Thanks for the Memories

Thanks for the Memories
August 24, 2007

It’s fairly easy to make Tucumcari, New Mexico look post-apocalyptic. Doesn’t take much. You’ve just got to wait for that one car to pass by.

This is where my dad lives. In fact, my dad’s job is economic development. It sorta works, though. It’s like being given a clean slate.

I like visiting him in Tucumcari. Life really is just slower there. It’s nice to go to bed at 9, wake up at 6 and feel completely rested. There’s also some gems to eat at. It reminds me a lot of Raton, of course. I have no idea what the story is for this specific restaurant, but I know it’s been like that since my dad moved there.

Tucumcari’s the sort of place you can’t stay long in. It’s an overnight stay at max. But it’ll be a pleasant overnight.

(Taken with Nikon S1. Levels, colors and contrast are auto’d in p-shop.)

Mohammed the Great

Mohammed the Great
August 8, 2007

I gave my mom official ownership of my cat when I went to college. But he was always delighted to see me when I came home. Mohammed was a special creature. He never learned to meow, he would only squeak. When my dad purchased him, he assumed little cats had little tails. Mohammed was missing about two thirds of his tail, which he would wag with joy whenever he was pleased. Basically he had the best life ever. And he made mine pretty awesome too.

Once again, no flash. Taken in my momma’s house. I cropped out an overhead lamp. I think it makes it look even more peaceful. Mom’s in the right side of the picture. I think she liked that kitty a bit.

(Taken with a Nikon S1. No photochop.)

The Green West

The Green West
June 29, 2007

I came back home after hanging out in Oklahoma for a while. I almost moved for good that trip; I looked at moving in with Chelsey way back then. But it was good I came home. I spent most of my time just hiding, trying to get my head on straight. I slept in late, swam in Kyle's pool almost every day and ate a lot of burritos. That was the good life.

The fire in the Golden West is still a sore spot for me. It's simple as to why, I just miss it. I can hang out with all of the same people who worked there but it'll never be the same. But mostly I'm sad that it's still an empty hole, in every sense of the word.

I've got a million pictures of that place and it's surreal to look at them. This one is probably my favorite, but it's hard for me to pick. I've realized just how much I hate using a flash. I'd much rather set the camera on a flat surface and leave the shutter open forever. Patience, friends. The green is from an Alien IPA beer sign that hung directly above the taps. My camera was sitting on the bar, right at the end. That was favorite post when I wasn't working.

(Taken with a Nikon S1. It was Kyle's camera that he bought from Aaron then gave to me after I broke the screen on my birthday present camera.)

America's Past Time.

America's Past Time.
June 20, 2007

While I was staying in Oklahoma, me and Matt went to go see the Rangers play the Cubs in Arlington. At the time, it was the first professional sporting event I'd ever been to, which seems silly now, after all the Thunder games I've racked up. I can't even tell you who won.

But it was quite enchanting. The sunset was amazing that night. Between that, the baseball and a few beers, I refer to it as the first time I actually had fun in Texas.

(Taken with a Nikon Coolpix L3. Balanced on probably the seat in front of me.)

Prints.

Prints.
June 8, 2007

Already losing motivation, blegh. The last 10 or so blogs were back-blogged (as if you couldn't tell. Here's a list of things I don't do: 1. Wake up earlier than needed to blog.) and I finally ran out of them. So I'm trying to keep myself up and at least make it 40 days. Really, how hard can it be? #whitegirlproblems

So, the next ten or so images are from one specific year: that of my age of 22. I was fresh out of college. May of 2007 was the last time I intended to pay rent anywhere for a significant amount of time. My goal was to live as minimally as possible. My official address was with my mom, but I spent a significant amount of time at Kyles' and bouncing between friends houses. I also drove quite a bit, including all the way to Quebec. (that year has been blogged about a lot over here.) It was probably the most crucial year I've got so far. I always ask people lately if they learned about themselves whenever they do things. I learned a whole lot about myself that year.

This photo was taken at the Denver Art Museum on their sculpture garden. Denver was a stop on a mini-trip I took; through Raton, Denver, Kansas and Oklahoma. I stayed with one of my best friends from high school, Sarah Wright, who's actually an amazing photographer. What I like the most about it are the hand prints and how the wall, which I think was copper, actually looks like flesh. The light was just about perfect for making that wall look like that.

(Taken with Nikon Coolpix L3. Sad story about that camera: It was a Christmas present from Kyle and I cracked the screen the day before I took this, on my birthday. I got pretty lucky on most of my Denver photos, since I couldn't really see what I was actually taking photos of. No photoshopping.)

The Panhandle I

The Panhandle.
April 10, 2010

I've got this love affair with the Texas Panhandle. It's painful and violent. Sort of like that Eminem song? I like the way it lies. It's just nothing for miles and the pockets of civilization within it are so ignorant that it makes me scream. But I'm still completely enchanted with it.

My grandma lives in Pampa, Texas which is sort of the capital of the Panhandle. My uncle's there too and it's where my dad grew up. I spent a lot of holidays there as a kid. My family loves it there. They are "upstanding members" of the Pampa community. I dunno, maybe a little piece of it is wedged into my DNA, the same way I love New Jersey so much I can't stand it.

This is taken on US-70, about 40 miles south of Pampa. Nothingness for miles. Not even power lines or cows.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/320, Aperture f/9.0. Color balance in the sky is photoshopped. I'm obsessed with skies looking as blue as possible, even if they weren't that blue on that day.)

Angels in California.

Angels in California
November 13, 2010

When I ran off to take pictures of the palm trees next to the LACMA in LA, one of Ashley's friends said, "All the tourists are so fascinated with the palm trees!" Why yes! Same deal as magnolia trees. It's new, it's exotic and it's iconic. Do you think I give a shit about photographing hot air balloons? Shoot me in the face first.

Joel has some of my favorite tattoos in the world. Not nessacerily the craftsmanship (which they're lovely, no hate) but just something about the placement and how simple they are on him. He just wears them well, if that makes any sense. I guess if I knew him before he had them, they might seem weird but when I met Joel, they were already there and I can't imagine his arms without them.

This picture reminds me of my friend Jex's photography. She'll walk up to people who have tattoos she likes and asks if she can photograph them. It's sort of a thing, if you run into Jex, she will take your picture. I wish I could be so bold about it. Photography's always been such a private thing for me. I think I miss out on a lot because of it.

Privacy is probably why I like this photo so much. It's almost like a secret. I just snapped this one by chance, but I think it might be MY image of California. The palm tree, the bright sky, Joel (really Ashley is more California but they'll be permanently associated with LA for me) and his angel tattoos. It's the City of Angels after all.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/250, Aperture f/8.0, No Photoshop.)

Crude Oil.

Crude Oil
November 13, 2010

When I went to Los Angeles, I really wanted to give it a chance. I've never really enjoyed being there, I've always been more of an East-Coast lady. But the best lady I know, miss Ashley Anderson, loves her city quite intensely. And that's good enough for me.

I was torn about what to do and where to go. We decided on the tar pits, as Ashley and Joel hadn't been there either. It really is an awesome little piece of LA. It's this place from the past that's literally bubbling up into the most progressive and futuristic of cities. Sort of a testament to the planet; you can build whatever the fuck you want but it's still gonna do whatever it wants to do.

They've got this one pit that they dug up a juvenile mastodon that they left intact so visitors could see the process and how it's still an active archeology site. Oil was still bubbling up from the ground and this photo is the reflection of a light hanging in the site. I stood there for a good 20 minutes taking pictures because I thought they looked so surreal.

It's a lot like what I said about Albuquerque and how hard it is to take pictures of; capturing a little slice of LA.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/15, Aperture f/5.3, No Photoshop. I was using the railing as a makeshift tripod. I took probably 200 photos trying to get it right.)

Stick Food.

Stick Food
September 25, 2009

The State Fair is my favorite time to take pictures, as I think it is for a lot of people. You can't imagine the people watching, the sort of folk who only come out twice a year (the state fair and Christmas shopping at the mall), and pile that on top of livestock, the worst/best food America has to offer, flashy lights, screaming children and big ass pumpkins. Put me on that list, keep me on it, never remove me. It's a complete sensory overload.

Kenneth's family used to sell ribbon flowers at the fair (right next to the South American flute players) which meant he spent a lot of days surrounded by a lot of madness. When he moved in, he took me with him. Good times at the ribbon flower cart; me and Kyle Anaya would run all over the park and take pictures.

This particular picture is from the Oklahoma State Fair last year.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/6, Aperture f/5.6. Reds and greens are color balanced.)

The Puppy Has a Home, but Needs a Name.

The Puppy Has a Home, but Needs a Name.
August 5, 2009

Crap, dudes. How cute was my puppy? I've seen a lot of pups in my day and they're all stupid cute (week old sharpei's are nothing but rolls of fur and love) but this puppy seriously takes it. I've never seen a cuter puppy. I fully acknowledge that I'm biased, but I'm not the only one. Gertie made people melt when they saw her. The toughest people in the world into piles of goo and baby-talk. The dog has special powers.

The pup came to us via twitter. Chelsey's friend and tattoo artist Ashley owns a shop in the Plaza District of OKC and the owner of a gallery across the street from her shop had found a litter of puppies in their alley. Someone just dropped off Gertie and her 6 siblings at the baby-age of 8 weeks. The lady who found them got their first round of shots donated and by the time we got to the shop, all the puppies except Gertie, the runt, and one of her brothers had been adopted. It was just pure love at first sight. She was a little sleeping angel.

Who later went on to become a destructamatron of a barking machine. But that's not the point.

Chelsey and I had the hardest time naming her. We went through everything we could. We knew we wanted her to have an Oklahoma-related name, as she was a native. We finally came around to Oklahoma the Musical and the character, Gertie Cummings. It fit her perfectly. This picture is from the first night we had her and one of the ones I sort of had forgotten about. Oh, those brown eyes.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/60, Aperture f/4. No Photoshop. Built in flash used. Pretty sure the camera was balancing on the bench when I took it.)

Turner Falls.

October 16, 2010

One of those blah de blah nature pictures from my Turner Falls trip. What I really like about this one is the reflection, the amount of color in it. In the immortal words of Stan Brakage, "Imagine an eye unruled by man-made laws of perspective... How many colors are there in a field of grass to the crawling baby unaware of 'Green'? ...Imagine a world before the 'beginning was the word'." (I write a lot about that whole idea right here) If you sit and stare at it, just stare, the color most common in it is white. But if you glance at it, it's green.

Either way, it's pretty much a post card. Love you forever, D80 and how easy you make taking photos. Once again, this is the part of Oklahoma you don't think about if you don't know. But there is so much water here. It's so stupid humid in the summer because of it, it feels like New Jersey. Once again, shit you don't expect unless you've been here. The dust bowl's over, you guys.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/125, Aperture f/5.0. Once again, bright day. Color balance is auto'd in Photoshop.)

Red.

Red.
October 16, 2010

SHIT. BITCH IS TAKING PICS OF HER FEET. What's next, myspace angles and contrast? Oh, you have no idea how deep this hole can go.

What I really love about this photo is the color. The browns and the reds and just that little piece of green. I was going back through this folder of photos that I took around Turner Falls and this picture just popped at me. All the other photos, some of which I really love, just sort of blended together but this flash of red that does not and can not occur in nature caught my eye. It's sort of like those black and white photos that Hallmark puts on greeting cards that are all black and white but a balloon or bubblegum will be a different color (which, vomit on those by the way).

Moral of the story, the best pictures happen by accident.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/160, Aperture f/6.3. No Photoshop. It was so bright that day.)

Peace.

Peace
October 22, 2003

Kyle Anaya got ahold of these flairs, from where I don't know, and we used to wander tunnels underneath Albuquerque with them. They're closed off now, but it used to be remarkably easy to get into the tunnels that run underneath the UNM hospital. They're huge and extensive. I'm sure you could spend days down there.

This picture was a complete fluke accident. I didn't even notice that you could see Kyle and Chad's face until years later. It scares me now how angry Chad looks. My favorite picture of all-time that I've taken came from a similiar adventure, but I don't want to blow my load just yet.

(Taken with the beast, Sony Cybershot DSC-P32. No 'shopping.)

Timothy Lockwood Armstrong.

Timothy Lockwood Armstrong
January 6, 2006

I can't explain how much I love punk rock. It's the sort of thing that won't go away. Even if it was faultering, I'd fight to keep it around. Thankfully, I've never had to fight that hard. It's been an easy love affair.

I've spent years trying to duplicate the feeling of release it gave me when I was 16 and I've never been able to find it. So, I just add more of it. And while there might be periods in my life where it's not as prominent, it's there. I drove to Woodward this past weekend and listened to nothing but the Lawrence Arms the entire way and screamed every word.

In Ben Fold’s iTunes originals series, he does an Elliot Smith cover and before he plays it, he says a little bit about Elliot Smith, what a loss his death was and so on. But Ben also says one of the most profound things Elliot ever told him was “If you grow up with yelling in your house, the last thing you want to do is make records of yelling.” Ben goes on to talk about how this little rule might sum up what’s so wrong with modern rock music: “yelling as recreation”. But I think that was why I fell in love with punk rock so hard; I wanted nothing more than my parents to yell at eachother, at least be honest with eachother.

Rancid was the first punk band I really fell in love with. They were my cornerstone in all of it. And their cornerstone was a place called 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Gilman was the cornerstone for a lot of bands around that time; Operation Ivy played their first and last show there, Green Day, NOFX, even Jawbreaker had a stay there. So, when I went to San Francisco, I decided I needed to see it. I went with Angie and she decided that day we'd go to Gilman and we'd go to the Castro. It was the best day I had in the Bay Area.

The club is still open, still a DIY project, still won't let any band signed to a major label play there. Quite the testament to what it built.

It wasn't open, nor did I expect it to be. And one of these days, I'll see a show there. But it looked like every other brick building on the street. No signage, no remarkable characteristics. But it was absolutely worth the trip. I know what came out of there. No sign can tell me that.

I did like the duct tape piece on the brick. Oh, what a beautiful marriage punk rock has with duct tape.

(Taken with a Sony DSC-P32. What a trusty beast that camera was. Color balance is totally photoshopped.)

Fuck off, Magnolia.

Fuck off, Magnolia.
May 26, 2010

In honor of St. Patrick, have something green.

The Barton's backyard is a refuge of sorts. I remember the first time Tyler showed it to me and being completely in awe. I want a yard like that. Do I want the work associated with a yard like that? Nooooo. Thankfully, Laura does.

They've got this giant magnolia tree in their backyard, which they'll tell you almost instantly is the worst tree in creation. But my desert ways are instantly entralled with it. "You mean it blooms??! The tree blooms??! It's like living in Georgia! Get me the sweet tea!" Pretty sure Tyler thought I was insane with the amount of time I spent taking pictures of that tree.

From wiki: "Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. As a result, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles. Fossilised specimens of M. acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae dating to 95 million years ago." So, I don't care. Magnolia's are badass.

I've also learned that they're fantastically terrible to take care of. There's one right by my house that the owners have just decided to set free and the mangnitude of this beast cannot be overstated. In fact when Greg gave me directions for the first time, he said, "Turn left at the giant fuck-off magnolia." If that tree ever dies, I won't be able to find my house.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/25, Aperture f/5.6. My lens was zoomed as far as it would go. Camera was on a tripod and I used a remote. I was probably an easy 40 feet away from that flower. No photoshopping.)

Freakishly Tall.

Freakishly Tall
September 17, 2004

I've been taking pictures of The Big Spank since I've been taking pictures. I guarantee that if you've reading this, with a few very precious exceptions, I met you because of The Big Spank. Anyone in Oklahoma, yeah, it all comes back to a few trips in the back of a Penske truck that I took to Norman with those guys. I met Matt McHughes because his band needed a show in Albuquerque and I never would have been promoting if not for the Spank. Emily (Stone) Kohen came into my life then, and together we met a lot of dancin' ladies. It's amazing just how significant 6 dudes in an almost-ska band became in my life. Big Spank shows are probably my best memories from college.

Brian was their trumpet player for a long time. Brian and I had an odd frienship. In fact, I don't think we were speaking very much when I took this picture of him. I take most of the responsibility for that. I was sort of silly back then when it came to boys (I still am. Jesus Christ, I still am) but more so naive. He was a nice guy and if I'd had my senses about me, we would have been more than just friends. I remember one night not long after I took this picture, I came home late at night and a random SUV was parked in front of my house. I was home alone and panicked when the hazard lights came on in the car. For some reason, I called Brian and he came over. He stayed the night with me, just so I wouldn't have to be alone. I'm pretty sure I passed out almost exactly when he got there, just having someone there was enough to calm me down. He stayed till I was sound asleep and he left sometime in the morning. I felt really silly about it all but he didn't seem to care.

Everyone told Brian he was freakishly tall. Since he was over 6 feet tall and everyone else in his band was under 5'5". It made him seem every more like a superhero.

(Shot with a Sony DSC-P32. Color balance was photoshopped years ago. I think the original file no longer exists.)

Survivor Tree.

Survivor Tree
March 17, 2010

And on the note of devastation,

It really is a good tree. Not so much around the time I took this, but in the Spring with all it's pretty leaves. That's the best part about trees. Once they're old enough, you really can't kill them. One of these days, that tree will die. Probably not in my lifetime, but as trees tend to do, it'll get old and tired of supporting itself. And it'll be a sad day.

It's the most photographed tree in the state of Oklahoma. Probably in the region. And how does one photograph something like that and make it look unique? You got me. (This whole project is making me release how picky and cynical I am about the pictures I take. I really need to just take some of my own advice and calm down. It's okay to like simple, pretty pictures.)

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/320, Aperture f/5.3. Photoshopped the black and white with contrast.)

I Can't Ever Breathe.

I Can't Ever Breathe
November 11, 2006

I think seeing a natural disaster like what's happening in Japan makes people think of their personal catastrophes, natural or not. So, it's got me in a weird mood. It can happen here and it will happen here. It's only a matter of time. And if Oklahoma is proof of anything, it's that.

In 2006, I took a trip to Mississippi to see my friend Angie and to film some of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, yet another one of those surreal life-stocking experiences. I made it a point to focus on Mississippi and not New Orleans. I sort of felt like Gulfport and Biloxi got a little forgotten in all of that. Even though their damage wasn't nearly as traumatic or expensive, a lot of people lost a lot of things that were important to them. Archives from the Jefferson Davis Presidential Library (because yes, he was a president and yes, he does have one) were lost forever in floods and fires. Angie showed me a public library that became an indoor paintball range almost overnight. This photo is of what used to be a Super 8. I shifted through a lot of the damage that day and found a room phone, still clearly labeled as being from Room 204 (which I later named the 16mm film project I did with the footage I shot). I've still got the phone and I still can't get all the sand out of inside of it.

It's important to note that I took this photo in November 2006. Hurricane Katrina was in September of 2005. It's important to remember that. Rebuilding is a process. If you've got a few dollars, send them to the Red Cross. I promise they'll find a good home.

(Shot with a Nikon S1. Contrast is photoshopped. And very tastefully, if I might add.)

Sutton.

February 12, 2011

When people who don't live in Oklahoma think about Oklahoma, I don't think this is the image they see. I get a little sick of defending why I live here. It's pretty, I promise.

This is taken in the Sutton Wilderness, in Norman. I hear it's a great place to meet a gentleman. The day I went for a hike around it, most of the lake was frozen solid.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/160, Aperture f/6.3. No photoshopping.)

Bosque Mud

Bosque Mud
November 18, 2008

I've always had a hard time photographing Albuquerque. I feel like I never do it justice, like there's so much of it and so much to it, that you can't fit in a frame. So I tend to focus on the smaller stuff that people typically don't notice about Burque.

This picture was taken on the banks of the Rio Grande in the Bosque Wilderness, right off of Rio Bravo. The Bosque is Albuquerque's own little Central Park. Except all of it is sketchy, not just certain parts. It's the sort of place you bring out-of-towners when they want to experience real New Mexico. That's real New Mexico for sure, a bug infested dried up river bed. But it's still pretty in its own way.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/200, Aperture f/5.3, No 'shopping.)

Meat

Meat
May 14, 2005

Taken at the San Diego Zoo. I went to san Diego to meet my internet boyfriend and he took me to the zoo. That whole trip was just freaking weird but it's diffenately the sort of thing I'm excited that I actually did. Because we've all got to be stupid about someone we meet on the internet, right? It's a rite of passage for this digital generation.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with the picture. I just really liked the duck.

(Taken with a Sony Cybershot DSCP. Color balance is photoshopped ever so slightly.)

Easy Heart

February 15, 2009

From where I sit now, this is from the first self-portrait series that I took with my D-80 that I actually like. It's in Maria's condo in midtown Albuquerque. It was sort of a weird place for me to live, not because of Maria or the room, but I never really felt like I was there. I moved in within days of the fire in the Golden West and moved out to come to Oklahoma; by far the most surreal period in my life. I spent a lot of time hanging Christmas lights that year, because I had nothing else to do. I was unemployed, bored and scared. Instead of updating my resume for the 5billionith time, I decorated. And baked. The El Rey crew can attest to the amount of baked goods I brought to the 'Rey after Christmas.

This picture was taken during my employment at a temp job in a office, where I was working 10 hour days and had a commute of 2 hours. Once again, surreal. The next afternoon, my grandfather passed away. I totally knew it was coming. I had no idea when, but I knew it was coming. I was thinking a lot about him that night, just hoping he wasn't suffering.

(Taken with a Nikon D-80, 18-135mm AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. Exposure 1/3, Aperture f/3.5. No photoshopping.)

Fort Worthless.

Alright, let's try this. A photo a day in the name of creative sanity. And to take stock of the gigs upon gigs of images that I've got sitting on various drives and computers.


Fort Worthless
November 21, 2010

In November, I went to Austin. It was a great trip, except for the Four Loko. Be you the wiser, it's not the sort of thing "you just have to try once". It's not a bucket list item.

Driving through Texas is, however. Everything's bigger in Texas. And I don't think you can truly grasp that until you're in the middle of it, the absolute middle of nothing. It's weird to see your body there, the only breathing thing for endless miles. It's a great reminder of how insignificant or significant you can choose to be.

This is outside of Fort Worth at about the halfway point of my trip back. That particular drive isn't the nothingness I'm used to in the Panhandle, but it's my dad's old stomping grounds. It's interesting to think about him out there, when he was 26. I'm sure he made that drive to Austin a time or two.

The photo was taken with my iPhone, no fancy settings, just point and shoot. I'm pretty sure I balanced my phone on my car for "tri-poding". Also no photoshopping.

About me.

I'm blessed in having two photographers for parents. Because of that, my childhood is heavily documented on film. Wanna know what I wore to my third day of kindergarten? I'm sure my mom could figure it out for you. My first camera was a hand-me-down from my mom; a point and shoot that took 110 film. In high school, I saved up enough money for a SLR, a Canon Rebel, which I beat into the ground. I took an art studio class in photography in college;I got a C- and hated every minute of. I also took two semesters of 16mm filmmaking and have two 16mm films that I would love to show you.

I prefer to work with film, but I'm lazy and don't have the access or the funds for such a venture. One of these days though. Bug me about it. And don't let me get pretentious about it.

I carry around a point-and-shoot digital camera (a Nikon Coolpix S610) everywhere I go. But my baby is a Nikon D80.

The Proust Questionaire online told me my answers were really close with Karl Rove. Vom-vom.
Which historical figure do you most identify with? Priscilla Presley.
Which living person do you most admire? Mom.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Insecurity.
What is the trait you most deplore in others? Whining.
What is your greatest fear? Being bitter.
What is your greatest extravagance? Second chances. And jackets.
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Waking up in a new place everyday with someone I care about.
What is your favorite journey? Right now, I-40 west-bound right around mile marker 15 in Texas when flat, red dirt turns into mesas. That point, all the way to Albuquerque.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Success.
On what occasion do you lie? Humor.
What do you dislike most about your appearance? Posture.
Which living person do you most despise? Anyone who profiteers on someone else’s suffering.
When and where were you happiest? Junior year of college.
Which talent would you most like to have? Grace.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? How scared I am of personal economics.
If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be? I’d speak French.
What do you consider your greatest achievement? Ska Prom.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? A basset hound.
If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be? A camera.
What is your most treasured possession? Shy Bright, the bear I’ve had since I was five.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Not giving or receiving love.
What is your favorite occupation? Comedian.
What is your most marked characteristic? Creative and reliable.
Who is your favorite hero of fiction? Girls in Tom Petty songs.
Who are your heroes in real life? Girls in Bruce Springsteen songs.
What is it that you most dislike? Terrorism.
What is your motto? “Let not your heart be troubled.”