The junkyard and me

Today I went to a junkyard to photograph some old buses, trucks and whatever looked exciting. I know the owners because I used to take my car to their auto body shop every other week. I wanted to shoot at the junkyard to find something to go along with my FOCUS project idea of decaying Adrian. I've shot a number of buildings and my beloved train engines. I thought the the junkyard would be fun.

Once I drove around the junkyard I first went looking for my father's truck. After he died in 1998 we sold his truck to the junkyard for parts. I wanted to see it again. I found some trucks that looked like his, but his was gone. I was a little disappointed, but I continued on. After looking for my dad's truck my attention went towards the old trucks and buses. Sure there was a bunch of cars, but most of them didn't interest me. They were just too new. I was looking for something old. I pulled to the back of the junkyard and found a very old truck with branches of a tree growing on it and around it. I photographed that from all of the angles I could then I moved on to some old buses. I photographed abut 4 buses. I felt ok with what I shot.

I will post pictures of the junkyard on my photo blog next week. This week at DCO's Photo Gallery is my Principal Dancers series.

* The picture is of my reflection in a side mirror of an old tow truck.

Parents and sports

When I was in high school I played basketball and ran track. I liked basketball and my teammates. I'm not going to say that I was the greatest player on the team. Sometimes I didn't get off of the bench to play. Sure that made me mad, but there was a reason for that. I wasn't as good as other players. I never once told my dad to talk to the coach to get me more playing time. I never asked my dad to go to the Athletic Director to complain about the coach. That is how I was and still am.

Today, I'm a photographer at a newspaper and I mostly photograph sports. Almost 10 years out of high school (10 year reunion next year - Class of 1997) and I don't play basketball anymore, but I still run. Anyhoo, I'll get back to the topic. I shoot high school/college and even some professional sports for a newspaper. I swear this year is the worst ever for parents!
For the last month, I have heard about more and more parents bitching about a high school coach. Their biggest complaint is their daughter(s) aren't playing. They've had meeting with the coach and the AD. After the talk with the coach the girl in question has the opening lead in a story. Um, how did that happen? This girl went from never playing to the lead in a fucking story? I just want to say, "I hate parents." If your little girl is terrible, she shouldn't be playing. Parents need to back off. If the girl in question isn't getting much playing time, why doesn't she ask the coach in person is to why? Or practice over the summer, go to a team camp? Do something to improve in the off season. These people go home and complain to their parents and then they yell at the coach, and most of the time, get their way.

Parents need to be seen and not heard. If the coach is abusing the players, then the parents should get involved. But if lil Susie isn't playing then telling the coach that she is the most terrible coach won't help either. If you said that to me, I wouldn't want to play your kid. If they sit on the bench during most of the game, there must be a reason. If the players are younger there is still time to improve. Do something to help yourself, without your parents help.

What kind of American English do you speak?

Your Linguistic Profile:

70% General American English

15% Upper Midwestern

10% Yankee

5% Midwestern

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

http://www.blogthings.com/amenglishdialecttest/

Books read in 2006

Once I finish a book the list will be updated. Over the next year, you'll be seeing this list frequently.

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt

Currently Reading: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Next Up: Nothing as of yet. Have any suggestions? Leave a comment.

On Hold: Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth Century America, Gary Laderman - currently on backorder.

Photo Friday - Vanity

I started to participate in a weekly photo challenge from Photo Friday. Each week Photo Friday posts a photo assignment. Me, being the photographer is to post a creative interpretation of the week's topic. I pick a photo that I think best represents the theme and then post the picture on my photo blog, DCO's Photo Gallery and submit the link to Photo Friday.

This week's challenge is Vanity. This photo was taken during rehearsals for the 2005 Lenawee County Fair Queen's Contest. The candidates for the Queen's Contest were practicing the choreography of the event.

Principal Dancers series

Last spring, I photographed two local ballet studios; Encore Dance Studio and Dance Center in Adrian, MI. I spent at least a month in both studios shooting classes for an photo essay I had running in the newspaper I work at. I loved my photos and I have many to share with you. Over the next week or so, I will be posting pictures on my photo blog DCO's Photo Gallery of the different classes I went to at both studios and a recital.

Today's posting is from Encore Dance Studio's Senior Ballet Elite class.

End of the Eternal Beauty series

Last week over on my photo blog DCO's Photo Gallery, I started a five part series of my cemetery stautes/cherubs. Today is the last day of the series. The last post of the series is from two pieces at St. Joseph Shrine in Brooklyn, MI. One sculpture was of two women praying around Jesus while he was on the cross. The second is of Mary holding Jesus after he was taken off of the cross (last picture in the post).

Check back at my photo blog tomorrow I will be posting a new series of photographs.

Books read, Continued

Books Read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin

Currently reading: The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Next Up: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
On Hold: Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth Century America, Gary Laderman - currently on backorder


I finished Shopgirl in a day, I needed something to read. I'm the type of person that loves to buy books. I like the feeling of owning books. I'm not a big fan of library books. Since my reading taste is different then most people in the county, the books I want to read are never on the shelve at Waldenbooks. When I find something I want to read from Amazon.com, I write down the name of the book, author, and ISBN (book id number). I take my list to Waldens and they order the books for me. Yes, I could just as easily order them on line, but I like to use my Borders Reward cards. Within a week, I have the book in my hands.

Recently I just ordered three books. I have received two of them. The third book is on backorder. GRRRR! Over the weekend, I went to Walden's to check on the status of the third book. The manager Susan told me it was on backorder and she didn't know when it was coming in. Doesn't sound promising. BOO! I needed something to fill my Saturday night. My husband was at work and Comcast doesn't carry the CMT channel. I was disappointed because I really wanted to watch Miss America. I walked around the bookstore for a half hour and decided to go with Shopgirl. I read most of it Saturday night and finished it on Sunday morning.

I wanted to read another book, but I didn't have one. The book I want is on backorder so I went to the library in downtown Adrian. I was at the computer card catalog for 20 minutes. I was typing in code words for books that I like. Nothing. I gave up on the search. I was disappointed. I left the computer and walked over to the new non-fiction and looked over the titles. BORING! Could this library have the worst books ever? Then I found The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. I picked it up and read the flaps on the inside of the dusk jacket. It sounded interesting. After putting it back on the shelf three times. I finally decided to go with it. Once I got it home I read 150 pages. I guess that I like it, or maybe its the fact it has to be back at the library in two weeks? I don't know.

The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt is what I reading right now. It may not be the book that I really want, but it will have to do until my book comes in from being on backorder at Waldenbooks or finally break down and order it from Amazon.

The Dogs

Its a job that I haven't done in three months. Its something I didn't want to do, but it had to be done. Today was the day to take advantage of the beautiful weather. I mean who wouldn't want to be outside with sunny skies and 40 degree weather during January? Today was the day to rake up all of the dog shit that has been piling up in my sideyard for three months.

I have been saying to myself I should have done it already. But its not fun and games raking that stuff up. Since the weather is nice, my backyard is muddy. The winter here in Michigan has been like early spring weather. We have gotten snow, but it has melted. My dogs have torn up most of the grass and just have a muddy area to run around in. We have grass, but it is behind some gardening fence that Kelly (German shepherd two) likes to jump over. Blitzkrieg (German shepherd one) doesn't jump over anything, but he will break through the fence to get to the grass.

When I got home from work this morning, I walked over to the side of the house to see what the sideyard looked like. Terrible is the only word I can use. About 95% of the sideyard between our house and a tall fence was covered with dog shit. I knew today was the day to get rid of it. After eating lunch, I put my shoes on, got out a shovel and rake and started. I started to rake the crap into piles. My original plan was to rake everything to one pile. That didn't work out. There was just so much of it! I ended up with five piles. FIVE!

I grabbed a garbage bag and started to scoop the crap. While scooping, I managed to step in some. GREAT! That blended right in the all of the mud that was on the bottom of my shoes from the yard. After about 10 or 15 minutes I finished with the first pile, it was on to the second. The bag was really heavy, just from the first load. After putting half of pile two in, I got another garbage bag. The second garbage bag was able to safely secure the last three piles. My whole point of raking the shit up today was to put it out with the garbage (today is garbage day). Of course the garbage truck came to my house while I was still with pile one. Now that means two bags of crap are stuck at my house until next Monday. BOO!

Before my husband left for work I told him we need to rake every other week. I can't rake up another five piles of crap in a couple of months, its so gross. Raking up one is bad enough.

*In the photo is my husband Mike and our two dogs (from left to right), Kelly and Blitzkrieg.

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin

Next book: Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth Century America, Gary Laderman - currently on backorder. I hope to get it soon, if not I'll find another.

Oh, what a night

While driving to photograph a high school basketball game I was following a car in the right lane of a five lane road. I wanted to pass the car ahead of me, but another car was in the left lane driving about the same speed as the car ahead of me. I was behind this car for about two miles and it was driving me crazy. The driver ahead of me was just driving below the speed limit of 50 m.p.h., and the other car in the left lane was doing about the same. We were approaching a stop light, I thought I would have to follow this slow car to my destination. Just at the last second the car merges over into the left lane. The right lane is a turn lane only. If the driver knew they wanted to go straight before the stop light, why did they just get over now and not two miles ago?

Once I was away from that slow poke driver I encountered another. The road I turned on has no speed limit signs posted. The speed limit is 55 m.p.h., but no one seems to know that. I learned back in drivers ed that if you are on a road with no sign posted it is 55. People must think because there are a bunch of homes along the side of the road it must be 45 m.p.h. Well, its not. I got behind another car and they were doing between 45-50 m.p.h. Come on, pick a speed and stay with it. While crawling behind this driver, they turn on their blinker to turn into a party store. This person almost came to a complete stop to turn right into the party store. I came to a complete stop so I didn't hit the car. While making my stop for the party store driver a car pulls out in front of me at the next intersection. The person was going slow and I immediately caught up to them. I was stuck behind this car all the way to my destination. I guess that they didn't know the speed limit either. Going below the speed limit is awesome!

I arrived during the third quarter of the JV game. I like to shoot games from the corner of the court, so I sat on the bleachers near where I wanted to shoot. Halfway during the fourth quarter the visiting teams cheerleaders all come down to near where I'm sitting to take pictures, talk, and practice their cheers. During the game they keep getting in my way, but I didn't say anything, because its only a JV game. The school that I was at has a spot on the side of the court where the cheerleaders normally stand. But since the varsity squad had about 20 girls they wouldn't fit in that spot. I heard the coach say that she wanted the girls to stand on the baseline underneath the basket or form an L shape with some on the baseline and some on the sidelines. When I photograph games that is where I like to stand. That means I would be battling cheerleaders for the sidelines. When I heard the L shape, I knew it would be in the corner that I wanted to stand. So I picked up my coat, photo jacket, camera and moved to the other side of the court to get away from the annoying cheerleaders.

Once on the other side of the court I saw that town's newspaper photographer sitting in the stands. I told him I was going to shoot on the other side but the cheerleaders were going to be over there. Once the game started he grabbed his camera and stood underneath the basket. The cheerleaders then walked over and formed their line. After five minutes, the cheerleading coach runs over to him and tells him he has to move because the girls can't move their arms during the cheers. He stood his ground and told her he was staying. The coach got mad and went to go find the Athletic Director. The AD comes down and said something to him, but he stood in the same spot. After the first quarter was over, the other photographer said something to me and grabbed his gear and left. I wish I would have heard what he said, but the music was too loud.

That incident brings me to ask this: Why does there have to be cheerleaders? During the game these girls were cheering to the court. No one sitting in the stands was paying attention to them. The only people who look at the cheerleaders are their parents and the coach. Nobody else cares. Also, why do the cheerleaders from the home school go over and talk to the visiting squad before the game? At halftime we have a routine that is killer!

It just irritates me.

Eternal Beauty - Part One; Oakwood Cemetery, Adrian, MI

Back in 2004, I started photographing statues and cherubs found in Lenawee County, MI cemeteries. I picked the topic because I have photographed some in the past and I really thought the statues were interesting. Before I started the project I thought I would use some pictures that I took before and just take a couple of new photographs. I was wrong. This photo essay turned into something else. I printed out a listing of cemeteries, got into my car and drove to a number of them. Some cemeteries only got a drive by because there were no statues or cherubs in sight. It wasn't worth my time to actually stop. I photographed cemeteries for a month straight. Every available minute I had, I could be found at a cemetery. Laying on the ground getting the best angle for my photographs. I just loved finding a statue and shooting it from all angles.

Over on my photo blog, DCO's Photo Gallery, I'm starting an Eternal Beauty series of my cemetery photographs. I'm picking a few photographs that I love and I'm sharing them with all of you. Today, the first post is from Oakwood Cemetery in Adrian, MI. Enjoy!

(** The last Oakwood photo is of a masoleum door in the cemetery. I loved it so much I wanted to include it in the series. For the rest of the series, the photos should only be of statues and cherubs, unless I have another kickass photo like that. - DCO)

Random things 3......

While leaving a basketball game last night at Adrian High School, the heater in my 2004 Grand Prix decided not to work. It was a great drive back to the office with no heat and the windows fogging up. This morning while brushing the heavy wet snow off of my car, the heater was working again. When I left work today, it wasn't working again. I hope it will work when I drive to my assignment tonight. If not, that will be one cold car ride. But I shouldn't worry my car has an appointment tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at the dealership. I'm really glad that I got the extended warranty when I bought the car last summer it will come in handy Thursday.

This afternoon my husband and I returned to the abandoned apartments in downtown Adrian. I wanted to get a few more photos and retake some that were out of focus. To view these pictures visit DCO's Photo Gallery.

Abandoned Apartments

Last week, I photographed the second and third floors of the Democratic Headquarters and produced some great pictures. Right next door is another building that I thought would be great to shoot in. Yesterday, I asked the owner of the building if I could shoot in the apartments upstairs. The owner told me that those floors were just recently condemned and if I went up there it would be at my own risk. That did bother me, so she told me I could go up and look at the apartments. I thought I saw some potential in the apartments, so I told the owner that I would be back; with my husband.

The first apartment was upstairs. The roof is leaking and the walls and plaster are coming down. The people that used to live there left everything, except for the TV. Clothes, shoes, purses, toys, couch, bed, mail and etc. It was like they were told to get out and not take their stuff. The second apartment I went to was just the same. Clothes, toys, mail, furniture were all over the apartments. The owner told me that homeless and teenagers go to those apartments because they aren't locked (or don't have doors).

The condition of the upper floors was just terrible. How could people live there? How could all of the owners, past and present, let the building get in such horrible condition? The roof is leaking, the windows are broken, bird shit all over. It's just sad to see what was probably a beautiful building go to hell.


To see more photographs of the apartments go to DCO's Photo Gallery.

Are people that lazy?

Things observed at work today:

How hard is it to change the toilet paper roll when its empty? This morning at work, someone left the empty cardboard roll hanging in the stall. It will take you two minutes to throw away the cardboard roll, rip the cover off of a new roll and place it on the hanger. Difficult! Are you in that much of a hurry to get back to work?

At work I always park in the first space when pulling into the lot. I park there because I won't get blocked in my newspaper carrier drivers later that morning when I leave for home. Today, I pulled into my usual spot. Around 7 a.m., one of the press guys comes to my desk to relay a message from a truck driver with a delivery to move my car. The truck driver can't backup because my car is in the way. I go out to the lot and move my car over to the right in the original spot I parked at. I figured he just needed a couple of inches to get by my car. After moving it, I return to my desk. While I was moving my car, the truck driver was outside. Five minutes later, a lady from up front says the truck driver needs me to move my car. I tell her I just did. I walk up to the truck driver and told him I already moved my car. When I was outside the first time why didn't he tell me to move it to another spot? He just mumbles something and we walk outside. Then the truck driver said, "If you want me to hit your car, just leave it there"..... And he just trailed off. That pissed me off; hit my car, the cops would be called. First of all, the parking lot is empty except for 3 cars. You have the entire lot to back up and move around. Besides, truck deliveries are made everyday at my office. All of those drivers can back up to the dock without having any of us move our cars. Go back to truck driving school and learn how to go in reverse in your freaking semi!

Baptism

My nephew Jack was baptized today. From the looks of it, I don't think he enjoyed his baptism.

Blue skies with no clouds in sight

Today in Adrian it is an unseasonably warm, 51 degrees . The sky is blue, very blue. Since it is such a great day, I left the office building at 11 a.m. to pick up on my FOCUS photo assignment.

Walking down the tracks to photograph train cars, I saw what was left of a building. It had been spray painted and it had old tires stacked to the side of it. I walked up to the building to take a closer look. It was like I hit the jackpot! Photo opportunities everywhere I looked. Broken glass, a shoe, two chairs, a very nasty couch. What most people would see and look at would be garbage, to me it was just beautiful and perfect. I took a few photographs but I know I need to return and spend some more time there.

This afternoon, I photographed the second and third floors of the Democratic Headquarters in downtown Adrian. I was so excited to see those floors. On each floor contained suites of offices. I was so thrilled to see the paint peeling. But I was disappointed because all of the windows were covered up with wood. With the wood covering the windows, I could only shoot so much because there isn't any working lights on those floors. The pictures I took are with natural light and my strobe. I got a few pictures out of there that I love. Those photos are posted on my photo blog DCO's Photo Gallery.

It was a good day. It was 50 degrees in January and I got a few more photos to add to my FOCUS essay.

Speeding + APD = Fun

While on my way to cover a basketball game, I had to stop for a red light. There was a vehicle two lanes over on my left that I noticed kept inching forward at the line. Being the freak that I am, I had to beat him off of the line. The light turned green and I stomped on the pedal and before long I was up to 40 m.p.h. Granted, I know that the speed limit on this street is only 25. While driving I usually look around at the different headlights, to spot a cops. Driving 40 m.p.h. I noticed an Impala on the side of the street parked. As soon as my headlights hit the side of the car I knew it was an Adrian Police car. As I passed him, the car turned on his headlights and followed. When that happened, I knew what was coming. The APD officer followed me to a stoplight. With no where for me to pull over, he waited until I was through the light. He lit me up and I turned on the first side street there was.

While he was flashing his spotlight on me, I started collecting my registration, insurance and license. I kept looking in my mirror to see if he was out of the car yet. I finally turned and saw him standing at my window. I rolled down my window, he asked me where I was going. I told him I was going to a Clinton basketball game. He asked who was playing, and then realized he already knew the answer. The APD officer said Clinton. I told him Clinton was playing Addison. Then he asked me if he knew why he was pulling me over. I told him I was speeding. He asked if I knew what the speed limit was on back there and I said 25. He asked me if I knew how fast I was going. I knew I was going 40, but I either said 35 or a lot faster then 25 (I can't remember). He said he clocked me at 40. Then he told me to sit tight and he would be right back.

I knew I had to be getting a ticket. I was doing 40 in a 25. There was no way I was getting out of this. The APD officer came back and said," here you go." I saw there was no ticket. "Just do me a favor and slow down." I said thank you and I was back on the road to my game.

In my entire life, this was only the second time I have been pulled over for speeding. The first time I was speeding in a school zone. I was doing 35 in a 25 m.p.h zone. I was given a warning. The second time was last night. I was speeding again. Do you notice a trend? I was going 40 in a 25 m.p.h zone and got off with another warning. Next time I get pulled over, I might not be so lucky. Third time's the charm. Or so I hear.

DCO's Photo Gallery

Today, I created a new photo blog called DCO's Photo Gallery. I shoot alot of photos outside of work and it would be nice to share them with others. A few photos are posted now, but this weekend I want to post more for people to enjoy.


Go to DCO's Photo Gallery

Vic Mackey returns tonight

One of my favorite TV shows premieres tonight on FX for its fifth season and maybe its last season, The Shield. I didn't used to watch the show, until my husband, the cop, got me into it.

Michael Chiklis (Vic Mackey) is a great actor and in the show he does anything to get his man. I thought he got robbed on the Golden Globe nominations. Why do they keep looking over him? It is because he is on basic cable? Come on, how could he not be nominated?

If you don't know about The Shield read a review from today's Toledo Blade. If you like what you read, watch it tonight on FX at 10 p.m.