Keep On, Keep On

Knuckle down.

I’m not going to be very social, over the next couple of months. Not because I am in a pissy mood… quite contrary. I’ve been hinting at good things happening, work-wise. Opportunities that many of my cohorts would kill for, have been presented. Now, it is on me to knock it all out of the park. So far, so good. I’m in the thick of it all, and will be for the next couple of months. Stay tuned, as some of it I can talk about, and some, I can not. I can say to expect a big announcement during the L.A. Film Fest. 

NY.

First Trip to New York. First time being flown out to shoot a job. Indiewire! Tribeca Film Fest! GO GO GO. Build. Light. Shoot! Wrap. Screenings. Receptions. Bump elbows with industry moguls. Meet the Princess of Saudi Arabia, and the first female Saudi director. Coffee in the morning, sponsored gin at night. Russ and Daughters kicks the feet from under all that I thought I knew from a good bagel.  East vs west fashion sensibilities, summed up as smart vs gaudy.  Metro passes. A subway that, while wonderfully functional, fell short of my hopes for a scene out of “The Warriors”. Ground Zero, and and the densest of security guards. Old Fashioned at the Meatball Shop. Work, indulge, and GTFO by way of a direct flight to LAX. What a spectacular blur. 

Be prepared.

I’ve got some good things happening. These next couple of weeks will be at a breakneck pace. Stay tuned. 

New Direction?

It has occurred to me that I could do a shoot, with many elements of current motorcycle trends that I absolutely loathe…..and it would probably be one of my more popular images. The shot would need:

Talent/Wardrobe: Bearded 22 year old, with a metal flake 3/4 helmet, Ray-bans, flannel shirt, $300 jeans, and pigskin work gloves from home depot. 

Bike: A “brat style” CB350. Flat plank seat. Velocity stacks. No fenders. Firestone tires. Let’s really get as far from function as possible, on a one gallon peanut tank. 

Location: In front of any place that serves “pour over” coffee. Not really moto related, but I have nothing but contempt for that process. 

This really wouldn’t be that hard to pull off. 

Not so bad.

Things are all right. I’ve had a nice little run of work, and invoices are closing out. I’ve been playing catch up with the things that tend to fall to the wayside, when one gets busy. Insurance is settled, with the 748, and I’ve just done all of the maintenance that can be done. 

I’ve also begun to put the 900ss back on the road. That will be a joy. I’ve missed the brutish grunt of that machine. The front wheel goes out for repair, tomorrow, and i’ll be sending out the tank, for dip and strip. I can then tap out the dents, and repaint the whole lot. Clutch springs have been replaced, as was the starter solenoid. I do need to correct the sloppy wiring job that was done on the front headlight. Bad form, on my part. New seat brackets need to be welded into place, and it wouldn’t hurt to make proper fairing stays. I give 2 weeks, till rolling. 

In the creative department, I have a couple of shoots on radar for Level Naturals. Those will be fun, as always. I’m also trying to put together this month’s personal work. I’d like to set up my March mailer with a nice follow up to last month’s shoot with Retox. 

In keeping with the new year’s goals, I also have to set time for a canyon, this month. I managed 4, last month, and I don’t want to fall off of the wagon. 

In other news, I bought a rug for my bedroom. It has become cliche’ to state that it “really ties the room together”, but god damn, it does. None of this “starting my day with bare feet on a concrete floor.” Those days are behind me.

Time for a snack, and my day will be complete. 

37

I turned 37 yesterday… ugh. I’m not so sure I like the way that rolls off the tongue. The years have been kind, no doubt about that. Perhaps mirroring a man-childish existence. Form follows function, they say. Birthdays are starting to feel less like cause for celebration, and more like “Oh shit I am running out of time to accomplish all things!” Such is the self doubt that ignites when the cat gives me a 4 am wake up. 

The actual mile marker was mostly spent squirreled away in my room. I managed to make my way out of the house for dinner. Had sushi, in Little Tokyo, that I would qualify as slightly above decent. There was a large group of people celebrating a birthday as well. Something I’ve come to loathe about L.A., had reared its ugly head: L.A.’s “talented” people, singing happy birthday. This is a town of precious snowflakes, all taking a tiny stage, and belting out a finely “crafted” dissonance that puts free jazz to shame. I made my way back to Barbara’s for a few old fashioned’s. Dull the internal circus, close out the tab, and trot over to Umlaut Haus. More whiskey and chatter with good neighbors, and soon migrated to another birthday celebration at Decker’s Bar. I proceeded to make bold claims well into the wee hours.  

Prior to this weekend, I have been slammed with work. I can be pretty high on my abilities, when it comes to my profession. Most times, my hubris is justified, but not on Thursday. I pulled a rookie move, and “damaged” the grip truck… and by “damaged”, I mean insurance claims will be made. My ego has been kicked squarely in the dick. “Even the best of horses will stumble”, I tell myself. The real bummer is that I was working for some pretty cool people.  Such a thing is bound to happen at some point in my career.. Too bad it couldn’t happen on an asshole’s dime. At least Friday went well. I cranked out a 15 hour day, digi-teching on a large celebrity shoot. Pride is somewhat restored.  

I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and hopefully a busy week to follow. Time to peel away from the laptop for a bit, and get a little sun. 

For those that have not been in the loop: I’ve been glued to my phone (more than usual) this past week. My grandpa is in the hospital with pneumonia in both lungs, and some sort of kidney troubles. They say his lungs are 90 percent scarred, from early occupational exposure to asbestos and silica. It has been a roller coaster of  bad news/good news. He seems to be doing a little better, but is not out of the woods yet. I am hanging on every message from Louisiana. Things are still up in the air, and that is all I have to say about it at the moment.