Way to go, tough guy.

Sometimes, when people ask me how my job is, I tell them you see the best in people and you see the worst in people, but usually it's the best.

Today was unusual.

It never ceases to amaze me how some of the most "highfalutin'" people (as my grandpa would have said) have the most barbaric ways of dealing with people.

I saw a man, who at one point was voted to the level of state legislature, (who, by the way, resigned from that position after getting ARRESTED on a charge of THREATENING, to which he pled GUILTY) point his finger in a reporter's face as he was screaming at her like he was a baseball coach spitting tobacco juice in the face of an equally volatile umpire. And even though the reporter handled it extremely well and was polite about it, I knew exactly how she felt, because who can ever feel good after being completely disrespected like that?

It just absolutely disgusts me at how some people find pleasure in putting other people down like that.

I spoke with the reporter afterwards, and she kept her cool pretty well, but I know that the damage isn't even really made during the personal attack to yourself, but mostly at the blow to your optimism about people in general. For someone who was able to convince so many people to trust him enough to vote him into office to act like a complete baby, short of stomping his feet and banging his fists, as if it's perfectly acceptable behavior.....that just blows my mind.

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Did you know that the above is the ACTUAL name of the smallest state in the country?





And here are some random photos I shot in a past few weeks:

Hmmm, what to do when the zombie apocalypse comes..

Yesterday I went to a farmer's market in Thomaston where I ran into some people from a farm whose owner I had made a deal with last year: When the zombie apocalypse comes, and all infrastructure fails, I will ride my bicycle the 20 miles or so to his farm, where shelter and food will be aplenty.

The first year I worked at the Republican-American I did a photo story on a couple different CSA farms. (Community Supported Agriculture.. NOT Confederate States of America) It was a good excuse to be outside and enjoy the earth.

I'm on a boat!

Today I was assigned to shoot a triathlon sprint. Getting there was a pain, as I was directed to park in a place where another person told me I couldn't be and then he wouldn't let me turn around and then another person let me turn around and then two other people helped direct me through some obstacles and one of them angrily yelled "YOU'RE WELCOME" as he walked away. (I of course stopped my vehicle and yelled "I SAID THANK YOU!") By the time I got to the beach where the triathlon was to begin, I had about 10 minutes before start time and no good vantage point.

Then along comes one of the organizers, who I knew from local high school swimming. I waved to him, and he says, "You want a boat?" as he's pulling a plastic kayak to the beach.

"Sure!" I say, and before I know it I'm in the kayak with my gear and only as he's pushing me out to the lake does he say, "You know how to do this, right?"

I've never kayaked before. But I've spent many hours canoeing at Camp Skimino and at Newport News Park, so I nodded my head yes. And if I hadn't known I would have learned pretty quick since I was already on the water and was about five minutes away from being surrounded by swimmers.

Marie revisited

Since I had a couple separate slide shows of the story, I thought it would make more sense to combine them in one. I also added some newer photos from the past few months. The audio was taken back in 2007, but still applies for the most part.




Marie's not doing so well. She just signed up for hospice, so she has a nurse visiting her down in Killingworth a few times a week to help her out. Marie said that when she feels it's time, she'll move back down to the house in Middlebury (which still hasn't sold, and Marie now sees that it wasn't such a bad thing after all), put a hospital bed in it, and die there, among friends and family.