Speed Trucker

I was headed Cincinnati's way this morning and there wasn't much to do but take pictures or think. So I took pictures. I took a lot of them. It was kind of fun just snapping away while driving. Maybe not the safest, but I've done worse.

The bottom shot was taken while going over the Little Miami River bridge at mile 35 on 71. If you're going north, you might as well fall asleep until Columbus because there isn't much in between. When headed south, it means that the 75 mundane miles you just drove were not in vain.

But it'll be time to repeat the trip in a few hours anyways. The nice part is that I get to sleep in my own bed... but it comes at the expense of a late night drive up 71. Never fun but it's not the end of the world. The Skyline was worth it. So good.

Parking

This is the park where I stop to cool off in the mornings. I pick a bench and spread out. I usually have some kind of granola bar to snack on and I let the cool breezes and shade go to work. It was a particularly relaxing break this morning. I wasn't running behind and was able to enjoy the blue skies and think about Bob Seger.

I woke last night to the sound of thunder, "How far off?" I sat and wondered. Started hummin' a song from 1962. Ain't it funny how the night moves... when you just don't seem to have as much to lose...

I remember waking up last night to a storm. I'm not sure what time it was and I wasn't awake long enough to find out, but it was dumping some serious rain on the roof just outside the window. I didn't have to wonder about how far off the lightning was as the flashes and cracks were nearly on top of one another.

But I couldn't help thinking about that song when I woke up. I'm not saying I'm a huge Bob Seger fan or even a fan at all, but I've always been a fan of the song. I can't really even say why other than that the fact that I'm a nostalgic sort of fellow. But I like how something as simple as a clap of thunder in the middle of the night brings him back to a bunch of awkward summer nights. Unfortunately for me, thunder in the middle of the night only makes me think of Bob Seger.

Offline

These photos were compliments of Sticky Steve. They were taken with my camera, so I've got free reign to use them... not that it really matters. Things were wrapping up Friday when Sticky came running back into the studio asking for the camera... Cross was outside with his car. He's one of a few Cincinnati rappers we've done work for through the group that promotes him. So this is his car. 28" rims and he even got his name thrown on em. Ridunkulous. It looked liked a big, white wagon.

It was off to Piqua after that small bout of entertainment. I was helping my dad and his friend sling brewskis at the St. Boniface parish festival. It was good to hang out with people I haven't seen in a while.

I really should've accomplished more, but it was tough to get motivated. I need a haircut, clean clothes, a clean bathroom... I guess all that's not so momentous, but the lure of forgetting them was all too tempting. It's been tough to concentrate lately. Something in that summer air.

Habituals

I've mentioned this dog before and his unusual habits. I wish you could zoom in on Phil's machine and see the time. Just a few minutes past 11am and there sits Oscar... ready to roll for his daily walk.

There's a park to the southeast of our building. Just a few steps out the back door and through our beautiful alley and you're there. I would take him most days when I used to smoke, but the dog actually prefers Phil. When Phil's not around, Oscar would go, but he refuses to harass anyone else.

Buffett was at Riverbend Thursday for the annual show. I didn't get out there until 2:30 or 3, but that was all the leave time I needed. Any longer and I may not have made it to work Friday. It was hot and sticky, and you could tell folks were feeling it. But it was good to sing along with Jimmy again. A lot of people don't like his music, and I'll be the first to admit that I only have one album, but damn, he does a fine job of taking you to a place that's got boats, beaches, bars and sun every day of the year. How I wish I could be somewhere like that now.

Night's Fall

I guess I take a lot of pictures at night. It's usually when I have the most time on my hands. This one isn't all that clear. It's the window in our second bedroom. The light from the alley is falling on the bed.

I like night for the ambiguity as well, the "cover of darkness". Details give way to general shapes... senses heighten, anticipating the next movement or sound... imaginations take shape.

Why aren't we nocturnal? It makes the most sense. All these opossums and raccoons work hardest when it's coolest. They sleep when their body doesn't have to work so hard to keep them warm. I might not mind the idea of starting the day with a sunset and sleeping all day underneath an oak tree, hidden away.

Blowin' Up

The 4th. It's come and gone.

When I was a kid, this always seemed like the halfway point for summer break. At this point, we had been out of school for a month and a half and the end of August was closing in. Maybe those same apprehensive feelings surround me still at this time of the year. They shouldn't. It was worlds away from the stress of adulthood. Although, memories of two-a-days always seem to swarm me on muggy summer mornings. Man, I hated two-a-days.

We got to watch the infamous Red, White & Boom fireworks on the 32nd floor of the LeVeque Tower Thursday night. It was a good start to the long weekend. Spent Friday in Dublin at my aunt and uncle's house, then off to the west side of Cincinnati for dinner Saturday. We ended the whirlwind tour of Central and Southwest Ohio in Piqua. We got to hang out with Lauren, my brother and Leslie. Lauren keeps getting cuter. She was a lot of fun. It had been a while since we'd seen her last. She got big. And then it was back to Columbus... tired and ready for bed.

Summer never seems to relent. Seems like there's something going on every weekend. People scurrying to take advantage of the warm weather. I know our summer isn't slowing down anytime soon.

The Coop

Behold, Cooper Stadium. It's a Triple-A ballpark on the west side of town. It's not on a river, or in an entertainment district... which is why this is its final year. I understand the need to... well... no, I guess I don't understand the need for an upgrade. This is an amazing place to watch a baseball game, because the fans come to do just that... watch a baseball game.

I attended a few games when I was younger and remember darting between rows of seats for foul balls, and I have to smile when I see the kids of this generation running after those same foul balls. They've added some things that I would just as soon throw out, but it's never been up to me, and it's not like it gets in the way of the game. Tickets are $6 and you get a front row seat to some really good baseball. I can't tell you why I dig the minors more than the majors, but I do know that I'm envious of everyone associated with the Clippers. I want to be the center fielder, the manager, the bat boy, the announcer, the keeper of the brick dust, the usher, the umpire, the beat writer... any of them and all of them. Maybe it was because of the Sandlot. Those crazy kids made baseball in the dead of summer look like it was the greatest thing on earth. Either way, I need to infiltrate the ranks and see how I can put my expertise to use for the Clippers so that I might one day get to throw back roasted peanuts and a cold beer while on the job.

But it just wouldn't be the same with the new stadium. Twenty-somethings will start treating it like happy hour. Only going because it's new... not because Pete Orr is fast as heeeell in center field. But those kids will spend their money and in the end, that's what the owners are after.