happy b-day me!!

now watch this one for the wrap up.

and i quote

"he better thank his lucky stars for the day he got that girl pregnant."

sioux falls!

wooo hooo!
i think i may have got some good photos at least, memories. memories of champ pain shaking her money maker, check back for it and be amazed.
i wish i could just say all sorts of stuff taht's on my mind, but because of the 3 people who ever check this blog, i can't won't shouldn't couldn't will never say who i'm mad at, or what joint is currently injured, or what boy i like, or what interesting thing i did the night before.
chris mcv just sent me a mix tape, i think i mentioned it already, and i can't express how much it rules. when we got into the van to drive to sioux falls, i wanted to kick myself cuz the van had a tape player and i didn't bring my only tape i have anymore!
ok, i'll say something i hate and not say names, but i hate people who you can't say one thing without them saying some smart ass remark back. like, maybe you're trying to joke around or be funny or not even that interesting, and they have to make a comment that is not funny or joking or whatevs, but is maybe meant to show how clever they are, or how much more smart they are than you or try to shut you down or something. i don't get it. why? i like to attribute this special quality to them being insecure or wanting to impress me, but i don't know. maybe some people are just jerks naturally and don't even think about it.
i would also like to say that every guy i've had a crush on since i moved back in january (only 2 fellas) has failed to meet my expectations. not that i think they're bad, just not who i thought they were, as i'm over whatever i thought was so cool about them in the first place.
today was mother's day, or i guess technically yesterday. tasha and i got our mom a flask with "mom" and two clinking martini glasses engraved on it, it looks great. she's not a lush though. swear.

pam got a bath

remember, come to pershing tomorrow night and see mary kay mafia vs the hood ratz!!

feet

you remember how when you turn that age where you stop dressing punk, but don't really know what else to be, so you make all these bad fashion decisions? and you shop at the mall or sears and try to reinvent what's cool for you, and then finally, years YEARS years later, you figure out what you like again besides butt flaps and combat boots. i was digging my clothes for the most part in sf, and they've translated more or less here in nebraska, until recently. the problem? sandals. what do you do about sandals? the only times i've worn sandals in the last bazillion years is when i've been traveling, and they've been awful piles of 3rd world rubber that i cringe to think about. san fran isn't warm enough to wear sandals or shorts, so i've been able to avoid the subject all together, but now nebraska's getting hot and i'm going to have to take the plunge. i got some today, and when i showed them to lizzy, she was didn't say anything except, "i wouldn't have picked out those sandals for you." and i'm like, i know! i don't know what kind of sandals i'd pick out for me! they're not my style! they do not go with my idea of myself at all! but they're quite comfortable, i can wear them out in the garden, or on a walk, and maybe if i do it right, can wear them out in public. sandals. is the world ready for taura's troll toes? i don't know...
on another note, i still think i fractured a rib.

vote

"It's the support of the corporate community that helps spread the value of art throughout our great city."
- svoboda, one of lincoln's mayorial canditates which we are voting on today. when i say "we", i mean the people of lincoln as i'm not registered yet.

today it was hot hot hot. where did spring go? winter was kicking my ass, and then it rained and now it's smoking hot? naw, can't be. all my plants are sort of dying, lame. someone said it was 95 out. now they're certainly dead.
i'm cranky today, maybe had something to do with having food poisening all night long and not getting good sleep. i did not want to go to practice AT ALL today, but i did anyways, and those fish sticks at the rink didn't turn on the ac, so i was sweating before we even started stretching. the whole time i wanted to throw up, my helmet was just soaked with sweat, and my chest just hurt. my dad thinks i may have fractured a rib, and there's nothing you can do about that. lame lame.
these two pics are from my last visit with my parents at carmel ca. they look so nice and cool now. dang i miss sf.

went to nolan's art show tonight at the beemis underground, it was awesome! he did collaborations with a bunch of people, a quilt, an installation, his puppet show movie(?) "milk", a computer thing, and all sorts of other fun things besides his numerous wonderful paintings. not only that, tunz of people were there, and i got to chat with the best of the midwest in an hour span of time. word.
i hurt soooo bad, all over. it even hurts to breathe. thank you derby!
it's gonna get busy soon, next weekend is the hood ratz vs mary kay mafia (my second bout!!) then the weekend after that gang green goes up to sioux falls to bout the team up there. i turn 30 a few days later, and the weekend after my birthday i'm going with my parents & their potluck club up to calamus and camp along with some of people's cool kids my age. then in june my mom and i are going on our 10 day long photo camping nebraska trip, that will rule. and of course there are things to do with derby, like fac things, and other events. last weekend we went to the stars game and i got to go out on the ice and throw t-shirts to the crowd.
oh yeah, i forgot, i said some funny things recently! the other day at practice a girl stumbled and fell, landing right on a wheel. we didn't know what was wrong cuz she's all laying on the ground in pain, and we're like, "did you land on your tailbone? did you land on your ankle?" and she finally says, "i landed on my poon." and everyone is saying, "awww! oh geez, do you want some ice? someone go get her some ice!" and i open my mouth and say, "do you want a popsicle?" and no one knew i said it but girls repeated it and were laughing and asking who said it. i felt proud. and yesterday (thursday) i went with a few girls playing in the next bout to kzum and talked on the radio and gave away tickets. 2 of the girls were good at being responsible and explaining things, and then there was me talking trash to one of the other girls the whole time. it was fun. and of course i forgot to tell anyone i was going to be on the radio, so no one i knew listened. dang.

fantastic

i have this fantastic habit of falling for guys with girlfriends. maybe it's because they've lost the desperation that clings to single guys thicker than ball sweat, and are able to just chill and be themselves instead of trying to get their, um, foot in the door. and of course they never leave their girlfriends cuz they're honorable (i don't fall for the other kind, don't you know). so i'm resigned to be their best buddy and feel sorry for myself. very sorry.
today i made a to do list that spans things from 3 months ago to june. i think it's 47 items long. it has everything from emailing people back and cleaning my room to buying presents and make some money.

more photos than you ever want to really look at...
rocknrollerderby!
mudfest!!
jan 07 awards!!!
dec 05 practice!!!!

grudge match! tonight

what i've been doing

here's my team mkm, and me, skelataura

god, sooo busy i don't even have time to wrap things up!! they just keep coming and coming. maybe this weekend i'll get some time. i'm showing some work at bella spa on cooper st, the opening is this wednesday and it'll be awesome. this photo, among others, is in it. last weekend was mudfest. we had games and derby girls wrestling in pudding, i think i finally got the last out of my ears. today i started a new job, i get to work with some awesome people and maybe i'll find a good flute teacher and bust out the electric flute proper on the world. i have a couple photo jobs in the works, and of course i need to find some time for roundus. plus we have a bout on the 14th, and my class at unl. gooooo to sleeeep now!!!

gosh, so much happened over the weekend, i don't know where to start. biggest news, gang green vs. hood ratz at pershing! the first derby bout of the season, tons of people were there, the teams were ready to kill, and it was a great time. i took photos and a little video, and had power difficulties the whole time. i about pulled my hair out it was so frustrating. but, i think i have a few photos that'll work. the hood ratz won, they were fast and vicious, and gang green played very well, keeping up and continually scoring points the whole time. afterwards, derby girls and fans went to duffy's and everyone got riled up and it got crazy. let's just say that. at the bout, people threw beer, there were fights, huge hits and firey crashes, spectacular jammers and massive points. hood ratz had grillz, gang green had their own trading cards, the photographer had pink lame hot pants...
but before the bout and the costumes and the fights, we have to practice. this is pershing auditorium without all that stuff, just a taped off track.

word...

about to go take my drivers test... we'll see how that goes.
right now i'm mad mad mad.

ahhh... miami!! got back late last night, it was rad. radder than i thought miami was going to be, but i didn't have high hopes besides a bikini parade-which it was. the convention was great, saw alot of work, heard some great speakers, and looked at alot of new equipment. looking at the work of the other convention goers was good, made me think alot about my own work... areas where i need to push myself, things that i need to do better, and ideas that just MAY BE interesting and unique to me! i did a bad job at showing my own work, at open portfolio showing and portfolio review opportunities. partly because i brought 3 bodies of work, one of which (cambodian landmine museum) is more or less finished and 3 1/2 years old , the other (sugar mountain) has sort of reached it's end or changed it's direction, and the 3rd, my tree stuff, is super "work in progress" and only has a few pieces and they're not really where i want the project to go. i think... so i did a dumb thing and didn't show it to anyone. but my mom and i had a great time, walking around with j. seely from wesleyan connecticut and eating great food.
here's something i've been doing since i moved back, panoramas. i've been working through the buildings on campus, my favorite was the beadle center's green house. it was so warm and green in there, nice especially since outside it was cold and grey. and everyone in the building was so nice to me, but they always are:) i even got lunch at one of the dorms! here's a green house pano i like.
http://www.roundus.com/viewer.php?fvr=bdlc_unlc_8&abbrev=bdlc
everyone at the spe convention had a computer, and everyone was walking around the hotel with their laptops looking for a wireless signal. that, in addition to how busy we were, didn't give me any chance to check my email. and my inbox is LOADED! most strangely, a message from someone in sf who i was very close to. i guess it's strange cuz he decided that we shouldn't say goodbye or anything, and desired an end to all communication. sometimes i have fond thoughts of our time together and miss him, but other times i get angry about our relationship. it would appear that someone would like to open up a dialog about the future, or something, i don't know. it's a shock because i honestly didn't think i'd ever hear from him again. i'm gonna have to sit with this one for a few days, just in case you're reading...

miami!!

spring break 07 here i come! well, not exactly... more like society of photographic educators national convention. which is more fun anyways! i heart spe. i just want to say that in the last few days i got 4 emails from my top fav sf boys- ted, nick, mcvick, and rickard in the last few days. i expect the messages to landslide during the next few days when the city's boys as a whole realize they miss me. to be honest tho, ted has been good at keepin in touch, rickard is from sweden(and is home safely), nick emailed me with my hacked website after i called him, and mcvick and i always talk via myspace. BUT STILL! it feels good to be in contact with the life that i left behind for this life i'm living now. ellie sent me a movie too, i will watch it enroute to miami. oh! and dax wouldn't approve my video response i left concerning his TV appearance, because of profanity. oh that dax!
oh that blogger, it's not letting me upload photos right now for some reason... later dudes!

room tour

check out my room!
i have a few more thoughts on dax flame. what ever is happening on his blog, as in if it's fake or real, rest assured something very special is going on. either he's acting and just happens to be a freaking child prodigy, or it's sincere and a strange kid is slowly finding an equilibrium and entering of the human race. (he has improved since the first blog) what ever side it's on, i hope the best for dax flame and hope he reaches the stars.