July 30, 2009

Give it some time ya dopes!

I'm sick of people asking me about when I think the economy is going to get better. I was very outspoken prior to the elections and even though I thought McCain was a patriotic guy who would have probably made a decent president, I couldn't help think the guy had completely lost his mind when he chose "Brain-dead Palin" to be his running mate. Even if he hadn't, I would have voted for anyone who wanted to go in the opposite direction of Bush's team and their horrific policies. I've been voting since I was was 18 and I've never disliked a president or been so embarrassed of the stupidity of my fellow Americans as the days when Bush was in office. I was in Canada a few years ago and someone asked me where I was from... I replied "I'm an American but I didn't vote for that dipshit, brainless president". I felt I HAD to say it. My tiny rebellion.
I once wrote a letter to McCain commending him on being one of the few Republicans to vote against drilling in ANWR (Alaska National Wildlife Refuge). I even got a signed response from him thanking me for my letter. Then a short time later he chooses "brain-dead" Palin who is 100% for drilling in ANWR. He lost any chance of my vote when he did that... I wrote and told him so. I didn't get another "thank you" letter. I digress, back to the original topic, Obama's first 7 months. Now my friends who stupidly voted for McCain/Palin are wondering when Obama is going to fix this mess we're in. Yeah...that makes a lot of sense. Hand the guy a Himalaya sized mountain of shit, a few wars, massive debt and start bitching 7 months after he takes office. I'm not saying he's perfect but the guy seems to be trying. And, who knows if his fix-it plan will work either? Doesn't really matter, the old way wasn't working. Something had to be done...or at least attempted. I'm going to wait and see what happens before I pass judgement. I voted for him and I'm not embarrassed of my government's top officials anymore, that's all I care about. I find it mind numbing and sad that there are still people in America who thought the Bush/Cheney team was good for this country. Who are these people (idiots)? Texans? I think most people will agree that the majority of Texans are generally poorly dressed, gaudy, big haired, loud, obnoxious, sports loving, meat eating, rednecks who stick together so I assume that the small percentage who still believe in Bush are fake-tanned, brainless Texans who profited in some way from his stupid antics. And Palin, holy shit, don't get me started on that waste of skin. I have a relative who's a Palin fan (even bought those stupid glasses). I'm always terrified I might say something that will effect all future family gatherings like Thanksgiving and Christmas forever. I bite the shit out of my tongue in her presence. I want to mention that I find it hilarious that Palin was so "pro abstinence" and her own daughter got knocked up...Oh, the irony! That's brilliant! Great parenting Sarah. Hey, here's a thought.. quit being Governor and stay at home and spend some quality time with your kids...Oh wait, you did quit (you loser). Just a bit too late. I wish someone with a "real" background in politics could sit down and explain to me what her viable qualities were because I never got it. Come on, you all know, she truly was a vacant minded twit and poor McCain ultimately paid the price in the end for picking her. I'm convinced that the people who voted for George Bush (especially the second time around) or Palin obviously never read ANYTHING like a newspaper or magazine article or did any research of their own on the candidates and their agendas (ANWR). Because if they had, they couldn't have voted for either of them. I constantly question people's intelligence...more often than I'd like. Consequently I'm usually amazed, surprised and disappointed by those that I love.

I went downtown today for a free concert given by Arlo Guthrie. Never was big fan, but I figured I'd go. Hey, the guy played Woodstock. So I went and there was a line a mile long. Okay, seriously it was 130 yards long. Down the block and into this twisty weird mess at the end. I walked away... I refuse to stand in line. Who the hell were all those people anyway? Arlo can still draw a crowd like that? They all looked like they attended the original Woodstock...sandals, long gray hair. I jumped on the Staten Island Ferry and took photos instead. I love riding that ferry and do it often. The coolest free activity in all of NYC.


Me






Sullyvision and A.D.D.

So I came up with this brilliant name for my blog... Sullyvision. I get the whole thing set up and then a few friends tell me that if you type "Sullyvision" into Google about 9 million entries pop up. Damn. Seemed too good to be true. It was a little too easy and without a great deal of thought. Sullivan+my vision= Sullyvision and yes I sort of liked that it was synonymous with television. Oddly I NEVER use Sully as a nickname and only a few people have ever called me that. One being my coach when I played FPYC (Fairfax Police Youth Club) football when I was about 13 years old. My brother was a fireman..seems more fitting for the name "Sully" than a photographer living in NYC, but to my knowledge I don't think anyone has ever called him Sully either. I liked playing football as a kid. I could run pretty fast and was actually a pretty good player. When the final weigh-ins came for the season I was a pound or two overweight and got bumped up to the next weight class. I loved my team and when I was transferred to another, suddenly I was a midget. 10 lbs makes a huge difference when you're a kid. Like going from your high school team to the NFL. I played one game and quit after being damn near trampled to death. I played little league baseball one year too. I could throw the ball fast and far I just had crappy control. I actually didn't like baseball and hate everything about it it to this day. Except the hats...I like baseball hats, as long as they don't say anything related to baseball on them. Oh, I quit baseball mid season as well. It was hot and it sucked. I sound like such a quitter.
I always thought of myself as a GREAT "under-achiever". I never really gave anything my all. Something wrong with the motivation gene somewhere in me. Perhaps I'm missing that gene entirely. If I'm doing something I love I'll work hard and do my best. I'll give it 110%... However if the activity sucks or becomes boring...if only for a minute..I'm outta there. I truly think I have all the symptoms of all the classic attention disorders. They just didn't have any names for them back in the 70's. I'm sure I'm A.D.D., A.D.H.D, partially OCD and toss in CRS (ie: Can't Remember Shit). My Mom told me that joke. I still can't concentrate on anything. I must have 450 books that I've started and gotten bored with 1/4 of the way through. Every once in awhile I'll find some weird random book that grips me and I'll read it all the way through.. Even some really goofy ones that I'm embarrassed to admit to reading. Bridges of Madison County for example, when it first came out. I may have even squeezed out a tear at the end of that one. I'm much more of a magazine guy. Give me Wired or The New Yorker. Interesting and brief... Sadly, I can last 10 pages...not 300. I did read a cool spy novel a few years back called Charm School given to me by my good friend Nemo, an avid reader.... it was a real thriller. My first and last spy novel. I do love a funny short story. The other day I was reading a New Yorker story by David Sedaris on the A train headed downtown. I was giggling like an idiot. I stopped at one point to look up and noticed some people staring at me. I may have snorted during my laughter. I didn't care.

July 28, 2009

Hey...pick that up!

I find it odd that I started a blog having read maybe 10 others (at most) in my life. There are a few that I think are quite interesting but most of them I click off the page after reading a few paragraphs when they are explaining what they ate for dinner. I struggled with the question to make it mainly about photography or my desire to vent my over neverending gripes and complaints about how screwed up I think the world is. Or, I should say, the people in it. I can get wound up on pretty much ANY subject at all... Litter for example. I live in NYC and I'm constantly amazed at people when they're 4 feet from a trash can and they'll set their empty can, bottle, bag, or cup down on the floor of a subway platform or on the ground. You can't walk 4 feet to a trash can, you lazy turd? Sometimes I have the balls to say "Hey Chump...pick up your trash." Sometimes if the person looks handicapped, drunk, or much smaller than me I'll toss in, "Ya filthy bastard" on the end of that sentence. Once a few years back I saw a guy toss a whole bag of crap out of the window of his car while he was parked. I walked up, tapped on the glass and after he rolled the window down a few inches I said "What the fuck's wrong with you? Are you crazy? Pick up your fucking trash you lazy fuck!" I walked away and after about 30 seconds the door swung open and he charged me like a bull. There was a standoff, some screaming and yelling, I threatened to knock him out, and in the end he picked up his trash and drove off. Humans in general are lazy and stupid. Look at the world... we're polluting the planet to death, we're cutting down all the trees, stinking up the air, strip mining huge tracts of land and over fishing the oceans. Why? Because humans are stupid, greedy and selfish. Nobody (including myself) wants to give up anything. We want to drive big-ass gas guzzling cars and live in giant houses and eat whatever we want, whenever we want. I actually have a sort of imposed "green" way of living. I gave up eating pork and beef 30 years ago, don't own a car, and live in a shared, cramped New York apartment. I'm green without even trying. Oh, and I NEVER litter.

Now I guess I should put up something to diffuse the rant I just went on. Maybe that will be my theme or path... I'll unleash some tirade about something that pisses me off and then toss up some pretty photo of some random model or friend who rolled around in front of me. An emotional and visual rollercoaster. Listen to me bitch and moan for a few minutes, then get some pretty pictures.

Laurah

Amber

Latest book cover



July 27, 2009

Testing....one..two...three

Test...Test...Testicle....
After a great deal of thought I've decided to create this blog. It might last 4 days or 4 years I really have no idea. Due to this wonderful economy I have more free time on my hands than I would like. I'm torn between writing my true feelings and showing much of my photography or doing a "heavily edited" version. A cleaner, nicer homogenized version. I can't decide . What would Mom and Dad think? WWJD? (joke). Many people purge themselves on their blogs using them as confessionals or use them to live vicariously through the web. I think I'll just post some photos and let whatever thoughts come to mind roll out as I plink away at the keys... And, I do plink. I'm a crappy typist. I cheated my way through typing class in high school by begging a girl named Becky to "pre-type" my assignments before class. Now I'm paying the price... I shouldn't have cheated. Let that be a lesson to all you kids. Now see, I could write something about Becky but I won't. Already I'm editing..... No blog for me.... I can't do this. My blog lasted one paragraph. That has to be some sort of blog record. Over and out!

The other day I discovered there was a mouse in the kitchen... Don't freak out, they're common in NYC. After setting a bunch of traps which were a new plastic type model I had no luck catching the little rodent. I even resorted to smearing peanut butter all over these new traps with no luck. Finally after 5 days and a jar of PB I went back to the hardware store and bought a few "old school" traps (2 for $1.49). I baited the traps with PB and waited. It wasn't long before my roommate and I heard the loud "snap" of the trap... I walked into the kitchen with the stance of someone stalking an intruder...slowly ...carefully... I peered around corner a bit too soon...I saw the little guy thrashing...I had caught him around the waist... Not pretty. It took a minute for the kicking to stop, but alas...no more Mr Mouse.

Oh...yeah, I really am a photographer. Not exactly the image I thought I'd start my photography blog with. Sorry, perhaps some "pretty" images tomorrow.