Friday, June 30, 2006
July 1, 1985
Happy Birthday Dan!!!
We'll hit Vegas when the tour is over
Love,
Dad
Thank you Chloe!!
Chloe is helping me with the blog since I'm so untalented with this stuff. Moni did the banner but all the new stuff you see/will see is Chloe.
Chloe is helping me with the blog since I'm so untalented with this stuff. Moni did the banner but all the new stuff you see/will see is Chloe.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
I read about Google's Picasa in a digital camera mag. They said it was simple and recommended it as a starting place. This is my fave image so far. I think I'll take baby steps up to the fancier photo workshops. I figured out how to put my camera on B&W setting so you can say I'm back in and old friendly neighborhood. I'll get rolling along good once I start seeing in black and white again.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
My daughter leaves messages on my memory cards for me to find when I upload
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
And now back to our regularly scheduled blog tripe.
I was handed a small plastic cup last week and directed toward the nearest stall in the men's room.
I came back out and handed it to the man.
He looked at it and a look of shock came over his face.
He looked at me and said, "no no no. URINE!! it's for a URINE sample"!!
I was handed a small plastic cup last week and directed toward the nearest stall in the men's room.
I came back out and handed it to the man.
He looked at it and a look of shock came over his face.
He looked at me and said, "no no no. URINE!! it's for a URINE sample"!!
Post 759
The first blog I read is one I actually stumbled upon. It was the blog of Vancouver musician and human rights activist Matthew Good. I am a big fan of his music and when I finally met him at the airport we spoke a little about his blog. I logged into his blog to follow the adventures of his trip to Las Vegas. From Vegas he traveled to Los Angeles and Tony Pierce came into the picture. The rest is history.
Voix de Michele was the first blog to link me and naturally my first link.
Many many people have have entered my blogosphere. That will always amaze me.
My daughter stumbled onto the blog when she googled my grandson's name. It was a while before she would timidly tell me. She appreciated the chance to see the way I think. As a father I always tried to observe my kids doing simple things without their knowledge. I think any parent who does this begins to think "who is this kid"?
Now the tables were turned. Three of my kids read regularly and comment from time to time. It keeps me somewhat restrained in thinks I might say and post otherwise.
I hope to find a way to save the entire thing onto discs. I always wanted to grab a tape recorder and have my grandma and then my dad tell their live's stories but procrastination and now they're gone and it sucks that I didn't.
I want to thank you all for your kind comments and thoughts and for hanging around on this ride of mine as told in posts on a medium that did not exist when I was your age.
I want to thank Moni for helping with the banner and Chloe for her willingness to lend a hand to do other things that will soon be appearing. And finally a big thank to all you guys who will contribute to this adventure as it continues.
Zona Boy
Monday, June 26, 2006
The disaster that was June 26, 1982.
The original date that the wedding was to take place was June 5th. That date is inscribed in our wedding bands. It was delayed because I needed a certificate from the U.S. Consulate stating that I was not married. That certificate was delayed even after we were declared man and wife by the civil registrar. The "official" date of our legal union as far as the government of Bolivia is concerned is Feburary 28, 1983.
When my soon to be wife went with her sister to pick up the wedding cake the shop keeper demanded a deposit on the plastic dove ornament which she said belonged to her and was not part of the price of the cake. The two had no money so my sister-in-law left her watch and wedding band as a deposit which upset my wife to the point of tears.
My future brother-in-law announced that he was not going to attend because he had no good shoes. Shoes were found after more tears from my wife.
My other sister-in-law was supposed to help my wife with her make-up and dress but split with her boyfriend and didn't return until that was all done.
The civil registrar did not show up and had to be hunted down at another marriage she was performing. Guests were kept waiting and mom-in-law was perturbed. More tears.
Finally everything was in place except for the best man who failed to show up.
We were declared man and wife in the living room of the house my wife's family rented from her uncle.
We had decided that some sort of church ceremony was appropriate. A friend of ours who was a Mormon Bishop told us he would "bless" our marriage. Only Catholic Priests can officially marry people in Bolivia.
We had the church reserved but at the last minute the bishop in charge of that chapel told us that we could not play any music. He based this on the old school Mormon's can't dance philosophy that went out a hundred years before Footloose was released in theatres.
There were more people at the reception who we DIDN'T know than there were who we DID.
Since the best man had failed to show with the refreshments he was supposed to have brought my now semiofficial mom-in-law became angry because the guests had nothing to drink.
Who went across the street to get sodas?
The bride and the groom.
When we cut the cake nobody wanted to go get the plates that were in the kitchen.
Who went and got them?
The bride.
Of course none of my family was there. My mother was opposed to the marriage. Not that any of them would have been able to attend a wedding in Bolivia. I always thought that once we got to the States we would have some kind of open house for family and friends. That never happened.
So it was finally time for us to split the reception. My wife's best friend and her husband had a car and they said "let's go" and they took us through the streets of La Paz in their Volkswagen beetle. That was the first time I met Oscar and now we are like brothers.
We had no money for a honeymoon.
Today marks twenty four years.
It's not the wedding and the honeymoon kids. It's the MARRIAGE.
The house where were married has since collapsed as it was built on an unstable hill.
When I went to Bolivia last year to buy the house my in-laws now reside in I had ONE request from my wife. That was to bring back her wedding dress. They gave me the dress and I tossed it in my luggage A WEEK before I was to come back. I got home and proudly pulled it out of my suitcase expecting a look of joy to come to my wife's face as she remembered the joyous day those many years ago.
It was the wrong dress.
They gave me my sister-in-law's wedding dress by mistake.
The original date that the wedding was to take place was June 5th. That date is inscribed in our wedding bands. It was delayed because I needed a certificate from the U.S. Consulate stating that I was not married. That certificate was delayed even after we were declared man and wife by the civil registrar. The "official" date of our legal union as far as the government of Bolivia is concerned is Feburary 28, 1983.
When my soon to be wife went with her sister to pick up the wedding cake the shop keeper demanded a deposit on the plastic dove ornament which she said belonged to her and was not part of the price of the cake. The two had no money so my sister-in-law left her watch and wedding band as a deposit which upset my wife to the point of tears.
My future brother-in-law announced that he was not going to attend because he had no good shoes. Shoes were found after more tears from my wife.
My other sister-in-law was supposed to help my wife with her make-up and dress but split with her boyfriend and didn't return until that was all done.
The civil registrar did not show up and had to be hunted down at another marriage she was performing. Guests were kept waiting and mom-in-law was perturbed. More tears.
Finally everything was in place except for the best man who failed to show up.
We were declared man and wife in the living room of the house my wife's family rented from her uncle.
We had decided that some sort of church ceremony was appropriate. A friend of ours who was a Mormon Bishop told us he would "bless" our marriage. Only Catholic Priests can officially marry people in Bolivia.
We had the church reserved but at the last minute the bishop in charge of that chapel told us that we could not play any music. He based this on the old school Mormon's can't dance philosophy that went out a hundred years before Footloose was released in theatres.
There were more people at the reception who we DIDN'T know than there were who we DID.
Since the best man had failed to show with the refreshments he was supposed to have brought my now semiofficial mom-in-law became angry because the guests had nothing to drink.
Who went across the street to get sodas?
The bride and the groom.
When we cut the cake nobody wanted to go get the plates that were in the kitchen.
Who went and got them?
The bride.
Of course none of my family was there. My mother was opposed to the marriage. Not that any of them would have been able to attend a wedding in Bolivia. I always thought that once we got to the States we would have some kind of open house for family and friends. That never happened.
So it was finally time for us to split the reception. My wife's best friend and her husband had a car and they said "let's go" and they took us through the streets of La Paz in their Volkswagen beetle. That was the first time I met Oscar and now we are like brothers.
We had no money for a honeymoon.
Today marks twenty four years.
It's not the wedding and the honeymoon kids. It's the MARRIAGE.
The house where were married has since collapsed as it was built on an unstable hill.
When I went to Bolivia last year to buy the house my in-laws now reside in I had ONE request from my wife. That was to bring back her wedding dress. They gave me the dress and I tossed it in my luggage A WEEK before I was to come back. I got home and proudly pulled it out of my suitcase expecting a look of joy to come to my wife's face as she remembered the joyous day those many years ago.
It was the wrong dress.
They gave me my sister-in-law's wedding dress by mistake.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
June 26, 198224 reasons
She keeps me grounded
She makes me fly
A soul unmatched
A heart unwavering
Love unconditional
Jennifer
Daniel
Ilsen
Robert
She's my home
Laughs at my jokes
Forgives my belching
Doesn't snore
Most unselfish person I know
Cooks good
Never hits me
Willing to follow me anywhere workwise
Sends me off with a kiss
Welcomes me back with a kiss
She fits perfectly in my embrace
Lets me hold her back to sleep after she has bad dreams
Stands beside me
Her light guides me
I can't ask for more than that
24 years
June 26, 2006
I was in a discussion with Flickr people on when photographs of ordinary people in open spaces are appropriate. Here's what I won't shoot. (generally)
People passed out or sleeping on side walks.
People urinating.
People using drugs.
People pointing weapons at me or anybody else. (not with a camera anyway)
Children crying, bleeding, or dying.
People killing themselves.
There ARE exceptions to all of those. One would be if I were doing a photojournalistic piece on those subjects. Another would be when I took pictures of my infant nephew as he lay dying of a heart defect at my sister's request because they did not have any pictures of him. Those are some of the most touching and difficult shots I will ever take. I still have the negs and some prints somewhere but I don't know where. He passed away 20 minutes after I was done.
Everything else is fair game.
These street people are doing what the normally do. They are in no real distress. They are in a public place so I do not have to ask their permission to point my lens their way and click away. While I was shooting these people somebody in the crowd started yelling "no pictures!". At that point I was pretty much done with this group. I walked away to avoid trouble. Looking back at these photos now I think I shot a drug deal as it went down. No way to prove that though and in Vancouver, on Hastings, nobody would care. Not even the police.
You yell your order up. You put your money in the bucket they lower. They throw the booze out the window. You catch it. NO refunds!!
I think I got scolded by that bird below for checking out his girlfriend's ass.
shrimp burger, shrimp kabob, shrimp sandwich, shrimp salad, shrimp creole, Pineapple shrimp. Forrest, I know everthing there is to know about the shrimpin business.
This was in the Korean section of downtown during the World Cup game involving Korea. I am glad that I am in Canada during the World Cup because I get to watch the BBC feed of the games. ESPN and ABC have the rights to the games in the US and what little I've seen of their coverage make me want to puke. The announcers are just morons. And what's sad is that one of them played for the US team in the past.
I DID hear one of the studio commetators throw a jab at US coach Bruce Arenas and thought that was good.
Do you know what I think would be really cool?
"Tell us ZB, TELL US!!"
I wish there was a cable package I could buy and have the options of seeing games broadcast to the countries of the teams playing. That way say, when Saudi Arabia played Japan I could watch the first half in Saudi and the second in Japanese.
I don't need to understand what's being said I just like hearing guys switch from their native tongue to the universal,
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!
Check it missy. You have a TV station AND a bar in Vancouver!!
For some reason I don't think Che has anything to do with this restaurant. Just a hunch.
I hopped on a bus with Vancouver's own version of Goober and the Unibomber
Spotted this lady on the bus and got all philosophical. Looking forward and ignoring what's behind can we find a comfort zone? Can we scrunch up and avoid contact with evil? Can we find a wardrobe to blend in with our surroundings and become cameleons?
My executive producer on yesterday's photo outing. I think this is a great pic of her
Friday, June 23, 2006
I went out today to shoot pics. The weather cooperated. The light was right where I wanted it to be right. I was in a zone. I got home and uploaded them and went through the shots. I thrust both fists into the air. YES!!!
Check some out. Tell me what you think.
Check some out. Tell me what you think.
If these don't explain Hastings street in Vancouver to you, nothing will.
I have that Amsterdam Cafe poster on a red t-shirt.
My daughter was seated behind me on the bus making faces at this little girl. And I've gotten pretty good at aiming my camera without looking through the lens. So you get to see these.
I had a bird scolding me and I was sans gun. It was humiliating!
I gotta tell you boys and girls. I am very pleased about today's foto jaunt on Hastings street and Chinatown. They're on my Flickr page.
Chloe asked me what I wanted my blog to look like. JaG's look would be cool. Binsk's is good but let's start with this. Somebody teach me how to put a stretched photo in that banner that says ZONA BOY or to even make that banner different with different fonts.
Talk amongst yourselves while I shower and do various nothingness until it's time to go shoot.
If you love me you'll help me make my blog cool.
Talk amongst yourselves while I shower and do various nothingness until it's time to go shoot.
If you love me you'll help me make my blog cool.
All hail a four day weekend!!!
Today it's relaxing until the sun angle is right and then down to shoot Chinatown and east Hastings street. Hastings is one of the more interesting streets in Vancouver. I'll explain in photos later.
Tomorrow it's SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER and a birthday party for a one year-old that my wife tends.
Sunday it's SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER and a Vancouver White Caps game. (soccer)
Monday. I'll let you know what Monday is on Monday.
Today it's relaxing until the sun angle is right and then down to shoot Chinatown and east Hastings street. Hastings is one of the more interesting streets in Vancouver. I'll explain in photos later.
Tomorrow it's SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER and a birthday party for a one year-old that my wife tends.
Sunday it's SOCCER SOCCER SOCCER and a Vancouver White Caps game. (soccer)
Monday. I'll let you know what Monday is on Monday.
Today's Blogorama set list is a short one.
Gustavo Santaolalla: De Ushuaia a La Quiaca
Mercedes Sosa: Alfonsina y El Marinero
Leon Gieco: Solo Le Pido a Dios
Jose Feliciano: Light My Fire
Jorge Drexler: Al Otro Lado del Rio
Numbers 1 and 5 are from The Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack.
Number two always makes my wife cry for reasons she can't tell me but I'm pretty sure has to do with the passing of her father. Mercedes Sosa is a legendary singer from Argentina.
Number three is my all time favorite protest song. I translated it on the blog some time ago.
Who doesn't like Jose Feliciano's rendition of the Doors' classic?
Gustavo Santaolalla: De Ushuaia a La Quiaca
Mercedes Sosa: Alfonsina y El Marinero
Leon Gieco: Solo Le Pido a Dios
Jose Feliciano: Light My Fire
Jorge Drexler: Al Otro Lado del Rio
Numbers 1 and 5 are from The Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack.
Number two always makes my wife cry for reasons she can't tell me but I'm pretty sure has to do with the passing of her father. Mercedes Sosa is a legendary singer from Argentina.
Number three is my all time favorite protest song. I translated it on the blog some time ago.
Who doesn't like Jose Feliciano's rendition of the Doors' classic?
Thursday, June 22, 2006
I'm so proud of my son.......okay JEALOUS. THERE I admitted it. Happy?
My son turns 21 on July first. On that day the band he plays drums for, www.ihatethejohnsons.com , plays two shows in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Then they come over to BC for some shows and dig THIS.
They play a series of shows on Vancouver Island and then head east playing all through Canada. All the way to Halifax, Nova Scotia. West to east. What an adventure.
They have some shows down in the US too before wrapping it all up on September 4th somewhere in Saskatchewan.
I would have given my left nut to do that when I was that age.
In case anybody wants to know.
Zona Boy's playlist for today
Gnarls Barkley: Crazy
Hall and Oates: She's gone
Howard Jones: Like to get to know you well
Jeffrey Osborne: Stay with me tonight
Kelly Clarkson: Walk away
Mariah Carey: We belong together
Ridley Bent: The devil and Coltrane Henry
Sneaker Pimps: 6 Underground
Ridley Bent: David Harley's son
Walter Becker: Girlfriend
Boz Scaggs: Lowdown
Boz WHO???? Wasn't he big in the 70's?
Ridley Bent is somebody you should check out. Kinda hip hop but he calls it HICK hop. Interesting stuff.
Zona Boy's playlist for today
Gnarls Barkley: Crazy
Hall and Oates: She's gone
Howard Jones: Like to get to know you well
Jeffrey Osborne: Stay with me tonight
Kelly Clarkson: Walk away
Mariah Carey: We belong together
Ridley Bent: The devil and Coltrane Henry
Sneaker Pimps: 6 Underground
Ridley Bent: David Harley's son
Walter Becker: Girlfriend
Boz Scaggs: Lowdown
Boz WHO???? Wasn't he big in the 70's?
Ridley Bent is somebody you should check out. Kinda hip hop but he calls it HICK hop. Interesting stuff.
Bruce Arenas said today that it was too early to assess his performance with Team USA at the World Cup. The United States lost to Ghana 2-1 and ended the tourney with ZERO wins and one draw.Allow me Bruce.
YOU'RE FIRED!!
You're not alone Bruce. Anybody involved in this fiasco is fired as well. The future of US soccer, Freddy Adu', was born in Ghana and since he has not played for the US in any international matches he is eligible to play for Ghana in the future should he choose to do so.
If I were Freddy not only would I not commit to playing for the US National Team I would seriously look at taking my game abroad. Don't be surprised if this young phenom ends up in Spain.
This is what I feel the United States needs to do to improve.
1) Hire a foreign coach. I would look at Argentina, England, and Brasil for possibilities.
2) Enter an agreement with several European and South American teams to send our young coaching prospects to other teams to apprentice and learn how the game is supposed to be played.
3) Try to get some of our young players to foreign teams in Europe and/or Argentina.
Freddy Adu needs to know that we are serious in making improvements and becoming a regular participant in the second round of the World Cup.
Freddy should have been named to THIS YEAR'S team and should have PLAYED. That way we lock him up for our side. I don't care if he's only 17. Pele' was 17 in HIS first World Cup. Adu' is the closest thing the US will have to Pele'.
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