Straight Gangsta Vibe!
Yesterday was a snow day. We had about 6 inches of the white stuff, which of course caused the city to nearly grind to a halt. But that was just fine by me. I sat at home, warm and comfy. I got a chance to read, talk on the phone to a few friends, wash some clothes, and hang out with Hobbs.

Sometime around lunchtime, I contacted Tim. It would be fair to say that Tim and I hang out a lot on the weekend. In fact, we will go to our favorite restaurant and sit and talk for hours. Through the week, we don’t hang out because of work and our class schedules. We both do martial arts at the same place, which is how we all met.

Tim called me and asked if I wanted to go driving around and exploring the area. Sure! Why not! He has a 4-wheel drive jeep. Let’s roll! As we drove here and there, we stopped and took some photos, then went to get a bite to eat. While we were there, we called up Shilpa, our partner in crime, fellow student, and all around fun kind of girl and told her that we were out and about. Of course, she wanted to come.

Now, Shilpa tries to use her best “Woe is me voice” on both of us. We know her, so we just look at each other, laugh, and tell her to try something else because: “It ain’t workin!”. She tried that voice on us yesterday: “[Woe is me] I’m stuck here at my apartment and I want to go to out and play in the snow and take some pictures. Can you guys pick me up???”.

Tim: Shilpa wants us to pick her up. What do you think?
Paul: Hmmmmm. I don’t know. The weather’s getting kind of bad. Did she use ‘the voice’?
Tim: Yep.
Paul: Hmmm. Your call. You’re driving!
Tim – to Shilpa: OK. We’ll finish eating then come and get you for a short outing. The weather’s getting bad.
Shilpa: Yes!!!

So, away we went, picked her up, went out and took pictures, built a snowman, and had a small snowball fight. Good fun. All in all, we were probably out about an hour, perhaps a bit less. The weather was getting worse. So, we slipped, slid, and drove back to her place. Freezing rain had started. We declined an offer of hot tea or cocoa, and headed back. On the way back, Tim and I stopped at Food Lion to get some food for the coming ‘ice age’.

What a fun day that was. Beats the heck out of working! Today, we are iced in, so no travels. Sorry, Shilpa. The voice won’t work at all today, unless it melts ice! LOL

About that photo at the top. I had on my Timbs (Timberland boots), so, since that’s what the gangstas wear, I was feeling quite gangsta! Ha! I did, though, have them laced up, so I guess I was less gangsta … also, my pants, though baggy, were not sagging!

Three … Amigos or Stooges? You decide!

Left to right: Monte, Earl, Paul

Well, add another blogger to the list of those that I’ve met. Monte Stevens! Earl Moore, AKA, The Earl of Salisbury, joined us for some fine dining at The Olive Garden.

We had a fine time of it. Heck, Monte even got to meet the now famous, Hobbs! Of course Hobbs, being the mean spirited dog that he was immediately overcome by Monte’s head scratching technique!

We sat, talked, ate, and consumed nonalcoholic beverages, lest you think that we are bunch of lushes. We did the right thing as you would expect and talked about cameras, photography, and equipment. Of course Earl, being the techno-wizard of the crew brought the camera. I have forgotten which model it was, but it was a nice little Canon that was lightweight, easy to use, and took great pictures. I will, however, have to forgive him this once for bringing a Canon to a known Nikon table!

Well, not a whole lot to say except we had a great time. Primarily my lack of words stems from my lack of sleep. I woke this morning at 4 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep. Now sleep is being rather insistent at this time. I shall welcome her with open arms and heavy eyelids.

So far, the bloggers that I’ve met:

Earl of Salisbury.
Monterey John, now Wilson of Waterbury
Michael Brown – Macro photographer extraordinaire.
Monte Stevens – Coffee shop canvasser.
Tom – The Photo Father

So many more of you to get to, but don’t worry, I’m comin’, but like Monte, sometimes you need to come to me! I’ve gotta save my money for a Leica M9. If anyone cares to donate one, I shall not let my pride get in the way and will accept it graciously!

Goodnight! Oh, and finally: Earl, I had to photoshop this photo a little bit. That flash was doing some serious glaring off of my forehead. It looked like a headlight! Lots of surface area to reflect off of though, so I cannot blame the flash!