The Daily Drink

The build up to the big drop

05/07/08 @ 6:12:02PM

He stood and watched for about an hour. But built up the courage to take the plunge. After his first drop in he spent the rest of the day dropping in. < Previous Day<<>>

Ice cold

Outside of the Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark Houston TX 05/04/08 @ 6:33:12 PM

The over 30 skate crew meets just before 8 every night at the new Houston Skate Park. Here is one of the locals wheeling in some cold drinks to keep them company. < Previous Day<<>>

Gargoyle of Gray Street Keeps watch: Houston TX

Houston Texas 05/01/08 @ 7:45:44 PM

As the day sinks into night, the Gargoyle of Grey street keeps watch. < Previous Day<<>>

Not so tounge tied

Cinci, Ohio 08/18/06 @ 4:38:27 PM

Tease < Previous Day<<>>

Attention captured

Cinci, Ohio 08/17/06 @ 3:12:16 PM Tennis is such a spectator sport. This shot was during a 3rd set tie-break. Can’t you tell? < Previous Day<<>>

I'll stop by on my way back from yesterday...

46th Street and 6th Ave 08/04/06 @ 5:44:23 PM Makeshift luggage and homeward bound since, anywhere is better than here. < Previous Day<<>>

I'll stop by on my way back from yesterday...

46th Street and 6th Ave 08/04/06 @ 5:44:23 PM Makeshift luggage and homeward bound since, anywhere is better than here. < Previous Day<<>>

Shadows of birds tease me

Queens, NY 08/03/06 @ 8:10:10 PM They make my head spin. < Previous Day<<>>

Bulldozers and dirt

Jersey City NJ 08/01/06 @ 7:23:15 PM I met your mama when I was sixteen You couldn’t have been anymore than three She caught me stealing yall’s color TV She called the cops and they arrested me She was the wildest thing I’d ever seen the way she pointed that shotgun at me the police hauled my ass off to jail Your mama signed the trailer to help make the bail She picked me up and drove me home said “I’ll learn you not to roam” Green green grass under my feet but all I can think about’s the dirt underneath Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt I got a pickup that’s up on blocks and I’m up to my ass in debt and hock and I can’t get the red stains off of my socks and I can’t get you off of my mind I’ve lived with your mama for eleven years Through good times, and bad times, fist fights and tears but something comes over me when you come near so won’t you come over and sip on this beer Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert I don’t mean no harm, I just like to flirt but most of all I like bulldozers and dirt most of all I like bulldozers and dirt Stolen from: Drive-by Truckers lyrics by Patterson Hood music by Drive-by Truckers (Cooley, Hood, Howell, Lane, Neff, and Sell) < Previous Day<<>>

The skies have gone dark blue

Jersey City NJ 07/31/06 @ 5:48:22 PM The sky has gone dark blue as we listen to the locust sing. I start to nod off as you start to hum the melody that only the locust know. We dream the same dream, the dream of lazy days and quiet nights. Silence makes me wake only to find that the sky has gone black, the locust have lost their song and you’re nowhere to be found. The stairs in the dim light call me near but I question their intent and call your name. < Previous Day<<>>

Create your own caption:

5th Ave NYC on 07/28/06 @ 11:43:44 AM What shoud I write here? Submitt a caption below. Thanks!! < Previous Day<<>>

Not a care in the world

47th street and 6th Ave 07/24/06 @ 11:42:09 PM My mind screams like a child and all I want to do is kick, rant and pout. So what! So what! < Previous Day<<>>

Where's the bus?

6th Ave on 06/07/06 @ 6:29:02 PM This reminds me of a R. Crumb drawing. < Previous Day<<>>

All hail the cab

6th ave on 06/04/06 @ 12:37:18 PM Wave, whistle, throw a hand in the air. < Previous Day<<>>

Trax to nowhere

Woodbridge NJ on 05/20/06 @ 7:44:56 PM Then again, anywhere is better than here. < Previous Day<<>>

She sang to the sound of water

Central Park on 05/14/06 @ 3:22:44 PM She sang to the sound of water, she sang with the unconsciousness, the obliviousness of a castaway. It sounded like an Irish hymn and whispered through my ears long after the moment had passed. < Previous Day<<>>

One Foot on a Banana Peel...

NYC 10th ave on 05/08/06 @ 5:55:55 PM One foot on a banana peel, the other foot in________. - Fill in the blank for me. I know it's suppose to be grave but I’m looking for something new. < Previous Day<<>>

Time for action

6th ave on 04/26/06 @ 12:17:49 PM "This is my town and if the mood suites me I'll burn it down." - yelled the man in the blue pin striped suite, red tie and caring a box of with all of his personal effects. < Previous Day<<>>

I want a redo on this weekend

New Brunswick, NJ on 04/23/06 @ 4:10:05 PM The rain clouds hover overhead collecting the preparation of the gods. < Previous Day<<>>

My first car was a baby blue Ford Pinto

Javits Center, Car Show on 04/21/06 @ 6:58:12 PM My first car was a Ford Pinto however my last car will be something of this caliber even if I have to steal it from my hospice babysitter. < Previous Day<<>>

One of the herd.

Bayonne New Jersey on 04/20/06 @ 7:45:38 PM The barbwire is there to keep us out? Or is it really there to keep us in and to make sure that we don’t wonder to far from the herd. < Previous Day<<>>

A little sleep

42nd street station on 04/19/06 @ 8:43:19 PM Have you ever fallen asleep in a public place only to wake up and notice that everyone is starring at you? < Previous Day<<>>

Shop till you...

57th street station on 04/18/06 @ 7:23:24 PM Shop till your husband drops.< Previous Day<<>>

Young skate Love

Central Park on 04/17/06 @ 12:12:44 PM A spring moment shared on a long board, may it last till winter.< Previous Day<<>>

Dreaming of 3000 Sq Feet

Old Wethersfeild CT on 04/15/06 @ 3:27:34 PM I want a yard that’s so big I can't use a push mower and I have to buy that big green ridding mower that I've always wanted. I want a BBQ the size of the car that I own but never drive. I want a garage that is so full of unfinished projects that I can’t fit my SUV in it. I want a house with closets large enough that I can walk in, sit down and contemplate what I’m going to wear today. I want, I want, I want 3000 sq feet that I couldn’t fill up with a lifetime of living…< Previous Day<<>>

Signs of spring

Columbus Circle, NYC on 04/13/06 @ 12:44:56 PM Legs. The true sign that spring is actually here< Previous Day<<>>

Dumpster Diving

37th and 8th ave on 04/10/06 @ 5:22:09 PM My father often told me, "Son, you can wish all you want in your right hand and take a shit in the left, and when everything is said and done, your left with a handful of shit to clean up." This was supposed to be my one big lesson in life, his grand words of wisdom. These words would follow me through life like a distant echo of a bad dream. My early years reflected his " life dealt me a bad hand" attitude. I was a food stamp prodigy, brought up on government cheese and powdered milk. I get this dry lump in my throat everytime I think of that peanut butter they used to force feed us. It was so dry and lumpy you could have used it as caulking around windows. It would rip bread to shreds and we couldn't get it off the knife with a blowtorch. Then to wash it down, we had to dig out the box of powdered milk, “just add water”. I'm sure everyone has heard of "hand me downs" but have you heard of “throw aways”? One boy's junk is another boy's first bike.", my mother would tell me. Large trash pickup was like Christmas to our family; dumpster diving became a way of life. I remember around Thanksgiving we would rummage the pantry for canned goods to bring to school, for the less fortunate. Only to have them returned the day after by a nun from church. This was the time I realized that we were the less fortunate. It became a game, in the years to follow we would mark a little tiny X on a can of plain label cream corn only to have it returned to us by that same nun. My parents wore this less fortunate tag, like a medal of honor. They told we were special, that's why we got paper money each month. They had me convinced that we had won the government's version of the lottery. That was the reason we got to use this special money with the words US Food Stamps on it. I would walk to the store proudly and pay with my "Lottery winnings”. I would wave it in the clerks faces, as I bought some Tootsi Rolls or a cherry slush. This was my story, I'm not sure what his story is, ravishing the trash in a suite for a 15 dollar ethernet card. What gives? < Previous Day<<>>

Beware of "New Jersey"?

Lost in Union City, NJ on 04/09/06 @ 5:54:35 PM I once made a wrong turn in New Jersey only to come across a crowd of people in an empty lot. In the center two people square off with dogs at chains length. The pit bull’s owner removes the leash that has the words My Princess” outlined in rhinestones. The two dogs lock jaws as bones crash and the crowd inhales while sucking the air from my lungs. Before I can even count to three-one-thousand, "My Princess" tackles the smaller victim and in a cloud of dust her jaw rips flesh, locking hard as blood starts to run. Ripping flesh tail, or an ear. The dogs express their pain and fear through loud growls and cries that echo off the pen's tin walls. The crowd is pleased; the pit bull named Princess pins the smaller runt to the ground in a mere seven seconds. As with a wrestling pin, the mandatory three seconds elapse, and the operator declares the pit bull victorious. Adults and children cheer for the fast, powerful dog as money exchanges hands as the owner of the dead dog drags the carcass burb side. Man did I make a wrong turn or what?< Previous Day<<>>

Curb side reflections

Lost location, maybe 6th and 14th on 04/07/06 @ 8:24:39 PM Rain reflections, curb side.< Previous Day<<>>

Don't blame the rain

Columbus Circle on 04/06/06 @ 12:14:07 PM Some of us don't mind the rain.< Previous Day<<>>

Alone time!

Central Park on 04/05/06 @ 2:34:12 PM While I was standing there taking the photo someone stopped and said, "I've seen this before, he browsing internet porn and just needed some alone time." Actually I could hear the guy on the phone doing a sales presentation. I guess the coat was to block out the sunlight and the noise. 'No, I'm in my office, the window is open because it's hot in here. Let me close the window." As he tosses the coat over his head... < Previous Day<<>>

Sisters

Central Park on 04/04/06 @ 1:44:24 PM < Previous Day<<>>

Blood on the streets

47th Street and 6th ave, NYC on 03/31/06 @ 11:38:26 AM The shocking site of blood in the sunshine stopped me in my tracks while walking through the diamond district today. The blood donor was no where to be found but I couldn’t help but think up scenarios like, cocaine nose jobs, late payments to the local loan shark, or high stress and even higher blood pressure?< Previous Day<<>>

Cherry, Rad, Sweet and Hot

Radio City, NYC on 03/29/06 @ 6:12:34 PM In the 70’s everything was “cherry.” In the 80’s it was “rad” and in the 90’s it was “sweet”. Today in a meeting someone my age used the phrase, ‘That’s hot.”< Previous Day<<>>

Lost in the forest

38th and 6th ave, NYC on 03/27/06 @ 7:45:44 PM Not one of my better photos but it was my only capture of the day. We’ll call this one, “Can’t see the forest through the trees.” I’m really dyslexic when it comes to directions. Although I have this little trick, if I can find the Empire State building then I can get my bearings. The problem only seems to be when I can’t see the Empire State building, then it’s a fifty fifty gamble if I’m going to find my way. No sense of direction. < Previous Day<<>>

The Hotel Lights

38th and 6th ave, NYC on 03/26/06 @ 6:38:20 PM I analyzed the reflection of the lonely hotel lights in my coffee. Thought it over, then criticized myself. I decide to utilize the energy I have left to say Goodbye.< Previous Day<<>>

My Sadness Part II

Columbus Circle, NYC on 03/24/06 @ 2:05:43 PM Lord take me home to the peaceful valley. Down the winding river to your city of your soul. I've grown so tired and my hearts grown heavy. To walk any longer to your cities of gold.< Previous Day<<>>

The lights click on at dusk

6th ave and 42nd strret, NYC on 03/23/06 @ 6:21:17 PM The sun is blocked by the 40 plus story buildings that line Sixth Ave which causes the lights to click, clack, flicker and buzz.< Previous Day<<>>

The blues and reds call your name

6th ave and 37th strret, NYC on 03/22/06 @ 7:04:19 PM I’m turning blue and having flashes of red. The red it streams from a heart that no longer calls your name. Skyward my eyes try and focus, they turn white, flicker and scare the people that pass by. Upward they look towards the heavens, my dreams wonder and collide with clouds that no longer linger above.< Previous Day<<>>

The black government helicopters hover above

6th ave and 49th street, NYC on 03/20/06 @ 1:21:33 PM Actually I have no clue what these little spider looking antennas are, I just noticed them for the first time today. My logical guess is that they are wireless repeaters owned by someone like Verizon. However my new found paranoia voice tells me it’s a government listening device. Then again the last two books I read were Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. Please someone educate me, what are these things little scary little things on all the light polls and how long have they been there?< Previous Day<<>>

This sadness is mine

Columbus Circle, NYC on 03/19/06 @ 7:41:07 PM The stars they sink In the oceans of ink Long black ribbons of cars And in the taxi You ask me how I'm doing But you already know Beyond, beyond is not through Its only a reflection of you And something at the window It motions with its fingers Calling me beyond This sadness is mine This sadness is mine < Previous Day<<>>

The Hearst Tower

West 57th street & 8th Ave, NYC on 03/18/06 @ 5:21:54 PM The Hearst Tower or as some call it, the Lava Lamp Building. The 597 ft building has 46 stories and over one mile of glass office fronts. With 856,000 ft the Hearst Tower is equipped with 14,000 lighting fixtures, 16,000 ceiling tiles and over 7 miles of storage filing space. If that isn’t impressive enough, it’s the first "Green" commercial building in New York City. < Previous Day<<>>

Happy Green Day

47th street, NYC on 03/17/06 @ 2:11:21 PM Marching bands dressed in green can only mean one thing. Bars with green beer.< Previous Day<<>>

Drum Solo?

1440 Broadway, NYC on 03/16/06 @ 12:42:11 PM On the curb with no owner in site. Kind of strange but than again no one else seemed to notice. < Previous Day<<>>

What’s behind the stage door?

Times Square, Winter Garden Theater, NYC on 03/15/06 @ 7:42:46 PM I hear signing behind the stage door, I hear “You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life, See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen, You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen” This can only mean one thing, Mamma Mia. < Previous Day<<>>

No Smoking

6th Ave and 49th street, NYC on 03/12/06 @ 4:45:36 PM The city streets puff smoke into the thick air of my day. Much like the over zealous perfume salespeople that push their products in my face at Macy’s, but outdoor and not as annoying to me.< Previous Day<<>>

Thirsty?

6th Ave btwn 46th and 47th street, NYC on 03/09/06 @ 12:35:17 PM When I passed this curious little metal container on the street. I couldn’t help but picture some frosted half pint glasses inside next to a tapper that delivered ice-cold NYC fresh spring water. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Now if I only had the keys. < Previous Day<<>>

On Ice

Midtown, NYC on 03/08/06 @ 5:55:52 PM This restaurant in Midtown displays their catch of the day in the front window. I pass this place often I and always see people drooling over the bug eyed fish in window. Maybe I’m strange but dead fish, raw meat hanging in windows of restaurants doesn’t make me want to eat there. I’m happy glancing over a menu and a couple of photos of the food after it’s cooked.< Previous Day<<>>

Can you hear me now?

Midtown, NYC on 03/07/06 @ 4:41:42 PM This Phone Is Tapped Your conversation is being monitored by the US government courtesy of the US Patriot act of 2001, Sec. 216 of which permits all phone calls to be recorded without a warrant or notification. < Previous Day<<>>

I fought the law

Philadelphia, PA on 03/06/06 @ 6:11:12 AM "I Fought the Law" is a much-covered song originally recorded by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets. The song is more identified in the eyes (and ears) of many music fans with the Bobby Fuller Four, who recorded a more successful version of the song in 1965. However the version I most identify with is the Dead Kennedy’s version. “Drinkin' beer in the hot sun I fought the law and I won I needed sex and I got mine I fought the law and I won The law don't mean shit if you've got the right friends That's how this country's run Twinkies are the best friend I've ever had I fought the law And I won I blew George and Harvey's brains out with my six-gun I fought the law and I won Gonna write my book and make a million I fought the law and I won I'm the new folk hero of the Ku Klux Klan My cop friends think that's fine You can get away with murder if you've got a badge I fought the law And I won I am the law So I won.” But my guess is that they never lived in Philly < Previous Day<<>>

French toast and cheese stake

Philadelphia, PA on 03/05/06 @ 4:12:41 PM This photo describes my last two meals in Philly before doing the trek back down I-95.< Previous Day<<>>

My most obscene post to date!

Times Square, NYC 03/01/06 @ 2:22:12 PM Miniature window obscenities or ivory collectibles? I'm not sure but these 1” wonders decorate so many of the time square shops. My guess is that 99% of the people never even notice these little karma sutra icons mixed in with the "I love NYC" clad memorabilia.< Previous Day<<>>

From out of the shadows I heard him say

5th ave on 02/26/06 @ 5:45:47 PM "We didn't see you in Church on this morning." Guilty conscious or an overactive imagination? < Previous Day<<>>

Dead Things

Central Park, NYC on 02/20/06 @ 1:46:52 PM The snow dissolves leaving a wake of dead things that only the smell of spring will revive. - (Notice the Time Warner and Hearst Tower in the background?)< Previous Day<<>>

Frozen In Time

Central Park on 02/17/06 @ 2:16:47 PM So I lied, I found some more snow. Turns out the park is still full of the fluffy white stuff. < Previous Day<<>>

No More Snow

56th & 6th Ave on 02/16/06 @ 3:13:16 PM The slushy wet mess is all that is left of the 24 plus inches of snow we had two days earlier. < Previous Day<<>>

the long trek to the daily grind

Hoboken, NJ on 02/13/06 @ 6:55:55 AM This morning the trek to work seemed especially long. < Previous Day<<>>

This is not a snow drift

Hoboken, NJ on 02/12/06 @ 4:44:25 PM When it all settled, Hoboken was under 25" of snow. The snowman on the roof, didn't happen. We couldn't even force the door open.< Previous Day<<>>

and it starts

My window, Hoboken on 02/11/06 @ 11:58:35 PM The snow started light but is starting to pickup now. Debbie and I have been discussing building a snowman on the roof, a first for us.< Previous Day<<>>

Bunnies of Bryant Park

Bryant Park, Fashion Week on 02/10/06 @ 7:11:11 PM The photo above is of the Bryant Park Carousal wrapped in plastic for the winter months. The end of Fashion week fall 2006 and it couldn’t have come sooner for me. It’s been a cold long week and now I’m ready to do a little hibernation of my own. My plans are to sleep for the next 20 hours, I should awake just in time to see the beginning of the 10-12” of snow we are supposed to get on Saturday Night…< Previous Day<<>>

0lympus Fashion Week Fall 2006 NYC

Bryant Park, Fashion Week on 02/09/06 @ 11:42:51 AM The wall right inside of the door is always one of my favorite pieces. It's starts blank on the first day, then each day it grows to show the chronological history through photos. Only on more day left and the wall is almost full.< Previous Day<<>>

I can't stand the rain 'gainst my window

02/03/06 @ 4:47:32 PM I can't stand the rain 'gainst my window Bringing back sweet memories...< Previous Day<<>>

Bus Etiquette?

Bus 320 in Hoboken on 01/31/06 @ 10:43:12 PM I have only taken the bus 3 times in 7 years, I’m so much more of a subway person. So, what I was trying to figure out is if there was some kind of bus etiquette. Notice how there are three seats in each row, and how every one in this photo has claimed a different seat. So are the people that sit next to the window looking for conversation, just polite or are they dreamers that just like to stare out the window? Those who sit in the aisle seat, are they mindless, inconsiderate bastards or just plane unfriendly? Then you have those that sit in the middle seat, are they indecisive, don’t want to seem inconsiderate but really don’t want anyone to sit by them or are they like me and don’t know the proper bus etiquette?< Previous Day<<>>

The trees catch fire in the presences of the sun

Central Park on 1/29/06 @ 10:33:13 AM It rained for 90% of the day but it didn't stop the sun from sneaking through and immediately catching the trees afire. (Actually this shot was a shot of the sun, with the sun cropped out. This is what caused the wilted leaves to glow in dazzling shades of orange.)< Previous Day<<>>

The Rain Came Down

Through the sunroof on route 1, NJ on 1/17/06 @ 6:33:37 PM The rain came down hard and we got wet. However our clothes dried and that was that.< Previous Day<<>>

Black boys on bikes

Hoboken, NJ on 1/15/06 @ 1:11:12 PM When the black boys aren’t pitchen their penny’s on the vacant steps or popping tar bubbles on the endless streets they are doing figure eights on bikes with banana seats. The girls on the other hand pay no mind and concentrate on doing somersaults off the empty park benches while pretending not to notice anything at all. < Previous Day<<>>

Dreams of god

5th Ave on 1/12/06 @ 4:42:29 PM The Church silhouette fills my lens, the frame, the sky as well as my dreams.< Previous Day<<>>

The Invisibles

River Street Hoboken on 1/11/06 @ 7:12:11 AM I was listening to the sad song on my iPod when I was interrupted by a homeless man on the corner. My immediate reaction was to pull out my pockets to show that I didn’t have any change. He yelled a little louder so I removed the ear buds to explain that I really didn’t have any change, when he interrupted me. “I don’t need your money, I need an ambulance. I think my leg is broke. A guy just hit me with a baseball bat and I think he broke my leg.” When I looked down I could see a large spot of fresh blood seeping through his jeans. I apologized and immediately called 911 and hung out till the police/ ambulance came. How did I not notice he was injured? < Previous Day<<>>

Disobey the giant!

58th Street 1/10/06 @ 1:346:12 PM I was walking down the street with a friend and he was talking about how "Elvis is Everywhere." I had to stop and correct him to say, nope "Shepard Fairey is Everywhere". For god sakes, he has is own line of clothing at Macy's these days. Disobey people, disobey.< Previous Day<<>>

The incredible shrinking necks

6th Ave on 1/05/05 @ 12:14:16 PM Have you ever noticed that when the weather gets cold the necks seem to disappear? < Previous Day<<>>

Tis the season for walking, fa-la-la-la - la

42nd and Broadway 12/20/05 @ 7:42:43 AM 180 blocks walked in two days isn't as bad as those who live in Brooklyn. Happy Holidays...< Previous Day<<>>

Blood Splatter, Pink Suits and Paint Huffing on a downtown F train.

Uptown F Train on 12/19/05 @ 6:22:13 AM The train came and I got on. Like most days I find that it's sprinkled with a couple of fat ties and one busy pink suit with her industrial size pink Victoria Secrets bag. Without peeking inside I can already tell you the only slinky thing she has got in the bag is some low-fat salad dressing and her new designer water bottle. I target an empty two-seater and sit down on the aisle side seat. Some people will move over and throw a brief case in the empty seat but that's seen as inconsiderate. I just sit in the aisle seat because it looks more mindless than intentional. This keeps the unsavories from trying to make friends. I've learned from my mistakes. An open seat means open invitation, which can translate into free tech support, camera advice and dog walking service since you just found out that your new friend lives in the same building, how convenient. Actually the question I get asked most is, "What is the best digital camera I can buy for under $150.00?" My answer, "I don't know anything about cameras, my father drowned in a boating accident last weekend, left it to me in his will. I carry it everywhere but I just can't seem to take a photo without breaking down in tears." Lesson learned: Play stupid at all costs. Now IPod up and head down because we don't want to make eye contact or we’ll be forced to give up our seat to the pregnant women at the next stop. But then it happens. I make eye contact, not with a pregnant woman but with an art school drop out. At least that's how I reason the gold paint around the outside of his mouth and blood shot eyes. I can tell this kid is hyped like a squirrel on crystal meth. "Yo bro, move the fuck over and let me rest tha dogs." I comply, what choice do I have, I broke the rules. Now I think I'm getting a contact buzz from the smell of paint that seems to be oozing from every pour of his body. I bet if you cut him open you would see little gold metallic flakes would seep from his wound, and that's what I want to do now, cut him open. He turns to the pink suit across from us and says, "If you want to get to your destination quicker." At which point he flicks his tongue in her direction and adds, "Try the red tongue express." This gesture is even more obscene than it should be, the little red tongue darting in and out of his gold rimmed mouth. The lady barley glanced up from her New Yorker. I'm not even sure she heard him. "Watz you got in the VC bag momma." He asks as he motions to her pink bag with stripes. It's at this point I ask WWJCD(what would Jackie Chan do?) but then I remember that I have never had any martial arts training. In fact the only sport I ever entertained was baseball but I don't have a bat to swing so that isn’t going to help. At this point the kid starts to rock back and fourth, violently. I can't help but picture him erupting like a two litter bottle of 7up the way he's shaking. Then from behind us I hear this deep slow voice, "Let see some Id.". I turn and see an undercover MTA cop who has just pulled his "badge on a string" from under his jacket. The kid grabs the seat in front of him this most likely to keep himself from exploding in place. "I don't have no ID, MR. fff-fake pig.", he spits at the officer. At which point the MTA guy pulls a radio from his coat and starts spouting a series of numbers to the static on the other end. I'm thinking, what the hell. We are on a moving train and he's calling for back up. "What's your name son?" The officer asks with the same voice you would use if you’re talking to a 3rd grader who lost his mother in a department store. "Mya", the art school dropout replies. "Last name?", the cop asks. "Mya-Mya dick.", he yells so that the whole train can hear him. "Now fuck off rental, because you’re interrupting my ride." No reaction, not even a blink comes from the blue badge and I can clearly see that he doesn't even have a can of mace. That is most likely. Good thing for the rest of the train because the last thing anyone wants is a face full of mace before work. The train stops and five NYPD's get on, their eyes are as tightly knotted as the art school drop out next to me. The only difference is that they were focused on one single point, him. Before any of us could react the kid was in cuffs, spread eagle and face down. I swore I saw a tooth skip across the floor as he was thrown to the floor. Before the doors shut he was lifted up and off the train. I blinked a couple of times and looked around the train just trying to figure out if it was just something I dreamt between stops or if the abduction really happened. I glanced at the blue ties behind me, but they had their heads buried in their WSJ trying to figure out how much money they lost in the Market last night and how much the Rangers won by. Not one person looked up. About the time I convinced myself that it hadn't actually happened the pink suit across from me looks me dead in the eye and says, "Your little paint huffin fagot friend got what he deserved. He's lucky they didn't shoot him in the head." I looked back into her eyes and said, "Yeah, the blood splatter would have been a bitch to get out of your white Kate Spade hand bag" She didn't react just licked a finger tip and turned the page on her New Yorker. Now head down, don't make eye contact I mutter as I spin the rotate the dial on my IPod. < Previous Day<<>>

Mary Poppins on Ice?

Rockefella Center on 12/18/05 @ 12:43:33 PM This was shot during the Broadway Musical Mary Poppins on Ice. No wait, that’s not a play. This was shot at Rockefeller Center although I think they may have been rehearsing for a new Musical of Mary Poppins on Ice. < Previous Day<<>>

Long walk home

Hoboken, NJ on 12/09/05 @ 2:02:23 AM This shot was taken at two in the morning, during a very cold walk home from the light rail.< Previous Day<<>>

Can't get it out of my head

5th Ave 12/04/05 @ 1:32:44 PM Today I stood in line at FAO Schwarz for about 30 min, all the while two little boys were singing, "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Robin laid an egg. The batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away-hay." Over and over again and I just can't seem to get it out of my head, so I decided to share it with you. Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Robin laid an egg. The batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away-hay. Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Robin laid an egg. The batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away-hay. Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Robin laid an egg. The batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away-hay. Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Robin laid an egg. The batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away-hay.Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells and Robin laid an egg. The batmobile lost a wheel and the joker got away-hay. Arrrghhhh! < Previous Day<<>>

Monument To My Blues

Hoboken on 12/02/05 @ 6:44:52 AM I got 7 dollars to my name, got sixteen cigarettes that somehow I ain't smoked yet… Got 2 shoelaces and 2 shoes. I should toss ‘em on a telephone wire as a monument to my blues. < Previous Day<<>>

Angel of the window display

Lord n' Taylors on 12/01/05 @ 8:23:34 PM Here comes a Prince, turned into a frog by a disgruntled Wizard. The frog wanders in a nearby swamp until he meets a Princess, who kisses him and turns him back into a Prince, so they can have kids and be happy ever after. But there are other variations to that story that I have heard over the years. - The Prince retains some of his amphibian nature and the Princess ends up giving birth to dozens of tadpoles. Prince and Princess turn the castle into a terrarium and start breeding flies to feed their offspring. - The Princess is French and eats the frog. Do you have any versions? < Previous Day<<>>

30 something and doing rails...

My Studio on 11/28/05 @ 10:12:26 PM I’m so old I remember when rails, nose guards and tail plates were a necessity of any new skate deck. The locals would laugh you off the park if you showed up with a bare bones setup like they ride today. How times have changed, now I just get made fun of when I do a hand plant or a big power slide. The locals yell out, “Hey your not old school, your just old.” No respect, just like the old days. < Previous Day<<>>

The sun comes out

6th Ave on 11/23/05 @ 1:44:34 PM I liked the way the sun burst through my frame on this shot. The guy in the photo is using his brief case to block the sun rays as he searches the streets for a vacant cab. < Previous Day<<>>

Waiting for Mr. Postman

6th on 11/22/05 @ 11:14:34 AM Passerby: "Dude, is that your mail?" Guy in photo:"Yeah, and this is only half of my Christmas cards." < Previous Day<<>>

Dead guy on a horse

6th ave and 59th street on 11/21/05 @ 1:22:02 PM Little Kid: "Dad, why is there a dead guy on a horse?" Father: "I don't know." Little Kid: "Dad, why is there a dead guy on a horse?" Father: "I said, I don't know." Little Kid: "Dad, why is there a dead guy on a horse?" Father: "Ask him, he lives in this country." Little Kid: "Mister, why is there a dead guy on a horse?" Me: "I don't know." Father: "Fucking Americans never know anything about their own damn history, I guess we should have found a French guy to ask." Me: "Have a nice day." < Previous Day<<>>

Future Christmas Tree?

Central Park on 11/20/05 @ 3:48:22 PM Who started the Christmas tree concept? I really don't understand why you cut down a tree, drag it into the house, let it die and drag it out again. BaaHumBug!< Previous Day<<>>

Can't see the forest through the trees...

5th Ave and 47th street on 11/17/05 @ 1:20:43 PM Lady with quizzical look on her face, "How do I get to the Empire State Building?" Passerby, "Turn around, look up and walk!"< Previous Day<<>>

Leaves come and they go

Central Park on 11/16/05 @ 12:48:12 PM Leaves come and they go, but the cold lingers on for months...< Previous Day<<>>

Preacher Man wants to dunk me in the river

6th ave adn 57th street on 11/08/05 @ 1:02:37 AM Jon Jon the Preacher Man is eyeing up the next soul he plans to save while waiting for a little inspiration from the Holy Spirit. He wanted to dunk me in the river after I told him it had been more than seven years since I cast my shadow on a church house door. – Notice his bible resting on the ledge of the subway entrance and the magazine in his hand. He uses the magazine to swat the invisible flies while he preaches. (At least that’s what it looks like he is doing.) What I find most interesting is the verses that he reads from his bible. “God will strike down the homo-man, God will strike down the lez-bean women of the world and God will only give access to the golden gates to those that repent their lost ways. Those that admit they are lower than the lowest creature. Those creatures that crawl beneath our feet and if they repent he will make them in his image, he will make them a holy man, he will move out of the way at let them enter.” – He must have the un-edited version on the Bible. < Previous Day<<>>

Looking for a dead end?

Charlotte NC on 11/06/05 @ 4:43:34 PM This sign is kind of strange, most dead end signs are a modified yield sign warning the way of the dead end, not pointing the direction.< Previous Day<<>>

drive by shootings

Location: Route 1, NJ on 11/05/05 @ 1:55:34 PM Shot from the driver side window while, hanging out at a stoplight on Route 1 near Woodbridge NJ. < Previous Day<<>>

Talking about “digital” revolution

Location: Central Park on 11/02/05 @ 11:49:31 PM This is Gapstow Bridge which can be found in Central Park South. - Sometimes I like to dance on that fine line of fantasy and reality, a place I like to call my own fictional reality. Take the above photo. It was taken with a custom curve loaded into the camera that pushes the saturation of the photo, thus creating a little fictional reality. Now check out Alica's photo taken a few days earlier, a great shot and the colors are much more realistic and accurately represents the fall weather we are having. I started shooting film in 1987, played with my first digital camera in 1995 (Apple QuickTake), last year I moved to about 99% digital. My background in photography tells me to accurately capture what the eye sees at all costs but digital makes me want to bend the truth a little. < Previous Day<<>>

Like a life guard but on ice?

Location: Bryant Park on 11/01/05 @ 7:20:11 PM Not sure if this is something they do every year, but I was shocked to see an ice skating rink at Bryant Park today, not to mention the 50 degree weather we are having. This guy is so over dressed.< Previous Day<<>>

Red Painted Horses

Location: Central Park on 10/27/05 @ 1:11:09 PM On one of my first trips to NYC, prior to moving here I remember walking by Central Park for my very first time. I remember it all, every bloody detail. While walking by the park, a man jumped in front of me and handed me a photo. Before I could even focus on the image, it was in my hand. When my eyes focused on the red mass, I realized it was a horse that had been ripped in half by a taxicab, the blood took up 90% of the photo with the taxi just taking up just a small. You could tell the red contrast of the photo was pushed to extremes but this didn’t make the photo any less truthful. Before I could even gasp, the activist was pushing one image after another into my hand. All rich with bloody detail, he was pushing them so fast into my hands it almost made the images seem animated, like a flip book, a flip book of horror. At last he handed me a white sheet of paper with several signatures, asking me to sign. The activist assured me that this would halt the abuse of horses on the NYC streets. My stomach was in my throat; I took the pen and told him I would sign on one condition, he had to promise that he would get rid of the color photos and show only B&W photos. My case was that they would still be as impactful in B&W. He grabbed the photos back, turned around and said, “Guess you ain’t going to signing no petition today.” I don't know, maybe I should have signed on the spot. What I do know is that I still can't look at these horses without seeing death and destruction painted in red.< Previous Day<<>>

Postcards from the edge

Location: Central Park on 10/26/05 @ 12:44:22 PM Dear Mom – Things here in the big apple are off to a great start. I have a roommate picked out and we just got a place today. She had been scouring the obits as a way to find a cheap apartment. Today we went to look at a place but the subway station was closed, turns out some homeless dude took a piss on the third rail and was electrocuted. We decided to grab a cab but that took forever as well because it was taxi turnover hour. Finally we got to the apartment and you wouldn’t believe the horrible stench. Turns out the previous tenant had died from choking on some sweet-and-sour-puppy from his Chinese take-out, and since no one knows their neighbors in New York, his body wasn’t discovered until the dogs started scratching at the door. It worked in our favor, they gave us a great price. We will be moving in the morning. If all goes well, I should be able to make it home to see you and Pa for Christmas. If I buy my tickets 60 days in advance I can get the ticket for 99 dollars to Montana. Oops, out of room, luv you guys, see you soon and don’t worry about me. Things are GREAT!!! < Previous Day<<>>

Street light burst in the rain

Location: 7th ave and 30th street on 10/24/05 @ 8:01:43 PM The street light burst which ignited the street. Creatures come out of the shadows to watch the destruction of the car caught in a fiery demise. < Previous Day<<>>

Signs of October

Location: Central Park 10/17/05 @ 11:20:43 AM Pyracantha and coats have me thinking of the cold that is to come. The cold that cracks lips, that stings lungs. The kind that eats fingertips and numb toes permanently. The kind that can steal a homeless mans breath before morning ever comes. Then I sit back and think, it's only October. < Previous Day<<>>

River Bob's Shanty Palace

Location: Under Port Authority 10/16/05 @ 10:10:13 PM This is my new friend River Bob. We had about 15 min conversation after I shot this photo. He wanted me to come take photos of the house he built down by the (East) river. “A three room shanty palace” as River Bob called it, his new “home sweet home”. I was intrigued and offered to go but Bob explained that he couldn’t go right now. This was due to his transistor radio and it’s weak reception. River Bob was listening to the ballgame and complained that was the one thing his new pad didn’t account for, good radio reception. He also explained that the reception is best right here, under Port Authority. I hope to see River Bob and if I do, I promise photos of his “three room shanty palace” < Previous Day<<>>

cry me a river...

Location: Hoboken on 10/13/05 @ 7:01:11 AM I’m known as the guy that sees the glass as half empty; this is unless we are talking about a glass of half full of whiskey. I know this is no secret to those of you that read my daily posts or know me in the real world. With that said, I can’t help but ask myself why the last five days of rain haven’t had their toll on me. My attitude has just been, “Fuck it. I’ll dry.” Maybe I just like a little uncontrolled chaos in my life or maybe I’m just beginning to mature in my 30’s but than again maybe I just can’t get the images of the South out of my head and realize that there is just nothing that we on the East Coast have to bitch about. I admit my shoes are a bit wet, but at the same time they are drying nicely by my fireplace and life goes on. This photo was taken across the street from my condo and the water level is lower than it was the night before. (Here is an older shot of the flood in front of my apt. < Previous Day<<>>

The streets bleed with color...

Location: Sixth Ave on 10/12/05 @ 7:22:01 PM Even the over abundance can’t wash away the color in the streets tonight. I actually love shooting in the rain, the streets are alive and rich with color when your in the city. I only wish I had more time tonight to shoot, this was shot during my half of a block walk from my office to the subway.< Previous Day<<>>

Sounds of Columbus Day

Location: Sixth Ave on 10/10/05 @ 1:25:58 PM