Rawlins, Wyoming

we, are so on the road.

and, i have access to a computer that can sit right on my lap for the whole week! thank you, gfm.

i have a feeling like this could end up like my journal journals, where i get into this habit of just giving stale details of the day, and use up the energy which misses out on anything that might be insightful. profound is for the dedicated mind.

mine, wonders why i didn't bring this one little USB cord so i could hook it up to my point and shoot and upload photos i'm taking all week, making this MORE of a photo blog than a word blog. (i do have a card reader for the "real" camera.... but, it's so... conspicuous...)

i words vs. photos: it's going to be like the business side vs. the editorial side when i worked at the Minnesota Daily (if i knew how to be fancy and add the hotlink, i would... www.mndaily.com

i have no idea what they are up to, but the daily was a big part of what allowed me to cut my teeth, and get a feel for what it was like to be a working photographer.

and speaking of, a photo friend of mine Tony Nelson referred me to Teen Vogue to shoot a runway fashion spread, and a party for them, as he'll be down at the SXSW this year in Austin, TX. i went for about 5 years in a row in the late 90's, early 2000 era, and, had more fun than i can blog about.

so i have been secretly wanting to go super bad this year, was going to call the City Pages and see if i could get in, then i get this call for Teen Vogue and figure it wasn't meant to me.

well, today, i get a call from my old friend Mark Baumgarten, asking me, "hey, you want to come down to the SXSW and be my photographer this year?"

oy vey! so, the deadline was today, he put my name down... and said he'll make up some grand illness for me if i can't do it.

i was thinking that the Teen Vogue thing wasn't totally in the bag, but she e-mailed me today looking or a videoographer as well... so it's looking like a sure deal...

i tell ya... this whole getting what you ask for thing you have to watch out for...

i might have to actually become responsible, and take the job job, which, will be pretty cool, but, it's no SXSW. and it's a weekend (down south) vs. only 4 hours over 2 days for Teen Vogue. oh my head...

so i'll figure that out later.

i got up at 5:45 today to my second alarm, the loud one, after going to bed at 3 am... waking up, wondering what the emergency broadcasting emergency was all about....

we were on the road by 7:30... quite impressive if you ask me... although, it wasn't enough to get us to Salt Lake City, where one James Patrick (Schortymeyer) was waiting our arrival... i think that Rawlins is something like 4-5 hours from SLC... it was 10 pm when we stopped driving... sorry shorty!!!

hopefully i'll see him tomorrow.

meghan and i had a blast, we, are good company. lots of laughs and games and singing and general, all around good times. (that was my PR statement)

i wish i was more of a photographer, i shot some pay phones... another dying out project i think i started, and, rest area life.

i did not however, gather the courage to photograph the convenience store attendants... which, i so should, but i get all weirded out about infringing on their space and comfort... so, i chicken out.

:^( sometimes if it's not for a job i get cold feet.

it's true.

but after tahoe when "the project" starts, there will be courage coming through my pores.

the thing that comes to mind the most about the way here, was that not too far past cheyenne, there were gusts of wind up to 55 MPH (the sign told us so), and along the way we saw TWO big semis with trailers blown over on their side! we also saw a big RV trailer blown over...

can you say, bummer? can we imagine ms. meghan totally freaking out about? adds to the driving experience...

it was pretty crazy though, as i had never seen anything like that in my life.

***

on the subject of what makes you happy, i realized today (as i often do) traveling makes me very, very happy. there's something about the inspiration of new environments that is so invigorating, it really makes my spirits rise.

so true.

on could say, i need it.

like... sleep.

so, what's making you happy today?