Bravo, Jane, bravo!

So, I’m watching the epic, 4-hour Masterpiece Theater presentation of Emma with Sue.  This was my idea, of course.  Always looking for new and exciting ways to ‘connect.’

As far as the movie itself, I have to say this is probably the best of the screen adaptations of this charming Austen novel.  Knowing Jane- as I do- I believe Romola Garai is about as close to the Emma that Austen imagined as could be.  Technically, her accent is a bit off and her gait isn’t even close.  But, if you are able to see past these petty details, you will no doubt embrace this irresistible heroine and delight in her journey to self-awareness.  I know I have.

Obviously, my embargo on period pieces or pictures over 120 minutes has been relaxed for the screening of this movie.

The picture above is a nod to the period in which this ray-of-sunshine-like film is based.

River, parking lot…what’s the difference?

Here we go. The Chicago Police are playing reindeer games with our freedoms again.

I’ve been over the local ordinances 3 times now and have been unable to find any language prohibiting the upside-down parking of one’s motor vehicle in a public park. It’s even more difficult to locate the law that makes driving a car into the river a crime. Dumping and driving are too entirely different things, I think.

The idiot that pushed this stolen car in the Chicago River was nice enough to do it right outside the window of the studio- which is where the first shot below was snapped from.

Mad respect to the diver who agreed to jump into the 35 degree sewage water of the South Branch. If that dry suit was a heated submarine, I might consider it.

Supermodel.

On Monday, Ferrari pulled the wraps off its 2010 entry into the Formula One World Championship.

Have I lost you already?

Elite tier motor racing is an activity that few Americans appreciate.  Sorry, NASCAR doesn’t qualify as elite.  While it is an activity, it’s a curious one that’s best left under-analyzed.  F1, however,  is where proper car constructors come to play.  It’s also where the best auto sports photographers in the world make their images.  These land-based airplanes photograph well even when they lay burning in 2 million pieces against the tire wall after a crash.  Carbon fiber cars are cool, period.

I have no images of competing Formula One cars.  I am looking for someone to blame for this.

I do have this, though.  It’s a picture of a 1:18 scale Ferrari F2008 shot on a table in the studio.  It is a terribly unsatisfying car, as I can only fit the end of my pinky finger in the drivers seat.  It also has no engine.

Lower Wacker.

Like many creative types, I have difficulty finding satisfaction in my own images.  I seldom impress myself.

That said, I fancy this picture.  It “does it” for me.  It’s significant in a not-at-all sort of way…and I still like it.  I’d bore myself and you by explaining why, so I’ll refrain.  In related news, this stretch of Wacker is going to be rebuilt.  After 5 years and 80 billion dollars, this north-south part will look new and boring like the east-west part.  Those numbers may not be exact- or even close.  Nevertheless, very soon this underground gem will be jack-hammered to death- and it will take 20 minutes to get from the Ike to LSD, instead of 4.

“There was a fire, and it, uh-. Burned.”

A restaurant burned down.  How original.

This one is at the south border of Greektown.  It burned to the ground and immediately changed the face of Halsted and Van Buren.  Unfortunate for sure.  However, maybe that intersection could benefit from some architectural creativity?

The top one is an unceremonious demolition of the building.  Middle is where the water department uses steam to thaw frozen fire hydrants.  The gal at the bottom was roaming inside the tape…kind of like family of the owner, maybe?  Probably.  Likely.

Island Life 3.

Sailboats are cool.  A lot of people don’t know that.

They are especially cool when crewed by someone other than yourself, and equipped with a bar and tender of bar.  They become increasingly cool yet, when sailed in the Caribbean Sea at dusk.  I found time- while enjoying the elements, the machine, the atmosphere- to snap off a few slow shutters.  This top one may not be the best, but it’s the one that made me smile before and after I pressed the button.  Watching Sergio (left) try to steady himself in order to make a decent night picture was worth the price of admission.

Island Life 2.

Maybe I’m paranoid about animals lately?  I am positive that Dahlia (my horse) was rolling her eyes at my commands.  Apparently, “giddy up” doesn’t mean what I thought it meant.  After making the simple request a dozen or so times, Dahlia stopped to have a leak.  Not the sort of cooperation I was hoping for.  Perhaps I misunderstood my role on this team.  As a side note, this horse relieved herself of biblical quantities of urine.  Borderline alarming.

While we didn’t enjoy the boss/employee relationship I imagined, we did come to an agreement.  Dahlia would walk from point A to B and back without ejecting me and stepping on my head, while I could pretend to be in charge.

I read that it was many degrees below freezing in Chicago today- which sucks for people in Chicago.

Island Life.

I ran into a couple of jerks today while on a two-part mission to buy liquor and drag race the rental car. These two beasts showed a level of disrespect and indifference that I simply couldn’t ignore. The one on the right just stared without a single nod or wink or anything. Kind of like he was better than me. The other waved his tongue around at me as if to say: “Why don’t you go f**k yourself.” We left it unresolved.

Below you’ll see the rented, 45000 mile Pontiac Grand Sunfire SE Touring Edition sports car I requested. I was granted one-week access to this baby in exchange for $350 US dollars. I offered to buy it from the rental lady for $1000 to save the hassle of returning it. She didn’t really see the humor. I tried bringing the machine down to the local drag strip here in Grand Cayman to see what it was capable of. If it caught fire, then so-be-it. Unfortunately, the track was closed and there would be no rental car racing today.

Selective focus.

Fire Chief, Deputy District Chief, Battalion Chief, District Deputy Battalion Assistant, Chief Wingman to the Deputy Commissioner, First Officer in charge of Fire Investigations- daylight shift.  Whatever.  All accomplished firefighters and cool people with very important jobs and curiously long titles.  Interesting to photograph?  Uh, sorry, no.  This fire was such a non-issue, that I came away with window washers and a picture of a guy’s camera taking a picture of a guy.  This was amusing in that the fella taking this video glanced at me with the ‘what the hell are you shooting’ sort of look.  I get that a lot.

The only podium shot worth taking is one that includes the Mayor or the former Gov.  Daley gets so hyper-pissed that there is always the chance of catching the moment when smoke or flames can actually be seen exiting one of his facial orifices.  Blagojevich is a walking freak-show.  Always a quality photo subject.

No offense to this gentleman, but the back of the Canon 7D was more interesting here.

Staying alive.

You wouldn’t know it from the picture, but there was a meaty fire response for a blaze in an exhaust shaft inside this Loop high-rise. Totally uninterested in the 15 fire trucks below, this guy kept on with the business of trying not to die while washing windows. Despite the mass evacuation and smoke-filled elevator lobbies, this was the most interesting visual I noticed. I spent the rest of time freezing while trying to avoid the flighty “what happened” question from passersby. I disagree with the notion that there are no stupid questions. Even when I’m not working, if I see 15 fire trucks and hoses all over the road, I can feel confident in assuming there is probably a fire.