Where is Osama?

We've looked all over Iraq for him and he's not there. We vowed never to rest until he was brought to justice. It's been three years now. We swore that we'd bring him in dead or alive. Where's Osama?

At a recent press conference, when that question was asked, the response was, "I don't focus on him that much."

Mission accomplished? Where's Osama?

Who cares about a couple of missed meetings?

Nobody cares about the missed National Guard meetings. I wonder if the people asking that question aren't the same people who took Bill Clinton to task over the Monica thing. They were the ones who were quick to point out that it wasn't about having an affair with a consenting adult in the past. It was about the lying about it NOW. I don't care that Bush missed a couple of meetings. What I care about is that he has lied about it since the 1990s. He's hidden facts, avoided the truth, obfuscated, prevaricated, and misdirected the American people. THAT's what concerns me ... Not a couple of missed meetings!

You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time - but you can't fool all of the people ALL of the time, George! Or maybe you can.

What do you learn about art when you live with it for a lifetime? Where do talents come from?e know them when we see them ... at least we think we do.

I'd always thought I would end my days in a small town making picture frames or some such thing. Perhaps it's premature to think I've finally come to rest after rolling around the country for all these years but it seems I've rolled into a corner; an urban corner, to be sure. I AM making picture frames. At least this time they are for me.

I've done some costing and it seems I have to sell the framed photographs for something on the order of $200 a piece, somewhat lower if I'm over estimating the gallery take at 50%. Rumor has it the co-op gallery will be looking for about 40%. Still, tht doesn't have much of an effect on the retail line.

I framed the protrait of Ali yesterday; the one I took when we were at the old Mission while she was here last December. It looks better than I expected it would.

Politics News Article | Reuters.com: "Veteran Backs Off Attack on Kerry's War Record"

Invariabley, the accusations are front page news and the retractions are buried.

More of the mundane: I met our new neighbor across the street while I was taking out the trash and recycles. His name is Tom and he works for America On Line (AOL). He's a shooter - but unlike my camera, he favors pistols and rifles and does his own re-loads. He's teaching himself welding so he can make a re-load bench that doesn't twist from the torque that results when he processes his reloads. They're pleased to have us here. It seems the former owner's teenagers had friends who drove and Tom was tired of trying to back his pickup "through 40 odd vehicles to get out of the garage".

He told me he'd seen us a number of times and started to wave. I told him I'm getting older and don't see as well as I used to.

An embarrassment of wealth: I got an e-mail invitation from a local photographer to shoot with him. I have no idea what his motivation is - though I did do a critique of one of his shots on MuseCube within the previous 24 hours. Maybe that had something to do with it. In any case, I think it's a great idea and I responded so. We'll see where that goes.

Ally called yesterday. She is getting her car back. She found the title ... in the box of important papers, of all places. She'd never thought to look there! My daughter! In any case, I guess things are ging a little better for her. I want to send her some money to buy an airline ticket out here. The last time she visited was in December, so I think it's about time .. maybe a little past time. I miss her very much and I think of her often.

Maybe it was time for use to touch base, I'd just mailed a letter to her last Friday. It hadn't arrived yet. I told her about the prints I'm making and my plans to get gallery representation.

Two more short (29" high) book cases to assemble nad the office is furnished abut as far as I can go with it. There simply isn't room for anything else. The book cases are in the garage and ready to go. I just couldn't summon the energy yesterday after we picked them up.

Sunrise. Electric pink puffs of clouds over the Rincons. I can see the mountains from my office window. It's not the view that I wanted, but It;s great to have this much! You have to pay extra for the view ... a lot extra.

I really wonder if we haven't passed our zenith as the light of the free world. We have a ton of petty political bickering, we're preparing for the last war and we're unbelievably vulnerable. For the last century we have lived with two friendly neighbors to the north and south and vast oceans to the east and west. Defending the USA has been, for that last ceentury, somehting that we do "over there". Now the attacks are here as of 9/11. Our ports, out railroads, our container based shipping system are virtually unprotected. Our entire emphasis is on the air transport system because we've been hit there. The situation has an almost slap stick comedy quality about it.

I've been engaged in a couple of flame wars on MuseCube (http:\\www.musecube.com) with what I can only characterize as a sociopath. Sometimes people get me going and this fellow certainly has the ability to make me want to write. Fortunately quite a few others share my opinion and have been very supportive.

I don't want to sound like I'm on a lone crusade. He's at war with everyone and I just took a piece of the action, got my shots in an dtook a few before the thread got deleted by the management.

My office is pretty much together. I still need to put in some shelving above the desk. That could come together over the weekend.

I'd thought for several days that I'd lost the self-portrait of dad from the late 1930s. I searched everywhere including the old place (being the last place I can recall seeing the painting). I was in a panic and heart broken as I prepared to accept that the painting had been lost to the ages. What a relief to find it packed with several other things.

We've listed the old house. It should go on the market for much more than we expected. It will be windfall and pay down the loan on this place to a very manageable level.

We have been very lucky with the buying and selling of homes since we started in NJ. A quick calculation suggests that we've lived pretty much for free, having made far more on the sales than we had on the table with the purchases. It seems our luck is holding and for the third house in 7-8 years the real estate agent is telling us our timing is impeccable. We have consistantly made more on the houses than it has cost us to pay the mortgages. It's not showing up in the cash flow but it sure helps the net worth.

It seems there's always one loose cannon rolling around the decks of MuseCube. The current incarnation prompted me to post the suggestion that folks ought to do a Googel search on the word "sociopath". Thought he calls himself InAFlash I think I'm going to start calling him FlashInThePan. That should stimulate some conversation.

Jackie and Ray came for dinner. I think they enjoyed themselves - in spite of the fact that Ray and I have so little common ground. He even complimented me on my office. I thought that was a very positive thing!

I have a sense of mild foreboding, it seems. I think more often about death and dyeing than I like to admit -- certainly more than I've admitted to anyone standing. I found the picture of mom and me, taken the month before she passed away --- actually, probably closer to two weeks before she died. She looks so small and frail.

I think often of my father, too. Frequently I ponder the thought that all of those things that were so important to him while he was alive instantly became useless baggage once he passed away. I imagine that will be the fate of all the things I consider important, as well.

This year has not bee a kind year in the market. I'm looking at losses of around $36K with they year more than half over. Fortunately there's enough ballast that there are no direct ill effects. There is also the fact that last year was exceptionally good, showing significantly more profit than this year is showing losses, leaving me ahead of the plan for the last two years. Sometimes you have to take the long view to make things look good.

It's sunrise in Arizona. I can see the sun just starting to break over the horizon in the east. I've been up since about 2:30AM, unable to sleep ... Not an event so much as "situation normal".

I remember when I used to hand write my diary in spiral bound notebooks. When I sat down to the task, it seems I would write for pages. I've not recaptured that fascination with detail. Perhaps it's just that I'm out of practice. Perhaps it's because there is a sense with blogs that someone might actually read what is written. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact it's easier to find things to write about when things are going badly that when there are moving along smoothly. I don't know what the answer is ... Perhaps even a combination of those factors plus something else I've not considered. No matter.

We will be listing the other house (9902) shortly. We have an appointment with Mary to go over the paperwork -- primarily the disclosure form -- and sign off on her representation in the sale. I'm ready to be done with the place and to pay down the loans on this place as well. Thought the rates are favorable and the fact that we're only paying interest for the time being makes the bill manageable, I think we'll both be far happier when the amounts are negligible. I hope the sale goes quickly. We are anticipating getting more for the house than we'd ever imagined. I guess that's the effect of all those Californians moving here to the Tucson area and pumping up the property values.

Where do they work? Do they work? Or did the simply bring wealth with them? Tucson is very much a blie collar town as far as I can see. There are veery few opportunities. Yet there are communities with $500,000 homes springing up all over the map. A million four is not a strange number. We see listings for homes at that level all the time.

The book cases are together and in place. I'm done assembling until candy gets her cabinets for the sewing room. I've got most of the books in the book cases and even organized by an almost system of free association. Candy says they look good. (I honestly thought she's think they're just clutter but, I was wrong!)

I have a ton of CD's put away. I'm surprised at how many of them are Candy's. I think she's been buying them when I'm not looking!

Jackie and Ray (Wackie and Jay) are coming tomorrow for dinner (about 3-ish). The house looks great and I think Candy wants to show off a little. For as big as the place is, it's still cozy. I have a bunch of the paintings and prints hung. I honestly hope they're blown away.

I get interesting and unexpected notes in e-mail. This most recent one is from a photographer in the St. Louis area:

Hi Joe

We haven't met, I hope someday we might. You have critiqued Photos for a very good friend of mine, Sharon Spear, a couple of which were taken by me, like a dummy I had not the sense to thank you. So thank you for your time & kind comments.

When I first saw the photo of you on the Wicker settee my first thought were of a very good friend of mine, the 2nd was of Hemmingway.

I have one question, at what point does one become a GWC? I may have reached that status.

Take care
Frank

Sometimes I actually think I do some things right. Praise is always a good tonic. It seems, in my case, the effects don't last very long.

Of course, I have to answer Frank:

Hi Frank –

What a nice note to be confronted by first thing in the morning!

No thanks are necessary. It’s so rare that anyone actively solicits my opinion that the flattery of the request has been enough to get me through the day. (Have you ever noticed that on most occasions when someone asks for your opinion, what they really want is your unconditional support?)

Speaking of flattering, I’m quite pleased that I remind you of a friend (though any comparison to Hemingway might be a little over the top).

As for GWC* status, if you think you’re there, you’re there. The real qualifier is a certain world-weariness brought on the lengthy diatribes and pompous posturing of so called “pros” who spend a lifetime photographing naked women “for the sake of art” while denying the sheer pleasure of hanging out with naked women has anything to do with it. They probably buy Ploughboy for the articles, too! If you’re prepared to admit there’s something elementally kewl (“cool” to old farts like me) about having women slip out of their panties simply because you’re waving a camera around – welcome to the club! Of course, that some decent pictures come out of it is hardly beside the point.

Regards,
Joe

I've been assembling bookcases for the last couple of days. I tire easily so I'm moving along at a rate of one bookcase per day - one more to go. I've started hauling books up to my office, too. It's so wonderful to have access to them. It's been over a year since we packed them in Pennsylvania and now they're finding homes on some very nice looking shelves.

I like this house. I think I like this house better than any house I've ever lived in. Maybe I will develop that sense of it being home. I certainly hope so. It's been a lifetime since I felt like I was "home".

* GWC; Guy with a Camera. A term that most often refers to quasi-photographers with "point-and-shoot" cameras who hire models in the hope of "copping a feel".

Slowly things are coming together with the house. We make daily comments to each other about how much we like being here. That's a good sign. I've slowly been hanging the framed things. It's like Christmas; seeing those things that have been packed awy for more than a year.

Ali called the day before yesterday. She's still trying to get her car back on the road after her fiasco of inattentiveness. I guess, in many ways, she's like me an dhas to learn things the hard way ... though I don't think I ever too as hard a route as she has.

Shooting Rodney went well. At least I thought it went well. Rodney grew up here in Tucson, but he'd never been to the Saguaro National Park. He was surprised to find there was a road that we could use to get around the lower portion at the foot of the Rincons.

We used the wash at the far northern end of the circuit and later the rock outcrop about 3/4 of the way around. We came away with about 130 frames ... some of them quite good.

Rodney arrived on Musecube about a month ago with a handful of web cam photographs of himself in his portfolio. No one took him seriously. However, he asked me very politely if I would work with him. Based on his civil approach I thought I'd take a flyer. Besides, I need more "people pictures" in my portfolio.

I put one of the images up in the Model Critique gallery on MuseCube. There have been two comments so far ... both, interestingly, from photographers I respect for their portfolios:

Comment by: Shadowscape (July 09, 2004)
Rated: 10

What the heck am I doing over in this section. Oh well....
You have an amazing way of capturing the everyday in a not so everyday fashion. You seem to see things the rest of us don't. Maybe we do, but do not see the potential in them the way you do.
Kudos my friend for treating the rushing world to what they are passing by at such high speed.

Comment by: Teez (July 09, 2004)
Rated: 10

I agree with the previous critiquer....your work is always an inspiration to view as well as thought provoking. My immediate thought when viewing this was..."what is he looking at? What is he thinking"?

Wonderful tones and lighting...love it...:)

Its very gratifying to have such positive comments.

I have the office hardware pretty well under control. Almost everything is working the way it should. Now it's time to work on the book cases. It'll be great to have the library back again. The books and art collection have been packed for over a year. Opening the cartons has been like Christmas - rediscovering the old and familiar things.

To quote Candy, "This is more like it."

New day, new opportunities. We're moved for the most part. There are still some things left at the other house, but we can take care of them easily.

We were without a cable hookup in my office over the holiday weekend. That has been remedied and I'm back in business.

I got a "hellooooo" from Roginski. He's resigned the bank and is now working with Eric at the brokerage.

We are fitting into the house quite nicely. I like the kitchen. I don't feel like I'm craawling around on the floor to get things out of cabinets or like I'm about to bump into somethihng if I turn around. The pool table fits where we'd hoped it would and, overall, the house is quite "showy"

---

I'll be shooting tomorrow. A male model named Rodney. I took the opportunty just to have a reason for shooting.

I've also been thinking about doing a send up of all the Travel Channel Grand Canyon stuff. I have a little artists manaquin that I want to take out into the desert and shoot in some "Perils of Pauline" situations ... and title the series "Bland Canyon"