Two Murders...

Down the block, originally uploaded by jjvannorman.

I was going to title this Condo Life Part 2, but this blog and that theme in particular was mainly intended for light humored reading about moments of my life.

As this is -- "life interrupted" -- I pondered if I wanted to share the unhappy moments as well. There's a lot I want to say, but I'll keep it short for now.

Three nights ago, a 16-year old boy was shot and killed down the block from where I live. Newspaper reports suggest the kid was a gang banger in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time. I shared this news with my friends, many of home live in places far removed from Chicago. Most responses were of shock and dismay. Some expectedly summed it up as that's city life spoken from the illusion of safety from the Burbs.

A second murder, this time not in the Dangerous Big City was in Knoxville, Tenn. -- in a church of all places. This hit closer to home than your typical media "latest killing" news item. An acquaintance I made through a forum I regularly peruse -- she was a sometimes attendee at this same church. The man obviously twisted, out of work, and desperate -- sought relief through the evils of his life by killing liberals. A regular listener of Rush, Hannity and Savage -- should we be surprised?

Neither killing was related other than it was senseless. They are also related because this time I'm not being a spectator. Maybe it was the coincidence of the moment, or I'm "mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore", or it was simply time to walk the talk. More later...

In other news, I go to Jury Duty tomorrow. Gonna try mobile blogging.

Don't chew gum there....

Arrival or Departure, originally uploaded by jjvannorman.

Back in the day, when our company was doing well there was a considerable amount of business travel. Off times it was New Jersey, but now and then it was international travel.

My first trip "across the pond" was Paris of all places. I was sent there to facilitate developing a common way of doing CAD work across the company.

I received a lot of advice before my trip, including NEVER chew gum. This was further substantiated from books I either borrowed or purchased before the trip as I was trying to absorb every cultural detail I could (including my crash course on French). The origins of why the French abhor gum chewing remain elusive to me to this day.

I had a lot of folks who remarked about their experiences with the prickly French; whereas my experience was one of cordial folks, who were amicable with me. I thumbed my way through the phrase book often finding hand gestures, a smack of English with butchered French phrase and a smile was often good enough.

I stayed for two weeks, one week extended with a hope I might be able to see some of tennis from the French Open. The two weeks were filled with museums, wonderful meals, cheap good wine and culture immersion unlike anything I had previously experienced.

One evening offered me several odd and amusing memories. First let me preface something about Parisian restaurants.

Tables in restaurants in Paris are not meant for for those who have personal space issues. Most restaurants there are packed tightly next to one another. Not understanding much French, adjacent table conversations were fortunately for me, white noise. The smoking...well I wont go there.

If you read all those great culture books, i.e. the Idiots guide to Paris you learn that more often then not a restaurant might have an English menu on hand. I would usually ask, in my butchered French . If you're lucky your waitress/waiter will speak some English as well.

One evening I randomly chose this Bistro. After I ordered, a family next to me complemented me -- "You speak excellent English". I had never been complemented on my English before. Not even in high school English class. It might have been the wine, but this was a rare opportunity to have had some fun that I regrettably squandered.

I fessed up I was a Yank. The family was from Germany, the father was an American military officer based in Frankfurt. It was a wonderful evening speaking some English after weeks worth of business French. As this was my second week there I was able to pass along my trip tips.

Oddly enough, that same evening I saw what happens when one chews gum in France. A man walked in for what I assumed was for some carry out. He went to the bar, chewing gum in a manner a bovine would be envious. Well...he might as well have had the plague. No one walked anywhere near 10 feet of him as he chomped away. Then it crept into my head...I couldn't stop it...but it was there...that expression that makes me wince...ugly American.

I was both embarrassed for him and oddly amused. At some point in time, he got up and left.

Did I mention music?

Photographs, writing, I might as well talk about another passion of mine -- Music.

I like to put on music while I post-process my photographs. Maybe it's from those hours as a kid listening to music and pondering those wonderfully designed album covers.

I imagine my music choice depends largely upon my mood, which depends upon my photographs that I am working on, which...etc...

Genesis has gotten some recent airplay with me. I had stopped listening to them for years. It was well worn path back in college Someday I might be able to atone for my sins of listening to Duke very loudly and, dare I admit, Phil Collin's solo efforts. Fortunately my ex-roomie from college, Andy forgave me upon my visit to London and my giving him a CD of Joseph Arthur.

Of course now my Genesis play list is limited to up to and including Wind & Wutherling Nothing beyond the post Hackett era -- may I someday be forgiven by my fellow dormitory neighbors for my taste transgressions.

At the moment Nursery Cryme fits my mood exquisitely.

olden times

olden times, originally uploaded by jjvannorman.

I recently started this Blog in part, because of the enjoyment I was having in Flickr. I'm taking more time now. Thinking not only the details of what makes for a good photograph, but sometimes what's behind the picture. Taking more time in seeing what my friends do in their photography.

Photography was something that had intrigued me since I was a child. My Dad gave me a Kodak Instamatic for Christmas.

I might have been 8 or 9 or so and one photo from that Christmas morning was my Dad coming from from working the night of Christmas Eve. I'm sure it wasn't my first photo that day, but it was my first GOOD photo.

Later, I remember the joy of seeing the photos after being developed a week later or so. The one of my Dad walking through the door, smiling seeing his son with his new toy. Like my Dad, I've never been keen being the photographed, but this was a real candid moment.

I'd sorely love to have that photo now, but in my mind I still can see it, and maybe that matters more.

Condo Life -- Chapter 1

I said Chapter 1, because I've been telling my friends for years that some of the happenings of condo life could make for some wonderful sitcom scripts. I won't jump into all the details in this post but mentions a few odds and ends to "set the table".

About seven years ago, I moved from my apartment near the lake (Edgewater) to Albany Park. I don't miss much about that building, I do miss having access to the lake (via walking distance) and some of my old neighbor friends.

My apartment then, just announced they were going to convert from apartments to condo's. Since the building (as well as the plumbing, heating, etc) was turn of the century, I decided to condo hunting. It was a gorgeous building, but all I could see was years and years of special assessments.

After looking around for weeks and weeks I eventually I happened on Albany Park. Our building was one of the first in this neighborhood to become a condo -- it was even featured in the Chicago Tribune. It's previous life was one of abandoned building / crack house -- now it had been gutted, new AC, heat, plumbing, and that 80 year old exterior, it was the best of both worlds.

The neighborhood had already considerably changed since I had been there previously, I was to learn later of some of the thuggishness of the 'hood still around, but overall I believe my choice was a good one. The value has increased nicely, even with the bubble burst it's one of my better decisions.

This year of condo life has several wonderful stories -- I have to ponder which ones to share first.

I have a weakness for Art Deco

I have a weakness for Art Deco, originally uploaded by jjvannorman.

I had to show my latest contribution.
I decided to do some googling on the names on the plaque, and it was with some surprise reading about what life was like serving on the Board for the Sanitary District then. Click on the link or the pic to see what info I found.

Suddenly I'm reviving this blog...lord knows why

Well it's already a different kind of summer.

I've been an ongoing reader of the Cocteau Twins Forum for years now and it was a light diversion to talk about music and knick knacks about life as well as virtual access to friends from around the world.

One thread on Photography really got my interest revisited in a big way. I bought my first DSLR and along with my Power Shot A710, I've posted nearly 400 photos. Most are crap, but like the expression, when you have 10,000 monkeys typing on keyboards you eventually get Shakespeare. I expect the same with my 10,000 photos, hopefully I'll make a few gems. At worst I get to seem some wonderful photos from my more talented peers.

Anyway -- flickr is my new web addiction, with some folks from the Cocteau Twins Forum we've jumped into flickr with a lot of helpful, sometimes comical and light diversion I used to find on a daily basis in the Cocteau Twins Forum.

I'm hoping this place will make a nice companion place to my photographic expressions.