And the laugh was genuine, too. I could tell.

Last night I went to a photography workshop hosted by CapMac, with special guest Trey Ratcliff of stuckincustoms.com on the HDR method.  Check out his site and browse the images if you're unfamiliar with HDR, it's pretty fascinating.  His presentation was nothing if not riveting, touching on every topic from how the eye processes lines, to the superiority of one software's algorithms to another's, to the future of vocation/avocation trends, ending with a well-reasoned philosophy of open-source.  Seriously this cat was impressive.  He walked us through the process of creating an HDR product, then stayed after long enough to answer "I've never heard of that" to my question, "what do you know about EDR photography?"  Then I broke the weird silence with the one-two punch of a witty comment and some subtle non-verbals which said, "that was sarcasm, please laugh!" And he did.  And he did.  It was awesome.

Bull Session

"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes."

Frank Lloyd Wright

Have you ever accidentally attended a Bull Session?  As it turns out, my local coffee spot is owned and operated by none other than Jerry Grote, former catcher for the world champion'69  New York Mets.  What the heck?  This kind old dude that gives me coffee once caught fast balls from Nolan Ryan?

It was cool to listen to his stories of the bigs, recalling details with near-savant accuracy.  While he claimed he didn't miss playing the game, the gusto with which he narrated his memories betrayed him.  It was special to sit and listen to the wisdom of an elder who had experience from which to speak, because he didn't just talk baseball.  He has raised prize-winning cattle, opened a small coffee shop, and endeavored through 40+ years of marriage.  I was glad to soak up some old-man wisdom.

2 fellas I want coffee with

There are two new additions on my list of individuals with which I'd like to converse. No irony implied-I smile as I imagine the incredibly stimulating discussions we would have. The new adds are "Terror's Advocate" Jacques Vergès, legal representation to some of the more (perhaps) reprehensible characters in recent history, and influential author on psychology and behavior Burrhus Frederic (B.F.) Skinner. My current reading is a refutation of Skinner's behaviorism:



Skinner(below) and I would discuss ethics and morality, as well as love...and hair care products. From the above work, quoting Skinner:

"when two people meet,
one of them is nice to the other and that predisposes the other to be nice to him, and that makes him even more likely to be nice. It goes back and forth, and it may reach the point at which they are very highly disposed to do nice things to the other and not to hurt. And I suppose that is what would be called 'being in love.'"

What a guy!


Vergès and I would discuss the ethical/moral dilemmas criminal lawyers face. He would recount his experiences representing Pol Pot, Ayatollah Khomeini, and Klaus Barbie. From Barbet Schroeder's upcoming film "Terror's Advocate":

"I can't stand a man being humiliated even an enemy"-Jacques Vergès(below)



Thanks for tuning in, Blahg-lievers!