Ride 'em in the Rockies

Thanx to my pal Alan, who drove us down to Calgary, I had a fantastic weekend at the Canadian Rockies International Rodeo (can you say Brokeback Mountain) with Dustin, made only better by getting to hang out with two of my favorite pals, Vic and Luc from Comox, BC. And of course, our first time rodeo experience would not have been complete without personal tourguide, Daryn (host of our ficticious reality show; Extreme Bender). The weather was hot, the crowd was hotter -- who would have ever thought that you could see that many cowboys in pink western shirts or watch grown men put panties on goats! I'm sure you'll find us there again next year.

This made me laugh

Your Birthdate: June 28

You have a Type A personality so big it makes other Type A's shrink away in shame. You never shy away from adversity - and you love to tackle impossible problems. Failure is not an option for you, and more than a few people are put off by your ego. You tend to be controlling, and you hate leaving anything up to chance. Your strength: Your bold approach to life Your weakness: You don't accept help Your power color: Bronze Your power symbol: Pyramid Your power month: October

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

And just because this meant so much to me on my birthday, I am transposing the card that Dustin gave me:

I Love Our Life
I Love You
I've needed you
and found your arms around me,
Laughed with you
and seen clouds disappear,
Leaned on you
and felt your strength surround me,
Shared rough times with you
and felt no fear -
Believed in you
and seen my trust rewarded,
Dreamed with you
and seen my dreams come true ...
Loved you
and seen every day grow sweeter ...
Each day I've found
more happiness with you.

Forever us baby ...
Happy Birthday,
My Love

Your man
Dustin

Happy Father's Day

As so often is the story with most gay men I know, my Dad and I got off to a rough start. He was a hard-working truck driver born and raised in rural Alberta and I was kid who tended to gravitate to the arts, wasn't skilled or even that interested in team sports (god knows, I tried), with a love of big city life and all the speed and action that was inherent in that. So to say the least, we did not see eye to eye. To make matters worse, I was a moody, confused, teenager who chose to shut down at times of confrontation rather than work towards communicating. Fortunately I've changed that behaviour in my adult life. For many years we just didn't have very much to talk about or share. But in recent years, I'd have to say that since coming out to my parents, he has been extraordinarily understand and accepting -- I wonder now if our history would have been different if I had been brave and confident enough to discuss my sexuality much earlier on. Regardless, we are at a wonderful place now and have a relationship that many men (regardless of their orientation) do not have with their fathers. I'm very lucky to have a Dad that is supportive, loving and interested in my life. So today especially, I want to say I love you and Happy Father's Day.

My father, Frank
Sherwood Park, 2003

Gay PRIDE

Kevin Aviance at The Roxy, 2001

Rather than tell you of all the cool parties I went to as part of the Pride celebrations, or show you the hot men that I met and photographed, I thought the following incident was much more important to relate to you as what "Gay Pride" means to me.

Each June, the month of Gay Pride, the number of hate incidents against the gay community increases. It could have happened to anyone of us, but this year, it happened to a personal friend of mine and one of the world's beloved dance divas and Billboard recording artist, Kevin Aviance. On Saturday, June 10th at approximately 1:30am, Kevin Aviance was beaten up by four young assailants in the East Village of NYC. They threw a spray can at Kevin, knocking him to the ground; and then punched and kicked him - all the while screaming that they were going to "kill the faggot". Kevin suffered a broken jaw, fractures in his arms and legs, and many bruises. After surgery at Beth Israel Hospital, Kevin is now home in stable condition. His jaw will be wired closed for at least two weeks. Afterwards, he will need to begin physical therapy. Doctors have told us it will be several months before he will be able to perform again. I've had the pleasure of knowing Kevin since I first moved to NYC in 1995, he is an amazing presence in the clubs and on the stage. He depends solely on performing for his livelihood. Without the ability to work, he will lose everything. He also has mounting medical bills and unfortunately, no medical insurance. Today, you can make an immediate difference with a donation to the "Kevin Aviance Dance for Love Fund". Your generous donation will provide Kevin with much-needed assistance toward his medical bills, rent and food. Please help! Every dollar counts. Donate by clicking here and send money to: kevin@kevinavianceworld.com or you can send it to Kevin Aviance World 115 East 57th Street, 11th Floor. NYC, New York, USA 10022. Thanks you!



Needless to say, I was deeply disturbed by what happened to Kevin but in trying to turn this horrible event into something that I could learn from, I decided that this year, more than ever, it is incredibly important to be and stay visible! Support your local Gay Pride events, especially the rallies and parades where by sheer number we show those who would hate us, oppress us, and hurt us; we are here amongst them and we are strong. Our basic human rights depend on it.

Question:

If you are pampering yourself, does that mean you are able to wear disposable diapers?

I Don't Believe it (not for a second) ...

... but do this:
click here
and maybe, just maybe, I'll get a free ipod.
But I doubt it.

AND ON THE HOME FRONT:
Had a minor flood in the evening as it was one of those rainstorms where if it didn't start to relent, I was going to send Dustin out to start building while I collected 2 of every animal. In retrospect, as so often the case, it was hilarious that Dustin came in and just off-handedly mentioned that we were so flooded out in the back that he had to come around to the front door and that was flooded too. Surprised by the comment, I was even more shocked when he followed it with "So what kind of spaghetti sauce should we have?" and proceed into the kitchen and started cooking. I flipped. In a panic, after opening the front door and seeing that the water was literally at the lip of the door frame, I said "Stop cooking and call the superintendent." Anyway it all worked out okay. The super responded immediately and a plumber was there to snake out the drains within the hour. But the best part of the story is that we have really good neighbors (Sarah, Peter and Donnie) who formed a bucket brigade shovelling the rainwater with their dustpans into mop buckets and carrying them off to divert the flood. Still it was more excitement than I needed. The joys of a basement suite. And on the bright side; at least I know that the floors are properly cleaned now after I mopped them down with bleach after I got home from working Security at Buddy's at 4 a.m.

What the Curtains?

If it wasn't for venetian blinds, it'd be curtains for all of us.

I know it'll probably sound like some sort of domestic dementia but I had a great day today with Dustin as we shopped Ikea for all kinds of stuff for our new apartment, including several sets of curtains. My favorite impulse purchase was an aluminum toilet seat while Dustin's was a box of multicolored bendy straws. I have to say that the place is shaping up beautifully. Now all we have to buy is a new sofa, bedroom suite, flat screen TV with wall bracket, a stereo, and new area carpet for the living room. Hardly anything really. Ha ha ha. One thing we don't need is art, between all my old religious art and my homoerotic photos we have enough stuff to cover all our walls and then the next-door-neighbors too.

One corner of the apartment, by the front door

Happy Birthday Dustin!

Happy Birthday baby! I love you and hope that the year ahead is filled with dumptrucks full of joy, adventure, and the realization of your dreams.

Calgary Pride and Photo Shoot with Scott Bolton

Dustin and I headed down to Calgary yesterday with our pal, Ian, who was up in Edmonton bartending at The Roost for Mr. Edmonton Leather. All of us had only got a few hours sleep from the afterparty at Boots but we managed to hit the road for 8 a.m. so that we were in Calgary in time for the parade. Now, not wanting to sound jaded or arrogant with my big city attitude, but after seeing NYC's Pride parade for the past 10 years (the procession goes on at least 4 hours) what I saw was just pathetic. If you had sneezed you would have missed it. What I'm even more afraid of though is that Edmonton's is in all likelihood going to be even worse.

The assembly of the crowd at Olympic Plaza was substantially more impressive but the real fun was spending the afternoon/evening with Dustin and Ian at The Eagle which was jammed to capacity (still pale in comparison to some bars I've been in back in NYC).

Then we met up with my buddy, the sexy, the handsome and the talented, Scott Bolton, who was in from Vancouver. He is the marketing director of Interactive Male phone lines and had the busiest booth (with the exception of the beer tent) in Olympic Plaza but we had talked online and he was able to spare an hour or so to do a shoot with me. Scott and I had originally met in Vancouver, when I was on my way down to Mexico. Not only is he a total stud but he's a total sweetheart too. We weren't able to shoot back then but we vowed we'd find a way at some point in the future. And this was it. Since it was already getting dark, we decided to go back to his hotel room at Hotel Arts, which was fashioned somewhat to resemble the W Hotels in NYC, and made for the perfect setting to shoot him. I'm waiting for Scott to see the photos since it was his first totally nude photoshoot and then I'll post a shot or two. I'm hoping at some point this summer/fall to get to Vancouver to do another shoot with him and possible a couple's shoot with his partner, Dan too.

Photo Shoot with Bo Ladashevska (International Mr. Leather) at SteamWorks

What a stroke of good luck, my getting back from NYC in time to attend and shoot Mr. Edmonton Leather and Bo Ladashevska being here in Edmonton on his first official visit as the reigning International Mr. Leather (IML) 2006. I had talked to Bo, who's from Montreal, online previously about possibly doing a shoot when he visited NYC but that never transpired. So it was very fortunate that he had a few hours to shoot with me at the local bathhouse, SteamWorks. We shot in the "jail" theme room and then followed up with a short session in their gorgeous showers. Both sets of photos came out incredibly well. I'll post more later of Canada's very first winner at IML, held in Chicago.

Useless Trivia

Q: How many people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year?

a) 1
b) 100
c) 1000

Answer: one hundred (which is 99 more dumb people than I would have guessed.)

Back online

I have not had a moment or the internet connection to publish any new posts until now.

I flew back from NYC to Edmonton on Thursday, June 1st (more on the actual flight later) and spent the next 4 days working my butt off during the nights and spending the days moving into the new home with Dustin. Things are absolutely great -- we both love the apartment (it's starting to shape up nicely), and very happy to be living together. Of course, we've had a few moments already, like Dustin shattering our toilet the first day when he dropped the lid on the tank (he was trying to turn our toilet bowl water a pretty blue) and another moment would have to be how Dustin was surprised to hear that I collect religious art and was perplexed by the idea of having Jesus staring at him from our walls. But those were just moments. As was waking up this morning to find handpicked flowers waiting for me - he's such a good man and here, he tried to tell me he wasn't a romantic.

As of today, we finally have everything completed - place is painted, cleaned, power, cable, internet are all hooked up and the essentials moved in and unpacked. So we are going to take some time to ourselves this afternoon and since today is 6/6/6 we are going to go see the remake of the movie "The Omen" (one of my personal fave classic horror movies) which opens today.

FOLLOW UP: The Omen was as dull as Grade One student's pencil after practicing their ABCs. Stick to the original, it is a lot more suspenseful, even if it is dated. SPOILER: The best part of this uninspired remake would have to be when Mia Farrow (who gave birth to the devil's son herself in the cult/horror classicRosemary's Baby) shows up to apply for the Nanny's position after the previous one has hung herself.

I See Dead People

Tonight I saw 26 dead people. I thought I would be totally disturbed but to my surprise it was oddly fascinating and I learned a lot about myself.

Photo Shoot with Reavis

A Memorable Memorial Day

Had a jam-packed day, photographing my pal Ryan from Toronto then hustling him down to Port Authority to catch a bus to Newark airport, followed by meeting with my client Steve Salehman to deliver his prints from the very provocative shoot I did of him in 2003, and then I spent the rest of the day reconnecting with my very dear old friend, Shelly - oh yeah, almost forgot I also ran down to Chelsea to do photos for NEXT of the 2nd Annual Tattoo Contest at WOOF, how apropos considering how many tattoos I've been shooting in my studio this past week. I met the very handsome and sexy Australian,Ian Jopson, who I one day hope to get up to my studio to do a shoot, as you can see for yourself he has great ink.



Photos of Steve Salehman, 2003

Only in NYC

So I'm dragging my sorry ass home at 4:30 in the morning in Harlem, an area that most people would be terrified to walk through even in the daylight hours, and I pass by some tiny little woman, who is drawing deeply on a cigarette she's just mooched off another passerby and she says, "If somebody is messin' with you, I'll fuck them up, so c'mon put a smile on yer face. Say cheese!" At which point, I couldn't do anything but turn back and smile. She hollars at me "That's better." Then I cross the street and two black men are on the sidewalk talking to one another, and one stops his conversation as I pass by and says "How's it going brother." And finally, as I turn the corner up to my street, a crack head, who can barely walk, staggers past me and greets me with "Good morning" to which I reply the same. Hardly what you'd expect from the more dangerous elements of society, but that's the New York City I know and have come to love.

Photo Shoot with singer Michael Todd

"Flight of the Phoenix"

Had the distinct pleasure of meeting singer/composer/makeup artist/renaissance man Michael Todd today and documenting some of his bright and colorful tattoos as part of my on-going project. Not only is he an extraordinary artist but he's an incredibly personable individual too, if felt like I had known him for years. In fact, we are almost certain that we crossed paths back in the day when I was a club promoter and he was one of NY's legendary club kids. Hell we even have some friends in common, like a certain gorgeous lesbian bus driver.

Check out his website and listen to some of his music, I'm sure you'll be as impressed as I was. He gave me a complimentary CD (insert big smile here), I'll let you borrow it if you're real nice. On second thought, buy your own copy -- he deserves the support!


It was definitely a photo shoot about the birds and the bees
and the flowers and the trees ...

Photo Shoot with Derek Agile Jones

After a frenetic morning of running all over Manhattan -- dealing with the landlord to pay rent, get an extra key cut (costs $25 and takes 5 days), and to get the leaky bathtub faucet fixed, dropping my photos from the Harmonica Sunbeam Benefit off at NEXT magazine, and finally to buy bulbs for my new lighting fixture -- I did a wonderful shoot with Derek, a talented and delightful man with incredible definition and the remarkable ability/discipline to hold very difficult yoga positions.

Photo Shoot with Freddy (Modern Roman series)

Had the opportunity tonight to shoot my pal and fellow artist (an amazingly talented illustrator), Freddy. What started out as a possible leather shoot rapidly evolved into a whole other thing when Freddy told me he had a leather gladiator kilt. After pulling out a few pieces I had in my wardrobe/costume storage, a new series was born; Modern Romans. As Freddy said, "Now you can build yourself your own army."
In exchange for getting Freiddy to pose for me I agreed I would do a sitting for him. After seeing his book, with incredibly vibrant erotic images, I am totally excited at the prospect.

I want me a Freddy Pena original!

Photo Shoot with Giancarlo

I had the pleasure of doing a photoshoot with a very sweet man, Giancarlo. Although he's originally from Panama, he lived a number of years in Mexico City, which is where I first saw photos of him. He moved to NYC a couple years back which made doing a shoot with him possible. When he arrived at the door I was transfixed with the beautiful color of his eyes and the clarity of his face - of course it was these features that predominated the images I captured.

Photo Shoot with Chris

I'm proud to call this beautiful man one of my friends. I met Chris a couple of years a go and from the first moment that I saw the cross on his back I wanted to photograph it. After much convincing, and the addition of an equally impressive serpent and the forbidden fruit tattoo on his arm, he finally consented. We didn't have much time as Chris was packing to leave for Puerto Rico the next day, but I think he was pleased enough with the end result that we will do another shoot some day soon. Or at least I'm hoping.

Photo Shoot with Josh

New York with Curry

..................... The New York Erotic Art Fair .........................

I attended the Tom of Finland New York Erotic Art Fair today with my pal and very talented artist, Curry Mendes, who I met last year at the fair when he was exhibiting his provocative and stunning artwork (click the link on his name to see his illustrations). Although somewhat disappointed by the Fair -- both the attendance and the number of exhibitors (it looked like a very slow year)-- I enjoyed my time with Curry immensely. How can you not like a guy who likes Starbucks as much as I do! After checking out the show and chatting with several acquaintances, we headed over to B&H Photo so Curry could look into buying a lighting kit. He decided not to purchase one in lieu of going to the Dugout for the Sunday afternoon beer blast. After a couple of beers and a lot of beef, we strolled down Christopher Street to Rafaella's for dinner where talked art, models, men and retail therapy.

The Three Bears; Papa bear, Mama bear and Curry.

Today I visited Calgary, Montreal and New York City

Left Edmonton this morning and flew to Calgary then Montreal and finally NYC. I arrived to all the commotion and chaos you'd expect from NYC on a Saturday night. I didn't go out anywhere I just stayed around the apartment and caught up with my roommate and dear friend, Eva.


No, it's not snow. It's the clouds over Calgary


Artwork by Eric Wesselow in Trudeau airport, Montreal


NYC skyline as the plane landed on the runway at LaGuardia airport


My roommate Eva (aka Evil) - whee, whee, whee

Doesn't it make you crazy when ....

It makes me crazy when you ask someone "What time is it?"
and they reply with "right now?"
No dimwit what time is it about half an hour from now.
Geesh.

And those that want to be comedians make me crazy too.
Q: "Do you know what time it is?"
A: "Yes."
And thinking about it, maybe I'll up the comedy ante from now on with:
"So do I, it's time for you to find a new joke, that one's tired."
Smirk.

Nation of Assholes

If this song doesn't just sum it all up, I don't know what does!
In honour of my return to the US of A this weekend, I give you;
NATION OF ASSHOLES

Words to live by

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.”
Anais Nin

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember this anecdote.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Once again, they agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar! The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your family, your children, your health, your friends and your passions -- and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand represents everything else -- the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Take someone you love out to dinner. Play with the children. Make time for a medical check-up. Sit down and listen to your favourite song. Stop and smell the roses. There will always be time to clean the house or take out the garbage. Take care of the things that really matter. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee."

It's Official

Well it's a done deal now; Dustin and I signed the lease on our new one-bedroom apartment at the El Mirador this afternoon. We take possession on Thursday, June 1st, so to all my dear friends out there in the big ol' world, you have a place to stay whenever you visit the booming metropolis of Edmonton. Ha ha ha.

Home Again - Home Again

photo of Manhattan skyline by jacksonphotografix.com 2002 

Booked my flight today back to NYC today. Will arrive there Saturday, May 20 at 9pm. Now I'll start emailing roommates, friends and clients to let everyone know. Unfortunately, I will only be there until Thursday, June 1st as I need to be back in Edmonton as Dustin and I are making it official and moving in together that day. We have leased an apartment in the El Mirador (I know how ironic a spanish named building - meaning "The Window" which refers to the view) where I used to live many, many sleeps ago in two different apartments over the years. In addition, I have been booked to shoot a private event on Saturday, June 3rd which is encouraging as it suggests work will finally start to materialize here in Edmonton. If anyone is looking at having photos done while I'm in NYC, please contact me as soon as possible as my time will be extremely limited.

How do you say S C A M

Althought I have received countless versions of this same type of internet fraud, this one gets points for creativity -- exotic destinations, murder, intrique and of course, a honorable, vulnerable tragic hero. And this made-for-TV-movie, can be yours by merely sending all your bank information to the link provided so that the sender can empty out your account and move on to his next online victim. Sounds reasonable enough, right?

Anywho, I post this for your reading enjoyment (come on, Oliver even called me "Dearest One" - gosh) and because I can't possibly believe there is anyone stooopid enough left out there in internetland that would fall for something this ridiculous.

THOUGHT: maybe everyone should send an email to Mr. Buntu with all kinds of requests for donations for charities and personal home projects -- hell he's a millionaire, why not?

DEAREST ONE

I AM OLIVER BUNTU, THE ONLY SON OF LATE MR AND MRS.SAMUEL BUNTU. MY FATHER WAS A VERY WEALTHY COCOA MERCHANT BASED IN ABIDJAN, THE ECONOMIC CAPITAL OF IVORY COAST BEFORE HE WAS POISONED TO DEATH BY HIS BUSINESS ASSOCIATES ON ONE OF THEIR OUTING TO DISCUSS ON A BUSINESS. WHEN MY MOTHER DIED ON THE 21ST OCTOBER 1986, MY FATHER TOOK ME SO SPECIAL BECAUSE I WAS MOTHERLESS

BEFORE THE DEATH OF MY FATHER ON 29TH JUNE 2003 IN A PRIVATE HOSPITAL HERE IN ABIDJAN. HE SECRETLY CALLED ME ON HIS BEDSIDE AND TOLD ME THAT HE HAS A SUM OF US$5,500,000 (FIVE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND, UNITED STATES DOLLARS) LEFT IN A SECURITY COMPANY HERE IN ABIDJAN, HE ALSO EXPLAINED TO ME THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THIS WEALTH THAT HE WAS POISONED BY HIS BUSINESS ASSOCIATES. THAT I SHOULD SEEK FOR A FOREIGN PARTNER IN A COUNTRY OF MY CHOICE WHERE I WILL TRANSFER THIS MONEY,AFTER THE BOX IS RELEASE FROM SECURITY COMPANY AND USE IT FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSE FOR MY FUTURE SIR, I AM HONOURABLY SEEKING YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS. 1)TO SERVE AS THE FOREING PARTNER OF MY FATHER SINCE I AM A BOY OF 20 YEARS AND INEXPRENCE FOR INVESTMENT 2)TO MAKE ARRANGEMENT OF MY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS FOR ME TO COME OVER TO YOUR COUNTRY AFTER THE CONSINGMENT HAVE BEEN CLEARED FROM THE SECURITY COMPANY SIR, I AM WILLING TO OFFER YOU 15% OF THE TOTAL SUM AS COMPENSATION FOR YOUR EFFORT/INPUT AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL PROCESS ANTICAIPTING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON. PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH THIS (oliver_buntu202@yahoo.fr) TO SHOW YOUR KIND INTEREST TO HELP ME

THANKS AND GOD BLESS
OLIVER BUNTU

Photo Shoot with Mat

After months and months of talking (I met Mat just before Christmas when I was at Buddy's shooting for Outlooks Magazine, see photo below), we finally managed to get together and do a shoot.
He was my model of choice for a cover shoot we were supposed to do for the March issue of Outlooks, however the publisher postponed that shoot and to date, I still haven't shot a cover for them. So it was a damn good thing we did do photos today as Mat leaves for Vancouver at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. Definitely Edmonton's loss as there aren't many young men this fine in river city.

Dining Out for Life

If you like to eat at restaurants, today is the day to do it. Not only will you enjoy a great meal but a portion of the total amount of your check will be donated by the restaurant to a worthy AIDS charity, in Edmonton that charity is Living Positive. The fundraising idea is an annual event called Dining Out For Life and it's happening today. Dustin and I will be having lunch at Cafe Select Southside and then the staff of Buddy's will be having dinner at the Blue Plate Diner - both are participating restaurants.


my dinner campanions at the Blue Plate Diner;
Buddy's staff - Sean, Lizzie, Jeff and Chris 

I'm an Orange

After taking this test, it appears that my true color is Orange!

You're a bold, confident orange. A warm, powerful color that indicates a strong, welcoming personality, orange is the mark of people who are social and extroverted by nature. Vibrant, with an upbeat attitude, you have a bright, inviting demeanor. Energetic and fun-loving, you're a real friend-magnet. Your easy charm and unassuming manner make you the sort of person people want to meet and get to know better. Well-rounded and fun to be around, you enjoy helping others, so it's no surprise that orange also symbolizes attraction. Orange is an extraordinary color — for an extraordinary person.

NOTE: Do be careful with the Tickle Test (link from above) site, after taking the test they make you go through a list of special offers (answer NO to everything or you'll be innundated with junk mail) and require you to enter friends names from one of your address books that you'd want to send the test to (specify only ONE person and you'll still get your results). It's annoying but what do you expect -- it's the internet.

Angie

Dustin's sister, Angie, wanted some photos done after she saw the shots I did of Dustin. The shot above really appealed to me, in a fine art sense. Somewhat reminiscent of the Memoirs of a Geisha image, either that or a refracted memory of a photo/illustration from some softcore porn magazine I must have seen. As Angie herself would say "ambient porn star".

Quote of the Day

I read this profound little quotation online today and absolutely loved it so ... I pass it on to you.

"Books are carefully folded forests,
void of autumn, bound from the sun"

Saul Williams,
Said the shotgun to the head

I think this weekend I will make a trip to the local bookstore to check out this poet's work -- his book is supposed to be brilliant.

Easter Lily

I like the ethereal quality of this photo, created by overexposing the flower petals, it's as if Jesus himself could step out of the light (or do I have it confused with Groundhog Day?)

Happy Easter from the killer pink bunny

Friendship

After countless friendship emails with photos of cute puppy dogs, cuddly kittens and comedic cartoons and the subsequent endless requests to return the said heart-felt/deeply meaningful poem to its sender and then virtually every other computer owner on the planet, this is perhaps the best friendship email I have received. Thanx Daryn, you are truly a good friend and more importantly a twisted bitch. And for every other true friend that I have out there:
"Real friends don't forward friends friendship emails!"

TRUE FRIENDSHIP

When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

When you smile -- I will know you finally got laid.

When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.

When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.

When you are confused -- I will use little words.

When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.

When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth.

Now send this to 10 of your closest friends, then get depressed because you can only think of 3.

Useless Trivia

76% of the world's serial killers are American.

Outlooks Magazine - Focus

Here is the page from Outlooks Magazine's April 2006 issue which showcased my photography. To see the rest of the issue, including my shots from events in Edmonton (see Out & About in Edmonton - page 8) click on this or go to www.outlooksmagazine.ca