Darren Abate | Photojournalist

First Impressions of the Carl Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50/1.5 ZM

peakaction — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:04:18 +0000

I found a used-but-mint-condition Zeiss C Sonnar 50/1.5 ZM at Matsuiyastore, and I couldn’t resist picking up for a pretty good price (especially because it came with a hood). This was my first time dealing with Matsuiyastore, and let me tell you, I was nothing but impressed with their customer service and shipping. Cost to ship the lens from Japan was only 30.00, and I got it in three days, hand-delivered by a private USPS courier (he was even wearing tie). Amazing.

So about the lens…. Color me impressed. It’s a Zeiss, so of course it’s going to be at least “good”. However, I was impressed by just how good this lens really is. For starters, it’s sharp. Brutally sharp. Like, cut-yourself-on-the-negative sharp. Yes, “negative”. Film. Look it up. Use it.

I shot a test roll while walking around the Blue Star art complex. Be sure to view these at full size so you can see better. Had to get this one for Chris:

©Darren Abate. Carl Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50/1.5 ZM

And a shot from the horse mechanic:

The Infirmed ©Darren Abate. Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50/1.5 ZM

You can’t really see much in the way of true detail at web resolution, but trust me when I say that this lens is effin’ sharp. I have yet to test its anti-flare characteristics though. I’m betting that I’m going to be pleased with the results.

Brick Art ©Darren Abate. Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50/1.5 Z

The build quality is on par with the best, i.e. Leica. Fit and finish is superb, and lens mounts to camera smooth as silk, as does the hood to the lens. Even the caps supplied with the lens were impressive.

Blue Star No. ©Darren Abate. Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50/1.5 ZM

Venda’s Shelf ©Darren Abate. Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50/1.5 ZM

Ed is Leaving ©Darren Abate. Zeiss C Sonnar T* 50/1.5 ZM; Zeiss Ikon RF

It really is a beautiful piece of glass. Comparing the quality to the price, I wouldn’t be surprised if Leica loses more than a few new lens sales to the new Zeiss ZM’s.

All photos made with a Zeiss Ikon rangefinder except for the bookshelf shots, which was made with an Epson R-D1 digital rangefinder.

PressPhoto International editorial stock photography

entertainment photos

Self Assignment: Non-Western in the West

peakaction — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:24:42 +0000

Today I kicked off a self-assignment that I’ve been planning for a while: an ongoing study of what can be considered to be “non-mainstream” religions existing and thriving in the midst of an overwhelmingly Christian American society.

I am not a religious person myself, but I have always been interested in the history of religion and the effects it has had on the human race.

Christianity is shoved down the throats of Americans on a daily basis, whether it be in the pledge that our children recite at school, on the currency we handle, or on any one of hundreds of bumper stickers that feature various combinations of the American Flag and the word “God”.

Yet there are many established “non-western” religions that exist and strive in American society.

Here is part one of who-knows how many parts: Vietnamese Cao Dai services that I photographed this morning in San Antonio. These photos should be viewed full size if you look at them.

BTW, it’s situations like this where rangefinders really come in handy. All photos made with an Epson R-D1 rangefinder and Voigtlander Nokton 50/1.5 or 35/1.2 ASPH lenses.

Cao Dai Temple ©Darren Abate

Cao Dai Prayer ©Darren Abate

Cao Dai Temple ©Darren Abate

AHL Toronto Marlies vs. San Antonio Rampage - Game 4 in the Calder Cup Playoffs Series

peakaction — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:20:09 +0000

SAN ANTONIO — The Toronto Marlies enacted their revenge on the San Antonio Rampage tonight at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, skating away with a 3 - 2 victory to even the round one Calder Cup playoff series at two games each.

It could be said that Toronto did not win this game as much as San Antonio lost it. Toronto’s first goal came when San Antonio player Keith Yandle knocked the puck into his own net after a rebound from Rampage goalie Josh Tordjman slipped out in front of Yandle’s stick, and the puck slipped past the unsuspecting netminder.

Toronto managed to stay one step ahead of the Rampage after the first goal, although San Antonio did their best to close the gap. The Marlies scored an empty-net goal late in the third after San Antonio had pulled netminder Tordjman in an attempt to tie the game. The Rampage were able to score a goal with eight seconds left on the clock, only to lose the game 3 - 2 after they were unable to put the puck past Marlies goalie Scott Clemmensen for what would have been a game-tying goal in the final seconds.

Photos from this game can be viewed and licensed for editorial use at PressPhotoIntl.com.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE — Toronto player Bates Battaglia (33) takes a shot on Rampage goalie Josh Tordjman (29) during game four of the first round Calder Cup playoff series between the Toronto Marlies and the San Antonio Rampage, April 23, 2008, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Toronto won 3 - 2 to even the series at 2 - 2. (Darren Abate/PressPhotoIntl.com)

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE — San Antonio’s Chad Kolarik (42) battles Toronto’s Andy Wozniewski (56) in front of Marlies goalie Scott Clemmensen (30) during game four of the first round Calder Cup playoff series between the Toronto Marlies and the San Antonio Rampage, April 23, 2008, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Toronto won 3 - 2 to even the series at 2 - 2. (Darren Abate/PressPhotoIntl.com)

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE — San Antonio head coach Greg Ireland yells instructions to his players during game four of the first round Calder Cup playoff series between the Toronto Marlies and the San Antonio Rampage, April 23, 2008, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Toronto won 3 - 2 to even the series at 2 - 2. (Darren Abate/PressPhotoIntl.com)

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE — San Antonio’s Steven Goertzen (12) battles Toronto’s Andy Wozniewski (56) in front of Marlies goalie Scott Clemmensen (30) during game four of the first round Calder Cup playoff series between the Toronto Marlies and the San Antonio Rampage, April 23, 2008, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Toronto won 3 - 2 to even the series at 2 - 2. (Darren Abate/PressPhotoIntl.com)

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE — San Antonio’s Mike Zigomanis (23) dekes Toronto’s Kris Newbury (11) during game four of the first round Calder Cup playoff series between the Toronto Marlies and the San Antonio Rampage, April 23, 2008, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Toronto won 3 - 2 to even the series at 2 - 2. (Darren Abate/PressPhotoIntl.com)

AHL Playoffs - Toronto Marlies vs. San Antonio Rampage - Game 4

peakaction — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:13:14 +0000

Photos from this game can be viewed and licensed for editorial use at PressPhotoIntl.com.

Vote for Me!

peakaction — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:27:57 +0000

If you have a minute, how about coming along to this link and voting for my entry in the JPG Magazine Split Second contest!

What rocks? The 40D, that’s what.

peakaction — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 19:39:59 +0000

Firstly, if everyone would do me a favor… I have three photos in the current theme contests at JPG Magazine. If you’d take a minute to go there, register, and vote for my shots, I would greatly appreciate it. But only vote if you truly think they rock.

http://jpgmag.com/people/peakaction/photos

You should just have to click on each one of the photos to vote for it. Let me know if you voted!

I also have a couple things on eBay at the moment. If you’re in the market, check out the links below!

Canon EOS 20D body with Vertical Grip, Two Batteries and Charger

Hasselblad 500C Body with Waistlevel Finder

In other news:

My apprentice, Eva, came over yesterday with her new Canon EOS 40D, and I must say, that little thing kicks ass. I’m used to shooting with a Mark II and I’m pretty sure that the action on the 40D is even faster. It pops off a frame really quickly.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the 40D cranks out more FPS than the Mark II. I’m saying that it reacts and finishes off a frame just as quickly if not more quickly than the Mark II does. I was actually taken aback when I tripped the hair trigger and it popped off two frames before I could even take my finger off the button.

And, it produces a hell of an image too. I only had time to pop out into my front yard with it, but when faced with a difficult metering situation, like a shaded yard against a sunlit street, it did pretty damned well. Example photos are forthcoming.

Mahalo.

I’m Pulling the Plug

peakaction — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 05:48:49 +0000

Well, it seems that it’s been about a month since my last post here. I wouldn’t have thought that, but indeed it is the case. I blame uber.com, among other things.

The blogging and social network sites are getting out of hand, in my opinion. The ubiquitousness of myspace (I refuse to capitalize it) all but requires that I have a presence there, but I don’t officially count it as a recognized benefit. I have two myspace pages, actually – one for me the photographer and one for me the cinematographer. Of course, I rarely update either of them; they are there only for basic networking with others in my field who only seem to need myspace to do their business. It is their digital toilet tissue.

I have two WordPress blogs – again, one for photo and one for cine – a deviantART page, a FaceBook page, and more recently, an Uber page. I was first turned on to Uber by my friend, LA photographer Chris Weeks, and it seems to be my favorite. It is a place for artists that is fueled by the community spirit that once powered deviantART but it lacks the corporate stench that has permeated dA since Jark was ousted. I think deviantART now exploits artists in a big way. You should read their user agreement sometime.

So anyway, about the serious post title…

I’m pulling the plug on my Downtown studio. I’ve decided that, although I like the space on a whole, the negative aspects of trying to run a photo studio in the midst of an urban crack alley have finally gotten to me, and I can no longer justify spending the extra five or six hundred dollars a month it takes to maintain my lair. So, I’ve decided to move my workstation and photo gear back to my home until a new, more suitable, studio space can be located.

I don’t think Venda is too happy about the idea of the front room being turned back into a studio, instead of the home theater we had planned, but at least she understands… I think. Hey, six hundred bucks is six hundred bucks, you know?!

I started moving crap back home today. In fact, I’m typing this from my coffee table, where my G5 is set up until I can get my huge media desk hauled home tomorrow or Monday. I figure if I take stuff out slowly over the next month, the move won’t be so grueling. I hate moving, and if you’ve ever seen my studio, you know how much crap is in that place.

I’m motivated, though, because I know I don’t have long before V. takes issue with the two widescreen monitors, G5 tower, six hard drives, UPS, and three miles of cable that has suddenly appeared in the den, and dominated half the room.

Mahalo, Venda. Mahalo.

The iPhone Confession

peakaction — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:48:50 +0000

I must confess. I got an iPhone.

I thought I could wait. I thought I could be strong – because I was broke.

But then a client decided to pay me unexpectedly – in cash. *sigh* I knew what had to be done. I could resist no longer.

So, yes! I admit it! I am an Apple fanboy. I love Apple gadgetry in all forms of its cutting edge trendy design. I own five Macs, dating from the original Macintosh all the way up to my dual G5. Hopefully an eight-core is in my future, but I feel that the next time I will be able to afford a new tower, the next generation will be upon us.

Anyway, the iPhone: Yes. Yes, it is as cool as you think it is, and as gorgeous in both form and function as the ads make it out to be.

It occupies a level of kickassery that was previously known only to the likes of Vegas buffets and Han Solo.

It is so great that, even though the novelty has worn off, I look for excuses to use it simply because it works so well. There are, however, a few things I would change about it.

First of all, it needs more. Just more. For instance, I’ve done everything I need to do tonight, like check my e-mail, check the weather, sent some texts, made some calls (the visual voicemail feature kicks ASS, btw), and checked the performance of a bunch of stocks I don’t own. I was able to do all this with lightning efficiency, and now that I’m done, I feel that there is so much more I could be doing with the device.

This leads to my biggest complaint: Apple shipped the iPhone with an amazingly light load of apps. It can do so much more than what it allows out of the box.

For instance, don’t get your hopes up about the YouTube app. It works great, but what you might not realize is that when you buy your iPhone, you won’t be able to search ALL of the videos on YouTube. You can only view and search the featured and most popular videos, which sucks, in my opinion, because most of that is just mindless time-wasting drivel. For instance, one of the top rated videos was a thirty-second clip of three goofballs dancing to goofy music while holding sparklers, in someone’s yard. That’s it. How the fuck is that the top-rated video on YouTube?!

I want to be able to visit my own YouTube page and show friends and clients the short films that I’ve made, etc. I want to be able to find the videos that matter to me, not the ones that entertain the lowest common denominator.

One would think that wish could be fulfilled by using Safari to visit a regular YouTube page, but as of now, the iPhone’s Safari browser does not support the viewing of Flash videos. I hear that Apple is working on that, though, and a software update will fix the issue.

There also needs to be a standalone Gmail app for the iPhone. This is a must. I don’t want to have to configure a POP3 access plan for Gmail.

Apple must also open up the iPhone to third party developers. The device is capable of so much and the opportunity to design custom apps must be allowed.

The next generation iPhone must have a user-replaceable battery.

I wouldn’t worry about the people screaming about the fact that it uses EDGE instead of 3G. My Blackberry was EDGE, and my Blackjack was 3G, and honestly, I didn’t notice a damned difference – they were both slow.

The in-phone camera is as bare-bones as it gets. You can’t zoom or change photo options, such as exposure mode and compensation, or color/monochrome, etc., at all. Activate the camera, take a photo. That’s all you can do. The quality of the image is pretty good, but it needs more. I’m not too miffed about it though, because we all know I always have a proper camera with my anyway. I don’t need my phone to take photos.
If you hear anyone dissing the iPhone’s adaptive keyboard, slap them. It kicks ass, although I would request the option to turn off the auto-correct feature, which at times is a bit overzealous.

before it’s release, the surface of the iPhone was switched from plastic to optical glass, which has to be best single decision about the iPhone Apple made. It will NOT scratch, and using it as a touch interface is a dream.

Is the iPhone worth the money? I’m going to say yes, because I know (trust) that Apple is going to juice its capabilities and give it more apps in the future.

The bottom line is that I friggin’ love it.

New Uber Page

peakaction — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:51:43 +0000

Just FYI, I have started a new Uber page for showing my fabulous photos to the world. It’s a bit more socially-minded than deviantART, and the corporate stench is much less noticeable.

The URL is:

http://uber.com/darren

Check it out and leave me some comments! And while you’re at it, join up yourself!

Mahalo.

Burnout, baby!

peakaction — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 05:52:06 +0000

I’ve been thinking about photography a lot lately. Well, by default, I am nearly always thinking about photography anyway, but lately it’s been different.

I’ve been suffering some serious burnout recently. At one point, it got so bad that I didn’t even want to make any photos at all. No, that isn’t entirely accurate. I wanted to make photos, but I wasn’t inspired to do so. The feeling was as if someone stuck me in a featureless, white spheroid room and told me to make the best photo of my life while I was in there.

I haven’t used my rangefinders in at least two weeks. I even moved my Mac from my studio to my house so I wouldn’t be forced to go in and do any photo work. I’ve had a few photo assignments, but not as many as I should have had.

The reason may be that, since hockey season ended, and since the Spurs season is over, all of my fun regular assignments are done until October. Now is the time when I have to fall back on fluff assignments to make a living. Weddings, event coverage, etc. Those are the assignments that can actually make me the most money, but let’s face it, I’m not in photography for the money. No, no. I am a photojournalist. We don’t make much money, by default, but fuck if we aren’t the most passionate about our chosen path. I’ve certainly never met a wedding photographer who is as apt to get in someone’s face in defense of their craft as – well – any of my PJ friends.

Some of us like to start fights about it.

My slump is all linked in to the fact that making a living as a shooter in San Antonio is not like doing it in some place like LA or New York. The work here definitely is seasonal for someone like me – someone who gets bored easily. That’s why I don’t specialize in one thing, like most architectural, commercial, and wedding photographers do. I burn out. I like photojournalism because it’s like a box of chocolates. You know the rest of that sentence.

I think I’m going to switch it up a bit. I’ll try to occupy myself in other ways. Maybe I’ll make that film I’ve been kicking around in my head. Maybe I’ll string some news video. Maybe I’ll pimp.

I think this will end up doing me some good. I’ll get some rejuvenation out of it for sure.

Fantastic Four SUCKS

peakaction — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 04:26:34 +0000

Save your money. Seriously. Unless you like horrible acting and a plot so shallow and watery it’s only good for farming pond scum and hatching mosquito larvae.

That’s really all I have to say about that piece of shit.

A New Kind of Jackass

peakaction — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:02:25 +0000

It’s 4 a.m. here, and I was just doing a bit of ego-surfing* before going to bed.

Among the usual pages that pop up in the Google search, such as my pro site, this blog site, various news stories that contain my photos, etc., there is something new.

I noticed a page title in the list that was unfamiliar. Here it is:

That is an unknown page with a caption that is taken from one of my photos that had been posted in my blog. This blog.

I clicked on the link, which led me to a plain page at saiph.info which consisted of a white background with my abridged blog entries displayed in plain black text. After the blog entries, ads had been placed. The blog entries were not clickable at all, meaning they did not lead back to my blog, but the revenue ads were clickable, of course.

Obviously, someone has written a bot that monitors searches and grabs people’s blog entries in order to populate their own revenue ad pages.

Here is a link to the page in question. I performed more searches, and sure enough, in each query, pages like this one appeared. The domain names were different, but the format was all the same. Note that my name appears nowhere on the page as the author, nor do any of the entries link back to my blog. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this some form of plagiarism? They even have their own copyright mark at the bottom of the page. It’s in Polish, so I don’t know what it actually says, but I know I didn’t see my name in there anywhere.

I checked out a few of the domain names at Network Solutions, and they are all registered to names and addresses in Poland. I’m going to fire off a few e-mails, like it’s going to matter. Of course, there’s probably not a damned thing that I can about this, except complain.

*Ego Surfing: entering your own name into search engines to see what pops up.

UPDATE: The guy actually wrote me back immediately, and is removing my content from his site. This may be the first time in history that a complaint e-mail actually accomplished something.

Give me a promotion!

peakaction — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 03:37:53 +0000

It’s time to test the power of the internet. Will you guys do me a favor?

• Go to google.com and search for “editorial photographer in san antonio”

• Click on my link (it should be on the second or third page – DarrenAbate.com)

• Mutter, “You’re welcome, Darren” under your breath.

Let’s see if it puts me on the front page.

Shot on Fiml™

peakaction — Wed, 30 May 2007 05:25:32 +0000

I’m going to lead the back-to-film revolution, and it will be televised. The first step in Le Grande Scheme is to rebrand film as Fiml™ (borne of a late-night IM typo) and market it as the latest rage in the Retro Analog Revolution, which is also on my list of trends to start. I figure if I write up a really good blog entry that makes it to the front page of digg, I’ll be screeching, “Mission accomplished!” from the deck of an aircraft carrier in no time.

In other news:

•Tomorrow night, thanks to a kind referral from Mark, I will be photographing game 5 of the Spurs/Jazz series for USA Today. Look for me on the TEE-vee. The first loyal follower to e-mail me a screen cap of my ugly mug on the tube gets a free print. Good luck with that.

•I recently photographed a local music duo called Monroe, and after viewing the contact sheets, I just now got around to scanning a few frames.

My focus was off on a few shots, which is unfortunate, since I wasn’t drunk during the shoot. Maybe I was just being lazy. I hope that’s the right excuse. Anyway, I’m not too worried about it; it was only on a few shots, and those are slated for the web anyway.

Check out Monroe if you get a chance. There’s some really good music flowing out of these two.

Here are a few frames:

Won’t you gentlemen have a Pepsi?

peakaction — Thu, 10 May 2007 22:39:18 +0000

I’m just coming out of one of my little time-lapse spells, it seems. Every so often, I lose track of a couple weeks of my life when I get sidetracked onto other projects – ones that don’t fit into what I’ll call the “daily routine.”

I’ll try to play catch-up for those of you who are interested.

I seem to have a lot of work coming up, but I don’t really remember getting it (not that I’m complaining). This Saturday, I’ll be shooting for the Spurs during game three against the Phoenix Suns at the AT&T Center, which I’m looking forward to. With the exception of last time, I’ve managed to worm my way into working in some sort of photo capacity during every one of the Spurs’ trips to the Finals. Don’t expect me to post any photos, though. As some of you may already know, the NBAE rules their copyright with an iron fist.

I am also working as director of photography on another indie film in Austin, called Villain 101, which is why I haven’t been posting many – or any – photos lately. I do have some photo shoots coming up though, so eventually there will be more stills goodness. I’ll see what I can come up with.

Some Photos from the Lost Night in Vegas

peakaction — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:52:31 +0000

My last blog entry detailed my lost night at McCarran International Airport in Vegas, and the adventurous taxi ride that got me there. Here are some photos to go along with the story!

This is what I looked like at the start of the night, after coming to several disturbing realizations about the near future. I’m not going to show you the photo I made of myself in the morning.

McCarran Sleeper
[Leica M6; Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH]

My plan of action was to find the only bench in the airport with a power outlet and good WiFi reception. I am proud to say that my mission was accomplished within fifteen minutes. As an added bonus, it was also next to the restrooms as well as a Starbucks. That’s no surprise though, since those things are everywhere. Starbucks, I mean.

The girl in the photo above spent some time passed out on the floor across from me, and didn’t even wake up when the guy with the steam cleaner came by to do the carpet.

This is Gary, from Iowa. He was an overnighter as well. Thanks to him, I now know all about how 3M window film is made. Personally, I think it should be featured in an episode of How It’s Made. It’s an interesting process.
[Leica M6; Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH]
Photo © Darren Abate

You see some strange things in an airport, late at night. I don’t know how tired one has to be to leave their shoes behind, but evidently, it is possible.
[Leica M6; Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH]
Photo © Darren Abate

Some people are too anal for their own good, or for the good of others. I doubt anyone benefits from knowing that this is Sink #1. Also, it is probably evident by now that the bathroom was one of the few places I ventured, for fear of losing my bench.
[Leica M6; Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH]
Photo © Darren Abate

Here is another view of our sleeping friend. Multiple quick frames possible thanks to Mr. Abrahamsson.
[Leica M6; Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH]
Photo © Darren Abate

I’m Stuck at McCarran!

peakaction — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 07:13:21 +0000

We join our humble narrator (me) seven hours into a fourteen-hour layover at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. He has not slept, although he has eaten – luckily, McCarran offers a Mexican restaurant that serves not-so-bad tacos.

Now, to exit third-person.

Actually, it isn’t a layover as much as it is a fuck-up. I thought I had left the NAB expo with plenty of time to check in and go through security, but as luck – the bad kind – would have it, a nasty traffic accident had caused the closure of the airport exit, in both directions of the freeway, and traffic was just shitty enough to make me late for my flight. Bad luck indeed, but not as bad for me as it was for the poor jokers in that accident, that is certain. Actually, I didn’t see the wreck, but I heard it was a wreck. Whatever it was, though, it was bad enough to close the exits far enough away from the event that it wasn’t even visible.

I have to hand it to the cab driver, though. He gave it his all. He knew his passengers were in a hurry and he did everything short of engaging a secret Hyperdrive to get us to the airport on time. Honking his horn, making illegal lane changes, driving on the shoulder, passing on the right, cutting into turn lanes, making illegal u-turns, rushing yellow lights, you name it – he was gonna fucking get us there, no matter how many motorists he had to piss off and endanger. Yes, he actually did every one of those things, at least once, and to his credit, he actually did get me to the airport on time in the sense that I got there before my plane took off – a half-hour before – but not before they had terminated check-in for my flight.

I couldn’t pronounce his name, but his acts of selfless heroism in the line of traffic warrant the creation of an official Transportation Medal that should be awarded to him and him alone. After its casting, the mold should be destroyed.

And get this: He felt so bad about not being able to get us to the airport in the appropriate amount of time, he didn’t even make us pay him the full fare! As we were nearing McCarran, he put his hand over the meter and told us not to worry about it; just to give him whatever we thought was fair, to compensate for a delay which was entirely not his fault.

I dare you to find another cabbie who would do that.

You may have noticed that I’ve been using words like “we” and “us” and “Hyperdrive” in reference to my taxi cab adventure. That’s because I was lucky enough to split the cab with a few other guys, so it wasn’t nearly as traumatic as it could have been. At least I wasn’t alone.

Hyperdrive? Yes, Hyperdrive. Two of the guys I split the cab with were from Skywalker Sound. They were ahead of me in line to pick up their checked bags, and since they too were in a hurry to get to the airport, we split fare on the cab since we didn’t have time to wait for the convention shuttle bus.

They were really cool dudes. I got a card from one of them, so maybe – just maybe – on my next film project, I’ll have access to some really good sound engineers to polish the final tracks. I made it a point to make sure that Skywalker Sound does indeed work on indies. He offered to give me a tour of the facilities the next time I’m in the Bay Area. You can be damned sure I’ll take him up on that offer should the chance present itself.

I don’t know who the third split-fare guy was, but he was even more relaxed about missing his flight than I was.

At the airport, I began to get my hopes up as I was talking to the curbside check-in dude because he told me I might make my flight if I go inside and “talk to that young lady at the booth.” In front of me in that line was a woman who was pulling crap out of her suitcase in a desperate attempt to drop weight so she wouldn’t have to pay a fifty-dollar overweight luggage fee. Super.

Soon, I spoke with the young lady, and she told me that no, actually, I was SOL, and that there was no way in hell I was going to make my plane (my words, not hers – she was much nicer about it).

I then spoke with a very nice ticket agent who transferred me to the next available flight, which was fourteen hours later. Truth-be-told, there was actually a non-stop flight available on another airline in just a couple hours but, to me, it wasn’t worth the 350.00 airfare plus the forfeiture of the 200.00 I had already spent on the existing ticket, which was non-refundable. Call me cheap if you want to, but I would rather spend a night in an airport and save nearly six hundred bucks. She didn’t even charge me a change fee. Nice lady.

Looking at the bright side, at least I’ve been able to catch up on a crap-load of ancient e-mails that needed returning.

On the way to NAB

peakaction — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 07:34:24 +0000

There is something about airports that compels me to write. I’m penning this as I sit at Gate 33, at San Antonio International, waiting to board my flight to Vegas.

I’m not sure what it is; maybe it’s the forced attention paid to so many people’s lives at once that sends my mind into some inquisitive state, making me want to pay attention to everyone around me. I want to know their stories, and wonder where they’re going.

We’re all going somewhere, but only at airports do you find so many people all going somewhere at the same time, and thanks to the diligent folks in homeland security, they are all cranky.

I don’t fly often, but at least this time I wised up and wore sandals through the security line instead of the hook and loop hiking boots that made me so angry the last time I had to partially disrobe in public, feeling awkward, the same way a grade-school student feels when he has to drop his pants so the school nurse can look at his skinned knee. Hey, look at me! I’m standing in my socks, and now I have to take off my belt as well!

Airport security could potentially be the exhibitionist’s wet dream. Hell, if you like to put on a show AND have a ring in your cock, and you have never taken a commercial flight, get off your ass and down to the airport. I’m sure the ever-diligent TSA screeners will show no mercy as they make you drop trou and free Prince Albert.

I’m not trying to pee all over the airport security peeps, but let’s be honest and admit that any high school student with a slight gift for logistics could design a better-flowing system than what is in place now.

Oops, i accidentally brought my BIG bottle of saline solution, so now I have to check my bag so the TSA can go through my shit. I should have hidden a dog turd in one of my shoes; there was a fresh one in my back yard today. I named it Steamy.

I have strayed far from my original point. That doesn’t matter, though, because I may have forgotten it anyway. I’m in Phoenix now, at Skyharbor airport, waiting to board my connecting flight to Vegas. I forgot to mention my reason for traveling, and that is to attend the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) convention in Las Vegas. NAB is the largest broadcasting trade show on the planet, but that has never stopped me from not going. This is my first time at NAB, and I’m really excited. The trade show is great, but I’m more interested right now in the industry parties. Sunday night, it will be Newtek, followed by Avid, and then on Monday nigh it’s Panasonic. I think we’re scheduled to crash a couple more as well, but I can’t remember right now.

Boarding now. Gotta run.

Advice for the Peep Wars

peakaction — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:28:26 +0000

If you find yourself conducting bracketed peep wars on Easter Sunday, as many of us non-religious types do, let me offer you some advice for next year. If you are out of toothpicks and decide instead to use sharpened match sticks for lances, be sure to cut off the match head before you place your jousters in the microwave.

This is a public service announcement from me to you, because, honestly, I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get the smell of sulfur and burned marshmallow out of my house, and I want to save you the trouble if at all possible.

Here’s a frame grab of the carnage: