The Manrilla Blog | Life. Art. Religion. Culture.

Hung out with Käri and Shane this evening of Makeshift Ego. I’ll be doing some work with them - pics & Web site stuff. It was good to get out and shoot. Make myself try and work through my photographic version of writer’s block. I hadn’t been out in a while and shot. I just hadn’t had the gusto for some reason. And when I first got their I was kinda worried that I wasn’t gonna feel anything but as we rode around, picking out locations I started to feel the juice again. Käri and Shane were a big help. Käri! That typewriter was pretty cool. We’ll have to do something with it again. The light finally came down some and made for a fun time. I hope maybe we’ll get together this coming Monday as well. For those who’d like to see Makeshift Ego, you can check them out at the Steep N’ Brew on State Street (I think - Käri, correct me if I’m wrong). Show starts at 8pm.

I was hangin’ with Rob and Josllin the other day. Here are some of the pics I took as we hung out on their porch. That was pretty much the last I have been out shooting. I am hoping to get out today and make some new shots. Just personal stuff. Trying to work through all the b.s. that’s popped up. Spending a night in jail doesn’t really do wonders for your creative side. I am still in shock over that - almost as if it really couldn’t have happened. I’m not a criminal. I haven’t even done anything wrong. But being wrong seldom has anything to do with why the police @#$% with you.

I would have liked to have gone back to Michigan this weekend to visit my folks but with my luck lately I thought it better that I lay low. I don’t do well with laying low - it seems cowardly. Again, if I haven’t done anything wrong, why should I have to hide and avoid the freaking police. Personally, they should hold a public stoning on each and every pig on the force here. You know, like how the Taliban would deal with somethin’. Not likely to happen but that’s my ¥2. I hope ya’ll have a good Memorial Day Weekend and oh, yeah, funk dah police!

The Web is a weird, fascinating thing. You can find all kinds of stuff on it. I came across an old student site of my work that I did back in 2002, when I was still in Michigan. It’s real rudimentary black and white stuff - documentary style stuff. It’s funny that it’s still up. Anyway. CRAP!! What am I saying? Episode III’s out and I’m not there. I gotta break out and go. It’s the last one! Better be worth it or by Crom I’ll strangle Lucas with my bare hands!

I feel really achy today. Joints are all swollen for some reason. I woke up barley able to move. Must be this freakin’ cold. I’ve spent the whole day working on the WTC System’s Web site. My eyes are falling out. At least I’ve had the Special Extended Version of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring to keep me company at work. Which reminds me I need to return some rented DVDs I’m sure to have late fees on now. Crap. Moving right along…, happy birthday to Becky. We’ll head out to her birthday party tonight. Man, I need a bite to eat. ‘Bout to fade to black.

I’ve been outta action for a few days. This cold has had more curves and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco. Sarah was great and has played a key role in nursing me back to health. I had my meeting today. We talked business and maybe some work will come of it. I think I may spend some time putting together a new book of some table top stuff. I know that’s a change from what I usually shoot but I have been intruiged by table top work for a while. We’ll see. For now, it’s all about gettin’ healthy and doing some more promo work.

I was digging for some older negs when I came across some old stuff I had shot in Detroit when I first started shooting. I used to wonder the streets of Detroit by myself or with Titus and we’d just shoot at random, at the blight, whatever caught our eyes. This shot was of an abandoned gas station in the middle of a neighborhood. The inside portion was used as housing for the homeless. I’ll put up some more later.