Sometimes.....

It amazes me constantly. Having attended a wedding recently, I am always reminded of the unique and constantly changing moods of Man. How an individual can change so much, to show great compassion or hatred... to be so tender in some moments and then display brute force in another. Oh, I am not referring at all to the wedding - but as a general statement of my observances of Man.

Being ex-military (there... I've said it!) and having crossed this world a few times, plus having had the opportunity to live in difference places in my life, I've seen more than what the normal individual should be allowed to see and experience. That I have worked positions of physical security has exposed me to even more.... of course a normal citizen shouldn't be thrust into such levels of revelation... and while I don't enjoy seeing the sad face of Mankind, it is also a very interesting story and performance.

As a photographer, I have seen even more.... is it possible? I have captured many faces... virtually and real, construed to be real and posed to appear real. I've seen nice people act mean, and mean people who seemed incapable of feeling emotion, but cried like a baby. I have worked alongside those who seemed physically incapable of great feats of strength and in the time with them, noted that they surpassed their physical limitations in a positive way. Bossy people without a kind word would show a rare and in-depth side of themselves that surprised me... while shy and kind folks shocked me by acting out the opposite sides of their personalities.

The human side of Man is such a constant; it is no wonder that throughout the ages Man is and will always be the subject of many words and film performances.

Though I have been honored to have been able to associate with very kind and generous people during my lifetime, I have also seen my share of stupid acts of immaturity ~ age in my opinion, does not improve the level of intelligence, but only serves as a constant reminder that the old can be foolish and childish, and the young can oftentimes be more mature than their elders.

One does not have to be a certain age or having some vast experience in anything, in order to make a fool of themselves. Nor does it pertain to just one gender over the other, but of course my observations are not exactly approved by the members of most of the Earth's population.

Life is a roller coaster of emotions, experiences, trying times and beautiful moments however rare. It gives me wonder often, and also saddens me to the point of tears. I see the homeless and the rich, and think of such constants - what if they were to be traded in positions and homes for just one year? I have laughed at the maturity of tiny six-year olds, and in awe by the foolishness of 40-year olds. I have seen and felt the compassion of complete strangers and the wrath of "friends" who left me by the wayside.

Life is the best reality anyone can have. There is a world beyond our computer monitors and the tiny animated screen in the living rooms of the world. To live and rejoice in its color, its pleasures, the sadness, and the wonder of this Reality is more than anyone can ask. There is NO script, no lights but that glorious sunlight a few trillion miles away....

Let's bask in its warmth, its cold, its compassion and its hatred.... solely because it is Life, and it's the only one to lead us along our Destiny to the fin of the book, the end of the movie, the final commercial, and to our last pages....

Life has its times good and bad ~ we all know how it goes. It's sadness that bring misery to our hearts but without the heartache, how can we appreciate the good times, the pleasures and the joy? Sometimes one has to hit rock bottom in order to realize the climb back to the top can be one of joy too.

And when you reach the top, rest your body and take in the view.... I'll be there to enjoy it with you.

better than better?

It was a nice drive to the eye clinic in San Jose; I've been admiring the views each time and finally after four trips, I finally remembered to load up with the camera and stopped to catch the sights I've been thinking about many times but captured only in my mind.

My eyes weren't too bad; I could see about 75 feet and make out street signs and such, so it wasn't like the first few drives after the surgery. Today it even rained.... so the wipers were used for about ten minutes. The clouds were gorgeous and there was a bit of free-standing fog in the calm air.

Once there, I was checked and my eyes analyzed and I was sooo relieved to hear that my eyes were not as damaged as I had thought. The cute doctor (female of course) told me of a patient she had who really screwed up their eyes.... mine was nothing in terms of severity. She did however warn me about not using the lubricating eye drops enough, which was my situation.

Before continuing home, I met with my brother for lunch and walked around a bit in downtown San Mateo, snapping some pictures of the unique architecture in the immediate area, then after leaving him at his home, I made a trip to get some snaps of glass....


I went to nearby Oracle headquarters in Redwood City; this complex of glass buildings is so reflectively beautiful! I've been there several times already for fotos and will be more in the months to come. If you're in the area and haven't seen them yet, you need to see them!

When I got back into the City, driving down Jones Street the fog was just in the background behind Alcatraz, and it was lovely; but the camera was directly behind me and there was no place to park, so I parked at home, got back there walking up two steep grade 6 hills and got the shot! :-)

In just the four minutes and 32 seconds it took me to return to a spot on the hills to see through the mess of criss-crossing telephone and electrical cables and wires, The Rock was already being draped in the fog....

Upon arriving at home, I started using the eye drops right away.... previously I would forget and would use the eye drops as few as five times a day. With just five drops in each eye over a three-hour period today, I found my eyes to be in heaven and my vision visually improved! Everything is soooo sharp!!! So, I will be using these much more often in the future as it'll keep my eyes moistened and allow them to heal quicker.With my moistened eyes functioning better, I can see a large advertisement painted on the side of a tall building two blocks away. I can easily make out street signs at even further distances. I can see license plates two cars away..... I just need to get into the habit of using the eye drops much more often.

Wow, the world is so nice and clear when your eyes are well-lubricated!