Waking Up x 3

Day:155

6am: Blinking the couple hours of sleep from my eyes I think I can’t believe I am still on this G.D. (G.D.=Goddamn, I was going to be PC, but changed my mind) plane..

We finally landed just before 8 am and had the exquisite pleasure of waiting for an hour to get through immigration… at least I did have to stand around the baggage carousel to get my stuff, it was waiting for me and I was able to head right out and grab a cab into downtown Buenos Aires. Completely exhausted (still haven’t recovered from New Years), I had the driver take me right to the first hostel listed in my Lonely Planet, Argentina and guess what? Full. I was directed a couple of blocks away to another place which quickly found me a bed and let me get some much needed rest. By 10 am I was snoozing away with a window which faced the noisiest corner of a city of 13 million people.

Just after noon, for purely altruistic reasons (for you guys), I figured I should get up and see what this place has to offer seeing its the capital of the country Ill be in for at least the next month or so. I wandered up and down assorted streets taking in the European feel of this place, and even managed to take a couple of pictures. With a few miles on my sandals and my stomach starting to rumble I found a sandwich and headed back to my bed for another much needed siesta.

I realized when I woke around 6pm that this was third time in one day that I was coming out of a wonderful slumber, and even though I haven’t accomplished much today I was completely alright with being a lazy bastard. I grabbed my book, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and went up to the roof to read. After a while more people started showing up and the evenings first beer showed up. We all got to talking about the things travelers always talk about (where are you from? where are you going? where have you been? whats cool there? I want to do that too, and finally whats your names?) I found a couple of people to wander to some sights with tomorrow and was invited to a late dinner by Heidi, a girl from Belgium who has been in Brazil for the last 2 1/2 months. The 11pm dinner on the warm streets of Buenos Aires was spectacular, and after wards headed back up to the rooftop of our hostel for a few nightcaps before I realized, for the third time today, I am rather sleepy.

Trains and Buses?!? In L.A.?!?

Day: 154

This morning started out with what I thought could very well be one of my greatest travel (mis)adventures yet; public transportation through 65 miles of Southern California. Now for those of you that can’t comprehend, it’s just like the old song “Nobody Walks in LA”, we all have cars and most would very rarely even consider getting involved in anything as shady and social as public transportation. Instead we all isolate ourselves in our cars and continue our low density suburban sprawl.

For those of you that do live here, this is not a critique on any lifestyle/social choices, it is just a statement of fact on how we live here. Its hard to explain to someone who has never been here. I have one friend who came to visit and noticed that Californians are the only people she has ever meant who have a secret freeway language (101,10, 15, 5, 405, 60, 91, etc….). We will also carry on hour long conversations about the pros and cons of the 60 freeway, traffic patterns, quickest routes on which days of the weeks, and that when ever we give directions anywhere it involves at least 4 different interchanges .

Now, knowing all that, and knowing that I would fly into almost any foreign country without any sort of plan or reservation with a look of excitement in my eyes, I will admit: I was scared to death about trying to do anything as impossible as master Los Angeles’ mass transport system. Which is part of the reason I attempted it. Sure I could have found a ride to the airport like I always do, but where is the excitement in that, and besides if worse came to worse I could blow small fortune and take a cab. I hit the web, planning my attack on LA like a George Washington crossing the Delaware, I found out about the Metro, buses, airport shuttles and any other random for of transportation and finally decided on the Metrolink than a transfer to a shuttle bus from Union station to Lax.

Now, my dear readers, you are going to hate me… I built this story up, with the same mounting dread I had of using this system and you know what happens? Other than the metrolink station being closed (for construction) and me having to get a few miles down the road to the next one, the morning went off without a hitch. Clean trains and nice bus drivers, I even got dropped off in front of my terminal half an hour before I expected. I was stunned!

In a state of bliss I waited in line after line, to check in, have the TSA check my bag, go through security, buy a cup of tea, and when I finally sat down, pulled out my computer, and started writing I realized that this may have been one of the least stressful trips to the airport ever.

The rest of my day went off without a hitch it was all spent on two different planes covering 7817 miles. I can also say that I have set a new personal best for shortest layover ever. My plane was a little late to Miami, and I had less than an hour to change planes originally, well I walked out of gate E8 and walked right up to last boarding call at gate E10. I spent a total of ninety seconds in the terminal. Yeah Me!

Nothing exciting yet, but I sure adventure is bound to happen…

Happy New Years….

Jan. 1. 2007.

It has been one year since my first post, and it is only a few more hours until I head south for the winter. Just thought I’d commemerate this years passing with a little post about the excitement I am feeling for this coming year.

Also a special thanks to all you readers out there who have been with me a long time (leave comments!), especially for putting up with my fickle whims and constant changing of my mind and plans.

The next 50 days are going to be amazing.

Wine, Steaks, Tango, Patagonia, Penguins, Icebergs and of course, yours truly, staggering around intoxicated through foreign places.

Keep moving, keep living, and don’t get bored.

Merry Christmas! (late)

3 Days Before Day:154

Christmas was great this year, and having hoiday plans for five days in a row made me almost feel Jewish (they get eight days). The holidays went like this; Mom’s, Dad’s, Snowboarding, Sisters, and Mom’s again. My brothers both made it home for a few days and we all stayed in the same house for the first time in years. I got dressed up as Santa to harsass the children and get trashed, but after a few minutes my mom chased me away and told me I’d scar the kids for life if I got tanked as Santa. Bummer…

It was rushed and it flew by, only to leave me closer to take off to Argentina on Jan. 2nd. Anyhow heres some pictures from the last few days.

I did score for Christmas and get 500GB Hard Drive, so the hoards of pictures I have on all kinds of smaller drives, CD’s, DVD’s, and my Ipod were finally able to be put into one place, and keeping backup DVD’s.

But seeing all my images in one place for the first time got me excited and I started rummaging through two years of pictures to see what I forgot about. After coming to the conclusion that I have assloads of pictures (somewhere around 25,000ish), I started putting together some collections. Here are some of my favorite Party pictures from the last couple of years they all have been taken while I was either drunk, stoned, or messed up in some other way. Some are of me, lots of my friends, and some of just random hard partying strangers. Enjoy.

What Would Santa Do?

Dec 10, 2006:

So… How do alcoholics celebrate Christmas? Of course! We all dress up as Santa and go on 1st annual Santa Pub Crawl! Six Santas who all staggered around Downtown Pasadena using witty lines like:

“Do you want to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you want for Christmas?”

and

“Hos Hos Hos”

The night progressed through six or eight bars, or so I am told, but I really only recall a few scattered thoughts after the first four or five, but I do have pictures. We got ourselves into an Uno game at one point and at another I believe I molested a woman who wanted her picture with Santa. The night was a roaring success and next year the tradition will grow!

My brother did manage to pass out in some bushes and fall asleep on his bathroom floor for the entire night.

I got up at 7am the next day still drunk and drove to work… that was a hard day.

“Life sure moves fast…”

Sometime in early December 2006:

The great man Ferris Bueller once said “Life sure moves fast, if you don’t stop and take a look around once in awhile, it’ll pass you by.” (least I think thats the quote) This last month has been a blur of busy (nice alliteration, huh?).

I have been working almost nonstop for the freelance Technical theater company I left last year. In the last month I’ve done some form of work on American Idol, A touring Disney show “High School Musical”, “Last Laugh” for Comedy Central, and The Nutcracker (It is the Holidays). I’ve also shot a wedding for my friend Jeff, done some family portraits for my ex-co-bartender Sami, been talked into learning to dive and do a documentry about the California coast next spring, and even began writing the first chapter of my book on the John Muir Trail (which I am hiking with my 50 year old mother next summer). Kind of excited about the book idea, two perspectives from two generations, crossing 220 miles of Sierra Nevadan (?) wilderness, throw in some pictures and the lack of alcohol and I my be able to follow through on something.

Jammed into the month was also three Thanksgiving dinners in a row; Thursday at my Sister’s mother in laws, Friday at Moms, Sat at Dad, I even managed to choke down a killer turkey sandwich on Sunday. I have also been riding my bike, Moanahh II, pretty consistently trying to get back in shape after that summer of debauchery so I’ll be able to hike the Andes next month.

Last night I went to a Christmas party at my old bar and caught up with all the ladies, got a slight buzz, but made it home safe. It was good seeing some people I haven’t seen since my going away party, and it got me motivated when people I didnt even think knew this site was around told me how good some of my pictures are. Probably the reason you get an update this morning.

Mom has finally come around and doesn’t really think I am running away from life anymore. Which is huge, seeing as it took me an entire year to convince her.

Bad News: My blog Just ran out of upload space today, I wasn’t able to get all the pictures I wanted on this post. I am going to request more server space but if they wont let me have it, I may have to start “Mom Says I’m Running Away, Part Deux”, which is a bummer because I am up to 90,000 hits on this one. That number even amazes me, who is not easily amazed.

One more bit of news for those of you photo techies like me (namel you, Randy) out there, I sold my 70-200 f/4 which I found pretty useless in all conditions except bright daylight which makes for awful pictures anyhow. It had become a 1.5lbs brick in my bag that was never being used. Instead I upgraded to the much more expensive and much heavier, 3lbs, 70-200 f/2.8 with image stabilization. I have already fallen in love with this piece of glass and can’t wait to travel with it. The stabilization makes it work like a beauty and I can get away with about 4 stops less light than the old lens. The only thing I am dreading is trying to pack it into my bag and figuring out what will have to get left home (probably my underwear).

Anyways, Life is going well, January 2nd and a huge Buenos Aires steak is around the corner, and Ill try to keep everyone updated until then. Be excited with me people!

And I’ll leave you with this picture of “Rob the Lush”, notice the cup labeled “Robbie” that my departed grandmother made me 15 years ago. I think it makes this picture magical.

More To Come!

I finally got my Condo rented out again and bought another ticket to get out in the world once more. It has been a busy last couple of months, Family, Friends, Vegas, and a lot of freelance theater/TV work.

I leave for Argentina and Chile (with the possibility of a side trip to Antarctica!) on Jan 2nd for seven weeks and am ready for more bloggings and wandering. Anyhow heres a few pictures from the last couple of months.