It’s no secret that I used to party a lot (back in those alcohol-saturated times of my misspent youth). Once in awhile during those mostly-hazy days, in my often-stuporous state, I would dream of really big-time partying: you know, the kind that takes place in New Orleans at Mardi Gras, or in Las Vegas or Hollywood any ol’ night of the week.
Well, I never made it to The Show. As things turned out, I was only ever a minor-league partier. By the time I made it to (pre-Katrina) New Orleans it was 1999, at which time I had been sober for 16 years. And it was just two weeks ago, in March of 2008, when I visited Las Vegas for the first time (now working on my 25th year of sobriety).
I was only in Vegas for a little under twenty-four hours, and then, specifically, for the occasion of my niece’s wedding. This event took place in a nice little (actually very tasteful) wedding chapel, with just a few guests in attendance. I was lucky enough to be on hand with my camera to document some parts of the occasion. When the champagne corks were popped, I abstained.
The little bit of the town I saw was everything I imagined it to be…and, really, I only saw a small slice of life there. But in just my little taste of the Vegas experience – from airport, to hotel, to dinner, to breakfast, to chapel, and back to airport – there were several sights familiar to anyone who has ever watched CSI.
And then, this last weekend, I got to visit the place all over again. Sort of. I went to see “21” – a film that has been out a couple of weeks now, and is the number one movie in the country. The movie has not enjoyed favorable reviews, but, at least for me, it’s easy to understand why it’s so popular. It is mostly set in Las Vegas (and partly in Boston), and the plot allows us to totally escape our everyday realities for a short time.
It’s the story of a small team of young, smart, good-looking college students (from MIT) who are recruited by their math professor to learn card counting. They eventually get good enough at their craft to make numerous visits to Las Vegas and win tons and tons of money.
It’s based on a true story, but, for most of us, it’s total fantasy. Personally, the movie was a vehicle to dare to imagine another kind of life: a different way to (perhaps) have utilized my math skills – and have ended up among the rich and famous. Well, at least the rich.
In these trying economic times, who can’t use a healthy dose of escapism to get our minds away from our everyday bill-paying struggles? And, if you’re a Boomer, as I am, who still doesn’t see a retirement date in sight…well, any way to find a “quick fix” to a tenuous financial situation seems quite an attraction.
When you watch “21” you’ll find yourself vicariously living a high-risk, high-adrenaline, beautiful-person life.
But don’t get too used to it. Afterwards, you’ll go home and heat up some left-over pizza.
Reality resumes.
Soundtrack Suggestion
I used to smoke, I used to drink I used to smoke, drink and dance the hoochie-koo I used to smoke and drink Smoke and drink and dance the hoochie-koo, oh yeah But now I’m standing on this corner Prayin’ for me and you…
Every Thursday, the San Francisco Chronicle publishes a weekend guide to entertainment and the arts that they call 96 Hours. One of the great features of this magazine is that most weeks they include the “Flickr Pickr” – a tiny section near the back of the publication designed to showcase the images of a Bay-Area photographer.
Yesterday, I received an inquiry from a photo editor at the Chronicle asking if I would like to have my Flickr images featured sometime soon.
Well, yeah…
(I’ll keep you posted.)
Update on March 28, 2008:
I’ve successfully submitted the requested photographs (not the ones I would have chosen, frankly) to the Chronicle, and the estimate is that they will appear in 96 Hours on April 10.
You’ll remember that two weeks ago, I was eagerly anticipating The Big Peace March scheduled for March 15 in downtown San Rafael. And, indeed, I was in attendance yesterday as a few interested citizens showed up to protest our continued involvement in Iraq.
Several hundred people attended a march and rally in downtown San Rafael on Saturday to protest the continued presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, just days before the five-year anniversary of the invasion…
In my opinion, this is truly a misrepresentation of the event.
I was there. I estimated the crowd at between 100 and 200 during the noon-time rally…after which I left. Unless there was a massive influx of participants for the actual march itself, immediately following the speeches, I believe our local reporter over-reached in doing his crowd estimate.
I found the turnout yesterday to be tremendously disappointing. As you may recall, I was similarly dismayed last year in downtown San Francisco when we gathered to protest the fourth anniversary of the war’s beginning.
My observations are more-or-less validated by a front-page article today in the San Francisco Chronicle, which states that…
The war in Iraq has gone on for five years now, but there is almost no sign of it in the Bay Area, a region where 7 million people live…
The Bay Area has a reputation for being a hotbed of anti-war sentiment, the legendary “Left Coast” where all the politicians are liberals and all the citizens are activists.
It is also the home of Travis Air Force Base, one of the country’s largest with a direct role in Iraq, and a place where anti-war protesters plan to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war with parades and demonstrations.
But mostly, Bay Area people seem to have put the war in the back of their minds. They are not indifferent about the war. They just don't want to think about it.
I agree. People seem to have, mostly, put this war out of their heads: we seem to be in a kind of massive, nationwide, State Of Denial that the U.S. has so royally fucked up.
I ask: What will it take to shake us up? When are we ever going to get off our duffs and demand that this insanity stop?
Soundtrack Suggestion
Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time passing Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time ago Where have all the soldiers gone? Gone to graveyards every one When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
For the last two years I’ve written about, and posted photographs from, the peace demonstrations I’ve attended. As we are all too-well-aware, “W” first lied to us, then took us to war with Iraq in March of 2003. Every year since then we’ve taken to the streets during this month to mark the tragic anniversary.
In 2006, I participated in the event in Portland, OR…the largest gathering of anti-war folk that I’ve ever been a part of. Last year, I traveled from my temporary residence in Roseburg, OR, to march in San Francisco.
As no mass weekend demonstration is apparently taking place in San Fran this year (mid-week activities are planned), I am going to attend the Big Peace March in downtown San Rafael, CA (the county seat of Marin).
Please join me, if you can, on Saturday, March 15.
Soundtrack Suggestion
Now I’ve been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come And I believe it could be, something good has begun Oh I’ve been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one And I believe it could be, some day it’s going to come Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again
As I mentioned awhile back, I scheduled myself to attend a session of Nikon School this month…and yesterday was the day. It was the epitome of Geekdom (spending the entire day in a darkened hotel conference room with 200+ other photo-nerd types), as we really didn’t talk photography, per se, but rather, all those detailed technical tasks that must be accomplished in the world of digital photography after you snap the shutter. So: we covered the process of downloading the images to the computer; browsing and culling them; organizing them coherently; editing; and, finally, outputting the final product to the web, slideshow, or printer. In case you’re interested, the full set of notes from the day is available here.
Today, I’m feeling like a fully-credentialed Geek. (And I have a Nikon School Certificate to prove it!)
Soundtrack Suggestion
Kodachrome They give us those nice bright colors They give us the greens of summers Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, Oh yeah I got a Nikon camera I love to take a photograph So mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
