Currently Listening O By Damien Rice Prague see related

My friend Annie and our Victoria's Secret style photoshoot

I haven't had any pictures up on here for a while (not that anyone reads this in the first place), so I figure I would post some pictures of one of my more serious photoshoots I've done in the past few weeks.

My model was Annie, who I actually met at a bar a few months ago. At a point in our conversation we somehow ended up talking about photography, she had always wanted to model but hadn't had time, and I was always looking to expand my portfolio with different people so it went on from there. She wanted to have Victoria's Secret style shots of herself, which of course involves lingerie (so no, it wasn't my idea). So from there I spent some time studying shots and poses and driving all over So Cal looking for a cost effective place I could rent out that would have the decor that would fit the theme. After going through a lot of bed and breakfast inns (my number one location I wanted to shoot at was the Channel Road Inn in Santa Monica, but they didn't want to be associated with something like this.. booo :P) and high end hotels like the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, I ended up renting out this "mansion" (it's more like a big house) in Orange that was supposedly designed by the same guy who made the Bellagio.

So anyway, a few months of working out and clothes shopping for Annie, and planning and budgeting exactly how much money I was willing to blow on this, I think we turned out some pretty good shots  Oh yeah, and sorry about the annoying watermark; just trying to protect myself from a particular individual :P

I'd show more but you get the idea :P

There were a few hiccups here and there (including one time where I almost killed her when a light stand toppled over , and the damn Pocketwizards not setting the strobes off), but overall it was fun doing a shoot again after a few months of laziness.

Thanks Annie!

Saving breasts, one mile at a time...

For people that don't know me, there's nothing more I love in this world than these two things: breasts, and cars. So it was with much gusto when I learned of an event where I could combine both subjects together for a good cause!

Last weekend I was able to participate as a volunteer in BMW's Ultimate Drive, supporting Susan G. Komen for the Cure- for those that don't know, this foundation dedicates itself to breast cancer research. Every year BMW holds an event across the U.S. that allows people to test drive a set of cars dedicated to the event (representing the entire BMW lineup) as many times as they want, and for each mile driven BMW will donate $1 towards the Susan G. Komen foundation.  With gas prices these days and the bad mileage that BMWs get when they're floored, I'm not sure if any of that money is actually realized, and one may wonder why they don't just donate straight money.. but then it wouldn't be fun and no one would participate, would they?   

Of course, beyond this, a unique group of people (us volunteers) were given the opportunity to act as transporters. As mentioned previously, since this is a nationwide event, the cars travel from dealership to dealership, starting on the east cost and ending in the west. The transporters were used to move the cars from the dealership with which they participated in, to the one that would hold the event the next day.  For us, that meant transporting the car from Sterling BMW in Newport Beach to South Bay BMW in Torrance, which is roughly a 35 mile drive. Two of the cars available to drive were the new 2008 M3 coupe, and for some reason an Alpina B7 (which retails for $115k). Unfortunately, there was a strange age requirement of being 30.. damn it!

The event started with us waiting in the lobby while the general public took their short test drives.  Inside, a PIMCO employee was being honored for her dedication to the foundation.  One of the cars that travels nationwide, called the "signature" car for obvious reasons, was in the lobby, and we each got a turn at signing our names on it. Here's a cheesy picture of me in the process:
 

Bam, immortalized forever :P

And a shot of the car in general, the new X6 replacing the X5:

Around 5:30 they closed the event to the public and prepped us on the transport agenda. My friend and I were able to drive the 335i's, which was fine enough for me- nothing better than 300hp twin turbos. Although I think I would rather have driven the 135i instead. A copy of our directions:

And here we are getting into our shiney new beemers:

And off we go!

So anyway, during this drive, the objective was simply to drive to Torrance- the only rule was that we were not to pass the signature car. Other than that, for those sweet 30 minutes or so, the cars were basically ours. So on the way there (especially on the freeway), I realized how silly the 30 year old rule to drive the M3 and Alpina were- because half of the transport crew were probably in their mid 40's, but EVERYONE one of us were driving like assholes. Yes, age is not a factor when it comes to abusing a car you don't own. Pretty much any sort of vehicular hooliganism that you think were reserved to 16 year olds occurred during our drive- spinning tires at stop lights, short drag races, slowing down to create a large enough gap to floor it up to 100mph, you got it :P Nothing was funnier than seeing a gang of 20 white BMWs taking up every lane on the road!

Here are some pics my friend was able to take while we drove.

The 135i:

A couple of Z4's and a 6 series lining up for a race :P

The M3 about to pass us by (the driver disappointed me when he said he only took it up to 90mph.. wuss!):

Incriminating evidence:

All in all, it was a pretty fun event and for a good cause. I think I used up a quarter tank of gas just going those 30 miles because I was in third gear the whole time just waiting for a gap in traffic I could burst through :P

Next year I'm carrying a fake ID with me so I can get my hands on the M :P

Uncle Al's Seafood

One of the greatest things to come out of the LBC (or perhaps the only good thing) is Uncle Al's Seafood. I was introduced to this place a few years ago and have been a believer ever since. A non-descript hole-in-the-wall location in downtown Long Beach, most people would dismiss it as nothing more than a passable attraction.

These people could never be so more wrong. Uncle Al's is the home of THE best mother f-ckin fish n' chips in the world.  You may think you've tasted good fish n' chips before.. but you have no idea what real fish n' chips are until you had some mother f-ckin Uncle Al's.  Yes, he sells other fare, such as hush puppies, salmon burgers and oysters, but this isn't what this entry is about. It's about the f-ckin fish n' chips.

Most fish n' chips that you know of are of the English variety- super oily in a crispy batter thick enough to send you to the hospital with arterial clogs, made of solid cuts of filet straight out of the food processor and into the freezer. They do things differently here at Uncle Al's. Since it's so close to the port, I can only assume that Uncle Al actually has a catfish farm somewhere in there, which are brought in to order whenever someone wants fish n' chips. Well, maybe not quite, but the cuts of catfish are about as fresh as you can get.  The breading used is made of a spiced cornbread Southern-style recipe that's very light, yet tasty. So unlike most other restaurants, you're actually getting more fish than breading.. imagine that.

Anyway, imagine getting a plate of steaming hot fish. You pick up a piece, and proceed to break off that piece. The meat is so tender that it basically slides off a slice.  Imagine putting that slice in your mouth and feel the catfish literally melt on your tongue.  Combined with the light and tasty breading, as well as Uncle Al's patented tartar sauce, and you have what is perhaps the equivalent of myrrh back in the day.

I don't think I can accurately describe exactly how good his fish is. You may think I am biased, but quite frankly, I'm not. Every single person that I've brought to this place thought I was exaggerating, only to be converted the moment they sink their teeth into one filet. Except for Kristal, but what does she know about food (haha just kidding :P). 

If you're into a family owned environment, then you'll love Uncle Al's.  Their clientele seems to be of the few but devoted variety (like me!). Everyone is friendly and you don't have to worry about getting shot, usually.

So anyway, I would push everyone that reads this to go try his fish n' chips, but there's only one problem- his location closed down and is now being replaced by some Italian restaurant. My heart literally sank that one day I visited the corner with my fellow loyalist, only to find it boarded up.  We've called Uncle Al up and he says that he's moving to a new location that should be up by March.. but it's March and there's still no word. I hope to God that he didn't actually quit..

Until then, I can only imagine when I will ever be able to taste that sweet, sweet catfish again...

P.S. The fish n' chips comes in two varieties - catfish and red snapper. For your sake, do NOT order the red snapper. Unless you like dry fish and enjoy picking bones out of your throat.

Update: A picture of a plate of catfish, fries, oysters and shrimp per request (the catfish is the long tentacle looking thing) :P

More car shots..

These were taken with the Canon 100mm f/2.8.. first one on a rainy day and the second a day after. Fixed lens + tripod + mirror lockup = insane sharpness!

Too bad the reflections of the miscellaneous objects from my garage ruins the shot..hahahah.

Come on Honda you know you want to hire me :P

Another picture at the end of San Gabriel Mountain Rd..

I thought this picture deserved its own post :P