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July 26, 2008

Grandpa

I'll briefly post to acknowledge a very important person who has passed away. My family is amazing: my grandmother feisty and resilient; my sister engaged and organized; my brother-in-law is curious and honorable; my mother caring and knowledgeable; father incisive and passionate. My grandfather was all of that: sweet, brilliant, capable, consistent, generous, inspiring. And to the end he brought us together with a well timed line.

Here's to a man who has left so many special memories and who will always inspire me.

The official word:

Mr. Bill Abbott, 83, of Roswell, GA passed away peacefully on July 23, 2008 after a brief illness.

Bill was born January 27, 1925 to Stella VanDuzer Abbott and William Abbott in Blakely, PA. After graduating from Blakely High School (Class of 1943), where he met his future wife, Marion Davies, he served in the Navy during WWII on the LST 689. Upon returning to PA, he worked for his father-in-law at Davies Motor Company in Peckville, PA and Scranton Buick. He then worked for Volkswagen in different locations for 15 years, Toyota in Severna Park, MD, and Isuzu in Roswell, GA. Since retirement, he has been active in the Roswell Chapter of S.E.L. and as a board member of the United States LST Association. Bill was known both before and after retirement for his generosity to family and friends, wonderful stories, and sincerity for sharing his joy for life.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marion; son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Jean Abbott of Boulder, CO; daughter and son-in-law, Gayle and Ed Farley of San Ramon, CA; grandchildren Patti, Nate, Brett, and Timothy; great-granddaughter Emily; and sister Millicent Smailes. He was preceded in death by his brother, Earl, and sister, Marilyn Perkins.

A memorial service led by Rev. Nancy Folsom Lane was held Saturday, July 26th at the Roswell Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Roswell United Methodist Church or Senior Enriched Living, Roswell, GA.

Bill Abbott, Florida. 2007.

Bill and Marion Abbott, Florida. 2007.

Posted by nmablog at 10:28 AM | | Comments (6)

July 04, 2008

water. falls.

i know that the "authorities" tell me not to blog in such a personal way. but whatever, heres some stuff. today is a very important personal day. and like other july 3/4's before, i can't sleep. so here's some pics from last week. my friend took me to see Japanther and the waterfalls that Olafur Eliasson made in New York.

Incredible. I also crashed my bike, had my Blackberry stole and tore up my knee. But all is well and I'm back in touch. So send me a txt with your phone number and I'll call you back or maybe next week I'll be back on the BB and send you a txt back. Honestly, at this moment, I miss everyone. Wishing the best to you.

-N.

PS. an EDIT, before I get to my images. we should all read this: http://bernardavishai.blogspot.com/2008/07/dream-palace-of-arabs.html

(I know, too many and too below par, but I'm too tired to edit this any more...)

I went to visit my Grandparents and see my niece and my sister. I miss them all terribly.

Clouds. Since I just hung out with them and didn't take any pictures. Except of the clouds on the way there.

And when I saw that they had the checkbook out for John McCain. I still love them.

The sun was setting over the nabe where I live. But I don't live in that high-rise.

That's the Williamsburg bridge.

These people were in love and not paying attention to the waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge.

This waterfall was in front of an old building and a new building.

Brooklyn Bridge. With waterfall. And flag.

Take a picture. Brooklyn Bridge.

Financial District.

Liberty. 2008.

Statue. Sucky picture. 2008.

Japanther crowd. (1) 2008.

Japanther crowd. (2) 2008.

Two pints of Jameson later, I made it back to my bed in Brooklyn. 5am, on the Fourth of July, I'm still awake and wondering.

Posted by nmablog at 04:25 AM | | Comments (0)

June 30, 2008

It run on imagination

Working my butt off or more specifically, giving myself a fat ass and getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I guess, in the midst of this I am resigned to being a consumer of culture and art even as I am producing. Anyway, watch and read and listen.

The Itch (PS. I love thinking about perception even if I don't have/get it...):
The article is at NewYorker.com, but go buy the magazine and read it in a park or a coffee shop.

Beautiful:
Bon Iver, Skinny Love

Funny (and also smart):
Show cookie pride by eating...coooooooookie!

Ciao for now...

Posted by nmablog at 03:41 AM | | Comments (0)

May 21, 2008

Love Affair

I've been sick, like my brain has been hurting because my sinuses have been so fucked and I really have accomplished approximately nothing all week. Anyway, despite not doing anything positive, sucking saltwater up my nose, taking 3 showers every day just for the humidity and losing two to three pounds every time I blow my nose (along with, possibly, 15-20 points on my fucking SATs, or IQ, which means basically nothing) over the last 6 days, I did manage to watch some movies, read some magazines, look at some pictures and listen to a bunch of music. And all I want to do is sit outside with friends and laugh, then go for a nice if overpriced dinner, and out to some dark and dirty bar, wake up smiling at my headache and foggy memories, and go for brunch. Instead, I write the lamest blog post in history.

This story, of a guy who collected a Polaroid every day for about 18 years, is so over-blogged I wasn't gonna post it. But the images are very good, and the story collected is well crafted and the images from the last year of his life are something else.

It also ties into one interesting story of dedication, love, focus and partnership. This one I saw yesterday while I tried to not infect anyone whilst wandering around MoMA. You kind of have to see it in person to recognize the sheer madness of spending 30 years taking pictures of then curating and printing a geometric and fucking weird survey of industry around the world. But Bernd and Hilla Becher have done something that just tears apart my mind.

Go rent the movie Control, about Ian Curtis of the band Joy Division. Movie was made by Anton Corbijn who is a legendary music and portrait photographer. You should really look around his website and at his photographs.

Hercules and Love Affair Blind.

Cut Copy.

Justice. (I was gonna post this, but then I saw it on Anthony's Joystick blog, but I'm posting it anyway. Great minds don't fall far from the tree of Apples?)

Posted by nmablog at 11:10 AM | | Comments (1)

May 01, 2008

Awesome. 80's Party. Itz ovr.

I'll see you at the salad bar, Whole's Foods Union Square. Tomorrow night. Be there!

Posted by nmablog at 10:15 PM | | Comments (1)

April 30, 2008

Random links.

Random political and economic thought of the day. Only one of the three candidates left in this race is still basing decisions on what IS the best policy. He may lose because he isn't doing a great job of pandering, but he has my respect. Tom Friedman in the NY Times

Also, read this one over eggs at the Sunrise Diner this morning. Bill Clinton isn't that bad, but I just like Hillary less and less every day. Ryan Lizza in The New Yorker

"Do you realize—that everyone you know someday will die?"

Someone Twittered this song lyric—from a favorite song of mine—and I found this beautiful bit of writing. Ted Jillson in McSweeney's

Back Window View, Brooklyn, NY.

Posted by nmablog at 12:27 PM | | Comments (1)

April 03, 2008

Excuses.

My apologies for not updating this here blog more often. I'd post more often if I wasn't so busy drinking. Talk to you next week from rehab!

Untitled #1. (Beer)

Untitled #2. (Girl Pants with PK Hunder)

Posted by nmablog at 02:54 PM | | Comments (1)

March 17, 2008

BBC quote and rant.

Before I walked out the door, turned left, and came to this diner where I'm currently sitting and eating breakfast, I heard a quick snippet on BBC radio. I don't know what the actual subject was, but here's the gist of the part I heard: "We're entering an age where anyone can publish anything. And because of that it is intrinsically now our job to edit after the act of publishing." [I don't know why I put that in quotes since its not an exact quote, but whatever I can't html enough to make it stand apart any other way and you get the point now, don't you?]

Which makes me think that we're dismissing an entire industry—a whole profession: editors in all mediums. And now what you and I are faced with is the responsibility to face our growing RSS feeds and the spouting bloggers who we've decided to listen to, and edit each and every step we take through the world. And this task is A) not my primary skill set B) not something I'm getting paid for and C) taking away from the time available for me to do the following things: 1) sleep 2) create my own un-edited content and 3) go do things with my friends and family.

I can't believe I just added to this whole shit show. Although I did get to drink a delicious cup of coffee whilst crafting this rant. And by the way, this is, in one more serendipitous coincidence for my week, the 100th post I've added to my blog. I wanted it to be special and meaningful, but it apparently is just going to be cynical and self-referential.

Back to MY core competency; here's some pics from the other day in Greenpoint and Williamsburg:

Guernsey. 080315.

McCarren. 080315.

Parking. 080315.

Expressway. 080315.

Stop. 080315.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Posted by nmablog at 09:19 AM | | Comments (4)

March 14, 2008

Damn Whitney.

Old pics from my Blackberry camera of the Denver Art Museum. Its a beautiful building, even if the layout seemed not to flow naturally. And there were only a couple of moving pieces. On the other hand today I went to the Whitney Museum of American Art to see their Biennial exhibit. The building is kind of familiar by now, and I feel lucky to see the works that had been selected for the Biennial. No time to load pictures from today, places to go, sleep to catch up on.

Denver Art Museum #1.

Denver Art Museum #2.

Denver Art Museum #3.

Denver Art Museum #4.

Niece Emily kicking ass in her race. (In the proud Uncle category...)

Posted by nmablog at 06:39 PM | | Comments (0)

March 05, 2008

This is I, Hamlet the Dane.

The story has a couple of flaws, but here is raw emotion and sentiment and performance and a pure way of recording those things. It is worthy watch.

After the Wedding Trailer

Posted by nmablog at 01:29 AM | | Comments (0)

February 19, 2008

Big changes.

The thing about my apartment is that it's kind of on the outskirts. If I walk out the door and turn right, I can go to the Graham Ave L, Bedford L, Gimme Coffee, Cafe Grumpy, Amanda and Mike's Apartment, McCarren Park, Williamsburg, Long Island City and pretty much anyplace else. If I leave and turn left there's the Boulevard Tavern, a Staples, a McDonald's and an on ramp for the BQE going north.

But today I said, "Fuck it." I turned left and realized that two blocks away, there's a passable diner for breakfast (two eggs over medium, potatoes, coffee, and OJ for $4) and a really solid pizza joint. So there it is, twice today I turned left and that has made all the difference.

(Oh yeah: my bags showed up, I emptied then repacked them, I got a new computer and I'm upgrading my other computer to 10.5. So there's no pictures in this blog...)

Take care all.

Posted by nmablog at 09:16 PM | | Comments (1)

February 06, 2008

Long Time Coming.

Computer broke. Phone part of my Blackberry stopped working. X Games and Las Vegas happened. I'll be back to the old trick soon enough.

Here is a link to a story I feel strongly about. Read it. Make it happen.Washington Post

No time for more, but I'm putting some photos on this, 'cause I am no writer.

Build a wall
Build a fortress around my heart

Not Everyone Wins. Copper Mountain, CO.

I will run away home.


Take Off. Colorado.


Landing. Brooklyn.

Posted by nmablog at 07:46 PM | | Comments (1)

January 22, 2008

The Road from NY to CO.

Twitter is like a mini-insta-blog. I like it aside from the fact I only have one real friend on there. It certainly kept me awake and amused on my drive from Brooklyn to Breckenridge last week. And I really like the unfiltered updates from journalists following the Presidential candidates.

I'm in Boulder, shot some beautiful girls and their hair today, then off to Aspen for the X Games madness. Here's my twittering across America and a couple pictures. See you soon. -Nate.

how to pack for driving there flying back? shite, i'm gonna have too much stuff. 06:20 PM January 15, 2008 from web

Last stop gimme coffee. Odo 48214. Headed west. 09:52 AM January 16, 2008 from txt

Nj smells. 10:43 AM January 16, 2008 from txt

Wnyc is static. Cue ipod. 11:02 AM January 16, 2008 from txt

Mnts of NJ r butiful. Snowy :) 11:10 AM January 16, 2008 from txt

Penn- why does every "salad" have meat in it? 12:49 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Pack of turkeys eating by I80. R they social animals? 01:34 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Sign: wlcome to penns wilds. - scary. 01:35 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Skip to the end? I wish. 02:20 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

6 hrs. Ohio. Into the setting sun. 04:09 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

How many hrs of my life spent listening to NPR? 05:02 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Wow. Ohio t-pike is ex-citing! 05:24 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Sandwich, starbux, gas. Thinking about 100 things I need to do once I stop for night. Odo 48698. 06:14 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Goodbye intilectual elitism, hello midwestern clasic rock. Good love is hard to find. 06:29 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Holy Toledo. 07:30 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Ohio tolls: obvs not payin for road repairs. 07:56 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

@Slickbyrd-i know very little bout myself so this should be useful. 08:06 PM January 16, 2008 from txt in reply to Slickbyrd

Indiana: how should we fill the empty spaces where we used to talk? Jedi mind trick and the radio plays floyd. 08:31 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Advertisment for 3 level indoor archery range with leagues"where archery comes alive"!!!! 08:52 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Too much coffee to be stuck in traffic. But I'm goal oriented, getting through chicago in spite of it. 10:38 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Boredom sets in. Thought: will itunes reward me w a new gossip girl tonight? 10:43 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

NY ezpass works in illinois. Wish I new that b4 5 min in toll line. 11:02 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

Solo, ipod, camera. Couple photo stops. Stopping @ next crappy chain hotel I find. 11:32 PM January 16, 2008 from txt

On the road. Late night photos, days inn. Snowing just a little bit. Grey day. 08:47 AM January 17, 2008 from txt

I want to see a dead head sticker on a caddilac today. 09:31 AM January 17, 2008 from txt

at the largest truck stop in the world. full on iowa white out. google map says 12:30 to go. 10:45 AM January 17, 2008 from web

Lincoln reagan hoover: very presidential this stretch of i80. 11:44 AM January 17, 2008 from txt

Blue sky, fresh snow, farm houses-iowa's beautiful. 11:59 AM January 17, 2008 from txt

Iowa ext 187, brooklyn. I had to stop. Gas, windshield fluid, coffee, softbatch cookies. 12:47 PM January 17, 2008 from txt

google directions: next turn 475 mi, 6:35. Ugh. 01:49 PM January 17, 2008 from txt

I know I'm alone if I'm with or without you. about 24 hours ago from txt

Car napped. Cpuncil bluffs. Looking gforward to human interaction. about 22 hours ago from txt

And everything I make is trite and cheap and a waste of paint of tape of time. (Delayed response, but I'm in omaha.) about 22 hours ago from txt

Nebraska- zero clouds. about 20 hours ago from txt

Npr: same person invented hula hoop and frisbee. Died. about 20 hours ago from txt

Shooting star! Straight down i80. about 18 hours ago from txt

Montanita, ftw. Mountain time zone. about 17 hours ago from txt

Colorful Colorado. about 17 hours ago from txt

last stop for gas $ . about 17 hours ago from txt

Written in lights: "eat beef". Smell of manure in the air. about 16 hours ago from txt

When I was 13 went to summer camp for nerds and ended up w a girlfriend from Sterling CO. Dismal in so many ways. about 16 hours ago from txt

Which withdrawal is worse: Twitter or Caffeine? Caf is making me twittery. about 16 hours ago from txt

Northeast colorado filled with terrible smells. about 15 hours ago from txt

Denver...almost home. Thinking about all the stuff I'm missing in NY though. Too much world to love. about 14 hours ago from txt

Eisenhower tunnel. Elevation 11013. about 14 hours ago from txt

Fin. ODO 50055. So much snow. Last 10 mi white nuckles. And to all a goodnight. :) about 13 hours ago from txt

Lou dobbs on the COLBERT REPOOOOORT! Amazing as any mock tv show ever was done. I cannot support Colbert enough.correcto. about 11 hours ago from txt

Coffee and bagel at my breakfast spot of 8 years. Colder than...well, lots of stuff. 35 minutes ago from web

10 minutes into the drive.

Self explanatory.

Day's Inn 1. 12:15 am.

Day's Inn 2. 12:40 am.

Day's Inn 3. 6:00 am.

Brooklyn, Iowa 1.

Brooklyn, Iowa 2.

Into the sun, Nebraska.

Roadside, Nebraska 1.

Roadside, Nebraska 2.

Posted by nmablog at 04:30 AM | | Comments (0)

January 15, 2008

OMG

Thank you Sweden. I love you Sweden. Once my ribs are better I'm gonna drink some beers and have a really fun night with this song in my head. Tomorrow though, it's gonna be playing while I drive home to Colorado. Ok, good night.

And another favorite from Sweden:

Posted by nmablog at 06:56 PM | | Comments (1)

January 12, 2008

Links to read and a picture of Erich.

Not having a good weekend here in NY, but I'm happier to be here than having PTSD from killing people or getting buried.

I feel really bad for the kids being affected by our President and his bullshit, incompetent attempts at making the world a safer place.

Colorado:
East Vail Avalanche.
Last week's East Vail Avalanche.
Another.
No one in it.

Canada:
Lucky photographer, good friends.

Seriously, I'm sick of this shit.

My apologies for the cynical bitter post—here's what I'm working on right now to make myself not feel quite as shitty.

Erich Dummer. Gaper Day 2007.

Posted by nmablog at 05:55 PM | | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008

The Letter F

Seriously. F. This. I'm really not happy right now. I felt my freaking rib break, again. I'd finally gotten back into three days a week of yoga, running miles and miles, etc. Ugh. And I know its going to hurt more tomorrow. I want to be positive, I really do. But seriously, I'm now on year two of this shit. I only wish there were about four seasons of Gossip Girl to watch back to back to back to back. That would make me happy.

Posted by nmablog at 01:51 AM | | Comments (1)

January 07, 2008

Okay, okay. [UPDATED!!!****!!!!]

I have loads of other things I should be doing, but I'm getting excited about a new political landscape. I still believe in the candidates with more experience, but I also believe in Obama—his vision, his charisma, his sensible intelligence. Don't forget also that there is still a person in charge of this company and he's going to the middle east to try to save us from the huge mess he (and his administration) have dragged us into. You might find this story, about both Barack and the current situation in Palestine and the Middel East, interesting. Its from a blog, written by Bernard Avishai, I've been following. I read a lot of political mumbo jumbo in the mags and on the web but don't normally get too in depth with teh Jews and teh Palestinians, but this guy is blindingly brilliant and pragmatic and measured and able to look at the bigger picture outside of one race or religion or ethnicity, which seems to give me more hope of a solution to the East end of the Med and the perpetually messy religo-political situation.

And it seems like Barack is winning over a lot of people, myself included, with the idea that he's a leader who will make our country and our world a better place. Better man than I. And that's number one on my list of required skills to take my vote.


[Updated Wednesday, January 9, 2008]
PS. AMAZING post outlining what the press needs to know for Bush's Jerusalem visit. Here.

PPS. I know. I know. Go Hillary! I fought at the last book club that we should be supporting the two more experienced candidates rather than Obama. Well, what the hell do I know about politics anyway? I couldn't even make it through college.

Posted by nmablog at 01:12 PM | | Comments (0)

January 03, 2008

Fired up again.

Why am I up at 5:30 in the morning reading the New Yorker and why am I so steamed that by 6:30 I'm writing on the blog? 'Cause this shit is fucked. This article isn't online, but go buy the New Yorker and read Samantha Power's article "The Envoy". And this is old news, but everyone should have already seen "The Fog of War".

PS. Poor planning is having ZERO food in your apartment and realizing its 14 degrees outside. Balls!

Posted by nmablog at 06:30 AM | | Comments (0)

January 02, 2008

Read. Talk.

My friend started a book club, and if you're in New York, I'm inviting everyone who wants to read and talk to join us at my apartment on January 14th. We aren't intellectually rigorous or very serious about things—just some friends having some finger food and a drink or two and talking about a book. E-mail me for the details.

Even if you're not in New York we inhabit a free country where, if you so desire, you can purchase Remainder by Tom McCarthy, read it, and think about it. I just finished the first chapter—off kilter, interesting, thought provoking—and now I'm off to bed and hopefully finishing chapter two. 'Night y'all!

Posted by nmablog at 11:49 PM | | Comments (0)

December 31, 2007

Top Ten Albums of the Year.

Maybe it started as bad as possible, with reminders and reactions. Or maybe it started better than I could have imagined. Certainly it continued down that road for some time, and if or when anything changed—every second a new form resolves in the fog as happens in moments of reflection and as happens in the brightest whirlwind of exploration. Marching feet in the fading light or the sound of an empty glass settling in an empty bar, or the feet shuffling around a lonely figure stopped at the center of a museum, and that rhythm of a train when at the moment you pass people feet away who may be the same and you can never know because the city somehow keeps time with each person, each place, each tempo, each experience as they fade in and out and somehow all these dimensions don’t crash into each other. This is life—each small passion spinning out of control from one moment to the next. It gets louder, quieter, faster, and more erratic and suddenly the focusing and building and matching momentum of these little pieces works together brilliantly. So it went—weeks spent walking through a foreign city, brief affairs of the heart, losses, threads of information clutched at and followed through time and space, bright bursts of empathy, quiet ignorance, probing strangers, caressing old friends, chances taken, walls thrown up and crushing feelings all come together whether for a minute or a week or just a couple of steps as the sun sets as if through a wide-angle lens, the miniature details of city and sky feeling fake as the shapes and colors and feelings pour out over my skin.

I’m tired of this and don't have any answers. And life's always changing. What have I been doing? What lessons have been learned? Am I happy? Am I successful? I don’t fucking know, so I’m gonna go hang out with my friends. See you all out there, if not tonight then next year. Love.

New Year's Eve, Greenpoint #1.

New Year's Eve, Greenpoint #2.

Posted by nmablog at 06:16 PM | | Comments (3)

December 26, 2007

Yet again.

Seriously. Enough with all these good movies. In the past couple of months: In the Valley of Elah, No Country for Old Men, and Juno.

Now I just saw There Will Be Blood and it was jaw dropping. Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing. Did you see The Ballad of Jack and Rose? Okay, I just linked you to it on NetFlix, so add it to your queue already. And Paul Dano is in both! He's so creepy in the TWBB.

It's only showing in one theater in NY right now, but I think it opens across the country next week. It's violent and confrontational and challenging and the music is dark and classical and jittery. I've got so much to say about this, but you all should just go see it blind. Oh, just heard a good interview with DDL on NPR that you can check out here. Wow, and this is me when Gimme Coffee is closed and I've been off the caffeine for 3 days? Insane. Watch out tomorrow—I might just explode after I have me a Midnight Rider!

Walk in the park. 1.

Walk in the park. 2.

Walk in the park. 3.

Posted by nmablog at 07:59 PM | | Comments (0)

December 25, 2007

See?

Here's proof I'm not a total Grinch. I just choose not to travel over the holidayz. But I got a tree, and I read most of the book my Mom got for me about Richard Avedon's monumental portrait project "In the American West" undertaken during 7 summers of the 70s and 80s. Pretty sweet present—check out the amazing photos!

I also bought myself the gift of a season pass to Gossip Girl on ITunes. Perfect for watching out of the corner of my eye while I work on scanning photos and updating my website and portfolio. And so the cool guy rocker dad and his girlfriend reminisce about a trip to a town in Mexico called Sayulita. Seriously, perfect for me. Ex-oh, ex-oh.

Almost forgot the picture that bears out my Christmas Spirit: tree on the table.

Posted by nmablog at 11:24 PM | | Comments (2)

December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas

Incidentally, if one was to find themselves in Brooklyn on Christmas eve waiting for Santa to come down the (plugged) chimney and, being bored and a few beers deep already, had already watched and packaged for their return each of the four allotted Netflix DVDs, decided to visit www.quarterlife.com and watch all fourteen available episodes (webisodes?), it might be possible to sink away, lose your current surroundings and enjoy watching the the amusing musings and convoluted lives of a few people—more beautiful and interesting and invented and fake perhaps—going through life in a similar manner to yourself.

Posted by nmablog at 11:47 PM | | Comments (0)

December 11, 2007

Welp, see you soon.

I'm coming to Colorado and I want to hang out, say hi, drink coffee, go snowboarding, talk about books and art and music and (despite the link I'm about to write about) take some pictures. So, call me. I'll be in Boulder after noon and in Breckenridge by happy hour. Ok, awesome, now I'll hope my flights aren't cancelled since there's a big ass storm on the way and its already raining in Brooklyn.

So, this kid is gnarly. Very courageous in his editing and willingness to get to another side of the story. Even if his work is hidden by the layers of editing involved in mainstream American media. Here's the link, be aware, it's got some disturbing and violent images. Conscientious Blog Conversation with Peter Van Agtmael

Thought provoking work and interview. One quote, but the rest of the article is worth your time.

"A few days after finishing my first tour to Iraq, I picked up a copy of a very well known American magazine at the airport in Holland. I was flipping through it absently when I came upon a brutal picture I had taken of the aftermath of a suicide bombing, run across nearly a full page [see photo in article]. I called my parents to tell them the good news and they went out to buy a copy. In the U.S. edition, in place of my picture they found an image of a few helicopters taking off. I was pretty crushed." -Peter Van Agtmael

Posted by nmablog at 06:16 PM | | Comments (0)

November 25, 2007

Home?

Not sure where that is anymore. I've been with my family for the last week. I miss them horribly, its so much fun even when my sister, Grandma, cousins, Mom, four year old niece, etc. are slaughtering me at cards or bingo or whatever.

Back in the city for 24 hours now, almost collapsed playing soccer this morning, heard at least 6 languages on the subway, drank coffee and walked in Union Square, cast sly glances at the amazing ladies on the subway, ran the battery to red on my IPod, ordered takeout Thai, wore a sweater and a hoody and a jacket and a scarf at the same time (and wasn't too warm).

But I also checked the surf in Sayulita and Barbados and California and Australia...

Emily and (my) Mom getting the sunset photo on Emily's camera.

Posted by nmablog at 08:56 PM | | Comments (0)

November 18, 2007

Knowledge defined.

I'm now 31 and my birthday was amazing—I met people, and saw things, and went places, and touched the sand, and washed my face in the sea. So thanks to everyone who was there and thanks for the notes and cards and stuff. I owe each of you a response. But I'm with my family now for the (American) Thanksgiving week. So it'll probably have to wait a little while.

Follow this link and read about Antony Flew, a famous Atheist philosopher and the religious right (perhaps) fucking with him in his later years.

"The dinosaur tracks in England all went from west to east the book said. By what light was this fact knowledge"? Wasn't it just one more inexplicable thing to mystify them, didn't it subtract from what they knew, rather than add to it? The sabotage of knowledge by a wealth of facts—they weren't professors, but guerrillas." -Fiskadoro

Knowledge : noun
1) obsolete : cognizance
2) a (1): the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association (2): acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique b (1): the fact or condition of being aware of something (2): the range of one's information or understanding c: the circumstance or condition of apprehending truth or fact through reasoning : cognition
d: the fact or condition of having information or of being learned
3) archaic : sexual intercourse
4) a: the sum of what is known : the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by humankind barchaic : a branch of learning

Noah helping with a birthday drink.

Posted by nmablog at 03:48 PM | | Comments (0)

October 30, 2007

Tea.

Fall fell. The peeps upstairs turned their heat on - which in NYC means hot pipes running through my apartment - but I'll sit with the windows open, sipping tea in sweaters. I'll run from place to place, think to keep from thinking, dance 'til dawn while complaining about the music (can someone teach me some DJ techniques? 'cause seriously there are some poor music selections happening). Hope for favors and stay numb. Realize its Sunday night and I'm balancing on a concrete barricade above the westside highway. I'll know I'm a child and hope to never grow up. I'll spend time on coffee and books and magazines and pictures and wandering. I'll playing soccer in the cold. I'll work on art projects and get mad and get fired up and still make no progress. I'll work at 8 am and 8 pm. I'll pray for someone to do something with. I'll give up and walk out the door. I'll entertain myself by walking against the human flow of weekend crowds at the Met. I'll keep my IPod charged. I won't take my Metrocard out of my jacket for the next 3 months.

Pumpkins left outside my door - under the BQE. In the background are 3 men sleeping on mattresses they've had stashed here pretty much all summer.

I just got back from Ryan and Patty's wedding in Mexico. This is why you don't want me to shoot your wedding. There's lots more where these came from.

First Beer as a Married Woman.

First Chew as a Married Man.

I'm a despicable childish human being. No doubt.

Posted by nmablog at 06:06 PM | | Comments (0)

October 22, 2007

The other side of the world.

Sometimes I don't know how to feel. I suspect I'm crazier than the average human, but how is anyone supposed to feel? The world seems a study in contrasts. In the midst of loving my life, being with friends and all I've inherited, so much terrible shit goes down. How dare I feel lonely or sad or restless? How dare I not make the world a better place? How dare I drink and listen to music and go out dancing and check soccer scores and obsess about myself. Without the easy protection of a resort on the beach or a cold frosty drink, life goes on. If I pick up a book or a magazine - about something other than sports and fashion - and read, life goes on. Or I act recklessly, excessively and uncontrollably happy. Drunk and in love with myself and the space I fill. There is no wave that passes from my cannonball leap. No splash. Nothing but me.

I read this story on my flight to Mexico. I can only share the emotion with you by having you read it - painful, moving. (There's also long bland feature about the jaw dropping waste in financing the Bush vs. Iraq war here.)

Contrast the first and last pictures of the bus which carried Benazir Bhutto back to Karachi from her exile. Pakistan.

And finally, part of the reason we're limited in dealing with the fires in California is the war in Iraq. My thoughts are with all of you in both places. National Guard problems.

Actually, a PS. I wrote all that a couple days ago and didn't post it. Today over a lunch of eight dollar veggie burger and three dollar latte I read this tidbit from " Tree of Smoke":

"Night again, the insects are loud, the moths are killing themselves on the lamp. Two hours ago I sat on the veranda looking out at the dusk, filled with envy for each living entity—bird, bug, blossom, reptile, tree, and vine—that doesn't bear the burden of the knowledge of good and evil." -Denis Johnson

Posted by nmablog at 09:41 PM | | Comments (0)

October 07, 2007

Party

The next time I have a celebration, I'm having LCD Soundsystem play it. Honestly, I like listening to them on the ol' IPod. But nothing compares to the live show. About 25,000 people, almost everyone dancing. James Murphy being awkward, passionate, and incredible. So much fun. Go see them if you can.

The Arcade Fire played after and it was really good, but honestly, kind of a let down for me. Still among my favorite bands, but a totally different experience. I kind of slipped to the back of the crowd and listened more than participated.

The bike ride out there took quite a while since I still can't really push too hard on the pedals. Gave me time to enjoy the sunset.

And the view from the Triboro Bridge.

Blonde Redhead.

Hipster drum circle under the disco ball. LCD SS.

Arcade Fire. Neon Bible. Lots of cool visuals.

Posted by nmablog at 03:42 PM | | Comments (2)

August 26, 2007

Stinky.

out the door and I catch the first
rotten garbage, a twinge of dog shit?
turn my bike down driggs and onto newel
stale garbage now, but not rancid
through greenpoint continues the ride with wiffs of chemicals and petroleum products
over the pulaski its fresh, a breeze in my face
i ride faster till about 42nd and 11th then coast
cause here in queens its the sweetest 10 blocks
a few blocks of the Dunkin Donuts factory at 44th
then another bakers (TomKat? hopefully not related to cruise and holmes)
then i'm under the queensboro and its reaking of shit again
but up and over the bridge and the east river smells fresh
compared to the rest of the city, but maybe not to a walk on Pine St with Louie
roosevelt island is kind of european, i ride slow and listen to quiet conversations, not a lot of cars and no trucks
maybe a few air conditioners working.
during the game i go to take a corner kick and someone is smoking weed down on the promenade watching the lights of manhattan
the ride home is dark and lonely and the only
new smell
takes me back to college and a high school girl i dated
wearing peach lotion from some mall cosmetics shop
and my brain slips back to lazy nights walking the mall in Boulder with her
while i ride over the Pulaski
sweaty, to my quiet apartment in the rich city

Posted by nmablog at 10:37 PM | | Comments (0)

July 08, 2007

Independence Day and Veggie Dogs.

Fittingly, I spent the fourth of July under a wet blanket, in the rain. Amanda and Mike kept me company. Other people checked in on me. And I made it.


I bet Amanda $10 I could fit an entire Italian Sausage style veggie dog in my mouth at one time.


Took it straight off the grill. Forgot to let it cool.


Spent the entire next day with a blistered mouth.


Paid up.


Wow, now its raining!


Yep, raining.


The rain's letting up. And I'm getting drunk.


Oops. Raining again.


Waiting. Notice the Red White and Blue Empire State Building. Yay America!


Mike.


3 barges of fireworks. In the East River. Very close to us.

Posted by nmablog at 12:56 PM | | Comments (0)

Music. Live.

I'm too lazy to blog. Too annoyed to get out of bed. Too - well, just too much. Anyway, its a new year and I'm going to catch up.

I live about 4 blocks from this old abandoned swimming pool. They have free concerts there every weekend. There are so many beautiful girls and so much fronting, fashioning and posturing. And good music, for free. Last week was Man Man. They've got a lot of energy, and play music on every possible piece of junk. Very entertaining to watch.

Last night I saw Cat Power and Built to Spill. It wasn't free, but the crowd was just as big, perhaps bigger. Chan Marshall was wasted, but at least she made it through all the songs. Built to Spill is mind blowing. But they ended their set abruptly, apparently due to a 10 PM curfew. Lame. But still amazing. I saw Leelee Sobieski in the crowd - also amazing. I went to sushi and the guys from Man Man were eating too. Imagine that, rock stars eat too. But they weren't wearing face paint.


This is the crowd. The funny part is that I only took a few quick pictures, so why the hate?


Lame picture, no way to capture how amazing these guys were in their face paint, throwing slide whistles and hammers, climbing on their keyboards, and making quite a beautiful racket.


This is one of my favorite photos of all time. Chan Marshall (Cat Power) by Richard Avedon.


Oh, and this is a great little dog I met on the kickball field. He reminded me of the little bundle of joy I used to have in my life. Liars suck-I miss Louie.

Posted by nmablog at 12:20 PM | | Comments (0)

June 23, 2007

A glimpse.

Not much blogging going on, too much work. And by work I mean shooting photos and partying and playing soccer and running around the city and updating portfolios and hanging out with friends and playing music very loud (Three bands for this week: Patrick Wolf, The Velvet Underground and The National) and skateboarding and editing photos.

Just watched this movie about the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas called Before Night Falls. Maybe you'd like it. Not really important, but Johnny Depp plays a sadistic prison guard and also a cross dresser who smuggles Arenas' novel out of prison in his ass.

My Lover Sea

I am that child
with the round, dirty face
who on every corner bothers you with his
“Can you spare a quarter?”

I am that child with the dirty face,
no doubt unwanted,
that from far away contemplates coaches
where other children
emit laughter and jump up and down considerably

I am that unlikeable child
definitely unwanted,
with the round dirty face
who before that giant street lights or
under the grandams also illuminated
or in front of the little girls that seem to levitate
projects that insult of his dirty face

I am that angry and lonely child of always,
that throw you the insult and warns you:
if hypocritically you pat me on the head
I would take that opportunity to steal your wallet

I am that child of always
before the panorama of imminent terror
imminent leprosy, imminent fleas,
of offenses and the imminent crime.

I am that repulsive child that improvises a bed
out of an old cardboard box and waits,
certain that you will accompany me

-Reinaldo Arenas

Posted by nmablog at 01:29 PM | | Comments (0)

May 22, 2007

Burlesque, Rockers, etc.

Hi. How are ya?

So, its been kind of eventful around these parts. I still find it impossible to avoid staying awake until 3 AM. And therefore, I basically wake up at 7:30 AM and listen to NPR for about an hour, then sleep until 10 or 11 AM.

Have you seen the video for 1 2 3 4 by Feist? YouTube that shit.

Editing photos is a lot of fun. I cut up all my contact sheets (which sucks, hard) then I et to play with the little pictures and see which ones work together. Its also a really good opportunity to play music EXTRA loud and pace and pose like that statue the thinker.

I went shopping with my friend Majai from Breckenridge (he really wanted to buy his lady some kicks at Dave's Quality Meats, but they didn't have her size...) and I realized that I don't have to know ANYTHING anymore. As long as I can find it on GoogleMaps, I can just wander the city with no clue and always find what I'm looking for. Wait, that's not true. But I do seem to leave the house a lot without proper preparation these days.

Saturday night, went to the Slipper Room for a burlesque show to celebrate our friend Harper's birthday. Then I went to a late night reggae show where I saw at least 3 people in Rockers t-shirts and got a super good contact high. Then I had to sneak out and head home.

Talent.

Birthday girl Harper, Alana (I think?) and Jesse Huf.

Hi.

I did some serious white boy regae dancing for about 10 minutes...

Rockers: If you don't know, ya better ask somebody...

Posted by nmablog at 04:50 PM | | Comments (0)

February 13, 2007

Shopping, archived from MySpace blog.

Seriously, you're looking at this? I just went to the grocery store.

But actually, since you're here, that's a way bigger deal in Brooke-lyn than I ever imagined. Seriously, I went to Whole Foods over the weekend and almost lost it due to the crowds. Aside from that its only been Bodegas (tiny, randomly stocked corner stores) for the whole of my 7 weeks in Brooklyn.

So, my friend Amanda took me on a trip to the much alluded to "best grocery store in Brooklyn", Fairway. Its basically a 20 minute drive from my hood to this place. And as far as food stores go: totally underwhelming. But the thing is, I got home and realized that I had a fully stocked fridge and cabinet and OPTIONS for dinner in my apartment for the first time since getting to the city. And I've had 4 great homemade meals since I went.

But mostly, its the view from Red Hook and specifically from the Fairway parking lot that makes it so incredible.

But really, I cannot believe anyone read about me going to the eff-ing grocery store. Your visit here is not nearly as bad as me writing about shopping and posting photos of it. But it really does say something our society. Or not.

See, I filled my new grocery getter. With groceries. Who knew?


Shopping carts. Enthralling.


Lady Liberty. Yeah USA.


Seriously, I'm stoked to have this incredible view. That's the Statue of Fucking Liberty over my shoulder.


When it opened in 1964, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was the world's longest suspension span. It goes from Brooklyn to Staten Island, which the Wu Tang call Shaolin. If you were wondering.


Thanks Amanda!


Look, stocked.


This is not as great as I thought. Bourbon. Sugar. Mac 'n Cheese. Crackers. Chips. Avocados. Spices. Kind of odd actually.

Posted by nmablog at 02:14 PM | | Comments (0)