Silk n’ Candy

on Saturday Mar 15, I walked out of work at 6:05 pm. As i exited the doors i saw a big blue van with presidential tinted windows blocking myself and a coworker from leaving our parking spaces. A decal on the side of the van read www.hollywoodwildthings.com just to  the left of a sign that stated “Filming in process” and a request that also read “Adult Models Wanted”. Being who I am, i had to figure out what the hheeellllll was going on.

Behind the van I saw a man rummaging through some trash cans. I then assumed the van was his and  asked him politely to move his vehicle. He called out to someone else who was not visible at that time to start the engine and roll a few feet away, so we could get out of our spaces. Since he was so fresh and spry and quick witted, I sparked up a conversation with this trash man called “Silk”.  He then asked me if i had any recyclables but i truthfully answered no. But I did know the combination of the lock on company dumpster (we keep it locked so people wont overload our dumpster with their trash because we routinely pack it full of our own stuff) I opened it up with no hesitation for silk because he was such a nice guy. Silk then broke down his economic plan about collecting bottles and other recyclables. Words rolled off this mans tongue smoother than milk into a bowl of Cheerio’s. I stood wide eyed and mouth agape as he told me about how he collected enough bottles in an hour to compete with minimum wage laws in Southern California. He collects a couple of cans from our dumpster and then goes about his business. I locked it back up and bid farewell to silk and though “wow what a nice guy”.

3 mins later i am in my car and i realized that i had inadvertently took the keys to my workplace’s storage unit. I had to return them. I drive up the alley and Silk is a few buildings further down doing the same old same. but this time standing behind him was his friend who i correctly assumed again was the person who drove the van. I passed them and went back to the gallery to deliver the keys and remembered that there was a mini trashcan filled with soda cans and bottled waters and cranberry juice and redbull and all the stuff that Silk and his “friend” were looking for. i took them and gave them to Silk and asked him if i could make some photographs of him and his friend, pledging my coolness for giving them the cans silk willfully obliged and basically told his friend that he had to be a part of the shoot as well. I found out that the friend’s name was “Candy”. I posed them against a blue wall and we had a good time for 36 exposures or about 4 mins. Here are the results.

all images are shot on Velvia 100F and rated as normal.

I found out they were in love. Silk told me they have been together for 6 months but have known each other for 20 years. Silk did the talking, Candy didn’t speak much.

Candy…

it was more fun that weird…but i couldnt wait to get these back.
Have a good one.

-J

“Its must be jelly honey, cause jam don’t shake like that”.

…words from my grandmother, Venita. Elderly people are fucking great, they are able to explain things in such ways that make you pull your mental e-brake. My grandparents are really great in that way. I wish i could remember all the things they say that make me laugh because i could write a motivational book based on wise musings of southern rooted creole’s. That would make me some money. definitely.

Earlier this week I was on the freeway and the hood of my car flew up into my windshield. I was going 75mph (about 120kph). If you want an adrenaline rush i would suggest something a little less surprising like a pocket knife fight with a transvestite in a gay bar, paint ball, blowing bubbles with your tongue, skydiving or betting on greyhounds using eenie menie miney moe. The hood directly into your face is something completely unexpected and was about as loud as a shotgun blast to a blind person. Never again. As you may have guessed i pulled my car over and had to figure out a “safe” way of tying the hood down so that i can get off of the freeway and make it home safely. with no rope or anything i took my shoelace off of my orange chucks and cinched it down with eagle scout-like precision and independence. Fearing that the heat from my nearby radiator would sizzle away at the aged string, i cut the windshield wiper cable away from its attachment and made a double square knot much like this one http://www.uspowerboating.com/images-knots/reef_knot.jpg .  

then i began my exit of the freeway. Which was more terrifying that being blinded at high speeds. I felt like a fat person in a marathon. I couldn’t go fast because my gerryrigged hood would fly off again and the LAST thing i wanted was to be in the middle of the freeway going slow as shit with no visibility.  Somehow i passed a freeway interchange and cut off toward the exit with the help of a benevolent big rigger.

I was alive.

here are some images from the olden days,

Kodachrome 64

Provia 400F

Provia 100

?

ahh, here is when my camera was broken, maybe i should have kept it and just got another proper working camera, some of these double and triple exposures are fun. Sorry i dont remember the film stocks

have a good one, and remember to respect the hood of your car.

-J