Derailing

December 7th 2008

Here in Tutwiler, Ms things happen substantially slower than in other more progressive communities. Only today I learned of a train derailing less than two miles from my home. The incident occurred Friday I am told! In the center of Tutwiler. The only evidence that authorities have investigated the scene is a single police tape stretching between two telephone poles. Also I suspect that the train cars have been moved out of the road. Still, seeing as how there were many curious onlookers stopping by,I thought I should make sure that the company listed on the side of the tanker knew about this incident. I felt sure they did, but you can never be too safe. I called the 800 # for emergencies and reported the incident,inquiring as to whether or not there were hazardous materials being transported(One of the tankers is in the bayou here (which no one can remember the name of). I just received a callback that the company does indeed know about the accident, and that there are no hazmats running in this area. Nice to know that they are on the ball. Still I wonder why it took so long for this news to reach us. I am not able to find any local news coverage on the net.

So here are a few photos with footnotes:

Where the tankers derailed and plunged toward our bayou.

The other side of the track where (as you can see) some of the railing has been snapped into and the crossties unearthed. It would appear that the train encountered something in its path that it drug for a ways until it came to a stop.

Post Thanksgiving Fun

So Thanksgiving this year has really been fun! On Thanksgiving day I kind of just relaxed and contemplated all the people and things I was thankful for. There are a lot!
Then on Friday Chihuahua Mama and I went to see close friends near Memphis. What a great time we all had. I really can't imagine having a better time. We all ate together (two meals!) then we went on a really awesome digital camera outing. It was a very overcast day, but there were so many great scenes to photograph. I've been editing photos from that excursion since we got back home. I'm posting a few of my favorites.
After the "digital field trip" we all went to the bookstore and Superfamily, as I like to call them, adopted a new puppy!! Such a cute dog, she seems well behaved, even though she did pee on the carpet right when she arrived at her new home (nervous I think). I even had the opportunity to play music with my friend J. We did not want to come back home! Hopefully, this is the first of many group outings to come!

A composite I made of my friends.




Some digital artwork. Basically I opened up a few different images and did some resizing and cropping and added some tweaks here and there, then merged them down.



Isn't this a pretty portrait!?



What a beautiful couple of folks, huh?



An artistic portrait, intentionally cropped.

More new art

Here are some more examples of recent "art". The last one is kinda weird. Its like a robot from the old Star Trek series.

A New Day

Indeed, it is a new day. I need to remember that every day brings opportunity with it. My attitude is much more positive lately. I've been working on some art and will post it A.S.A.P.

Here are a couple for your pleasure.

What a terrible day... but tommorrow is a new one

Eh.. how exhausting! This day was very bad for me. And for others whom I love.

The truth is that I have made some terrible choices in my life. They seem to haunt me. I've blamed others wrongly, in my past I've turned to sinful indulgence instead of earnest and hard work. That's not to say I'm not a hard worker though. I think I have a good work ethic.

I've been trying to change my life over the last 4 years, but I can't seem to find a good job, or any like-minded people in my area. So I started studying for the GED and passed with flying colors! So far so good I thought. Surely something good would fall in place from that advancement. But I found myself stagnant still. Now I am studying to take my ACT, so that I can perhaps attend college and obtain a degree.

But still progress seems to eludes me. I try to focus on the positive every day, but there are so many obstacles. I'm sure you can identify!

I really need a job, but am limited in what I can do. Disabled is what my label is. I'm trying to change that because I feel ,with time and the right support, I can lead a relatively normal life. I realize I will always have to deal with some type of hurdle in my life, but at least I'm facing them now.

I know that I have many skills, but I feel that I am lost in the wrong area. Can anyone help me to understand this situation better? If so please feel free to give advice and suggestions! =) I need them I think.

If you have had similar experiences please share. You can post anonymously.

Thanks guys.

Through the fog.. to a play

Last night I ventured out through some really thick fog, so as to attend a farce at the university called "Noises Off". I had a lot of fun! What great, grand performances the cast gave. It was truly hilarious. Sure there were a few timing problems, but what play on the college level is going to be note-for-note the whole time? All in all I thought it was a riot.

On the way back home I had to travel fairly slow because of the unusually dense fog. I decided, as I was driving, to use this opportunity to take some interesting photos. So, once I got home and retrieved my tripod, I ventured back out into the chilly and wet night. I think I captured a couple of arresting images. I'm posting them here for you to check out. It was a full moon to boot, so, needless to say that kind of situation doesn't present itself that often. =)



P.S. Look to the my other movie blog for some new movie reviews coming in the next few days. The Small Town Critic

Just because I'm losing doesn't mean I'm lost

You ever feel like you made the wrong turn on your path and when you try to correct yourself, you realize you just felt like you were going the wrong way, and now you're actually lost? What if there was no such thing as being lost? I mean that of course in a metaphysical sense. What if getting lost is sometimes what God wants us to do to find the meaning in our lives?

Just a few thoughts before bed. This Coldplay song is my song for the day. They are a great band. I love just about all of their songs. Learning to play and sing as many as I can. =D

The Stand

Hi all!

This song really got me to thinking today. I asked myself : when was the last time I stood up for what I believe. I would like to think that I do that everyday. I remain hopeful that the love inside me reaches all those people that need it.
How many times could I, and maybe you too, have helped someone out by being clear that we want to encourage, teach, empower, and love. I know for myself that God wants me to spread that message around. I guess its kinda of a pay it foward type of thing. Go out and tell someone what you stand for, and what you're willing to stand against.
I stand against hate, intolerance, ignorance, and bigotry. I hope that you choose to as well. =D

Light up the dark.



If you're curious, the band singing is called Live. I've followed their progress for awhile now. What a great band. Not afraid to talk about what matters.

My mom and I just returned from a trip to my Uncle's place. While there we visited Tombigbee National Park. It was a beautiful day and I took a lot of photos. The foliage there was so beautiful! We all had a lot of fun.

In case you're wondering, we voted through absentee ballot. : )

There was a wonderful suspension bridge at the park. It provided some really terrific vistas. Enjoy and feel free to comment.

Earthshine

So. I went out tonight to try and spot the "earthshine" on the moon, but alas, not to much avail. I am hopeful thought that I may have some better heavenly material to come.
I have an idea for a photographic experiment involving the "earthshine". I would need two models to serve as the gods Venus and Jupiter from Roman mythology. I want "Venus" on one side and "Jupiter" slightly higher on the other side with the astrological show in the upper middle section of the photo.
I think with proper planning I could accomplish this. I think its a pretty cool idea. =D

Here are a couple of pics I shot tonight.









I think the aforementioned foreground diorama would add a lot of depth to these compositions.

Here are a few photos from a recent outing my mom and I made near Charleston,MS. Enjoy!

A nice vista from Poplar Springs Cemetery. Its kind of odd to find a place as high up as this near the delta.



Two gothic images just in time for Halloween.






This lizard was too cool! He let me follow him along the cemetery fence.



A cow, doing what cows do. =)

Two months ago...

SO. Yeah, my last blog was two months ago, and I felt the need to blog again here, since that was my original plan. And of course that's one of the things blogging is all about.=D

For those who don't know, a friend let's me post movie reviews on his blog, and I have written several. So go and have a read and tell me what ya think! My reviews are labled : by SEBASTIAN.

This month began in a wonderful fashion, with my mom and I attending The Pink Palace Crafts Fair. That is such a fun time! We saw all of our best friends, who in my book are more like family than friends. We displayed and saw alot of excellent artwork and artists and had a terrific time. That week always passes too quickly. Some good friends helped me celebrate my birthday early. HAWAIIAN HANDICRAFTER gave me a very elegant picture frame and brought some delicious cake that we all enjoyed. It was a great time. We went out for dinner a couple of times and that was tooo fun!!

This year I am trying to stay in touch with friends and family. So I have been looking foward to having some time to spend with some fellow crafters and good friends whom I will lovingly refer to (in group form) as : SUPER FAMILY. Unfortunately, SUPER FAMILY has been very busy since the craftshow, and we have not yet been able to get together for a group event.

I have been able to spend some time with SUPER STUDENT J( a member of SUPER FAMILY who is very busy right now with college). She very kindly offered up a little bit of her free time on my actual birthday (OK OK it was the day before), and we ate some sushi. I took a picture of her that I thought looked really great and I'm posting it here. It was a really great birthday! Everyone was really nice to me. And I had a great time during my birthday month.



All for now friends.

Who can explain the intricacies of the human heart? Why desire is so overwhelming. I wonder if its in our nature. Trees don't desire one section of the yard more than another. Anywhere will do. Not so with our kind. We must have our dreams. If we fail in this aspect, we deny that it was a true desire and invent a new one.

I cannot slow each of my moments in life. Only bask in the joy of it, if it was pleasant, or wait for the memory to fade if it was bad. Still seek(if only on an unconscious level) some way to control each instant.

All part of the psychic war. Perhaps I'll elaborate on that term another time.

I chase after my desires like they were gold coins tossed into an inky pool of water at midnight. At first the moonlight strikes them. They shimmer and glow and we both strike the water at the same time and end up losing ourselves there. I find my way back up and remember it vaguely, like a dream, wondering what it was I was looking for in the first place. I can't remember, but still I know I'll dive and seek it again soon.

Sunflowers and Storms

Hello all.

Its been an interesting couple of days here.

Yesterday there was rain. Not alot mind you, but the small amount that fell proves how amazing (and terrifying) nature can be. Hard rain and straight line winds downed two of our biggest pecan branches, with one landing on the house. We lost electrical for about two and a half hours or so. Massive amounts of sticks fell to the earth. Fortunately the damage was not too bad, and nobody was hurt(thank God).
So after spending one very hot afternoon clearing things around the yard, mom and I decided to go take some pictures. We had seen a field of beautiful sunflowers the other day and decide to hop over there before dinner and take a few shots. I have posted a B&W for your viewing pleasure. Pretty isn't it? I love the vortex in the center of the flower.

Vines and Heroes

Here in the Mississippi Delta the combination of heat and humidity has been oppressive as of late. Yesterday as I hacked away at vines surrounding our bayou here, I felt abit like Teddy Roosevelt or John Huston in Africa slaving away through the insect ridden rivers of the desolate. At least I can quit and come into a air-conditioned room at the end of the day.
I am working to clear out the last section of our sector of the Cassidy bayou here in Tutwiler. Its hard work, but I really enjoy it. Today, though, its too hot to really be doing such strenuous work without passing out. Heat index is around 110. Youch!
Its a beautiful day though, and I plan on going out later in search of some good shots. Summer provides great scenery, but its like being in the jungle. Very challenging. Lots of mosquitoes here. I hate mosquitoes!

On another note, I attended the opening day show of The Dark Knight! It was fantastic and brutally jarring, leaving me haunted by its vision. I have read comics all my life, and I can say that this is hands down the best comic adaptation ever made. It sums up everything that is appealing about Batman and his world. And I really do hope Heath Ledger gets that posthumous oscar that everyone is talking about. He really became the character. He is barely recognizable. Absolutely brilliant portrayal! This has to be my favorite film of the year. But it is definitely not for kids.
I also loved Iron Man. I can't imagine anyone doing a more faithful and fun adaptation of that comic(yeah it was one of my favorites too). I am a big fan of Robert Downey Jr. So bring on Iron Man 2 and the Avengers!!