy portrait session, we hit the road again. next stop: california. home.
the last stretch of drive seemed like the longest. almost 6 weeks away from california didn't seem like a long time, but driving back through my hometown of los angeles, it felt like i'd been away for years. for all my anxiousness to leave california, i have to say that it was nice to come back to a familiar place. i guess no matter how long you leave, home is always going to be home. and in some ways, it's good to be back... at least for now.

countdown.

so much to catch up on since the last post. i'll do my best to fit it all in.

the last week of florida was jam-packed. visited fellow photographer brandon kruse and his new puppy, mika, in west palm beach, saw an Elvis impersonator serenade a bar of gawkers, drinkers and senior citizens, and finally stopped in to see what dinosaur world was all about.
made one last stop in sarasota to see another photographer, luanne dietz, who was visiting her hometown for the holidays. saw a little more of the town and watched her friends explode a massive bbq fire in their backyard.
spent christmas in west palm, which included an almost-million-dollar car, awesome food, a ton of people in the street, several movies (including willy wonka and the chocolate factory and home alone), and general good times. after all that, i packed up for the 4-day drive back to california. close to 4 weeks in florida and a ridiculous amount of memories. thanks again to the incredible melissa lyttle for giving up a room in her home to me, and thanks to all the folks i met or saw again.
florida, you're rid of me for now, but not forever.