(insert title here)

Back in 2003 I got nostalgic when I spotted a Convenient Food Mart in St. Louis.

We had one of these stores next to a Larosa's pizzeria that served as a hub for post high school activities back in my hometown. The pizza joint since closed and the Convenient became an Ameristop.

Visiting Cleveland in June I found this exact version of the one we had in New Richmond. Memories flooded back all over again.

I almost felt like blaring some Violent Femmes or Rush and asking for someone to buy me beer.

“Wanna see some improv tonight?” my friend Heather Brown asked.
Why not? So we went down to Mokka in Newport to catch the group called Incredulity.
Good fun.

As for this snapshot of The Brass Mule Lounge (aka The Brass Ass) in Newport?
We walked by and the lights gave me pause.

Maybe we'll pop in there next time.

Far from good, this photo meant something in the context of days...
See, during my presentation, I talked about why I started taking photos each day.

I was at the gas pump on April 1, 2003, thinking about some weird tick I have;
one where I like the numbers of my sale to NOT MATCH. It's weird, I know.

Anyway, I snapped a photo back then to remind myself of sharing the superstition.

That simple action of taking a photo to remember the day stuck.
It was easy.

Sure it's nice to add all these words, but for me, all I need to see is that
one photo to remember where I was, who I spent time with and what went down.

One might call it a photo journal, and I'm fine with that.
If that means a journal is a way to capture the moment, reflect on life, and relive the good parts,
I'm cool with that.

Back in March I mentioned I'd be giving my first talk up in Dayton. That bar graph above is one slide from a deck of seventy.
I won’t lie, getting a coherent story together nearly gave me a heart attack. It wasn’t until the last 36 hours that it made sense.

In a nutshell, I talked about how I started with photography and why I still do it today, with lots of insight and examples
crammed in there for color.

Yep, I'll share the contents online at some point, but I want to iron out a few wrinkles and make it extra pretty.

As for standing up in front of folks and holding a microphone? I need practice. Lots of it.
But it helped that when I looked out at the small crowd up at the South Park Tavern, I saw lots of familiar faces.
Thank you to those that drove all the way up from Kentucky and Columbus and Oxford and other places.
Really meant the world to me.

After I was done, gulped down a beer to get rid of the shaky legs and enjoyed the big ticket entertainment for the night.

(Thank you Kelley and Mike for pushing me to do something like this!)



The picture I took while sweating on the little stage.




Nick Eddy & Kelley









Above: Jasper the Colossal.



Above: Kelley & Mike as R.Ring.

I get it, you’re moving or trying to just pare down.
Instead of tossing this stuff into the dumpster you artfully arrange it around the dumpster.
I'm totally with you.

Certainly someone will want the board games. They weren't cheap ones.
You could rub a Bounce sheet on that scarf and give it to an in-law.
Maybe unpair the train photo and frame and find something more appropriate for each.
Some wall might be begging for the yellow / orange / pantyhose hued crater art.

And though the pillows do look to be in unsoiled condition, for goodness sake,
put them on top of the games.

But I see the logic... You wouldn't see the games if the pillows were on top,
and who wants used pillows next to the dumpster?

So before we hit the road for Chicago, I stopped in Tom and Wendy's house.
The girls had taken Easter into their own hands, with beautiful results.
Really, check out Wendy's photos.

A trip to Chicago that lasted less than 24 hours.
Tickets to see Arcade Fire & The National at the University of Illinois Pavilion.

Admission: I've tried to grok Arcade Fire, and though I've liked their music,
I never played their albums over and over.

Heard they put on an excellent show, figured this would be a good opportunity.

And it was excellent. I'm now a fan.

They were energetic and engaging, sprawling across the stage, trading instruments and vocal duties.
It was pretty dang great and now I understand what all the fuss is about.

The National? They opened and even without the benefit of their own staging, they filled
up a set with excellent renditions of their songs. I knew every single thing they played with is rare
with me these days, so familiarity added immensely to the pleasure.



The trip there went by well enough. No traffic 'til we hit Chicago.
Brand tangent: I was really impressed with the identity for this gas station along the route.
Sure it's always nice to see Futura, but the fact thatthe straws matched at Luke Oil deserves extra props.













The National (from a distance)



Condiments!



Appetizing eh? With shots like this, it makes you wonder why it might take me a month to update my album!

Fortune cookies, like buffet food, are such a crapshoot.

At some point I either started realizing fortunes were usually just statements,
or perhaps quality has slipped over the years. I can’t say which, I just notice it now.

Tangent: Not sure I’ve mentioned that I have this weird thing where I must eat the entire cookie
before reading the slip of paper inside. I think I make up these little challenges (superstitions)
in life so I can have some easy wins.

Anyway, I liked this particular one and kept it on my desk.

When I was gearing up to talk about how and why I take photos last month at
the South Park Tavern, this statement stuck with me as one of the reasons I keep at it.

First time at Dixie Chili in Newport. Their style of Cincinnati chili has a bit more spice than other local joints
(Not heat, more like cinnamon.) Quite liked it.





No idea what Bulldog Gravy is, but it's on my list.



The Ohio River is still really high.