.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

ARCTIC BLAST!


ARCTIC BLAST!, originally uploaded by peteg.


So the big news in these parts is the so-called "Arctic Blast" that ripped through here last night and made everything, especially my toesies and fingerses, really really cold.

When I pulled up to the aparment last night at around 5:45 in my short sleeves, it was a balmy 72 degrees. A half hour later Tar and I went shopping, and the had mercury plunged to 35 degrees. It was nuts.

What happens when the weather changes like that? God goes bowling and we get thunder. The angels get hecka bummed and they start crying rain, but it was so durn cold, the rain turned to ice.

My car was covered with about 1/2 inch of ice this morning. I almost couldn't get the car door open. Most of the US is like "Big deal, welcome to my world" but I'm from California, man, and the Arctic Blast is blowing my mind.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Lunch with Mister Bento


Lunch with Mister Bento, originally uploaded by peteg.


A kinda typical lunchtime spread for me--a book and a meal transported by Mister Bento--seen here at a coffee shop inside the Borders Books in Colleyville, TX near my company's new offices. This area of the DFW metroplex is overrun by national chains...there aren't many small businesses or local shops. Most lunch options are of the "themed casual dining" kind.

Monday, November 27, 2006

The Lifestyle


The Lifestyle, originally uploaded by peteg.


Somebody is living the dream on Greenville Ave in Dallas, TX.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

94134


94134, originally uploaded by peteg.

Taken from a hillside in Daly City, this is a view of the southern most side of San Francisco. This from my archives. I am organizing and key wording *all* of my photos while trying out different image cataloguing software. I came across this previously "unpublished"photo from a project I started called "Zip Codes." The idea was to document something about each of the many zip codes in San Francisco.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Our (Vegan) Thanksgiving Feast


Our (Vegan) Thanksgiving Feast, originally uploaded by peteg.


(Left to Right) Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Yam Biscuits, Dressing with Vegan Sausage, Mashed Yams and Potatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil, Brussel Sprouts with Olive Oil Garlic and Almond Slivers, Mushroom and Vegan Sausage Gravy, and Vegan Fried Chicken Strips.

This was waaaayyyy too much food for the two of us. We didn't even touch dessert. We have about a week's worth of leftovers.




Dressing with Vegan Sausage, originally uploaded by peteg.




Apple Pie, originally uploaded by peteg.






Yam Biscuits, originally uploaded by peteg.




Chocolate Stout & Apple Cider, originally uploaded by peteg.






Tari Ann, originally uploaded by peteg.

All this food may Tar happy, and me sleepy. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Fall Colors


Fall Colors, originally uploaded by peteg.

Fall colors in the DFW Metroplex.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

End of the week

I've been home sick with an inner ear thing that makes me feel seasick. Like real seasick. Until I went to the doctor and got some meds, I couldn't walk, I was nauseous, vomiting, etc. It was pretty terrible, but I am all better now. Since it's the end of the week, and I haven't been shooting much I thought I'd post some pictures of sunsets.



End of the day, originally uploaded by peteg.

Thus concludes another day of work in Grapevine, TX



Evening Commute, originally uploaded by peteg.

My drive home on Highway 121.



Parking Lot, originally uploaded by peteg.



Downtown Dallas, originally uploaded by peteg.

The sun sets on downtown Dallas as seen from Ross Ave. See the making of this photo here.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Everything *is* bigger in Texas


Everything *is* bigger in Texas, originally uploaded by peteg.

This mega tall-can holding 32 ounces of beer, this so-called "Crusher", has been sitting in my fridge taunting me for the past few days. I am completely terrified of it.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Manana


Manana, originally uploaded by peteg.

A doll takes siesta at Lula B's Antique Mall on Greenville Ave in Dallas, TX.

Old Timey


Old Timey, originally uploaded by peteg.

The setting sun tosses a soft warm glow deep into the interior of The Old Crow in Dallas, TX.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Mundane Tuesday


X Marks The Spot, originally uploaded by peteg.

A random duct tape "X" stuck to a brick wall in Dallas, TX.

I have this nasty habit, in the presence of my dear sweet wife, to mockingly say "Oh! I am going to snap this picture for my photoblog! I have to hurry up and post it on the internet!" whenever I see someone taking a random picture of some esoteric urban detail. When I snapped this "X," Tar totally turned me words against me. From now on, I will keep my mouth shut.


Fitting Room, originally uploaded by peteg.

Fitting Room

Monday, November 13, 2006

Today Special


Today Special, originally uploaded by peteg.

Fine dining on Greenville Ave in Dallas, TX.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Demolition


Demolition, originally uploaded by peteg.

They are tearing down a building in Dallas, TX.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Fayetteville, AR


Fayetteville, AR, originally uploaded by peteg.

Farmland near Fayetteville, AR, just south of Bentonville.


Because of the rapid growth in the Bentonville "metropolitan" area, in 3 years, this will be a subdivision of McMansions. Enjoy the view while it lasts.

Bentonville, of course, is home to the world's largest retailer, Walmart. Walmart encourages it's vendors to open offices in Bentonville, and by "encourage," I mean tacitly forces. Located in the very northwest corner of Arkansas, Bentonville is known by many as "Vendorville."

This has caused a massive influx of new residents into the rural area. In 1990, the population of the area was 211,000; by 2000, the population was around 312,000. Today it has swelled to nearly 380,000. Townies love it because their land values have gone from have surged, while transplants enjoy the cheap country livin'.

We drove by the Walmart world headquarters on Sam Walton Drive. It's a giant warehouse that's been converted to offices. Spartan is a word that comes to mind. My pictures of WM HQ didn't turn out. Next time.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Sunrise at 28,000


Sunrise at 28,000, originally uploaded by peteg.

I flew to Arkansas for the day on business. It was an early flight on a what proved to be a beautiful day. This was the scene once we got to altitude. The clouds had gentle ripples in them, like a giant pillowy ocean extended out past the horizon. This photo doesn't even relate 1/10th of how beautiful it was.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Backyard


Backyard, originally uploaded by peteg.

My office parking lot is the backyard of these houses.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Shreveport


Shreveport Reflection, originally uploaded by peteg.


The casinos of Shreveport, LA reflected in the gold windows of the Horseshoe Casino in Bossier City, LA.

I took Tari to Shreveport, LA for her birthday weekend. Shreveport and Bossier City, seperated by the Red River, have Vegas (or at least Reno) style casinos.

We stayed at Sam's Town. The rooms were huge and very nice. The rest of Sam's Town was kind of a dump. They need to get some oxygen exchangers or a giant Ionic Breeze or something because the whole place smelled like cigarrete smoke. It was nasty, especially when the smoke smell crept into our hotel room through the one inch crack at the bottom of the door. The gaming "boat" (more on this in a sec) was very small, so the gambling there was pretty lousy.

Good news is that the Horseshoe and the Eldorado were actually pretty nice, and had considerable gaming areas. The gaming areas at these casinos are actually riverboats permanently attached to the hotel. It's obviously a ridiculous interpretation of some 100 year old law, but it works and is kinda charming. I felt like I was having a Southern adventure.

The poor cocktail waitresses had to wear some very unflattering leotard outfits, so as much as I was inspired to sip a mint julep whilst gambling on a (landlocked) riverboat, I didn't want to make their job even shittier by asking for a complicated drink.

The gambling action wasn't so hot for us. Maybe I am just a cheapskate; I prefer to believe I am clever and far too cynical to be charmed by a Casino's wiles, but watching my money evaporate isn't that much fun. We had a good time, because casinos are fun, but by Saturday night we decided to blow our money at the bar at the Eldorado instead of hitting the floor. I am convinced we saved a lot of money that way.

Everybody in Texas has been incredibly friendly, but people in Louisiana took it to the next level. Strangers were constantly talking to us, in the elevators, on the floor, at restaurants. It was pretty amazing.

Loretta Lynn is playing at the Eldorado on 24 November. I think we'll head over to Shreveport for that.




Sparkling Wine, originally uploaded by peteg.

Tarita enjoys a glass of sparkling wine at the Eldorado Casino in Shreveport, LA.




Anticipation, originally uploaded by peteg.

Sam's Town Casino in Shreveport is giving away 20 Chrysler 300s in the month of November. They have a drawing every night and these people gathered around to watch the festivities.




Winner!, originally uploaded by peteg.

Winner!

Sam's Town Casino in Shreveport is giving away 20 Chrysler 300s in the month of November. They have a drawing every night and this lady won. She was so excited she collapsed to the ground in joy.




Red River, originally uploaded by peteg.


The Red River, as seen from our hotel room at Sam's Town Casino in Shreveport, LA.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

IHOP


IHOP, originally uploaded by peteg.

Diners at the International House of Pancakes in Bossier City, LA.

2point8 is a really good blog/website on "street photography." I really enjoyed Michael David Murphy's insights into the form, and his website has prompted me to think a lot about my own photography. "The Phylums of Street Photography" is one of the most thought provoking essays on photography that I've read in a long time. Street Photography isn't a real passion of mine, but Murphy's analysis of what makes an interesting photo really resonated with me.

Also, check his "Ways of Working" if you have a lazy afternoon.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Thunderstorm


Thunderstorm, originally uploaded by peteg.


Lightning strikes north of Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday, November 6, 2006.

Tar and I made the mistake of watching The Omen:666 (that's the 2006 remake starring Liev Shreiber and Julia Stiles; it's really good, in many ways superior to the original starring Gregory Peck) in the middle of this storm.

The thunder was so loud it shook our windows and rumbled the floor. This kind of weather is prolly generic to folks in these parts, but we were amazed. I shot a video of it, which you can see here.



Tari Ann, photographer


Tari Ann, photographer II., originally uploaded by peteg.


I bought Tari a Fuji FinePix S5200 for her birthday. It has a lot of manual controls, so I've been teaching her photography basics. Here she is along the Red River in Shreveport, composing a shot.



Tari Ann, photographer, originally uploaded by peteg.


And here she is capturing the kitty intense action in our living room.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Happy Birthday Tar


Happy Birthday Tar, originally uploaded by peteg.

It was Tarita's birthday last week, so we walked to downtown Fort Worth for a yummy dinner at Piranha Killer Sushi, followed by a nightcap at the Black Dog Tavern off 7th. It was our first real night of going out and meeting people. We had a really good time.

Also, I just bought a Panasonic LX2 as a walk around camera. It seems the flash is pretty lousy. I'll write more about this camera soon.

Power Lines


Power Lines, originally uploaded by peteg.


Power lines run across the field behind my work's new Texas offices.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Pleasantville


Pleasantville, originally uploaded by peteg.


This is the view looking east of our new apartment's balcony. Note the number of large vehicles in the parking lot. They make 'em big around here.

The grain silo looking thing is a Purina Factory. One night it was kinda warm, and it smelled like cat food. That was only one night though, don't worry, Fort Worth smells fine.

When we got a tour of the apartment complex last September, the leasing agent sarcastically referred to the nieghborhood of houses below as "Pleasantville."

Friday, November 03, 2006

First Night


First Night, originally uploaded by peteg.


The sun sets on our first day (October 2, 2006) in Fort Worth, TX. This is the view of downtown from our new apartment's balcony. The sunsets are really dramatic in these parts. Is it because we are closer to the equator?

Thursday, November 02, 2006

4,500 #


4,500 #, originally uploaded by peteg.

The movers told us all of our possessions weighed roughly 4,500 pounds.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Moving out


Moving out, originally uploaded by peteg.


Tarita checks her email while movers take our stuff to Texas on September 28, 2006.

About Me

My photo
San Francisco, CA, United States
http://petegeniella.com