Drive to Austin

Here are some photographs from the drive from Dallas to Austin. This had to be the first time I was not surrounded by mountains, and was able to see the sky surround me. It was surreal. The pictures don't do the experience justice. The clouds were so low at one point that I felt like I could've been in an airplane.

Two days left.

My Last night in Dallas...

...involved a scooter, rain, a new friend named Timothy, bar hopping and a mariachi band...

Last Day in Dallas

Yesterday was quite the day. I swear, there should be a camera crew filming us as we film others, it would make for really good reality tv.

Here are some pictures from my cousin Joseph's loft. He lives here in Dallas. An amazing artist all around. He has been written up in many publications. He has also been chosen as a runner up in the Domino Magazine Decorating Contest.


Vote for him: here.

Our final shoot last night, that would be shoot number #10 for the day, 14 shoots in one day has been our record in Dallas, was at Lee Harvey's. (i just nominated myself as the queen of run on sentences, and voice messages for that matter, and texts...and...) I met my most favorite guy so far, Bacon. He get's all the ladies. He lives at Lee Harvey's. He cruises from table to table, hangs out at the front door, visits with the guests. Lee Harvey's is not some posh, luxury lounge. Located next door to a junk yard, complete with a junk yard dog, Lee Harvey's comes complete with Picnic tables arranged around fire pits outside in front. You walk in through the screen door, and you are inside; bar, pool table, dj, fireplace, out back in the patio; bar, more picnic tables, it's pretty damn awesome. Bacon rules this joint. He's a bad ass, he's seen a lot, not afraid of anything, very intelligent, very stylish, quite the ladies man. He's hot. Here is a shot of him and I.


I woke up this morning and walked around a bit before getting my coffee. Dallas is hot, humid and gray today.

Off to work!

12.4.07

To finish up on Las Vegas, despite the crazy tourists, I met some really cool local people. Jack Colton , www.jackcolton.com, really cool, young, smart guy with great ideas, that he executes. I have learned that's the secret; you can have a million great ideas, but until you actually execute any of them, they are nothing but thoughts.

Jimmy Greenup was another character, if you ever go to Tao in Vegas, you got to find this guy. He is the "Mood Director." In short, he is an overpaid cheerleader, those were his words by the way. He buys hot girls rounds of shots, dances, pumps people up, does whatever it takes to get the party going. That's his job. Anything is possible in the Las Vegas Entertainment Industry.

The whole Nick Lachey, Nikki Hilton, Wilmer Velderama, Criss Angel thing, it was for the opening of a new restaurant in Las Vegas called Company. It was the first time that I had been in a press pit for a red carpet event. It was surreal, it was gross, I was ashamed to be in there! The other media people around me, Life and Style, LA Times, some others, were talking the whole time about which celebrities were nice, what they were wearing, where they saw them last, what they were like in real life, blah, blah, blah. My co-worker and I were dying. Then when the celebrities came down the carpet, everyone was screaming their names, girls were screaming from the crowd behind us, flashing lights (love Kanye's song), camera's, microphones, tape recorders, paper being flung into the faces of these poor people. And who was up in that ugly mix??? Yes, that's right, your truly. Ew. But the job got done, I got what I needed from each of them, and they were all very nice, and more beautiful in person, especially Nikki Hilton, she looked like a doll. (am I spelling her name right?)

Dallas is just wonderful. I can't see myself living here, no ocean, the art and music scene is not so hot, but I must say, the food....holly hell.

Since I've been here, that's a whole two days, I've had the best Miso Soup, Spicy Tuna Rolls, and Chocolate cake with Green Tea Icecream at Shinsei. And the most amazing steak at Javier's. Another thing I noticed out here in Dallas is that the staff turn over in the restaurants and bars is close to zero. Maybe it's the places we are shooting, maybe it's the way things are out here. At Javier's the rookie, had been with the restaurant for 9 years. Jesus.

The people out here in Dallas are so friendly and hospitable. I've felt so welcomed since I've arrived. Just about every person that we've met has given us their card saying please call me if you need anything.

Gross, my cough is getting worse, going to bed.

Las Vegas

I just arrived into Dallas tonight. Sitting here in bed, catching up on all things web-wise.

Since my last entry, I flew from Pittsburgh to San Francisco, where I had 9 hours to re-pack, re-charge and make it back to the airport. Here are some pictures from the flight.


Paintings to come soon ;) This had to be one of the most beautiful flights I have been on, this is only 6 of the 105 shots I took, yeah, I know.

Once I was back to the airport, I was on my way to Vegas aboard Virgin Airlines, it was my first time. Nothing but good things to say. Granted there were only 17 of us on this huge jet,


we had the best service, everything from the interior of the cabin to the way that they do the safety instruction video is just so modern and ...hmmm, fun. The best part is that everyone has an entertainment system to themselves; video games, tv, movies, music videos (you better believe I watched my hunny Common the whole 1 hour flight;),

and my favorite part...you can instant message other seats. That there has a lot of potential.

Vegas was a whole lot of things. Day one was a little rough; trying to overcome this flu I've managed to get, overcome my jet lag from Pittsburgh, and settle into the Luxor, which is a beautiful hotel, but one I will never stay in, again. Trying to work with no internet+outlets that don't hold plugs+windows that barely let light in because they are covered in ads, and worse yet don't open+bad lighting (applying makeup in bad lighting...I must of looked like a $2 whore the whole time I was in Vegas)= hell.

The above were the only negatives, the rest was awesome. We accomplished 27 shoots, all of which I am very proud of. I learned a lot about Las Vegas that I had not previously acknowledged on my many drunken, hazy, sleepless trips there before. Old town Las Vegas is full of interesting, glamorous stories and history from it's brighter days past. Who knew that back in the day, Las Vegas was not one of shiny shirts, ultra nightclubs, coke heads and fake boobs, but one of a different type of glamor, the kind with class.

Stories of old time celebrities, the mafia, good restaurants and classy parties poured from the mouths of longtime restaurant owners, locals and taxi drivers. It gave me an appreciation for the surface, soul-less, sickningly expensive, excessive circus that I had once thought Las Vegas to be.

Some of the best stories came from Even Glusmon, Managing partner and son of Freddie Glusmon, the man behing Piero's. Back in the day, Piero's was where you could find locals, politicians, celebrities and mafia hanging out in their now famous "A" room. I guess the same is true today, he told me of how recently, the S.W.A.T team bust into the restaurant (guns drawn, shields, the whole bit) to capture two of the Gambino brothers that were dining there. That would have been quite the dining experience. They also filmed the movie Casino in Piero's "A" room. Like I said tons of stories and history here.

After the shoot, Even insisted that we come back to eat later in the evening in between shoots. I almost canceled our reservation there because at 8p, after being up since 7a and shooting and talking all day, an hour of sleep instead in between shoots sounded just so much better. I'm glad I didn't. We got there, and I could not believe how they took care of us. The "A" room is impossible to be seated in. They had a table waiting in the "A" room for us. They treated us like royalty, the food was unbelievable, and the ambiance was just how I expected it to be. An older sophisticated crowd, everyone was a bit dressed up, there was a long table in the middle of the room with about 20 Italian men having dinner, couples in the booths, a live band was in the front "Monkey Bar" room playing "Frank Sinatra"-like tunes, and servers everywhere waiting on you left and right. I felt so at home, so happy and cozy. No, it wasn't the wine.

Payon's Mediterranian Cafe is another spot that I will definitely go back to. Not only is this place a wonderful restaurant, but it is also a hookah lounge. The lounge has been used as a set in movies and tv shows, it's absolutely beautiful. You can easily forget that you are in Vegas; the hookah, the ambiance, the delicious food, oh, try the rice pudding, it's his mom's recipe, to die for.

Ok, there was so much more; the brief encounters with Nikki Hilton, Nick Lachey, Criss Angel, the topless hula hooper and bacon martinis, but I am beat, 1.32a, hell no. Check back, Ill write more later.

Avonmore

I am here.

Crazy Day

What a day, what a day. It started with a 10a shoot at Zeitgeist, awesome bar, the BEST Bloody Mary's in town. Let me tell you, one of my favorite things in this world is a damn good Bloody Mary, and I've had plenty of Bloody Mary's around town and abroad. Zeitgeist definitely is at the top of that list.

Work work work.

Then tonight, I interviewed with Adam and Justin from She Wants Revenge and Kenna at the Fillmore. All three guys were awesome, had good conversation, and were just down to earth.

If you haven't heard of Kenna before, you should definitely check him out. His sound does not fit into one genre, it's a bit of everything. What intrigued me the most was that he had a lot to speak on as far as life goes, people, and his passion for music and spreading what he has learned with others.

Justin and Adam were really easy to talk to. They weren't pretentious at all, they realize just how lucky and blessed they are to be doing what they are doing, and they weren't all about talking about them. As much as I asked questions, they engaged in conversation with me, asking me questions and talking about things other than them.

The life of a musician is almost that of a gypsy, I guess with a lot more glamour and perks. But it's all the same, isn't it? Both travel the world, performing their respective art to different crowds, living never in one place for very long and performing the same show with a family/group of other people night after night. I don't know where I was going with this, I guess I'm just trying to comprehend what that would be like, and understand how alot of these artists that I interview are just completely burnt out, they can barley hold a thought, yet they get up on that stage and perform, projecting such energy, night after night.

Anyways, both shows were amazing, the staff at the Fillmore was awesome, and I hit the gym from 11p to 12a. Yes, like a said, crazy day.

10.23p

I knew there was a reason that I felt so compelled to title today's earlier entry with a time. New entry, same day, different time.

Today I did my most favoritest (go to hell spell check, i say it's a word) Sunday activity, riding my bike through Golden Gate park. Not sure if it's just Sunday's, but the street that runs through the center of the park, I believe it's Kennedy, is closed off so that no cars can pass through. This ride is truly a San Francisco experience. People of all ages on bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, rollerskates, running, walking, (ok you get it) travel down or up this street. Through this journey, you see everything. There is the Rose Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, the people that get together and have a rollerblading circle/dance/show together, waterfalls, lakes, Bison (yes the animals), including all the people in the parks playing or doing what they are doing. It's great. I rode through and came out the end that ends at the ocean. There was a lot going on down here, too. People flying kites, bonfires, surfing, bbq's, you name it. I rode along that strip and then headed home.

I finished a painting that I have been working on for a year now. Well, I guess I haven't been working on it, it's just been sitting there. But none the less, it's done.

Here are also some pictures of the sunset earlier.

11.24a

Yes, that is the time right now. Sunday. Sunny outside, the ocean is blue, not one cloud in the sky, and the relentless rain of yesterday has left everything fresh and alive. From last Thursday, there was another shoot that I wanted to speak on if I may. Free Goldwatch.

Free Goldwatch is Matt and Jordan, we were invited to film inside their workshop, that's right, the first camera crew allowed in to film in that space. These guys are the best for the reasons listed below:

hilarious, no seriously, I could not stop laughing, even when they were being serious

two creative hotties, need I say more

really cool t-shirts, there wasn't one in there I wouldn't wear with pride

hanging at their shop is like hanging out on the set of a show, random character's stopping in, guest visits, and Matt and Jordan's interactions; I swear they were meant for TV

Everything is made in that shop, by them and a really small crew (there were 4 when we were there)

Later on in the night, the guys came through to Mezzanine. Not only did they bring myself and the crew shirts, but the shirts are one of the first 5 to have the tags sewn in backward, so that you can flip the "Free Goldwatch" out in the back so it's facing up...duh. Love them. Earlier in the night, the crew and I had interviewed with The Cool Kids, and they were, some pretty cool kids; style, personality, music, just some really cool down to earth guys, having fun with what they do.

After the interview, the headliner, M.I.A. took stage. Her show was pretty amazing, the girl knows how to rock a show, that's for damn sure. Crazy outfits, crazy graphics on the screen in back, crazy dace moves. The place was packed...wayyyy tooo packed for me, I was on my way out when I spotted Matt and Jordan, grabbed them for some drinks and that was that. We discussed what the word "cool" meant, M.I.A, and watched some of Matt's awesome dance moves on the dance floor. Before long, the night was over and they walked me to my car. Good thing I forgot where my car was parked, because I got my own private walking tour to the birth place of Free Goldwatch.