Japan -- Olympus Infinity Mini with Kodak Gold 200

I met Takuji when Nick took me to his friend Gregorio's show at a bar in Huntington Beach.  Greg was in a reggae band called Under A Tree; lead vocals and guitar.  Phenomenal guitarist but he would turn around and face his drummer for every radical guitar solo so we couldn't even see the goods!  Not cool, Greg.  Not cool.  

Takuji's band, Cosmodelian (I think that's what it was called) was kind of a funky, bass heavy band with him on vocals, his best friend Hoshki, and their drummer Aaron.  I remember when we went to a show at the Prospector in Long Beach and were smoking outside the bar, he or Hoshki pointed out to the Popeyes across the street and said "Why would Americans name a chicken restaurant Pope Yes?!"  I mean he's right, why would they capitalize the Y in PoPeYeS?

The girl on the far right is Alex.  She's Vietnamese and is from San Fran!  Guy on his left I don't remember his name but that's Takuji's DJ partner.

Takuji is now a resident DJ at a club called CIRCUS TOKYO.  I've never been to a real club and I have to say it wasn't all that bad.  I'm a dirty dive bar kind of girl and I'm afraid I'm starting to grow out of that as well.

I asked Maddie to come with me along with the other girls we went to Japan with and well, Maddie was the only down chick.  We drank A LOT -- they had this drink called Oolong Shochu that was pure magic. 

Takuji doesn't even remember this kid with the jersey.  He was drinking sake from a juice carton when we ran into him -- so cute.

Dakota was rad enough to plan this entire trip.  She made a PDF which we loosely (very very loosely) followed.  I feel like because of her, we were able to get so many things checked off our list. I really want her to make her own travel book -- she's got such great taste, you know she would never bring you to the fucking Hollywood sign, you know what I mean?

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Ken Watanabe is the name of a famous actor in Japan but also the name of this guy.  I met him when I was working for Satoshi at Arth -- Ken is a skater so naturally he hung out with only skaters...he and Donny were close.  He would always come by the shop and chat until Donny got there -- I think repetition over long periods of time develop friendships, yeah?  This is a prime example cause he moved back to Japan about 8 years ago and we were still able to connect.  

He invited me out with a couple of his skate buddies to "an authentic Japanese restaurant" in Shimokitazawa which was amazing but for real though, had a lot of foreigners so I don't know.  They were all into cameras too so it was cool checking out all their gadgets.

The girls and I went to the Ghibli Museum which wasn't something I was all that into, it's kinda like Disneyland to me BUT I do enjoy the films and there was a section in that museum where they went through all the food in the films.  That was by far the best part of the museum.  We had a two hour time frame for the museum so afterwards, we rented swan boats for half an hour and rode around.  You know, I would never do this in Echo Park but it was alright here.  I guess anything goes when I'm on vacation.

I remember ages ago when Chika lived in Costa Mesa and worked at a little Japanese restaurant at The Lab called Zipangu.  She would come by the hat shop and we would talk for hours about boy problems or whatever girls talk about in their early 20's.  

She moved back to Japan 5 years ago and everything changed for her -- got married, had a baby...the happiest baby I've ever met.  I'm really happy for her, she's truly living the American dream she always wanted.

The odd shots here and there I really enjoyed shooting.  They're not framed so well but I'm stoked on them either way.

DIA:Beacon -- Olympus Infinity Mini with Kodak Gold 200

This was the best museum I've ever been to.  The car ride upstate was brutal and I'm grateful I didn't have to drive.  Ashley Rowe was kind enough to offer and I sat in the back falling in and out of sleep and falling in love with her dog, George.  He was the sweetest old man dog -- so patient.  She drove a Jeep and it was undeniably Texan.  Loud and proud.  

Speaking of amazing museums, I really enjoy going but never make time for it unless I'm in another city.  I was talking to Nick about Stuttgart (which for the longest time I thought was "Streugart") and he said that city was his most memorable vacation experience and the museum we went to was unforgettable.  To be honest, I completely forgot about that museum, I mean its been like a decade.  ZKM was the museum -- "z" as in "zed" though.  I think I'm going to make an effort to go back and check it out in the next couple months. 

LES w/ Griffin -- Olympus Infinity Mini with Kodak Gold 200

My buddy Canh gave me a few rolls of his favorite film and told me to shoot with it.  I'm totally unfamiliar with this film and am kind of bummed on how portraits came out -- so many are out of focus.  Maybe this camera isn't the right choice?  Maybe I need a lot more practice?  

In any case, I loaded this first roll of gold on September 20th when I met up with Griffin for dinner.  

Here we are on the subway back to his apartment on the UES, really cool spot -- very quiet, especially for NY.

Little Italy had a festival and it was madness.  Canh told me that the focus on these photos are on the brightest spots -- that's why the lights in the background are sharp.

I had a really hard time loading this film into this camera -- something about it really didn't want to catch.  Either way, I think this camera/film combination might be meant for daytime use only.  

SEA SF LA NY -- Olympus Infinity Mini with Kodak UltraMax 400

Lake Washington At The T Dock with Ari, Kylie, and Brandon

I came back to Seattle for the second time this past summer; there was a fire in Vancouver and Portland which smoked out Seattle.  

The weather was biblical.  

Everyone tried comparing the dense air to Los Angeles -- me, I totally saw a difference.

I met Brandon the last, last time I was up in Seattle with Lauren.  He's buddies with Anthony.  A few months prior, I was having lunch with Quinn Lake in Silver Lake when he and Miles Fortune were walking down the street and introduced us all.  Small world.

Brandon is a reliable friend and stellar photographer.  Someone once told me that I was the most reliable friend they have and I take pride in that.  Apparently, if you're never late, it means you have enough respect for someone to not stab them in the back later.  Good to know.

Lake Washington -- Kylie, Ari, and I met up with Brandon and his pup at this lake.  We got there before he did and he asked via text "Is it lit down there." and I still have no clue if lit is a good or bad thing.  I still think of Lit, the popular band from when I was in elementary school, when someone brings up "lit".  A.Jay Popoff was my dream man back in the day.

In any case, I met up for coffee and a day drink with him the next day and he showed up in an all orange kit, on his orange motorcycle wearing an orange helmet.  I told him briefly about Rich and the curse of the orange helmet which (now that I think of it) was kind of awful to mention because it really doesn't change anything.  Brandon has an orange helmet and Rich is still gone.  I didn't bring it up to be facetious, I just don't think before I speak sometimes.    

Pike Place Gum Wall -- so fucking disgusting.  I have this serious phobia (or maybe that is just truly nasty) with anything that goes into your mouth and is taken out.  Gum, seeds, pits from fruit, fucking olives with pits, bones, popsicle sticks, etc.  you get the picture.  I can't be around it, I'll lose my appetite if someone eats cherries around me and spits it out on the table.  Even if its spat out into a designated bowl.  I don't know man, just looking at these photos.  I understand that the colors are visually rich but I can't stand it.  Ari's outfit is rad though -- if you squint in one eye and don't look out the other; it looks like she's fully tatted. 

  

Canh, Ari, and I went to an art show called Out of Sight and then an art fair down the street the following day.  I think those two art shows are rivals but I don't really know for sure.  

We art'd so much.  Could you smell our art from there?  Did you just art?

Ari thinks that Canh and I are the same person cause we share the same last name, are both pisces, and...actually, I think that's all.  I guess we are similar in some ways.  Any who, Canh is subletting my roommate's room for a couple months starting October (I'm going to be gone for much of it).  It'll be cool to have him around for Fall. 

Sierra and Bubs in SF -- have you ever seen a love so deep?  Sierra and Nick (her boyfriend) absolutely adore their cat.  They walk him outside on a leash and talk about building a catio (patio for cats) right outside their apartment window.  I had that amount of love for Heath once...I think now its pushed onto Wednesday who isn't even mine.  I wonder how annoying that must be for Donny.

Chris in Oakland -- he doesn't these photos cause his hair isn't up to par :-(

Bobby and Arrow in Silver Lake; they're moving out of this house so I asked if I could shoot an apartment tour before they leave.  I always hope that it'll bring good memories in the future cause where you live and how you live is so intimate and personal.  In this case, Bobby just got Arrow a few months ago so reflecting on this video in the future when he's no longer a puppy hopefully would be kinda cool.  Such a sweet sweet pup; he's a black german Shepard -- wonder if he'd get along with Wednesday.    

Gillian, Timmy, and Kelly in NY -- I hit up Timmy during lunch with Gill to meet up last week.  The cool thing was that I hit him up during his only few hours off work on his only day off that week.  Talk about good timing.  Oh, and he was on this way to the restaurant we were eating at -- what are the odds.  

Also, pigeons prefer pizza over apples -- who would've thought.