Broken Bad - US Politics

As the clownish partisan politicking of our neighbours to the south accelerates them (and collaterally, EVERYONE else) down the toiletbowl of western decline and irrelevance, I find myself not caring about the real life fallout but rather pondering the theoretical 'what if' impact on our tv landscape. Think about it: Walter White gets cancer in 2008. If Obamacare (THE very crux of the Republican/Democratic pissing contest) was in place at that time, the world would never have been introduced to Heisenberg, blue meth, illicit uses for hydrofluoric acid, mercury fulminate, Ricin, and Lily of the Valley poisons. He would've simply gone in for chemo treatments (paid for through affordable health care), and went on with his sad sack story of a domestic life without ever having gotten mixed up with Jessie and the meth trade.

So while it's true that the US political zoo is a 2 ringed circus of stubborn asses and slightly less stubborn asses, we do also have that very circus to thank for five brilliant seasons of Breaking Bad, arguably one of the best shows on TV. EVER.

Okay, the series finale (pvr'd last night) beckons, and I have to say a tearful goodbye to Walt, Jessie, Saul, et al. Back with a photo post another time.

-G

Portlandia, Part 3 - Beaches and bikini bodies

The title of this post should actually be Oregonia, as these photos were taken during the two days we drove out of the city and explored the Columbia Gorge, and then the Oregon Coast. While at the coast, we hit up a beach to soak in the sun and I got a chance to show off my bikini body. Admit it, you're picturing me in a Borat style mankini right now. And even if you weren't before I wrote that, you are now. HUUUUURRRRLL... Sorry friends, what has been envisioned in the mind's eye, CANNOT be unenvisioned. You're welcome.




Latourell Falls.






Wahkeena Falls.


Follow the signs to see Herman the Sturgeon at Bonneville Fish Hatchery.


The charming little theatre in downtown Astoria.


From the top of the Astoria Column.




I saw two gals with this type of tattoo at the Astoria market. I don't get this - why do women tattoo faux stockings onto their legs? It'd be like me tattooing a pair of tighty whiteys onto my nether regions. Sexy...


The BEST dungeness crab salad. EVER. At Clemente's in Astoria.


Garlic Nori fries with house made ketchup. Perfect accompaniment to the above crab salad.


The Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. If you get up close, you can see puffins and seabirds nesting on the cliffs.




Human Starfish.


Starfish starfish.


Barnacles.


The flight home, via Seattle/Tacoma. This has to be the most gridlike city in the world. Aside from the waterfront areas, everything is laid out in a perfect grid.

Seventh Summit of the Season

We scrambled up Mt. Edith yesterday on an unusually warm mid September Sunday. Total elevation gain of 1100m to the summit, and round trip distance heading in through Cory Pass and rounding the mountain back down through Edith Pass is about 13km. The hike in to Cory Pass is steep, but beautiful, and the hike out through Edith Pass features different terrain and forest views for a nice ending to the day. The final ascent to the North peak summit from Cory Pass though, is an entirely different story - it's only a short 200m gain from the pass, but features a lot of loose scree and a ridiculous chimney (helmet advisable) to awkwardly make your way up.


View of iconic Mt. Rundle from the initial trail to Cory Pass.








The ridge from Cory Pass to the North peak.


Looking back at Cory Pass.






The awkward climb up the chimney.


Note: having loose rocks fall on you while ascending this feature is a little bit scary.


Some scrambling on the final push to the summit.
















We normally have celebratory beers on the summit, but the chimney ascent made us a bit wary about trying to descend with liquor in our system so we returned to the pass to drink up.


Continuing past Cory Pass (literally circling around the entirety of Mt. Edith).




Scraped knees, shins, and elbows, a rockfall on the way up, and an ungraceful fall on my ass on the way down. Not my best day.


A view of Mt. Louis.

Friends on Film

Sort of the opposite of my ongoing Strangers in the City project, Friends on Film is my attempt to photograph the people that I know through various aspects of my life. It occurred to me that for the thousands of photos I take every year, I have hardly any portraits of my friends. And then it also occurred to me that it's likely because I have no friends haha... but for real, the next time I see you, don't be surprised if I demand that you sit for a portrait. I want to end up with a giant collection of negatives with your mugs permanently fixed to them. None of that digital crap that you lose when your hard drive crashes. I want a physical reminder of how you look so that when I'm a senile 90 year old, I can pull out these things and be like, "Who the frick is this guy?"


The most important of all the folks in my life, Anita, my beautiful wife.




Tytus, my fellow nerdy goof-tard that I wish I still worked daily with. We wouldn't get much work done though...




Gregg, fellow Vegrevillian I've known since Kindergarten. Movie buff, freelance writer, and webcomic creative genius.


Erin, Gregg's prettier half. I feel bad that we ditched her halfway up a mountain a few weeks ago, but she graciously took it in stride.


Jeremy, funniest dude I know. Also the only person I know that is skinnier than me.


Sandie, keeps threatening to neuter my in-laws dog when we're not looking.


Bruce, fellow beer connoisseur and all around handyman.


Yasko (and Aren), once spent 16 hours scrambling a horrendous mountain with me after having met me only the night before.


Ray (and Kai), easy going other half of Yasko. Also a fellow mountain warrior. We miss you guys in Calgary. Move back!


Chris, street photography ninja. Seriously, dude shoots street photos with a hasselblad (not a subtle camera).


Tytus again... with his 'steampunk' goggles. See why I called him a nerdy goof-tard earlier?


Andy, my awesome bro-in-law. The only knock I have against him is his habit of shooting with a Canon. :-/


Scott, fellow photo nerd and beer enthusiast. My two favourite things.


Wing (and Grace), the only man I know that has a bigger obsession with watches than me.


Paul, who recognized me on the street from photo postings in the Film Shooters group before I'd even met him. This shot of him blinking is a reminder of why you should always shoot an extra frame of film.

All black and white photos taken with either the Kiev 88, Pentax 6x7, or Rolleiflex 2.8E, and home developed in Ilfosol 3. Colour shots developed at a commercial lab.