Da Goddess

Two words: Tab Benoit.

OMG

Awesome concert.

Gave the band the heads up on a jam just around the corner after and they showed up. Cool fucking night.

And yes, I’m just sayin’. So sue me.

Got to hang out with some of my favorite people ever. Great music. Got LD a couple of surprises.

Best news is that Tab’s in town for another show and that means more great entertainment for me. Sometimes…life is very good.

“I woke up this mornin’…”

Such are the lyrics of “The Short Blues” by Neil Innes. That’s it. The entire song. Seriously.

I shouldn’t know that, but I do. Now you do, too.

Just sayin’. I’m so going to stop saying that. Sigh.

And how appropriate that I should post something so brief. My blogging has been entirely too lax, but I’ve been busy getting ready for Little Dude’s arrival on Sunday. For some reason, I thought he was getting in earlier in the day and it turns out he’s getting in after 8pm. Argh! Why did I do that? Oh well. I suppose I could change the flight.

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Also, for some reason, I thought Christmas was on Thursday next week. Uh, nope. Not this year. D’oh! My blonde runs much deeper than previously thought.

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At the post office yesterday, I noticed a sign on one of the bulletin boards (behind glass) touting Angels. I thought it quite wonderful to see the folks at the post office supporting such an awesome group. Go USPS! Go Angels!

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I’m apparently living in a time warp (and yes, I, too, am thinking Rocky Horror — which I just watched this weekend, twice — as I type that). Blame it all on my roots…I showed up in boots and I’m listening to a lot of country music lately. Actually, I’m listening to a very wide range of music, but country’s featured prominently. Yesterday was Dan Seals. Today it’s Garth. I’ll return to Dan again though because there are just to many good songs to pass up. Not to worry, the blues is still king around here. Country is just blues with a twang.

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While I’m on the subject of music, go do yourself and your loved ones a big favor and buy Patti’s daughter’s CD — Pleasures of Hope. This is seriously one of the loveliest CDs I’ve heard in a long time. Alex may have been 17 when she recorded this, but there’s a great deal of maturity in her playing. I gave a copy to Buster for Christmas (early) and awoke to beautiful Celtic music the other morning. We listened to the CD several times through as we cleaned and decorated the house (with instruments, not Christmas stuff…we’re weird around here). I actually danced about as I swept the floor, imagining myself at an old fashioned dance (kind of like when I go to the Rendezvous dances). There’s not a bad song in the bunch and I dare even the most hardened of you to not fall in love with the music. That’s right, I’m daring you! I should note that we had the CD blasting (that’s Buster’s thing) and the recording holds up very well.

So, go pay Patti a visit or you can order the CD directly from CD Baby. Go on. I’ll wait. (You can thank me later.)

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While you’re in the shopping mood, you may buy me the Canon 7D. Yep. Still at the top of my Christmas list. Again, I’ll wait for you to do that and then come back.

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As I mentioned earlier, LD gets in town on Sunday, so blogging will be sporadic and I will NOT be taking the computer with me when I go to San Diego for Christmas. I’ll try my best to do a little creative publishing and to have something of substance to share. No guarantees though.

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Computing just got personal.

Gotta run. The computer is wanting to update and I have to close all applications to do so.

Aren’t you glad you stopped in to read my blather?

P.S. For some reason, old school gmail has decided to not show chat anymore. What’s up with that?

P.P.S. Is there anyone interested in last year’s Christmas blues?

Thank God for Dan Seals:

I always thought you were the best
I guess I always will.
I always thought that we were blessed
And I feel that way still.
Sometimes we took the hard road
But we always saw it through.

If I had only one friend left
I’d want it to be you.

Thank you. Seriously. You’ve saved my life and there is no thank you grand enough to encompass the gratitude I feel.

I’m just sayin’.

I know. Some of you are already aware.

I can’t comment for some reason. But that’s beside the point.

back, Frank!

I was told yesterday that I have nice nails.

This is particularly funny because I’ve spent a major portion of my life as a nail-biter.

The nails are looking particulary nice these days. And they sound good too. In fact, as I type this, they’re tippety-tappeting about the keyboard happily.

It’s so weird to look down and see something nice at the ends of my fingers. I mean, it’s just…WEIRD. In the last few years, I’ve been able to let them grow easily enough, but they tend to tear easily, the cuticles always look rough, and then…they go away for a bit. But right now, everything looks good. I even have a coat of clear polish on them.

And in other non-news: I had my first piece of chocolate since I’ve been here. Two days ago. Yes, there was a piece of chocolate cake last Sunday, but that was left as a gift for me. And it wasn’t candy. I’ve also not been drinking a lot of caffeine. This has not been a conscious decision. It’s just the way things have gone. I’m beginning to wonder how far-reaching this whole “changing my life” stuff is going to go.

working on a website for me and she sent this video my way:

This is why I’m not allowed to pick my own colors for the site. I’ve given her five basic palettes and she has to pick because, otherwise, I’m totally Myrna Loy.

P.S. Yes, I think one of the colors shall be a green that’s neither too blue nor too yellow.

We were sitting in the bar last night, just waiting for the band to start up again. The fireplace was warm and I was sitting with my back to the door. Every time it opened, a blast of cold air would fill the place. It was a bit of a relief actually. And then Buster said, “Danny Bonaduce just walked in.” Now, I couldn’t see the guy but I thought about the odds of a celeb of any sort visiting this part of town. I was very skeptical. As was our friend who was with us.

Turned out she and i were right and he was wrong, but he said, “you know, I’m calling my mom tomorrow and telling her I saw Bonaduce anyway. She’ll say ‘who?’ and I’ll tell her the cute little red headed kid from the Partridge Family. And ‘see? It was a good thing for me to move to Vegas all those years ago.'” Obviously he’d had a little too much to drink even at that point.

So our friend and I began the conversation about cute guys. You know, the sort who probably shouldn’t be cute but are because of muscles. Now, I’m not a huge “big muscle” fan, per se, but there is something striking about a man who works out. (I know, Little Miss Flab and all that…blah blah blah. Whatever.) On the list were Danny Bonaduce and Carrot Top. Yes, I know! Neither should be on that list. Yet they are. Perhaps it was my cough syrup. I don’t know. But we did utter those words and we can’t take ’em back. Yes, I’m going with the cough syrup theory. And the fact that I probably shouldn’t have been out yet in the first place.

However, we somehow went from muscle-bound to cowboys in their awesome jeans, boots, and hats. I think we both started salivating at one point. It was rather unbecoming, but I didn’t care. All that talk took me back to a place in time where I was often pressed up close against cowboys and loving it. I kind of miss those days. Oh, I don’t miss the stupid girl I was back then, but I do miss the fun and the dancing and overall smaller physique I bore. Makes me almost wish I’d been well enough to hit the rodeo grounds this past week.

Ah to be bowlegged and young.

Here’s to the Nonaduce and the Cowboys!

I keep thinking it’s taking way too long for the 20th to get here. Then I realize if the next week goes too quickly, so will the week that follows. I don’t want that week to go fast.

Little Dude flies in on the 20th. Mojo’s working so I’ll have to wait to see her when I get back to San Diego on Christmas Eve. But LD…he’s coming to visit for a few days before we fly back together.

We were talking on the phone last night and I was explaining how the whole flight thing would go. I went through the entire deal once and then he asked, “you mean, my dad’s not coming too?” “Nope, you’re getting on the plane alone, but Dad walks you to the gate and makes sure you get on board the plane safely. You’ll be okay, right?” “Uh, yeah, it’ll be an adventure.” He didn’t sound entirely certain of that, but I chalked it up to him still being a bit shocked that he gets to fly alone.

I’ve been plotting and planning things to do while he’s here. I know he’s going to be surprised at how cold it is. And he’ll be surprised at how well he can see the Strip from the end of the street. He’ll also be surprised at the one special thing I have planned. But mostly, I think I’ll be surprised at how much he’s grown in a month. I’ve missed him. I’ve missed both kids terribly. I’m so glad we have phones and airplanes and email. I’d go crazy otherwise.

The next week will be hard to get through as I anticipate LD’s arrival. I don’t want it to go too fast though because I want to savor every moment we spend together once he’s here. It’s only been a month…but it seems like much longer.

And even though I don’t want it to. I know our week together will fly by. In the blink of an eye, I’ll be back here alone and longing to see the kids again. I just try to focus on the fun we’ll have and then start planning for the next trip.

I was pretty resolute in my decision to stay in bed today. Last night, I passed up a photo group meeting because I was a little dizzy and driving seemed like a bad idea. As the evening wore on, I felt a bit feverish and out of sorts (will this crap ever end??). So, after a night of not sleeping very soundly, I figured today was a good day to do nothing and to stay put.

And then Buster said, “it’s snowing.”

I thought he was just saying that to get me out of my little cave. (He made my room very dark for me a week or so ago.) But then he repeated himself and I got curious. I grabbed my camera just in case. Sure as shit, it was snowing. A few flakes here and there, nothing sticking to anything, but it was still snow. The one photo I attempted failed and I really didn’t care. I still felt like a little kid on Christmas morning because, dammit, I had a snowflake land on my nose and that’s pretty cool. It was enough to make me forget that I felt like hell for a few minutes.

And it almost makes up for slipping on ice the other night when I took out the garbage.

Vegas is a very odd place sometimes.

In lieu of actual content (I’m using my sinus infection as my excuse…trust me when I say it’s not pretty), here are a few photos from last Thursday’s Kenny Neal concert.

The Railhead at Boulder Station Casino has free blues shows every Thursday (except major holidays). The music is good, the people are friendly, and you can’t beat free!

Apparently running at full speed for several days without coming up for air makes one feel a little sluggish and yucky.

Today was a day of rest. I needed it in the most obscene way.

Thursday: two shoots.

Friday: meeting and then another outing later in the evening.

Saturday: back to back shoots.

Sunday: woke up late and realized I had a shoot. Made it there. Did it. Glad it was over. Got home, fell asleep. Woke in the middle of the night for tea and soup.

Today: sleep sleep sleep. Then Monday night football and dinner. Now it’s time for more sleep.

My sore throat and headache are starting to go away. Thank God.

I have lots to catch up on, but for now…sleeeeeeeeep.

P.S. Today was the perfect day for sleep as it was rainy and windy and cold. After hitting the bank and doing some shopping tomorrow, I may have to drive out to Red Rock Canyon to see if there’s any snow visible.

P.P.S. The photos I got this weekend were good. The camera has held up for another few days.

Especially little old bluesmen.

I just got a call from one. Like right now. He was flirtin’ with me from the get-go. Offering to take me on a cruise. (Second time I’ve had that offer this year…why oh why don’t I have my damn passport already??) Anyhow, after I get some sleep, I’ll call him back and we’ll go meet to look through photos I took of him playing a few songs with the band. We’ll flirt plenty back and forth, I’m sure.

And with any luck, I’ll have a wonderful new friend who can show me Vegas through historic eyes.

P.S. I knew I had this guy. He was making eyes at me from the stage, mugging for the camera. Not just anyone’s….mine. And then when we were talking later, he kept trying to look down my shirt. Old or not, he has the spark.

Remember how I just had my camera repaired? I got it back the day I left San Diego. Wanna guess what needs a little tune up already? Yeah.

The shutter’s lagging again. It has that same draggy feel it had before it conked out on me last time. Last night I shot a concert (about 1000 photos, which would have easily been more had the camera behaved) and I could see the lag after every freaking shot.

I so very much wanted to avoid having to invest in a new camera so soon, but it looks like I’m going to have to bite the bullet and just do it.

I have a couple sessions booked that require me to have working gear. I can’t have any surprises.

Really, as much as I was lusting after the new 7D, I thought it was at least a year off before I had to make that leap. Guess now the decision’s been made for me.

Sigh.

So why the 7D and not the 50D? Why not just another XTi or perhaps the XSi or the T1? Well, let me tell you why. It’s not easy to find a new XTi at a reasonable price these days. Used isn’t an option because of shutter wear and a few other issues. Plus, it was a great camera to learn on but it’s time to step it up. The XSi and the T1 are also in that DSLR starter range like the XTi. That’s not to say they aren’t capable of capturing some beautiful images, they’re just not right for me anymore. Not if I’m going to be working at the level I want to work. The XSi and the T1 also use different memory cards than I use at present. Not that I couldn’t buy new cards, but why? Why would I go that route? I need something more professional at this stage of the game.

Enter the 50D and the 7D. The 50D is a great camera. And I did consider it. However, after consulting an expert (that would be the fabulous Syl Arena of fame around these parts), I realized that as much as I hated to admit it, the video function on the 7D is a very useful feature. The 50D doesn’t have video. When I attended a seminar a few weeks ago, I saw exactly how that video function would work in conjunction with stills. I was suitably impressed. Is video worth the extra $500-600? Well, that’s not the only difference between the two cameras and not the main selling point. The performance of the 7D has rated very high in comparison to the big guns in Canon’s arsenal. For about $1000 LESS than the 5D Mark II (full frame sensor), I can get a camera that gives me a lot of bang for my buck. The 7D performs well according to all the reports I’ve read, and it offers some pretty sharp new color processing technology. Then there’s the whole shutter rating thing. The XTi and other entry level DSLRs just weren’t made to withstand the sort of shooting I do. The 7D is much hardier as far as shutter durability and the housing is weather- and dust-resistant. Yes, I’ve really been doing my research. I’m dead serious about making a sound investment.

The other great thing about the 7D is that all my current lenses are compatible with the APS-C size censor. And the memory cards are the same. Win, win, win all the way around, if you ask me.

Will the 7D make me a superstar photographer? No. Will it get me more jobs? Not necessarily. But it will make those sessions I do book look a hell of a lot better.

The XTi will shoot until it can shoot no more, which feels imminent. If I make the investment in the new camera now, I won’t be caught short when the XTi stalls. As long as it does work, I have a second body, too. It would be really nice to be able to not have to worry about changing lenses at an event.

Was buying a new camera what I expected to have to do at this point? No. As I said, I thought it would be at least another year before I got here. Unfortunately, reality says it’s time.

Fingers crossed that the current camera holds out long enough for me to get the new one. I have sessions coming up that need to go perfectly if I’m going to get where I need to go with this little business of mine.

Thanks again to Syl for the advice and for his time. A girl couldn’t ask for anything more.

Okay, maybe a BIGGER, tougher computer too. But that’s a separate worry for another day.

Ran into an old blues pal last night at — get this — Hooters.

So, I sat down in the booth while Buster went to comb his hair. I looked over at the bar (we’d almost sat right there!) and this guy looked awfully familiar, except he had more hair than I remembered. I kept trying to imagine my friend with hair. I kept looking. It got to the point where I was pretty sure someone was gonna tell me, “if you keep staring at me like that, you’ll have to buy me flowers.” I wasn’t staring to be rude, I was staring because I thought I knew the guy. Finally, I asked Buster if I should just go say hello…knowing full well I would go do it anyway. I mean, I figured if I was wrong, no big deal, right? And so I got up, walked over, and said hello. Sure as shit, it was him.

Two minutes later, I’m being introduced to the guy responsible for getting my friend his record deal, to the guys in the band, to just about everyone in the whole place. I was treated like a long lost friend. It was just so cool. Better still, he lives here part time and is willing to sit for some photos for me. And we should be doing an interview as well — it’ll likely be better than the first one we did years ago in a hotel room with a bunch of drunken partiers. Hey, come to think of it, that was the first time I’d met Buster…weird! (Cue Twilight Zone music)

I’ll let you know when we finally get to do this.

In the meantime, here’s my favorite song by the Stoney Curtis Band.

See? No hair in the video! Now he has hair. This is why I was confused. Plus I couldn’t see his nose ring from the angle I was at.

Because I do so *heart* Chris March, I want book. I think the man is genius and certainly the most wildly creative designer ever to appear on Project Runway.

This is the sort of man I’d love to work with on a big project. His imagination runs amok, he has the greatest laugh, and you get the feeling the hours would fly by and you’d have nothing but fabulosity flowing from every corner of the room.

Yeah, he’s my big gay crush. Gotta problem with that?