Photography 101

Tomorrow night I will be shooting an event. I haven't seen the location yet but I know it will be outdoors and starts at 7pm. The most important thing with any shoot is preparation. Even though I can't scout the location until one hour before the event, I can still prepare.

First, I visual what I think the event will be like. Thinking up different scenarios. What I want the pictures to look like. What will be shot...the raw photographs. And what I think I can do with them in photoshop for additional artistic flair.

Once I think it through, which I have been doing for the past several days, I decide what equipment I want to use and how my work flow will work at the location. I visualize myself taking all the pictures, when to change cameras, when I'm going to download etc. I try to leave no stone unturned. I want the shoot to run smoothly. If I have to stress while I'm shooting, it will show in the pictures. And the people at the event will pick up on my stressed energy. The only way to avoid that is preparation.

First I decied that I will shoot all digital with two Nikon D300 cameras. Then I decided to rent an extra lens. I was also thinking about an attached flash for when it gets too dark to shoot available light. There was a special device I heard could attach to my on-camera flash that would diffuse the light, so I decided to get that instead of a flash. When I got it, I found out it doesn't...it attaches to an attachable flash. Oops.

Next...test shots. Both cameras. It's important to test lighting situations and also test the equipment so I know everything is working properly. I shot 94 pictures (that's an advantage of digital...no extra cost for shooting lots of pictures). Following are 16 of them with comments. On the ones taken outside I used a Nikon 17-55mm 1:2.8 DX lens. The inside shots were with Nikon 50mm 1:1.4 lens. The flash ones are all with the on-camera flash.

I like the sharpness and detail with the flash.
Although it's not red-eye, I'm not crazy about the effect the flash has on the eyes.

Switched to monochrome in the camera. Same comments as above.

Messing with distance and exposure. These are all 250 shutter speed and around an 18 f-stop.

Why we need to test.
When I wide angle on the zoom, the on-camera flash creates a shadow of the lens.
Definitely need to get another flash before the event.

Same shot zoomed in.

Flash looks better when the eyes aren't facing the camera.

This shows me that if I shoot with a downward angle
the eyes looking into the camera look fine.

Without a flash I had to put the ISO from 200 up to 1600 and
shoot 1/15 sec shutter and 2.8 f-stop. I'm good with holding
the camera steady but I can't control the subject.

Too dark.
I need to get the natural light shots early in the evening, then switch to the flash.

Although I do like the look of the natural light.
But picture quality isn't as good.
But then again it can create a certain artistic quality.

These next two are interesting...

This one is without a flash. Way better than the flash shot below.

If I'm doing longer shots the flash will definitely be off.

I shot these inside shots just in case my client wants something done indoors. They would have the same comments as the outside shots of the dog. Except the natural light ones shot inside are much better than the outdoor ones and I like the look of them better than the flash shots.




What do these test shots tell me overall? I will likely shoot one camera with the flash and one with natural light. I will try to get most of the shots with both. I may forego the fixed lens and use a zoom on both cameras. If I have lots of time to cover everything I can switch off on the lens. I will also try and switch between b/w and color on both cameras. I don't think shooting in color and converting to b/w in photoshop gives me the same quality I get if I do it in the camera.

One more thought on why it's important to shoot tests...I was able to look at the shots in high resolution so I could check the quality of the pictures at full size. You can never trust what you see on the on-camera screen, even when you enlarge it for detail.

I will take my computer to the shoot so I can download as I shoot if needed...and I will also be able to do more test shots and check them at full size in the hour I have before the event starts.

I hope my photographer readers found this post helpful and the non-photographer readers weren't completely bored.

Also, thanks to Pumpkin for being such a cooperative model.

What A Difference A Day Makes

Even though I'm still disconnected (yes, this is another post that I am phoning in), I'm managed to make forward movement today on several fronts.

The biggest one? My 2008 taxes are done. Finito. And I vow here and now that I will never fall behind like that again. The moment the clock strokes midnight on December 31 2009 I will be ready to drop my stuff off at my accountants. I'll just be waiting for any w-whatevers and the year end crap from the banks and hi ho hi ho it's off to my accountant's I go.

Also got that job I've been waiting for was confirmed and approved today...finally. It was like waiting for paint to dry. Accomplished stuf on my movie as well. Picked up chicken noodle soup from the deli to soothe an impending sore throat/cold that I am refusing. Even made chocolate chip cookies tonight. And...I somehow got Time Warner to book an appointment with me for tomorrow between 10 an 12 to get my Internet up and running. That may be the greatest feat of all.

Tomorrow, pictures will return to the blog!

P.S. The term 'phoning it in' is often used to reflect taking the easy road to doing something. Phoning it in on a blog is anything but. Please enjoy the typos, errors and ommissions. No way in hell I'm going back over this to check for mistakes.

DiSconnected

My Internet died on me today and I'm not sure when I can get it up and running.
This sadly formatted and probably error-ridden is coming to you via my iPhone. I think I did this once before and found out that time that I can manage words but can't upload pictures. But I will try to upload something off my phone...maybe it will work this time.

In the meantime, I don't have much to say other than life pretty much stinks at the moment (for me). Everything seems to be in a state of flux. I've been trying my damndest to get things moving in the direction I need them to go but without success. I've been waiting fir a graphics job to ce in that has been in discussion since early July - I think I talked about that in an earlier post - and it still hasn't arrived. I sit here in limbo doing what I can do on other projects (the non-paying variety) until that and all the AFM stuff decides to show up. It can't come soon enough.

So, how you all doing? Things going well for you? Am I the only one enjoying this whirlpool bath sans water?

I did have one good thing happen to me today. It was time for my monthly/six week visit to Starbucks today to pick up a pound o' beans. I decided to take in all the empty gift cards I had laying around just to see if there was a few cents left on any of them. I had three. The guy ran one - $0.00 - then another - $0.00 - then the last one -$15.00 - holy shit!!! I felt like I won the lottery. It covered my pound and I still have $5.05 left over. I have no idea how I could have had a totally random card with $$ on it. No idea if it was a card I loaded or someone gave it to me. I was 99% sure there was nothing on any of 'em. I'm really glad I didn't throw them out without checking them.

Okay, I am fully tired of texting this post. I'm done. I'll try a photo... If it works I don't think I can get it to the bottom though.

NOPE

My Father's Birthday

Today is my Dad's birthday.

If you want to know more about him you can read a story I wrote here.

When I was a little kid we would occasionally go out to dinner at a private club he belonged to that had an old school band. I always got to dance one song with him, my sock-feet trying not to slip off the tops of his shoes. This was always the song...



Happy Birthday, Dad.

And thanks for the dance.

What Did I Say About Mondays?

If you read yesterday (yes, sometimes my blog is like a serialized soap opera) you know I was taking my cans and bottles to the recycle depot today.

But did I mention I was walking the two large garbage bags full along with my dog two and a half blogs to get there?

Pictorial evidence...

I looked near-homeless as I switched the bags and the dog from hand to hand. All that was missing from the picture of homelessness was the shopping cart.

To add insult to injury, when I got there I found out the recycle depot is closed on Mondays. There was a guy there with his shopping cart and his bags of recycling lined up at the machine. He was sitting on a chair about six feet back in the shade.

I inanely stated the obvious, "So, they're closed on Mondays."

He responded, "Yup."

"You planning on sitting there until tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yup."

On my way home - with my garbage bags still full of cans and bottles - I passed this dude...

I expect he is working his way down the street to get in line for tomorrow's opening. I'm now wondering if the recycling people will be handing out wristbands for tickets to see Garbage...

Smoking Crack

*11:56 pm: Exactly one hour after posting this I realized I forgot to put a title on it. I had already tagged this post with "smoking crack" just to see if anybody would notice...sadly it seems to be true so I figured I might as well slap it right there up top for everyone to see.

I am oddly out of things to say. And that's dangerous when sitting down to write a blog post. Because that means I don't have a plan and the writing becomes stream of consciousness and I know nobody wants to dip their toes in those waters.

I'm thinking it might be best to post a picture and get the hell out of here while the gettin's good. Before I start spewing what's really on my mind. Wouldn't want to spoil what's left of anybody's weekend or derail anyone that's trying to get the week off to a positively optimistic start.

I generally hate Mondays. They always seem to go south on me if I try to do anything that involves other human beings. I try not to make calls where I need something. My day is planned around everything I can get done on my own. Tomorrow I plan to clean my office up, take my recycling up the street, do some editing on my location tape and work on the movie budget.

And most important on tomorrow's agenda, I'm compiling a list of potential new clients for my graphics biz that need stuff done for the upcoming film markets. I've put together an incentive that I will be sending out by email tomorrow or Tuesday (since Mondays generally suck for me). Here it is...

I took out the price 'cause it wouldn't be so special if everyone on the internet knows what it is...and as we all know everyone on the internet, and I mean every single person, reads this blog. I also took out the phone number. I like the fact that my phone never rings. I don't want that to change. Unless someone is calling to book a job. Of just throw a wad of cash at me because they can.

Please feel free to critique my little promo piece. If you were/are a potential client would you be intrigued? Should I change anything? Add something? Subtract something? (I'm big on math these days.)

Okay. This post is now officially over. Looks like I managed to keep the content moving in a positive direction. No mad rants from the chick trapped in her own personal psych ward. Phew. Faked 'em out again, didn't I. But what about tomorrow? What the fuck am I gonna write tomorrow?

Chuck E. and the Bartender

Chuck E. Weiss is the other performer I found on my Tim Weisberg negs. I knew Chuck pretty well back in the day. He was best pals with Tom Waits and was a regular (as was I) at the Troubadour and the Tropicana (home the famous Duke's) where I'm sure we ate breakfast together more times than I can remember.

You probably only know Chuck E. Weiss from this...



I really just wanted to run a live performance of Chuck E's In Love but the best one was embedding disabled. Then there was this one which is pretty much unrecognizable. I'm wondering if this is from the show I saw her at a couple of years ago at the theater on Wilshire and Orlando. Worst. Show. Ever. I swear she was high as a kite. Or drunk. Either way she couldn't sing. Sad. Anyway, check it out and you will realize why I had to post the recorded version above...



But Chuck E. Weiss is a talent in his own right as proven by this very cool video from Art Fein's show...



One other photo on the Weisberg roll was of this guy who used to ply me with alcohol...

I can't for the life of me remember his name. I have a Facebook friend who used to work at the Troub. Maybe I can get him to stop by and I.D. my bartender.

Looking For Tim Weisberg

After yesterday's post on Dan Fogelberg and watching the video I posted, I began thinking about Tim Weisberg. He is/was an amazing flute player. I googled him and found near nothing. No wikipedia page. No website. It seems he has fallen off the planet.

Anybody out there know what's going on with Tim Weisberg? Where is he? Is he still playing?

I was crazy about his music. Somewhere I still have a vinyl copy of Listen to the City. Brilliant album. And it doesn't even seem to be available on CD. I shot him at least once. I uncovered a contact sheet and sleeve of negs. Some of the negatives appear to have some water damage...this is the sleeve...

I shot these photos of him at the Troubadour...


I must have known him pretty well because I have his phone number in an old address book of mine that surfaced while I was doing my book. I would love to find out what he's up to these days.

Anyway, there were some other negs in the Tim Weisberg sleeve (but not on the contact sheet) that surprised me. Maybe I'll post a couple of them over the weekend.

Dan Fogelberg

Happy Birthday to Dan Fogelberg. He would have been 58 today.

Dan Fogelberg
8/13/51 - 12/16/07

Dan Fogelberg live with Tim Weisberg (they made some great music together)...

Dan Fogelberg passed away after EISID was published but will continue to be honored on this blog and hopefully a part of a future new media version of my book.

Tony Hicks

Yes, it was just 4 days ago that we celebrated the birthday of Back Door drummer Tony Hicks. And we're back today to honor the 3rd anniversary of his passing.

Tony Hicks

8/8/48-8/12/06
l to r - Peter Thorup (guitar), Colin Hodgkinson (bass),
Ron Aspery 6/9/46-12/10/03 (sax, flute) Tony Hicks (drums),
Mark Wilson - also deceased (WB rep)

You can see lots more pictures and learn more about Tony Hicks and the 47 other musicians in my tribute book, Everybody I Shot Is Dead.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

I am saddened by the death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver (July 10, 1921 – August 11, 2009), a woman born to privilege who spent her life inspiring and making the world a better place for the underprivileged. She didn't sit on her Camelot throne barking orders to underlings and taking credit...she put herself in the thick of it and gave credit to others. She helped children. She gave back.

I did not know this great lady personally...I wish I did...but I did have a degree or two of separation to her. I was fortunate enough to meet her brother, Robert Kennedy Jr., when I was a little kid. To this day I remember being filled with awe as I shook his warm hand...he had that much charisma. And as a grown-up I had a brief producing partnership with her nephew, Christopher Kennedy Lawford, then met her son-in-law (yes, that son-in-law) in passing at a birthday party.

This is the eloquent statement on her passing from the Shriver family:

It's hard for us to believe:
the amazing Eunice Kennedy Shriver went home to God this morning at 2 a.m.

She was the light of our lives, a mother, wife, grandmother, sister and aunt who taught us by example and with passion what it means to live a faith-driven life of love and service to others. For each of us, she often seemed to stop time itself - to run another Special Olympics games, to visit us in our homes, to attend to her own mother, her sisters and brothers, and to sail, tell stories, and laugh and serve her friends. How did she do it all?

Inspired by her love of God, her devotion to her family, and her relentless belief in the dignity and worth of every human life, she worked without ceasing - searching, pushing, demanding, hoping for change. She was a living prayer, a living advocate, a living center of power. She set out to change the world and to change us, and she did that and more. She founded the movement that became Special Olympics, the largest movement for acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities in the history of the world. Her work transformed the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the globe, and they in turn are her living legacy.

We have always been honored to share our mother with people of good will the world over who believe, as she did, that there is no limit to the human spirit. At this time of loss, we feel overwhelmed by the gifts of prayer and support poured out to us from so many who loved her. We are together in our belief that she is now in heaven, rejoicing with her family, enjoying the fruits of her faith, and still urging us onward to the challenges ahead. Her love will inspire us to faith and service always.

She was forever devoted to the Blessed Mother. May she be welcomed now by Mary to the joy and love of life everlasting, in the certain truth that her love and spirit will live forever.

Eunice Kennedy doing what she did best - helping a child.

Please take a moment to visit Eunice Kennedy Shriver's website and listen to the short message she gave to the participants in the 1987 Special Olympics World Games in South Bend, Indiana.

An inspirational woman, indeed. My thoughts and prayers to her family.

Cash Only

What a day!

I've been calculating.

All day.

Numbers.

Ugh.

I may have mentioned in past posts here and there that I have been irresponsible with my bookkeeping/accounting. Not that I've done anything wrong. I've just let it pile up. And pile up to the point that the mountain is nearing the height of Everest.

No longer.

Not because I was anxious to open up Pandora's box. But because of deadlines. The brick wall was finally closing in. If I didn't climb it, I was going to smack right into it. The first deadline that has been haunting me since December 31, 2008 is taxes. Yep, I have yet to file my 2008 return. I filed the extension and now have no choice but to get my shit together and show up at my accountant's office...tomorrow...at noon. Noon. Isn't that the time of every showdown that ever took place? How appropriate.

So, the past few days I have been dealing with reconciling bank accounts and searching for all those cash receipts that disappear like socks in a dryer. I found a bunch and reconciled them, then pulled out a file looking for something else and found another bag of receipts, then another and so on and so on. I have no doubt that tomorrow or some day next week when the taxes are done I'll find yet another box with a hidden envelope of more receipts. Today I actually found some from '07 that I didn't put into last year's taxes. Oh well, my loss.

My other deadline for finally getting on this (I actually consider that I'm filing early since my IRS deadline doesn't lapse 'til Oct 1) is that I am taking classes this Fall. And the other day when I was paying my tuition it dawned on me that I can apply for financial aid. I registered with FAFSA - that was fun - and got approved based on my estimated tax return but I need the real deal to show the school and see what, if anything, they can offer. Financial aid is part of the fun of going to school, right?

And my last reason for wanting to take care of my Everest is that I don't believe I can move forward whilst dragging this mountain behind me. I have finally made the choice to clean up my shit. To become fiscally responsible. (Ha! I just had to look up 'fiscal' to make sure I was using it correctly, which goes to show I obviously haven't been in the past.) And I will not relapse. As soon as I am done with '08 I am going to tackle '09 so I'll be ready to file on January 1st.

Another major step I am taking toward fiscal responsibility is I am no longer using credit cards. From here on out I am CASH ONLY, baby. I no longer want to owe anything to anyone. If there's something I want, or even need, I can't get it unless I have the cash in hand to pay for it. My mantra is - in this order - roof, food, transportation, savings, entertainment. If I have a bad month and don't have cash for gas, I'll take the bus. No money for the bus? I'll walk.

Credit is bullshit. It's a thing that the banks and credit card companies want you to take advantage of so they can get rich and pay themselves fat bonuses. Credit gets you nowhere. Except into a hole so deep there's no way to dig yourself out. Like the United States of America did. Whatever happened to the concept of saving up for something you want? Not only is that a fiscally responsible thing to do, it also gives you a greater appreciation for that thing you wanted. And half the stuff we purchase on credit cards are impulse buys anyway. Save up for that item you want so bad and you may realize you didn't really want it after all.

Okay, this post has totally gone way deeper and more personal than I intended. And I'm too tired to give it the edit it likely needs. Hopefully, no one will read past the first five lines. That's probably where I should have stopped.

I like the picture though. I took it on the May/June road trip...that I'm still paying for on my credit card.

Jerry Garcia

Last Saturday we celebrated Jerry Garcia's birthday. Today we pay our respects and honor his passing 16 years ago.

Jerry Garcia

8/1/42-8/9/95

It's always nice when I go looking for a piece of video to post and find something special that I've never seen before. Jerry Garcia's rendition of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes done for the movie Smoke (which I have just added to my NF queue)...







You can see lots more pictures and learn more about Jerry Garcia and the 47 other musicians in my tribute book, Everybody I Shot Is Dead.

Jimmy Witherspoon and Tony Hicks

It's a double birthday celebration today...the Spoon's 89th and the Hicks's 61st.

Jimmy Witherspoon is one of the greatest blues singers to step foot on a stage. 'Nuf said.

Jimmy Witherspoon

8/8/20-9/18/97

What a voice...



Tony Hicks played drums with a jazz-rock trio out of Yorkshire called Back Door. They scored a record deal with Warner Bros. in the early seventies and soon found themselves touring with the likes of Deep Purple, the J. Geils Band and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Tony Hicks

8/8/48-8/12/06

Wow, drummer Tony Hicks plays the accordion...who knew...







You can see lots more pictures and learn more about Jimmy Witherspoon, Tony Hicks and the 46 other musicians in my tribute book, Everybody I Shot Is Dead.

Going Deep

per⋅cep⋅tion [per-sep-shuh n] - noun
1. the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.
2. immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment: an artist of rare perception.

I've been thinking about this word a lot lately. Maybe because I'm thinking about writing a new spec script. And when I'm thinking about writing a script, I'm thinking about character. Mine, yours, the guy that bags my groceries at Ralph's, my dog. Trying to get inside every person's (and animal's head) and figure out who they are. Trying to perceive them.

And that exercise got me to wondering how people perceive me. To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I think I'm an open book. But am I really? Does anyone really get who I am? Or what I really think? What I really feel? Does anyone really get you?

And then I began to think about who I am... Am I the person I perceive myself to be? Or am I the sum of the perceptions that others have of me? Think about it. We see ourselves from the inside out. Everyone else sees us from the outside in. That idea in itself changes my perception of everything.

And now I have just rummaged through hundreds of photographs to perceptively choose the appropriate picture to go with this post. I failed. I picked five. And couldn't decide. Let me know which one you think works best...and why. I'm very interested to see how you perceive the post and the pictures.

1

2

3

4

5

That Smell

Ooh, ooh that smell

Can't you smell that smell?
Ooh, ooh that smell
The smell of death surrounds you.

Is it just me? Or has Mr. Death been working overtime this year?

Pay attention, people.
If you see him rounding the corner, run the other way.
Enough is enough.

Studious

Yup.
Me.
Student.
Fall 2009.

Maureen Starkey

A happy 63th birthday to Maureen Starkey Tigrett.

Maureen Starkey

8/4/46 - 12/30/94

Found these two very cool videos that include Maureen...

Maureen Starkey is one of the people I dedicated Everybody I Shot Is Dead to with several more photos of her.

Google

Sometimes I entertain myself with checking out my referrals on my site stats and saturday night was one of those times. Sheesh...that sounds pretty sad when I read it in a sentence. Obviously, I need a life. But until then I will continue to share the Google searches that land people on this blog.

Yesterday brought an onslaught of John Mayer searches. This is the first of the several "John Mayer Sucks" searches. I'm surprised to see me at #7 out of 601,000 hits. I am even more surprised at what people write about him. That first one calls him "the most hideous purveyor of musical..." - however the sentence ended, it sounds pretty harsh to me. And I do not endorse any suckage against Mr. Mayer.

The second John Mayer Sucks search was "John Meyer sucks" yes, his last name was spelled wrong...on that one I was #2 out of 3.27 million - wow, I feel like I won the lottery...

And the worst John Mayer search from yesterday was "John Mayer Dead"...dude, I think you would have heard if he was dead. However, I am #5 out of 1.83 million. Not bad.
In other searches, a person in Poland found me by searching "in hollywood they'll give you 1 million dollars for a kiss" - Where is the 'they' that will do this...I am puckered and ready...cash only, please. Of course, I hit #1 on that search.
And finally, from Italy, someone searched "Debbie fucks around with her twin" landed on my blog...cause I talked about 'twins' in a post, used the word 'fucking' in reference to the artiness of a photo I took, and the word 'around' in a completely different post and the word 'her' in yet another post. No reference to 'Debbie' or 'with'. Just 'twins fucking around her'.

Everybody I Shot Is Dead

- 2 visite - 9 giu - [ Traduci questa pagina ]The failed dream of twins that drove their Alpha Romeos to their ... How fucking arty is that shot? What does it have to do with the first two shots other than being in the equipment family? .... Let's figure out a way to turn this trend around. And.. ... This is her infamous audition for American Idol in 2007. ...
everybodyishotisdead.blogspot.com/ - Copia cache - Simili -

To all of you, I really don't care how you got here...I'm just happy you are here.

Jerry Garcia

My bad. I totally glossed over Jerry Garcia's birthday yesterday. Not good.

So, this post is a Happy Belated 67th Birthday to Mr. Jerry Garcia. If you don't know who he is you were either born last month or you are brain dead from all the hallucinogenics you took at the Grateful Dead concerts in the sixties and seventies.

Jerry Garcia

8/1/42-8/9/95

Check this out...educational and fun and pretty hilarious...



Sadly, all three are gone.

And a couple of songs from the same show...taped at NBC on May 7, 1981...

Adventures in La La Land

I knew there was a reason I like to stay home. And work. And work. And work. Instead of enjoying the company of others. I think they call it socializing.

Last night I had arrangements to meet a friend over the hill (that's the terminology when you reside in the Valley and you have to drive over the Hollywood Hills to get to Hollywood or West Hollywood (WeHo) or Beverly Hills or West L.A. or Santa Monica etc, etc, etc) for pie. Well, not just pie...we had a photography gig to discuss.

So, I thought I would double the pleasure and arrange to meet an online friend - wow, I just realized as I was reading what I typed...if you take the 'r' out your friend becomes your fiend. What were the word inventors thinking? Where was I? Oh yeah. I decided to see if this online friend who has recently moved to the City of Angels wanted to grab a bite before my other engagement, as we had been threatening to meet for a couple of months.

In order to spend enough time with him I suggested we meet at 5:45. Then we decided to go to Barney's Beanery (the place hasn't changed in forever, except they have valet parking now instead of first come, first served) and I offered to pick him up at the place he works nearby.

This all sounds like great planning on my part, doesn't it?

About an hour an a half before I was to leave I made a quick phone call that at most should have taken 3 minutes. Just wanted to set up an appointment to meet and have a conversation to obtain a bunch of information I need. The phone happened to be answered by the person of knowledge and he began spewing forth said information. An hour later I was still on the phone. And while I was talking to him, two other calls came in that I needed to return before I left.

Instead of leaving shortly after five, I didn't make it out of here until 5:28. No way was I going to make it by 5:45. I texted my online friend when I was nearing Coldwater Canyon (one of several that goes over the hill). Fortunately, the traffic was light so I figured I'd easily make it to him by 6:10. As I neared the top of the Valley side of the canyon, I hear a siren and was quickly passed by an ambulance. I thought, "well, that's cool, I can make good time following him." To the top. Where the fire station is.

But he didn't pull in at the top. He kept going. No problem. We're making really great time. I'm going to get there before six. It was all fantastic. Flying down the Beverly Hills side of the canyon. Easey peasey. Until....

Yup, we're at a dead stop. Lesson #1: an ambulance passing you in a canyon is not a good thing. We sat there for ten minutes while they occasionally let groups of northbound cars through.

Finally, we make a move.

Yes, I am rubbernecking...or in my case cameranecking.

Wow. A victim on a stretcher. Doesn't look like much of an accident to require six fire trucks and an ambulance. I was expecting Armageddon. Test question: How many firemen does it take to roll a stretcher?

Oops. Make it two ambulances. Lesson #2: if you're going to get in an accident do it in Beverly Hills. They will send many hot guys in uniforms to care for you. Check out all the cars trying to get to the Valley.

By some miracle I made it by 6:10, which only gave us an hour and a quarter for our meet and greet before I had to rush for my pie date. But it was good. And fun. Although it would have been nice to shoot a game of pool since it was my online friend's first time at Barney's. Maybe next time.