MARLEY FEST TONITE!

Don’t miss MSN’s MarleyFest tonite live via webcast on MSN 7pm EST. Performers include Damian Marley, Maxi Priest, Toots & The Maytals. Check http://www.bobmarleymovement.com for more info if you can get thru to it. Apparently they have been overwhelmed with hits and are experiencing bandwidth problems. You can also check MSN’s home page. If reggae is so popular in North America how come it nuh bus’ out already?? Hmmm.

Another Scottish Joke

In Scotland, the most important time for a young lad is when he "comes of age" and is allowed to purchase and wear his first kilt. A couple of weeks before, his important birthday, a young lad went to a tailor shop and found the material he wanted for his first kilt. He took the material to the tailor and said, "I'd like ye to make me a kilt with this material here and, if ye don't mind, I'd like ye to make me a pair of matching underwear for it. I hear it gets a might drafty up dem tings!" So the tailor took the material and promised to call the young lad when the order was completed. A few days later, the tailor called the lad back to the shop. "Here's ye kilt, and here's ye matching underwear, and here's five yards of the material left over. Ye might want to take it home and keep it in case you want anything else made of it." So the lad rushed home with his order, threw the material in his room, and donned his kilt. In his excitement, he decided to run to his girlfriend's house to show off his new purchase. Unfortunately, in his excitement, he forgot to don his underwear. When his girlfriend answered the door, he pointed to his kilt and said, "well, what'd ye think?" "Ah, but dat's a fine looking kilt," she exclaimed. "Aye, and if ye like it, ye'll really like what's underneath," he stated as he lifted his kilt to show here. ;Oh, but dat's a dandy," his girlfriend shouted admiringly. Still not realizing that he didn't have his underwear on he exclaimed quite proudly, "aye, and if ye like it, I've got five more yards of it at home!"

Wifey Coming!!

No, not to the photo shoots......read on.....

Sooo good to have Monday off of work. Today is Presidents Day, and for those like yours truly that depend heavily on Federal services to get my daily job done its NO WORK today! I know this attitude is kind of childish, but I am truly sick of my Corporate America "9-5" grind.
Guess what!? DE wifey is coming to work at the same job as me! Same company, same complex, different building – five minutes walk. I don’t know how to deal with this. Not that I was up to any "wrong doings" at work (thank God!), but I just feel that my worlds are about to collide. There is the work world and the home world and they are always to be kept totally separate. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad she found a job, and I did get the resume to the "right" people in order for her to be seriously considered. But this is kinda too close for comfort. Her present employers are actually moving their offices to Arizona so her last day with them was April 30th, and she was promised a bonus if she stuck around until then.. But you know what they say, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". The bonus just wasn’t worth turning down solid offers.
She does have a knack of finding jobs quite quickly and easily though. I tell you dat CAST graduate has really gotten far in dis country! When she first came to Atlanta she picked up a permanent 9-5 in three days! Took me five months! Takes most foreigners at least 3 to 6 months. This time around she got three job offers in two weeks! Not that she is not talented and knows her stuff, but I think it’s the pretty face that is opening the doors. She is still quite a beautiful woman, by American standards, though put her back in JA and she will still be above average, but nuff tings will be around just like her.

My Dilemma

Over the past few weeks all of my spare time has been spent trying to get my brand-new, second time around,, photo business up and running again. Since the last time I was in the business was about ten years ago I have had to play catch up with technology, especially where the pro-digital stuff is concerned. I am spending nuff, nuff money (at least to me anyway) on new, or almost new, studio lighting , props, etc. The plan, or part of the plan, is to back up the wedding income with a lot of in-house portrait work.
Anyway to the dilemma. I have been really pushing my services, any opportunity I get, as these funds being spent have to be quickly replenished (before wifey gets wind of what is going on!). I have been offering a few free family and individual portraits here and there so as to modernize my portfolio, but de freeness ting cannot become habit. I have therefore been financially pressured to accept quite a lucrative paying job; shooting promo portraits for local escorts….okay, okay, Ho’s ! Escorts sounds a lot more decent, and that is what they prefer to be called anyway. According to their manager (aka pimp) they will need at least a few provocative (that means semi-nude) shots each, and at last count it was about 18 of them (females of course). As I firmly told him "DON’T bring no gay or shemale crap around me! Mi nuh deal wit dat!"
What is the dilemma you ask? Well I don’t want to do anything to encourage young girls to sell themselves for a living. I don’t want to condone prostitution, but I really do need the quick cash. But if I don’t do it some other photographer will, so my hesitation nah stop nuttin. I have NO problem shooting semi-nude material, I did tons of that back in the 90’s, but it was very artsy and tasteful. But knowing what this material is going to be used for doesn’t sit too well with me. But then again, why don’t I make use of the opportunity and council (in a non-obvious type of way) the girls in getting a plan together to turn around their lives for the better. For most of them, they will probably never have the chance to hear what I have to say again. Most of the sessions will just be me and them, one on one, so they will have no choice but to hear me out . It would probably make a difference to some of them , and even one changed would be worth all the effort.
Am I just making excuses so I can go ahead and grab the fast cash? What do you think? Do I turn down the sessions, or do I shoot and try to talk some hope into these young ladies, getting them focused on tomorrow and not just the Ho $$ here and now?

I'm Back!!

I'm back. Well I've actually been back for over a week now, but anyway promise to get back to blogging this weekend. Meantime enjoy this one...........

THE DENTIST & THE SCOTSMAN
A Scotsman asks the dentist the cost for a tooth extraction.
"$85 for an extraction sir," was the dentist's reply.
"$85!!! Huv ye no' got anythin' cheaper?"
"That's the normal charge," said the dentist.
"Whit aboot if ye didnae use any anesthetic?"
"That's unusual, sir, but I could do it and knock $15 off."
"Whit aboot if ye used one of your dentist trainees and still without an anesthetic?"
"I can't guarantee their professionalism and it'll be painful. But the price could drop to $40."
"How aboot if ye make it a trainin' session, ave yer student dothe extraction with the other students watchin' and learnin?"
"It'll be good for the students," mulled the dentist. "I'll charge you $5. But it will be traumatic."
"Och now yer talkin' laddie! It's a deal," said the Scotsman.
"Can ye confirm an appointment for the wife next Tuesday then?"