Sidewalk Arts 2007

A video clip of sequential photos I took while working on my square. Nice day, nice turnout, inconsistent judging...

The Pursuit of Beautyness

Yay, get out your mirrors! It's time for the annual "The 100 Most Beautiful" issue...or inversely "The Other 299,999,900 Ugly Folk" issue. Really, that's just a half-full or half-empty thing, depending on your take on society creating exclusive clubs based on looks. To say I'm not a big fan would be quite an understatement...

Kien and The Bone

The weekend took me into my first journey into South Florida, where ol' Gainesville buddies tied the knot. Beat it Nick and Jessica...this one's gonna last for sure. Mainly though it was a nice college reunion of UF buddies, sans Kien and The Bone. If you didn't live in Murphree Hall Section A or M in 1996 or 1997, then that last part of the previous sentence must have sounded like some weird movie found only in the backrooms of the most ghetto video retailers...

The Hindsight Blame Game

I'm sad about Virginia Tech, don't get me wrong, but at same time I am completely tired of watching the media playing what I call "The Hindsight Blame Game." Actually, it's not just the media, they just happen to be the ones perpetuating it during their 24/7 coverage of any massive tragedy. Same cycle happens after every major tragedy.

This is the equivalent of finding out a girl has been sexually assaulted, then asking dumb questions like "Why didn't her friends lock her down once they suspected she was going out dressed in something cute, knowing that someone out there liked her?" rather than blaming the individual who couldn't control his impulsive behavior. Let's get one thing straight about this VT incident...the only person to blame here is this whiny kid Cho and his failure to integrate and cope with society. But unfortunately, the coward is not with us anymore to be the pinata of blame so as always, the masses look elsewhere...

"But why didn't administration lock down the school after two people got shot at a dorm?" they ask. Probably because evidence suggested it was a domestic dispute that escalated into violence. It is a residence hall after all where people laugh, argue, cry, etc. all the time. Who could've possibly predicted the ballistic rampage that would soon follow? No one, that's who.

"And the warning signs, and the creepy writings were all there and no one did anything about it!" they say. Then does this mean we lock up everyone with any history of stalking, alienation, and antisocial thoughts? We would if this was the movie "Minority Report" but unfortunately we don't have the technology of psychic triplets just yet.

"And how could this kid get access to such weaponry so easily?" they ask. Well, a long time ago a group of powdered wig-wearing revolutionaries decided everyone had a right to a gun. Better get accustomed to it too because that's not going to change.

Point is, if someone wants to kill, they're gonna kill. Who can really stop that? Life will go on the way it has, without metal detectors at college, without having to submit three letters of recommendation from your teachers when buying a gun, and without shutting down entire towns the moment someone gets shot. The best we all can do for each other after tragedy is spread support all around and stop having to find someone else to blame.

To those who want to continue to point the finger at others, I say stop acting like you saw it coming because you KNOW you didn't.

300 Self-Portraits in Vancouver

New trip, new movie, same design. Enjoy!



If you haven't seen my other travel self-portrait series movies, click here to see them. I have two others from Asia and New York.

I'm No Bandwagon Fan

I'm no bandwagon fan, that's for sure. I remember back when it made our season to beat Kentucky in a regular season game. I recall the excitement of finding out that a Florida basketball game was to be televised on ESPN. I remember when they started this whole "Rowdy Reptiles" gig. I remember cheering our uncanny one-eyed player Fast Eddie. I remember watching Jason Williams showboat on the home court, then later with the Kings. I remember calling into Billy Donovan's weekly show with my roomates and asking questions about Dupay.

I'm no bandwagon fan, that's for sure...and that's why it's so rewarding to have watched the Gators take the championship again. Besides, is it so wrong to reward a group of kids for staying in college to repeat as a team rather than scurry for certain NBA millions?

I'm no bandwagon fan, that's for sure...and that's why it'll be fun to start over again next year and watch an all new team.