Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Here's a picture from the new project I'm working on at my parent's house. So far it invloves me photographing pills, drug mugs, and numerous vials of insulin. Behold, the Family X-rays:


I'll post more soon...

Friday, December 01, 2006

A few weeks ago, the Chicagoland area had an impressive first snowstorm of the year. After the blizzard-like winds died down, I figured it was the perfect time to travel across the street and take some snowy pictures of Humboldt Park- especially since I do live literally right across the street. So I walked around for a bit, trying to avoid the nasty slushy sinkholes that got in my way every 10 feet or so. Dum da dum.

I soon came to a realization:

Humboldt Park is a little boring in the winter. It's that time of year when its flatness really stands out. What makes the park so great in the warmer months is all the people, the whirlwind of activity going on at every corner.

The snowy desolation made me feel like giving up and walking back across the street for some hot chocolate in powdered form.

Until I noticed the only other living thing hanging out in the park with me: a fat little squirrel.

And his companion! It was the perfect scenario. A friend of mine has a thing for squirrels. She asked me to take some "artistic squirrel photographs" a few months ago, whatever that means. While I'd thought a lot about her request, I hadn't actually followed through on the pictures. Now the little buggers had literally fallen into my viewfinder. I couldn't just let this opportunity pass. So I started snapping away. I took like 50 pictures.

50 pictures of squirrels.

Even when they got a little rowdy.
Really rowdy.

Then I started thinking: I have absolutely no experience with squirrel photography. I've never read a manual on how to photograph squirrels. I've never looked at other examples of squirrel photography on the internet. I have no idea what I'm doing- and it shows.

So I put it to rest. Good thing- the damn squirrels didn't want their picture taken anyway.

Maybe I'll try again sometime.
2006: the first and last year I'll go anywhere near a shopping district/tourist area on the day after Thanksgiving. There were too, too many people on the streets. I must blame the huge turnout on the beautiful 60 degree weather we were having.





This is Meg, in town from Minneapolis, with a souvenir boot-shaped mug full of spiced wine. It looks difficult to clean properly, like those curly straws that harbor all sorts of diseases. Good thing you left it behind in Chicago, Meg.


This is a sign leftover from that day's Marshalls Fields/Macy's protest. OK people: I'm pissed off at Macy's, too. Unfortunately they've changed the name and there's not much we can do now. Time to protest, um, rampant commercialism during the holidays or something. Maybe go egg Hummers? I dunno. Whatever's necessary to support the cause.





When I think of Christmastime and the North Pole and Rudolph, these ladies don't particularly come to mind, but whatever floats your boat.



We stood around Daley Plaza to wait for the Tree-lighting ceremony. Two minutes of fireworks + enough decorations to cover a godzilla-sized-tree= roughly 2 million of our holiday shopping tax dollars. (This is my own personal estimate, of course)



This about sums it up for me....