{309} Everything dies, baby, that’s a fact, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

All day today, it was cloudy and overcast outside. “If I still lived in Iowa,” I said to a coworker who walked in to talk to me about something, “I would think it was going to snow. But I don’t live in Iowa anymore, I live in CALIFORNIA.”

And yet, about 10 minutes before quittin’ time, such a golden light shone over my shoulder through the window that I had to turn around and catch the sunset. Oh, California. Your sunsets? I will forever remain faithful to them.

{308} Rock N’ Roll Coat Hanger, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

Moved my PA into a new rehearsal space for the band tonight, and this was on the back of the door. Must pause for a photo-geeky comment: It seemed a little incongruous to use the Reduce Noise filter on this particular photo… :-)

{307} If only this pumpkin were a carriage…, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

I ducked out to get lunch on a very busy day at the office, and decided to get my food for there instead of to go…I couldn’t face lunch at my desk. I don’t know whether the pumpkin on the table had anything to do with the table’s occupant or not, but I was looking down on her from the balcony as I was eating and making up all kinds of stories about this particular image.

 

{306} Anna in silhouette, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

I heard The Airborne Toxic Event while driving in LA in June 2008. Then, saw them at Bottom of the Hill in February 2009, at Slim’s in April 2009, and now they’re already headlining The Fillmore with an entire stage set that includes multiple levels, video projections and a really cool backdrop. The big time? It is here.

{305} We looked across the harbor, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

Lisa suggested we spend most of our Sunday taking a photowalk on Toronto Island Park. We took the ferry to Ward’s Island, then walked along the park toward the center and back. I got to play with a 70-300mm lens she had, but this shot was taken with my 50mm lens, which worked better to frame the whole shot I was looking for. It was one of those moments when I knew, even considering how many photos I’d already taken that day, that I had my shot of the day.

{304} Sarah as Bettie, plus decorations, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

As Lisa and I were touring downtown Toronto on Halloween night, we stopped into The Foggy Dew, one of Lisa’s favorite pubs, to get a drink, watch some hockey, eat some poutine, and meet Sarah, Lisa’s friend who waitresses there. Sarah was dressed as Bettie Page, plus some very excellent face decoration.

“I’m committed,” she said. “I did this with a Sharpie!”

Don’t think I’m not considering something like this for Burning Man next year…

 

{303} Marshmallows, ticketed, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

Our office works on, among other things, childhood obesity issues, which gets us a reputation in some quarters for being the food police. My coworker Christine came to the office Halloween luncheon dressed as a food police officer from the State of Nanny, complete with a hat, badge, celery and carrots in her belt, and a banana gun. She also carried food tickets, one of which she issued to Pilar’s homemade marshmallow contribution to the potluck.

{302} Studying, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

I took all kinds of pictures tonight, of many different elements of the evening, but this one is my favorite. Some of my friends from Iowa (and one friend of an Iowa friend who lives here and, well, now has become a local friend, and yes, it’s complicated, but ever-so-awesome, so it’s all good…) were in town to celebrate my friend Tracy’s birthday, and we had just finished an amazing dinner at Beretta and were wandering to the Makeout Room for one more drink before we split up for the evening. We walked by a still-open restaurant where a mariachi player was sitting in the window writing and consulting a textbook, and I got about four steps passed the window before I had to turn around and try to get the shot. I snuck back up and shot him from the sidewalk without him noticing, since he was concentrating so hard on his work.

{301} The back side of the ceiling, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

Up a narrow set of stairs…almost like a ladder…is the place almost no one ever gets to see. It’s above the decorative ceiling that glows over the patrons of the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, and it’s a little peek behind the magic that is the interior of this beautiful, historic building. Hot lights in red, yellow and blue pump out the colors that mix to become the glow the audience sees below, and though the ceiling looks like something solid from below, it is backed by air and light and heat, and held up by a network of cables. It’s always crazy to agree to private tours of anywhere at a time of night much more suited to the weekend than the weeknight, but with payoffs like this, who would want to miss the reward of being a person of yes?

 

{300} On every street, originally uploaded by The Inadvertent Gardener.

Taken while walking home after being dismissed from jury duty. It was a fun two days, both because of the interesting trial, and the walk through Chinatown to and from the Courthouse every day. Though it was all in the same neighborhood, it was a break from the ordinary.