Paolo Diavolo wrote:
Yay!

?

I miss your rabbit! Was one of the great icons. How are you?

B L ZeeBubb wrote:
Well lookee what the cat done dragged in!

I'm trying to place you. The name has changed?

joeyk wrote:
You're still in Beckley? I thought you were headed to the Carolina's?

I was.  Life has a funny way of changing your direction sometimes.  I couldn't make myself go.  I'm certain a pretty lady was involved.  I enrolled in school and stayed here for the in state tuition maybe too.  I'm a junior now. Have a summer practicum I'm working on. Good things started happening to me here I guess.  I've been to Florida a good bit the past couple years.  I may wind up there sometime but for now I am content.

DivaEroticus wrote:
ohai!

You're doing well I hope?

Bombadil wrote:

I'm trying to place you. The name has changed?

Yeah, not sure if I was Michael L or Altiflex 66?

I became a bedraggled teddy bear possessed by Satan but still in Bellingham. Every now and then I delete everything, walk away and then end up back on here.

Sort of like you but more reactionary!!!

Horrors, I actually have a shoot lined up with a beautiful model in about a month and a half - knock on wood!

B L ZeeBubb wrote:

Yeah, not sure if I was Michael L or Altiflex 66?

I became a bedraggled teddy bear possessed by Satan but still in Bellingham. Every now and then I delete everything, walk away and then end up back on here.

Sort of like you but more reactionary!!!

Horrors, I actually have a shoot lined up with a beautiful model in about a month and a half - knock on wood!

Ahhhh... my guitar playing friend.  I always heard rock n roll would do that to you. lol.  Good to talk to you.  I kinda volunteered got dragged into a fund raising project for a group I am in at school a couple weeks ago.  I had to dust everything and worried it would come back to me. I hadn't touched it in a couple years.  I did OK, but it was much stress leading up to it.  It was like going from 0 - 100mph.

Congratz on the model.  I came back looking to find my spark.  It was out for a long time.  I think I want it back.

Bombadil wrote:
I was.  Life has a funny way of changing your direction sometimes.  I couldn't make myself go.  I'm certain a pretty lady was involved.  I enrolled in school and stayed here for the in state tuition maybe too.  I'm a junior now. Have a summer practicum I'm working on. Good things started happening to me here I guess.  I've been to Florida a good bit the past couple years.  I may wind up there sometime but for now I am content.

Glad things are working out for you!

Next time you're in FL, let me know.

joeyk wrote:

Glad things are working out for you!

Next time you're in FL, let me know.

If things go as planned, I will be down for the Turkey Rod Run in November. I have a practicum this summer, so there will be not vacation to speak of.

Paul Bryson Photography wrote:
High!

Still in the high flying... put out or get out business? lol

Chris Rifkin wrote:
ooh..Paul and Bomb in the same thread


I actually don't suck at photography,I might actually be considered slightly above average
music career in limbo..had an awesome female vocalist that looked like a glamour model lined up for my next project(an ambient atmospheric technical prog metal sound)..couldn't compete with her domestic violence situation,kinda back in hiatus as that ripped the heart out of me creatively because we had some killer ideas and even set to do 2 videos...

And relationship wise,about ready to try to figure out how to live my life alone without being suicidal because all doors and options/ideas have been slammed shut

You've been in to lots it seems. Sounds like you've enjoyed lots along the way. I say... ride the wave

P I X I E wrote:
Wow, look at all the old-timers coming back!

How's life in Canada? Good to you?

Koryn wrote:
Okay. I'm moving back to NC in the fall. Broke up with my pretty long haired metal boy. That sucked pretty hard. I left my gym job last October because I couldn't live on the money. Hopefully going to grad school in 2016. Finally.

You will be happy to be in NC I hope?  Boys can be bad; I've seen them in action. lol. Grad school will be awesome. It's where I am trying to go. You are a trooper! You deserve great things. I bet you get them

Bombadil wrote:

You will be happy to be in NC I hope?  Boys can be bad; I've seen them in action. lol. Grad school will be awesome. It's where I am trying to go. You are a trooper! You deserve great things. I bet you get them

Grad school will be awesome. Anyone who can go probably should go, if only because being it's good for your brainz and stuff.

Bombadil wrote:

How's life in Canada? Good to you?

It's excellent. Just moved to Toronto from Montreal.

Koryn wrote:
Grad school will be awesome. Anyone who can go probably should go, if only because being it's good for your brainz and stuff.

I can't wait. A lot of things in undergrad school just seem like necessary evil.  I'm going to learn to fight social problems and stand up for the those who feel they have no options for a better life.

Isis22 wrote:
I went to West Virginia once. If I ever want to disappear and never be found that will be the place I will run off to.

I have a love hate relationship with it. The state has been exploited for a long time by extraction industries. You have good people falling into bad things out of desperation as extraction industries move. We have a lot of empty towns and the people left are poverty stricken. It's nice in some ways, bad in others.

P I X I E wrote:

It's excellent. Just moved to Toronto from Montreal.

I am happy to hear that! Keep on diggin'

Bombadil wrote:

Still in the high flying... put out or get out business? lol

Not, just the put out business. The get out business never got off the ground.

Bombadil wrote:

I have a love hate relationship with it. The state has been exploited for a long time by extraction industries. You have good people falling into bad things out of desperation as extraction industries move. We have a lot of empty towns and the people left are poverty stricken. It's nice in some ways, bad in others.

It's interesting you mention that. I'll be moving back to Asheville, NC, the town where I grew up. I love it there, and have generally missed home the entire time I have lived away from it. I feel like my home town has been exploited too, but mostly by people who have tremendous amounts of money, moving in, driving up the cost of living while the average worker isn't really making enough to buy the now overpriced housing, over-developing the mountain land, which has these special and fragile ecosystems and flora and fauna you can't find many other places in the US. The air is a lot dirtier and smoggier there now than it was when I was little. So many big budget movies get filmed around that area, because the scenery that it turns everything into this sort of Mountain Disneyland, and screws the locals over because they can't afford to build nice lives for their families.

At the same time, when I went back in March, and finally decided it was time to move back home, to my family and my friends - I see some positive changes, including businesses posting on their doors in the downtown and arts districts, that they are "living wage certified." No one was offering anything near a living wage when I was getting ready to pack up, and head up north, back in 2008. I'd been living on minimum wage for two years at that point, and I think minimum wage then was $6.25/hour, plus whatever I made every week in cash, working as a life drawing model. It was a brutal way to pay your bills.

Koryn wrote:
It's interesting you mention that. I'll be moving back to Asheville, NC, the town where I grew up. I love it there, and have generally missed home the entire time I have lived away from it. I feel like my home town has been exploited too, but mostly by people who have tremendous amounts of money, moving in, driving up the cost of living while the average worker isn't really making enough to buy the now overpriced housing, over-developing the mountain land, which has these special and fragile ecosystems and flora and fauna you can't find many other places in the US. The air is a lot dirtier and smoggier there now than it was when I was little. So many big budget movies get filmed around that area, because the scenery that it turns everything into this sort of Mountain Disneyland, and screws the locals over because they can't afford to build nice lives for their families.

At the same time, when I went back in March, and finally decided it was time to move back home, to my family and my friends - I see some positive changes, including businesses posting on their doors in the downtown and arts districts, that they are "living wage certified." No one was offering anything near a living wage when I was getting ready to pack up, and head up north, back in 2008. I'd been living on minimum wage for two years at that point, and I think minimum wage then was $6.25/hour, plus whatever I made every week in cash, working as a life drawing model. It was a brutal way to pay your bills.

I've been through there. Spent the night at a scale house there once for driving over my allotted hours, when I used to drive a truck. It is a beautiful place. I remember curvy interstates most I think, coming from TN. I've been forged by fire and I'm full of determination now. I went through a lot, so I have a lot to give. Right now I'm studying Public Service Administration pushed hard toward sociology with my sights on grad school for social work. There is so much wrong here. People who used to be friendly, now carry guns and are afraid. People are robbed and killed. Local government and the cops are a good ole boy system. Jobs are scarce if any, outside minimum wage, except the mines. More and more miners are laid off each week. I hate to see destruction of the environment, but coal companies have kept these people enslaved so long, it is all they have. I look for answers and fight the best I can but it is way bigger than me. People have all but given up. Our midterm election was last week and we had like 18% turn out of registered voters. I want my photography spark back. I hope to do some kind of blog or photojournalism like thing to inspire and educate folks around here. My spark was stomped out. I didn't think it was possible, but it was. I'm hoping to find it again. They made a movie about my area. It cost a couple bucks to watch but it is the reality here. It has great film work and hits the heart of the problem. I was amazed someone could come from New York and capture the essence of everything so well.  I have been through this little town many times and couldn't come near the job they did with this movie. It may be free some places on the net now. I'm not sure. This will take you to the trailer. http://www.oxyana.com/

Bombadil wrote:
How are you doing? I've missed you.

are you calling us old?

Fergy wrote:
*waves*


Its been a long time!

Hey there! I hope all is well with you and yours. Thanks for checking in. I haven't saw your sister of Sicari yet. I hope they are happy and well.

S3R4PH1M  wrote:

are you calling us old?

The good kind of old like a classic car or a seasoned Martin guitar

Heather LeStabbityDeath wrote:
I'm good. Full time student. Thinking about going into porn, since I'm too old for erotica modeling here. Or there's just no market for it here.  One or the other..

Generally good though!

28 is too old for erotic modeling???

Since when?

aspergianLens wrote:

28 is too old for erotic modeling???

Since when?

I think it's just that I'm in Iowa.

Bombadil wrote:
I came back looking to find my spark.  It was out for a long time.  I think I want it back.

Ditto here. Glad to see you're happy and doing well, stressful episode aside.