New Traffic Patterns

The new turn-lane-only traffic patterns are creating a huge cluster _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank) in the heart of Towson. Who came up with the bright idea? It's awful.

Now the bottleneck occurs a block sooner as a result. What a nightmare! Add some great new stores & restaurants coming to Towson Town Center (which will have people flocking for sure)...and you have the makings of a big mess. Ugh!

Fatigue

Folks, it's been a loooong week. 1 day and counting until Mady's 1st birthday.

Our house has been full of activity....and people. My in-laws (Saram & Synath) are in town for the party; they've been with us since this past Saturday. They really go above and beyond the call of duty helping out around the house, cooking dinner, fixing odds & ends and watching after their grand daughter. Sometimes I imagine myself telling them to sit down and relax, but then reality hits and the old saying....you can't teach an old dog new tricks....plays over and over in my mind. All parents want to help out, like it or not. Your always a kid in some respect. You have to chose your battles wisely or submit yourself into the psychiatric ward. My therapy involves large doses of Guinness and Irish Whiskey.

Sara has been fine tuning the details for Mady's day. She is the ultimate planner and wants the very best for our little girl. I love her for being so meticulous. I love her attention to detail. I love her ability to incorporate something for everyone. I love her for sparing me deep involvement in the process :) She is a keeper.

I've had some late nights this week. For someone who gets up at 5 AM, it's really beginning to take its toll. I managed to watch Obama's acceptance speech last night. I do believe this man will be President. I'm hopeful that he'll be able to deliver the change that he promises and inspire this great nation of ours. He definitely can move a crowd and motivating the masses can have a serious domino affect. We need someone like this. OK...enough politics. For the record, I'm an Independent.

I headed straight to bed after the speech, only to be awoken at 1:30 AM by some sort of animal, shrieking outside of our bedroom window. The scene from My Cousin Vinny, when Joe Pesci comes running out the log cabin...shooting in all directions....comes to mind. After a Google search this morning, I think it was a fox. Sara (my sweet night owl) was still up when I popped up. I think I remember her laughing...saying she thought the sound was her stomach at first. I could be wrong on that. I was delirious.

3 cups of coffee so far today; I'm starting to get my legs under me ...

One of these days I'll catch up on my sleep. It could happen.

Maryland State Fair

Sunday we dropped in at the Maryland State Fair. It's been years since I've been. After going...now I know why. I think I'm too old for crowds of this magnitude. Oye! I literally felt like a pinball attempting to navigate the sea of people. Was it always like this? Oh Lord...I am turning into my Dad.

Joining Sara, Mady and I were my mother-in-law, Saram, and our adoptive next door daughter...Caroline (who had never attended the fair before). We had a great time.

Fall is in the Air

You could feel the first signs of fall this morning. Temperatures were in the 50s. The air had a slightly crisp bite and the sky....well, it was just beautiful. I love this time of year.

MadyGirl

There's nothing like pulling in the driveway and seeing your daughter standing there waiting to greet you. She is so cute. New outfit. New shoes -- which, by the way, she cannot be without. Hard to see them in this photo, but trust me...they are her flavor of the month. Suede Mary Jane ballet flats from GAP.

Good Lord...the shopping sprees that await :) I'm outnumbered and in serious trouble.

New Blog

Per my manager (Sara), I've created a blog solely for Drive-by Shootings. You can find it here:

http://baltimoredrivebys.wordpress.com/

Stay tuned for updates!

Drive-by Shootings - The Premier

Headed home on Friday. Gay Street. Downtown Baltimore. I'm headed to my beautiful wife and daughter. Sadly...what's in store for this gentleman?

Concept

For the longest time, I've been wanting to do more street photography. I live in the perfect city to capture some pretty intense, real-life, gritty scenes. I've struggled to find the time, as well as assure Sara that I'll be safe and no harm will come my way -- that's my plan anyway.

I live about 10 miles from my day job. Yes, to those who don't know...photography is not my full time gig. Each morning and afternoon, I join the commuting world to make my way to the office. Back and forth. Back and forth again. When you do something repetitive enough, it can become very mindless. You can drift away...listening to morning talk radio or a favorite CD, sipping coffee or possibly finishing up breakfast...and then, poof, you're at your desk. Back in the saddle again.

You can also take pause on your commute and notice the details. Familiar cars/drivers. Favorite parking places. There's the guy who drives like an idiot, who I infuriate by driving slowly. There's the woman I usually zip around. A nose picker. Someone putting their make-up on. People waiting for the bus. Tired faces. Angry faces. Blank faces. Few happy ones at the time I'm getting in.

You may also notice a familiar street person. Ahh...he's working this corner today. New sign. New tactics -- waving at cars with one hand, cigarette in the other hand. I see these faces day in and day out. Some days I'll offer some change or a few dollars. Other days, I'll sit in my car with my imaginary blinders on...staring forward as if I don't realize there's a person in need outside my window. It's tough.

What caused this person to be on the streets? Where are their family and friends? Are they mentally ill and possibly in need of medication? Are their claims legitimate or are they con artists? Are they drug addicts? If they can come to this corner daily...why can't they hold a job? I can't answer any of these questions about the people that I see -- but I hope to find out.

My concept is called Drive-by Shootings. I figured the name was appropriate for a city that usually carries one of the highest murder rates. A play on words -- hopefully you don't think it's in poor taste -- but I wanted something different.

On most days, I plan to have my camera on my lap as I commute to and from work. I'm going to document the random people/things that I encounter during my drive. If anything, you'll get to experience what I see -- good, bad, funny, gruesome....sad. I want to document it all. There are so many details around all of us. People we may never notice, or who we always notice and never fully acknowledge. We all live in our own worlds after all. Everyone now and again, we cross paths -- sometimes every day.

This is my attempt at street photography. I hope you like it.

James Joyce

This is my home away from home. You'll often find Sara, Mady and I there on a Friday night. Anyone who knows me...knows James Joyce. I hold this place near and dear to my heart. I can't say enough about the great staff....Denis, Boyko, Colin, Seamus, Petra ; they are like family. Mady is passed from person to person.

You gotta love a place like this. Try the Guinness Stew. Slainte!

Real Estate

This past weekend I had the opportunity to shoot a property for Ashley Richardson with Coldwell Banker. Anyone familiar with Roland Park knows these houses can be impressive. The front porch alone is featured in the current edition Style magazine.

I love all of the nooks and crannies that you find in older homes. This one was no different. Bread crumbs are heavily advised -- you'll need a trail to find your way out :)

So much history. So much character. If these walls could talk....

If you've got a million to spare, the MLS # is BA6843473. Thanks to Kim at Rider Design Group for staging this magnificent home.

The listing on Realtor.com: http://www.realtor.com/search/searchresults.aspx?mlslid=BA6843473&ml=3&typ=7