• 27
    Jul

    The Broken Road

    My partner, Matthew, and I have been together 7 years, and the day I met him, I felt the road shift. Literally. And not because it was washed out in the deluge of water pouring from the sky — though, in fact, parts of the road were.   I was standing outside.  4:30 am.  Pouring […]

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  • 26
    Jul

    Maria, Que es Esto? Or, when emulsified fat hits the fire.

    So, Attack of the 50 foot vagina was the first story growing from the convention of plastic surgeons.  But there’s a second story.  And, after reading this, you may decide everything ISN’T better with bacon. Let’s fast forward a year, past the great vagina.  The convention moved from the Mandalay Bay Hotel to Caesars.  Now, […]

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  • 24
    Jul

    Attack of the 50 foot vagina

    Back before I had Melanie, my Las Vegas manager, back before the Modern Time, I’d just developed the first of the “US Event Photos” web sites.  And, virtual stop number one?  Las Vegas. No sooner had I published the site, still working the details out in my brain, than I received an email from a […]

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  • 23
    Jul

    The World's Suckiest Hotel (Part 3 and conclusion)

    I looked into my camera bag, a black Tumi roller board with carefully divided padded sections.  Each section makes a hole, each hole has a piece of camera equipment that fits snuggly inside. There are two big holes facing each other.  That’s where my cameras go.  Both were empty. “What the fuck did I do […]

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  • 15
    Jul

    When Everyone Else is Wrong

    When I first hired Melanie, my Las Vegas manager, we spent time together.  I’m afraid I photograph, um, different than anyone else — and I had to un-teach (forgive me photography school teachers) the institutional bull shit.  Rule of thirds? Really!? I had to teach real skills, like how to take the camera OFF automatic […]

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  • 12
    Jul

    Things I can't Live Without: Hooker Sushi

    What the hell is Hooker Sushi you ask? It’s the sushi from my favorite Las Vegas restaurant, the name of which I can never remember (though it’s Kaizen). The joint (which is a small chain) sits directly across from the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas in a nondescript strip mall next to a decent […]

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  • 10
    Jul

    Upgrade is my favorite word.

    Now, with the hotel from hell in  my rear view mirror, and sprawled comfortably on my $3,000 space foam bed, it’s time to examine my shopping habits.  In fact, my living habits. Let’s take that bed.  It all started six years ago.  Keep in mind business was much slower at that point, mainly consisting of […]

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  • 04
    Jul

    What makes a hotel suck?

    What is the perfect hotel?  Cheap? Lux? Family oriented? I travel for work — I travel a lot.  I’m platinum with Starwood (Sheraton) Hotels, Gold with Hilton.  Hell, I’m even Gold with La Quinta. Typically when I travel “upgrade” is my favorite word.  “Would you like to upgrade to business class?”  “Hell yes.”  “Would you […]

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  • 30
    Jun

    Summer Travel Tips

    I travel a lot.  As in, I’ve already re-qualified for NEXT YEAR’S companion pass on Southwest.  That’s a lot. And I go into complete meltdown if there is one ounce of bouncy flesh on my body.  We’ve all been there:  sitting at home, catching up on the latest “True Blood”, and… “…what???  what is that??? […]

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  • 25
    Jun

    On the wings of fate

    I’m a big believer in fate.  Not that I think our path is predetermined — actually, the opposite — but I do believe we are given tools that lie dormant, almost overlooked, until just the moment you need them.  Sometimes it’s big things — a new relationship that develops from an email and turns into […]

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