Back in Harness

Shoeshine, Grand Central

I'm back from my "month" vacation after a week.

I'll start up again slowly... As you can see I left to get my shoes repaired. And now I've gotten them shined. I think I'll concentrate on just photographs of shoes from now on... These two shots were done about three years apart. This has obviously been the niche I've been looking for.

Actually - here's what happened on my mini-vacation: almost as soon as I signed off - I ran out to Best Buy and bought a Nano iPod (2K) version. As soon as the thing was set up and plugged into my ears I felt all my cares and woes slipping away... The phone, the doorbell - all went unanswered. I began walking around town with the buds in - camera getting tangled in the wires - but everything becoming distant - pure visual. You do have to be careful not to get run over by cars and bikes - but it was worth it to walk around in my own world for a while.

It was on while I went to sleep. On while I scanned negatives. On while I sat on the can. The only time it was off was to charge or when a shower was needed.

After two days like this I began the quest for more songs. My neighbor John has a million CDs. And good taste as well. It reminded me of the lending album record library on Macombs road that I'd visit as a kid. It reminded me of the reel-to-reel tape recorder I had. I made a tape of the Beatles movie A Hard Days Night. It must have been on t.v. a million years ago. Just played the tape over and over day and night. My friend George came by and we'd listen to the quips, trying to mimic John - he always had the best delivery.

"He's just a dirty old man!"

And then when the iPod went off - I slept for a day.

The next day I went out for a walk - with iPod on and after walking for a long time I began to notice objects that were in cars. I started photographing the interiors of parked cars (and yes that got me some strange stares). From objects in cars I graduated to reflections in car windows...



Car Window Reflection #1

As I was arriving back at my apartment the super was cleaning the mop and I asked him if I could take a picture - which he thought would include him. He shook his head - but I explained that it wasn't of him - just the mop. Why you wanna take a picture of that?

It could be beautiful, I said. He looked at me as if I had gone completely mad.


Cleaning Mop

And I wandered on... John Prine playing his heart out and...
[to be continued]