South Of Someplace

Monday, December 23, 2024

The Value Of Things

I read recently about a young lady (age 20) who was working a minimum wage job in 2023. She began posting photos on OF - her sister was also an OF model - and made $43 million in a year.

No judgments. The human body is to be appreciated, and capitalism is a wonderful invention. If I could make 40 million bucks posting photos of my bum, I’d get out the camera and upgrade my retirement plans.

What makes me wonder is, where does the money come from? Assuming that OF takes a cut, that suggests that 500,000 people spent an average of $100 over the past year to access this lady’s content.

Who are these people? How many OF contributors do they follow? I assume that one is not enough. If someone subscribes to multiple OF artists, they could be paying hundreds or thousands of dollars a year for type type of entertainment.

Are these the people who voted for Trump because they thought that groceries were too expensive? Do they drive around in expensive pickup trucks? I can see how it would be tough to afford food if you’re dropping large sums on salacious subscriptions.

The best things in life are free.

The Ghost Of Christmas

I rewatched ‘The Ghost Of Christmas’, an episode from the second season of the BBC series Ghosts. There is a US version of Ghosts on CBS, but this episode is from the British series.

I’m not sure why, but the last scene moves me to tears. It’s not a sad or tragic scene; it just hits me in a powerful way. I was trying to describe the storyline to someone, and I couldn’t make it through the conversation. I was overwhelmed with emotion.

What's On The Menu?

Salad: Cobb

Sandwich: Turkey club

Cheese: Swiss or Provolone

Bread: Gluten-free

Wine: Malbec

Coffee: Latte with skim milk

Omelette: Western, no onions

Pie: Pumpkin, Apple, or Rhubarb

Cake: Pineapple Upside Down

Cookie: Oatmeal raisin

Ice Cream: Coffee, Pistachio, or Vanilla Bean

Snack: Blue corn chips

Nuts: Cashews

On the go: Trail mix

Pizza: Pepperoni with Banana Peppers or Hawaiian

Pasta: Penne Bolognese

Tacos: Mexican style, any filling except mushroom

Seafood: Salmon, sea bass, cod, shrimp, scallops

Sushi: Rainbow roll

Indian: Aloo Gobi

Middle Eastern: Shawarma

Curry: Any, as long as it’s gluten-free

Curry protien: Tofu

Spice level: Mild to medium

Fries: Belgian

Favorite Burger Topping: Fried egg

Food I eat most often: Yogurt

Refuse to eat: Wheat, onions, chocolate, tomato soup, mussels, snails, octopus, most mushrooms, liver, anything more disgusting than liver

Surprising fact: Most days, my diet is vegetarian. Meat is an occasional indulgence.

Less Gear Equals More Productivity

When I had a roomful of music gear, I found it hard to make music. Managing the gear became a job unto itself; it took time and energy away from the creative process.

Too much camera gear can also have a negative effect on creativity. Either you carry around stuff that you don’t need, which weighs you down, literally and figuratively, or you waste time debating what to take with you.

I’ll carry four or five lenses when I have to, or when I want a workout, but I enjoy walking around with a body and two lenses. It doesn’t cover every focal length, but so what? I shoot with what’s in my hands and I don’t waste time mulling over choices. The light weight and small size are plusses when shooting in busy places.

I find that I’m gravitating toward a few lenses for most of my shooting. One is the wide-angle 14mm f/1.8. It’s lightweight and super sharp, and it’s great for shots like this where I want to fit a fairly large building in the frame. The f/1.8 aperture lets in a lot of light, so I can take handheld shots at night.

When I took this shot, I was crammed between a food truck and a bus lane; it would have been impossible to set up a tripod in that spot. Because of the ability to shoot handheld, I got a cool shot of this bus passing the nicely decorated Saks store.

Less is more. Lighter is better. Leave what you don’t need at home.

How Much Free Time Do We Really Have?

At my first job after college, a colleague approached me about a “business opportunity.” His proposal seemed sketchy, but he was a nice guy, and I didn’t want to decline without thinking it over.

One of my concerns was the time that would be required. My life seemed pretty busy, but in order to quantify how much free time I really had, I took a few minutes to add up how much time I spend each week on various tasks.

When I added time spent on work, commuting, meals, sleeping, exercise, errands and shopping, home chores, and time reserved for family, I realized how little discretionary time I actually have. I hadn’t even factored in things that I did for fun like seeing a movie or getting together with friends.

This quick analysis led me to two conclusions. First, I would have to disappoint my colleague. I didn’t have time to invest in his business venture.

Second, I needed to do a better job of using my free time productively. I didn’t have as much as I thought, and wasn’t managing it well.

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

That Darned Dog

The United States has real enemies, countries that actively seek to do us harm through unfair trade policies, currency devaluation, hacking, cyber attacks, military strategy, etc.

The US also has allies, stable trading partners who support our interests protect us by fostering good relations and sharing vital intelligence.

On the surface, it would seem that Donald Trump doesn’t understand this. He treats enemies like allies and vice versa.

When I saw the news about his intention to put 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, our peaceful allies and our two biggest trading partners, I realized something.

A bully feels insignificant in the absence of conflict. Bullies instigate and intimidate because they thrive on drama. If everything is calm and running smoothly, the bully feels ignored.

Over the next four years, expect a daily deluge of outrageous actions and statements. The bully wants to be seen. He wants to feel important. He feasts off of your attention, especially negative attention.

The best thing we can do is to ignore the outrageous behavior. Refuse to take the bait. Focus on what’s important, adapt to unavoidable changes, and get on with our lives. Drown out the noise with success and good feelings.

The worst thing that we can do is to internalize the stress. The bully wants us to feel shocked and threatened, just as a barking dog wants us to be fearful about getting too close to its territory. Refuse to play the game. Think, “That darned dog is barking again. Oh, well. What can we do to make the most of the day?”

Monday, November 25, 2024

The Producers

Trump 2.0 is going to be like the play in the Mel Brooks film ‘The Producers’, scripted by zealots, funded by the gullible, designed to be awful, and most profitable when it fails.

Saturday, November 9, 2024

What’s Coming Next

With full control of the government, the newly elected regime will waste no time implementing their authoritarian policies. They will not be subtle.

Expect a shock and awe campaign of legislation and executive actions designed to overwhelm the courts, break the bureaucracy, and deflate the hopes of their opposition, i.e. supporters of democracy.

We’ll see things that have never happened within our country’s borders, abuses of power on a grand scale. It will be difficult to watch, much less respond to, but the goal of the authoritarians is to discourage dissent by breaking the spirit of the opposition.

These are the times when we will need to find strength in each other, in our passions, and in the values that we hold dear, the values upon which this country was founded.

The founding fathers knew that the most dangerous threats to democracy would come from within, up to and including an imperial presidency. We are about to witness what they feared most.

We have to stay strong and speak out against the hideous forces that are about to be unleashed by a government controlled by self-serving, unprincipled people.

The authoritarians will do what they want to do. They will take what they want to plunder. But we don’t have to make it easy by looking the other way. Legal action, states’ rights, shared information, and public outrage will be important tools in the fight to save our nation from the worst authoritarian impulses.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

The Important Things

I refuse to worry about a future over which I have no control. I’m focused on today.

My goals haven’t changed.

My to do list hasn’t changed.

The weather report hasn’t changed.

The things I enjoy doing haven’t changed.

The people I care about haven’t changed.

I’m dedicating my time and energy to what’s most important.

As the 2024 election drew near, it reminded me of the one twenty years prior. George W. Bush was doing outrageous things that went against the norms of American foreign policy and ultimately were counterproductive for national and global security. The American people re-elected him anyway.

Four years later, the country elected Barack Obama. Perhaps there’s a lesson in there somewhere.

One final note to supporters of the new administration: please let me know when housing and grocery prices start going down. I’ll be eager to see how well your candidate’s economic plans are working.

Stay focused, my friends. Life is short.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Just Hanging Out

Who would you rather hang out with for an evening?

Dan Quayle

Al Gore

Dick Cheney

Joe Biden

Mike Pence

Kamala Harris

Those are the last six Vice Presidents of the United States.

Does anyone stand out? Be honest.