8/31/09 - Follow Up

I saw the woman with the sign again on Oltorf Street today. I had also seen her a few days ago, with her "Waffle House" uniform on. Apparently, her boss is still giving her hours to her friend... And here's a little something from my archives; it was one of the first movies I ever worked on called Black Circle Boys. Now, you can't really tell, but that's me in the news article photo seated behind David Newsome (the actor standing). My two scenes were filmed on this date back in 1996 when I was living in Seattle. You have no idea how excited I was that day--and despite the fact that it was still technically "summer," it was damn cold that morning.

8/30/09 - Autumn in Walmart

They had a whole aisle full of this stuff at Walmart. It's 99 degrees outside, and the farthest thing from my mind is fall. Not to mention, we don't really have 4 seasons here in Austin...

8/29/09 - Mice-ee

I used to see this sign fairly frequently when I lived in Round Rock many moons ago. I had forgotten all about it, until I came across it again this afternoon... And another picture from this date, from the archives...

Casper Van Dien was gracious enough to take this Polaroid with me. Ultimately renamed "On The Border," the movie was shot in and around El Paso, Texas and I had a lot of fun working on it. Notwithstanding the beautiful cinematography and score, it's an unavoidably forgettable film. On another note, according to "The Terminator" timeline, this picture was taken on Judgement Day (August 29th, 1997).

8/28/09 - Six Flags over Ketchup

I took this at 9:15 this morning in the school parking lot after I got out of my car. It's nothing special, but it looked interesting.

8/27/09 - Ouch!

$110.00 (yes, U.S. currency) for this USED Math book? Today my name was Ben Dover.

8/26/09 - Too Late and Too Early

I took this at about 12:45 this morning at a Chevron in Round Rock. And we still had a 45 minute drive ahead of us after that. For me, that's staying out late...

8/25/09 - Dem Bones

What this was doing in my art class, I have no clue...

8/24/09 - Killing Time

This picture was taken around 5 pm this evening, while waiting for the overpriced locksmith to show up and unlock the door to my friend's car. Today was the first time I'd gotten to see my buddy, Mark, in four years... and he was so excited to see me, he left keys in the car's ignition (hence, the locksmith). The quart of Pennzoil is another story... And for those who don't know, Mark Edward Howell is sure to become one of the more distinct character actors of our time.

8/23/09 - Nordstrom

I took this outside of Nordstrom as I was leaving Barton Creek Mall today. It was noon, and yet these lights were on... Regardless, I liked the way they looked.

8/22/09 - Ahleen!

Jonathan and I have been friends for 10 years, and this is the first time we've had a picture taken together. I don't know why it took so long, but it dawned on me during lunch and we had another restaurant patron take this picture for us.

8/21/09 - Willie Nelson

One of the very few country stars that I actually like. I hear he lives out in Spicewood, and I'd love to meet him one day...

8/20/09 - Adopt

I saw this on the back of a Range Rover this afternoon--great bumper sticker.

8/19/09 - It's Sonic Good

At the William Cannon exit this afternoon, I look in my rearview mirror and see this guy on his motorcycle. Seemed normal enough, 'til I scooted up a bit and noticed the Sonic cup sitting on what I guess you could call a "dashboard." That's definitely a first--I guess he REALLY didn't want to throw it away (and obviously couldn't wait until he was finished with it to leave). So, I guess in his case, it was truly was so good, it was Sonic good.

8/18/09 - To The Batcave?

In this case, the Batmobile stopped at the "Extract" premiere in Austin this evening. Where it goes after that, is anyone's guess... don't even ASK about the driver... (for more pics from the premiere, see: myspace.com/breakwellpicturez)

8/17/09 - A Scene From "American Beauty"

While this bag is certainly not "the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," it did catch my attention. It was flying in circles for several minutes, and I just couldn't help but watch.

8/16/09 - Danny & Danny

Yours truly with one of the most prolific character actors of our time, the one and only Danny Trejo. This was taken at the "Shorts" premiere in Austin this afternoon. I don't know what surprised me more: the fact that Danny Trejo was in attendance, or the fact that despite his rough-looking demeanor, he's a very friendly guy.

8/15/09 - The Negative World

This is a shot of the so-called "Negative World" in Super Mario Bros. You access the Negative World from World 1-2. It isn't really a "world" per se, more of a design flaw. Other than taking a picture or uploading the video to YouTube, there really isn't much point to this measly feat other than just to say that you did it.

8/14/09 - FM 3406

I hadn't been to this convenience store in about 4 years. Nothing's changed, and the name still seems as hokey now as it did back then.

8/13/09 - Wedding Bells

My sister got married today to a really nice guy. I wish them all the best...

8/12/09 - Swimming on Slaughter Ln

I swam a few short laps today following my therapy this morning--and I even remembered to put sunblock on.

8/11/09 - Chips

This is the first bag of chips I've had in over 5 months... hey, I was hungry and stuck in rush hour traffic. You'd have done the same. And... from the archives...

Taken at an old school photo booth in a Putt-Putt on this date many moons ago (ala "The Karate Kid"), back before we had a clue what digital meant or how it would one day take over in so many aspects. Chris and I walked almost 5 miles (4.9 miles, ala Google Maps) that late afternoon to be with those girls that night (let's see if they can get guys to do that for them now!)... and yes, I'd do it over again. That's the kind of thing you do when you're that age--before life really teaches you things, before you get jaded... and when you don't have a car. Even then, I had a "thing" for documentation and wrote the date, time and had everyone in the picture sign my section of the strip. With no scissors, I folded and tore them apart and everyone got a section of the strip after it was FINALLY processed. Mine survived countless moves and life changes in an old book for all these years--Lord only knows how the others fared.

8/10/09 - Therapy

This is the vantage point I had from my roller bed at the Chiropractor's office today. One of the nurses drew a cartoon (quite well!) on the markerboard which depicts a wife massaging her husband's back with a rolling pin on the kitchen island. With cookie dough and batter set aside on the counter, the kids look on, while the wife nags her husband, "If you had made an appointment with your chiropractor... the cookies would be done by now."

8/9/09 - I'm Not Gay...

...but I love rainbows.

8/8/09 - Watermelon Graveyard

Recently, I've been on a bit of a watermelon kick--and that's probably a gross understatement. And, rather than filling up the garbage cans so quickly, the empty lot next door has become the resting place for most of my watermelon rinds (hey, they're 100% biodegradable). One side note: I didn't realize there was a hornet inside that watermelon until well after I took the picture--otherwise, I would have seriously reconsidered.

8/7/09 - The Other Institution

While I like UT and the Longhorns as much as any other Austinite, I have to say, this campus is a wee bit more attractive to me. Oh, and did I mention how much I hate Farmers Insurance right now?

8/6/09 - Oltorf St. Exit

I saw this woman on the Oltorf exit in south Austin this morning. Austin is replete with sooo many unfortunates and undesirables that it isn't even funny (unless you see one singing to himself downtown on a Sunday afternoon--then it's a mite humorous). This woman, I would categorize as the former of the two. My gut feeling: I think she's telling the truth. Had I any cash on me, I'd have surely helped her out. Anyway, her sign reads:

"Boss Gave My Hrs. to Her Friend. NEED RENT $."

8/5/09 - Between the 1st and 2nd Floor

I love glass bricks. This was off the landing between the 1st and 2nd floor of the office building which houses my attorney's office.

8/4/09 - Southbound I-35...

The most irrationally designed freeway exit I have ever seen has to be the southbound I-35 exit off Ben White. I'm really surprised there aren't more accidents on this off-ramp. Northbound, featured, has a flyover... Southbound? No. When did I take this picture? While waiting through four red lights to get on southbound I-35...

8/3/09 - Attempted Robbery in Progress?

Considering they were $2.50 a piece a couple of days ago at H-E-B, I wouldn't say that $6.99 is a "low price."

8/2/09 - Hawaii Five-Oh...

I took this on 6th Street in Austin this afternoon, and it definitely qualifies as interesting. I wonder how radically different it would look if I were piss drunk at 2 am...

8/1/09 - A Tie

Both of these pics are the epitome of unplanned and random. And just so you know, that isn't Mountain Dew in the first one... This was taken at Barton Springs pool this morning, and I have to wonder how many other times that kid didn't make it to the bathoom today...

And I'm doing fine, thanks!