Blogging
I know.
It’s been a week since landing in Florida.
It’s been 4 days since I’ve been back from Florida.
And there has been nary a blog peep from me.
The thing is… Poppy did such a great recap… what else could I possibly say?
Poppy Rawks with Mew
Floating Princess looks like a deer in headlights while Poppy swills back something else made by PJ
The Royal Court of the PRB will smile and like it!
Dave2 looks uber emo considering who he’s standing next to
I had a really good time reconnecting with friends I haven’t seen in a long time, meeting new people I’ve looked forward to meeting for a long time, and just relaxing in the sun. It’s important to remember this when you read the next part… so let me stress… I had a really good time.
But the truth is… it was different.
Maybe it’s because I was actually sober for this year’s party.
Maybe it’s because I knew which way things were so gone was that certain freshness and excitedness.
Maybe it’s because I didn’t spend an afternoon in a hotel bar surrounded by bloggers and Klingons and getting obliterated off margaritas.
I don’t know. I don’t know exactly what or how it was different other than the obvious… but it was.
What I do know is that when people try to push their morales upon me, or upon others in my presence, I get fucking annoyed.
What I do know is that I may have to abdicate my crown as the King of Drama, because to be honest, while it can be thrilling for the moment, people let it consume them… and life is too short to be consumed by such pettiness.
Those are my two big observations about how I think things were different.
Next year, the one thing that will definitely be different, is that I’m going to have a cooler in the back of my rental car packed with DiGiorno frozen pizzas… and I’ll be selling them at 2:00am for $20 a pop.
Now THAT is how you make money in blogging.
As I sit and write this post a full 12 hours after its occurrence… my hands shake and tremble from the air conditioner in the newly renovated hotel room.
One of my worst fears was realized yesterday. It is a fear shared by all photographers… amateur or pro.
My digital DSLR was taken from me.
Taken.
My digital DSLR was taken from me by Transportation Safety Agents at JFK International Airport yesterday.
It was taken from me and OUT OF MY SIGHT because it had to go through an X-Ray machine.
Bullshit TSA.
You took my camera. MY CAMERA.
Here’s what took place… minute by terrifying minute.
We got to the security check point. I was handed some plastic bins from a TSA Agent, an elderly gentleman who smiled with a nod when he gave them to me. I removed my laptop from it’s bag and placed it in it’s own bin. Then I took off my boots and emptied my pockets into another bin.
Then, as I was getting ready to walk through the metal detector, the TSA Agent stopped me! He stopped me and told me that the camera bag on my back that I had forgotten all about because of my absent mindedness had to go through the X-ray machine! What was worse, he did so nicely with a slight grandpa like grin! He was obviously mocking me by being nice!!!
I felt I had NO choice in the matter, even though it is clearly posted that this is what happens and I’ve done it a dozen times before.
So I did it.
I sent my camera bag through the metal detector where I lost sight of it! Once I walked through, clearing the metal detector, I waited for my camera bag. It came out… but the harm was done. I had lost sight of it! I had lost sight of it in a transparent walled area where the only opaque thing was the X-Ray machine!!! Who cares about the harmful rays coming out and frying us? We need to see in there!!!
I was feeling woozy, possibly from not eating. I gathered all my belongings at the other end, ran to the bathroom, crumbled to the floor, and popped my emergency M&M that I keep in my pocket for just such an occasion. Then the whole flight I had to think of how I was going to tell my story.
More importantly… how was I going to get PAID for my harrowing tale of kindness, politeness, and obvious security measures for the well being of both travelers and workers by the TSA!!!
I’m not sure how to end this post. I don’t know what my story will lead to but I needed to do more than file a compliment or write a letter. My hope is that this post of mine will be read by other photographers, passed along to journalists traveling with their cameras… most of all, my hope is that NO PHOTOGRAPHER HAS THEIR CAMERA TAKEN FROM THEM.
TSA TOOK MY CAMERA IN JFK AIRPORT NYC.
THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN TO ANY PHOTOGRAPHER. EVER.
/sarcastic parodic story*
So yeah… we made it to Orlando. Hertz rental really needs to get their act together, but other than that… it was a good travel experience. We had dinner with some very esteemed Floridians, I got to assist at an undisclosed location doing discussable things, and I made out with LeSombre.
All in all… a great start to what promises to be a fantastic trip.
* The inspirational bullshit story can be found here and also read How The TSA Responded To Reputation Damaging Criticism that also happened to be a complete fabrication… unless your at #avitaween because then we have better things to do
Later today Poppy and I will be getting on a plane just like he did. Only my plane will have powerful jets to get me off the ground.
It is once again that time of year… the time for witches and warlocks… the time for craziness… the time for the #iIzDrunkered hashtag to bring Twitter to it’s knees… it’s time for Avitaween!!!
Blogger get togethers are always ALOT of fun. In fact, for that matter, it seems the only time I take time off lately is for such auspicious events. So what am I specifically expecting this year?
• I’m going to his party because I haz me a ticket
• I’m giving her birthday punches
• I’m making her give me a ride with the top down so I can avoid the line on the ride at Epcot
• I’m making her call me sugar all day
• I’ll be getting my night time sugar from her
• I’m going to meet the most famous sugar of them all
• I get to hang with low sugar but the sweetest snackie of all
• I’m going to ask her, “Why? Why?” and I will get a photo with him
• I’m going to give him suggestions of which third world nation we should overthrow next
• I’m swapping H1N1 with her for shits and giggles
• I’ll get to draw inspiration off her vision
• I have no idea what I’ll talk to him about, but it’s always a thought provoking conversation
• I’m having lunch with her and her ultracool husband
• I’m giving her hugs ‘cause I can
• I’m grilling her for marketing tips
• I’m making her carry me to the flight home
And of course…
• I fully expect to make out with him all night long
Of course, there are alot of other things I’ll be doing things with other people that will be totally unexpected!
Excitement.
Adventure.
A Jedi craves not these things.
But a blogger does!!!
And just so we are clear… there will be NO TOUCHING THE POPPY!!!
See ya’ll soon!
First I’d like to say thank you to everyone who commented on the post yesterday and kept the memory of the sacrifice of the EMS Responders alive.
Secondly, I’ve embedded this video that was done by Yamel’s brother Bryant. It was shown yesterday during the dedication of the crew room in Yamel’s name at the new Westchester base. Please be warned that if you don’t have tissues handy… get some…
So the summer season has officially concluded with yesterday’s celebration of Labor Day. School starts up again Wednesday, at least for those states who have a heart and try not to fry little brains in classrooms while the 90 degree heat beats down on the little red schoolhouse. School means that in addition to little children getting an education, school buses will also be out and about… making traffic nightmarish once again. Of course, that has nothing to do with this post. It’s just a side effect I wanted to make a note of.
I could recap about how this past weekend was consumed by working on my side project (which soft launched two weeks ago and has already received national industry media attention), going to a fair, hibachi with The Wolves, and seeing The Final Destination… but why look back. There are a few things coming up though in the next few months I’m pretty psyched about… so here’s a list of my most looked forward to post-Labor Day activities:
- • This weekend there’s supposed to be a planning meeting for Crisis NYC… hopefully it’s still on and I should be attending… if it is still on…
• ReNYC is October 10th here in NYC. I have no idea what we’re going to do… but Poppy is the leader… and I will follow her to the ends of the earth and be happy about it!
• Avitaween will be October 24th in beautiful sunny Florida. The theme this year is INVADED! which is right up my alley. We’ve already booked our flights and hotel (same one as last year)… and we’re actually going down a day earlier than last year too so we can fit more stuff (drinking) in. So if your coming, look for me, I’ll be the classic illegal alien… Juan Valdez…
• In case you didn’t know… Poppy and I are huge WWE fans. Now I’ve been to ALOT of WWE shows… including making an in ring appearance at SummerSlam in 2002. Why do I go to so many shows? Well normally I work them. In November though I’m going to do something I haven’t done since I was with my dad as a kid… Poppy and I will be going to actually see WWE RAW Live as actual fans!
• At some point before the end of the year, I’ll hopefully be caught up on the side project and will then be able to take it to the next level. Of course… with Google Wave coming out at the end of the month, all my efforts may be for nothing… in which case… I’ll probably have a psychotic episode…
•In classic LeSombre fashion… I’ll be saving the last bullet for when something gets canceled, I get lost in a drunken stupor in the NYC Subway system, a hurricane wipes Florida off the map, someone stands up in front and refuses to sit, or when the madness comes…
I’m hoping for the madness.
