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One of Amanda’s co-workers is going on vacation to Miami and needed a dog sitter. We love French Bulldogs, so it shouldn’t be any worry for us, although 3 crazy dogs will make life interesting (most things are interesting when you’re unemployed). Cesar was dropped off tonight, and being the photographer that I am, I had to snap some pics. I need to post a video so you can hear how crazy his breathing/snorting sounds. He’s already done the number 1 and 2 in the house!

It was 3 years ago that I was casually walking to the train in White Plains, dressed all in green for St. Patricks day. I snapped some shots of the local courthouse flag when I was rushed by police and interrogated for over 2 hours, threatened with deportation and then released with no consequence. You can read the whole story here, but if you google me it’s all over the web. (For a long time it was all that would come up)

If there was ever a lesson to be learned from an actor, it is really meaning what you say during a performance; which is possibly a great lesson for any photographer or artist. Tituss Burgess performed last night in Westchester at the Young at Arts benefit and in the middle of his song I realised that he was tearing up. He clearly believed in the songs message and was actually singing the meaning of his lyrics. I think that as we all create art, or recreate meaning from a pre-ordained scene, we need to reflect on the intention. Surely that’s the true meaning of being an artist…? Here are some images from last nights performance. (more @ wireimage)

I was working for Old Navy this weekend as a tech person on the street, printing images of people with the Old Navy ‘Modelkins’ (or is it ‘modelquin’) on Spring and Mercer. The job was fairly well paid, a lot of fun and was my first gig with Fifth Ave Digital. The photographer was Dario Cantatore who gave me his business card from his Fuji Instax mini. He needs to fill the bottom of the frame with more of my red jacket, but the general idea is extremely memorable and is the best business card I’ve received in a long time. Unfortunately I was completely frozen and dressed like an idiot.

Tomorrow is March 10th which marks the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Lhasa to India. Last year the protests turned vicious and many people were arrested and even killed for voicing their opinions. It continued and weeks of protests and murders that essentially continued through the Beijing Olympics. Apparently China has shut Tibet down this month for all foreign journalists and I would imagine are keeping a close eye on all Visa’s issued for entry into the autonomous region. There’s going to be peaceful protests tomorrow all over the world, for a look at where and when to attend click here. I’ll be shooting pictures all day which I’ll post later.

I traveled to Tibet in June 2000 for a few weeks on an Exodus overland trip that started in Kathmandu and ended in Beijing. I had been inspired to go to Tibet after having traveled through a couple of small Tibetan village in mainland China called Xiahe and Lijiang in 1998. Looking back, I was too young to really appreciate either trip, but they were certainly a major influence in my college life. Both trips took me to Xiahe, so I got to see how much that small town had change over 2 years. I can only imagine that the whole area looks completely different now. Lhasa was certainly experiencing a boost in economic growth with tall office buildings being constructed all over. It was upsetting to realise that this growth was directed mainly at Han Chinese and left out Tibetans to fend for themselves. Most of the construction ignored any Tibetan traditions in architecture and followed the mysteriously revered Chinese design of white tiles, blue glass and gold lettering. The cultural revolution definitely managed to eradicate any taste or talent with architecture, something that the Chinese used to be pretty good at!

So it’s remembering all those things I learnt, all those experiences I had, that I’ll be heading out to Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn at 8am tomorrow to photograph the march to the UN and the Chinese consulate.

Protesting the Beijing Olympics in 2008 outside the Chinese Conuslate in NYC.

I was reminded by the British TV show “Shameless” of this poem I read in class once. I was probably only 11 years old, so I felt I should ask permission to read a poem that had swear words in it. My teacher was completely fine with it, until he heard the poem. Orley Farm (my old ‘elementary school) used to have a poetry reading competition that I entered every year, and never got to the finale where you read the poem in front of the whole school and was judged by a panel of local literary types. I wonder why I never made it?

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
  They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
  And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
  By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
  And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
  It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
  And don't have any kids yourself.

Maybe not having my name associated with my images is actually a good thing sometimes. I always try and insist that all my photos are credited, but this could be a good example of ignorance being bliss. Click HERE.

If you’re into political movies that feel like documentaries, or just movies that have a message that they don’t try to over explain, then “Hunger” was amazing. However if, like my mother, you find movies that sympathize with criminal types, or show graphic violence and depict depressingly realistic suffering hard to watch, then don’t. It is directed by artist Steve McQueen who won the Turner prize in 1999, and the premier got a standing ovation at Cannes this year, so it’s got something going for it! I think it takes immense talent to depict the story of Bobby Sands so clearly, with such little dialogue and so few set changes. I can’t say I agree with either side of the political debate, but that’s not hugely important for me to enjoy a movie.

When Steve McQueen was asked if his depiction of Bobby Sands was heroic, he answers that he “put this character in a movie , so because he’s in a movie people will automaically think he’s heroic. It doesn’t matter what he’s doing in the movie, he will be thought of as heroic. That’s the movies.” I couldn’t disagree with this statement more, but understand that the director has to argue that to not appear to have a side.

It’s just incredible how well Andy Rooney can whine about just about anything, even the way you spell February or how the weather is in Los Angeles!! Last night’s close out to 60 minutes seemed to be about very little indeed.