Trapped in Time

I didn’t do much looking back on 2009 at the end of the year, but over the past week I’ve started to get around to it. Here are my ten favorite photos I took over the course of the year:

1. Golden Gate Geometry - I made my first visit to San Francisco on my west coast road trip in August, and love how this one turned out as we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge.
2. You’re Pretty Sweet, Chicago - This one may be familiar as it has served as the background to my tumblr for most of the year. Behind the screen lies the expansiveness of Chicago and all it has to offer.
3. It’s A Marathon - About ten hours into an evening drive from Chicago to Boston on May 30, I was sharing a few tips on shooting with your body. I captured what became a symbolic photo of all the travel we’d undertake in 2009.
4. Mothership Connection - This panoramic doesn’t quite due the scene justice, but minutes before Phish took the stage for the first time in five years the gravity of the event was evident in both the old room’s decoration and the anticipation within the packed crowd.
5. In The Melting Clouds - One of the true highlights of my year and my travels in general was making it to Moab, Utah.  The north end of the Grand Canyon was a complete spectacle from atop Dead Horse Point. I took this from a rock I was on looking back at my friend Brian with his camera and a bottle of water above.
6. No Words - Atop Deef’s rooftop is a breathtaking view in all directions. There’s something particularly stoic about the Gold Coast skyline in this shot.
7. Speaking In Tongues - Tucker passed away a week before this shot, and it was nice to find his two heartbroken buddies enjoying the sun on a warm June morning.
8. Between Ground and Sky - Another from Moab, Utah, this finds my friend Marcus taking a moment to himself.
9. Symmetry In Motion - During the year I took many trips home to Valpo on the South Shore line which picked up at Millennium Station. I took this before a ride home in May, capturing the cast of the shadow as the sun hung above the city due west.
10. Further Down The Road - Over the course of our trips I did most of the driving as we took my car across the country for its gas efficiency and general road worthiness. I shot this as we crossed over the Columbia River in eastern Washington during one of the few times I sat in the passenger seat.

“To be sure, it was a year that saw plenty of bad news. But in almost every instance, there was offsetting good news:

BAD NEWS: The economy remained critically weak, with rising unemployment, a severely depressed real-estate market, the near-collapse of the domestic automobile industry and the steep decline of the dollar.

GOOD NEWS: Windows 7 sucked less than Vista.

BAD NEWS: The downward spiral of the newspaper industry continued, resulting in the firings of thousands of experienced reporters and an apparently permanent deterioration in the quality of American journalism.

GOOD NEWS: A lot more people were tweeting.

BAD NEWS: Ominous problems loomed abroad as — among other difficulties — the Afghanistan war went sour, and Iran threatened to plunge the Middle East and beyond into nuclear war.

GOOD NEWS: They finally got Roman Polanski.

In short, it was a year that we will be happy to put behind us. But before we do, let’s swallow our anti-nausea medication and take one last look back…”

2009 In My Rear View Mirror

(photo taken by me near the Columbia river, view on flickr)

Zack Klein posted the cities he slept in this year, and Eugene decided to aggregate his travel stats similarly.  We did a lot of our travel together sans a few trips, so there aren’t a whole lot of differences (he went to Mexico and Isarel, I went to the Carolinas, Kentucky, Maryland, and upstate NY another time).

I slept at least one night in each of theses 36 U.S. cities:

• Chicago, IL (Home)
• Valparaiso, IN* (Home, Home)
• Richmond, VA
• Hampton, VA
• Charlottesville, VA*
• Boston, MA
• Rochester, NY
• New York, NY*
• Uniondale, NY
• Asheville, NC
• Knoxville, TN
• Manchester, TN
• Nashville, TN
• Bloomington, IN*
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Noblesville, IN
• Bayside, WI
• Louisville, KY
• Lincoln, NE
• Denver, CO
• Moab, UT
• Las Vegas, NV
• San Francisco, CA
• Portland, OR
• George, WA
• Billings, MT
• Columbia, MD
• Columbia, SC
• Charlotte, NC
• Burkesville, KY
• Los Angeles, CA
• Palm Desert, CA
• Cincinnati, OH
• Lancaster, PA
• Albany, NY*
• Portland, ME

* Denotes multiple non-contiguous visits.

Additionally, I’ve driven almost 23,000 miles this year through 32 states, and flown another 6,000 miles.

I’m probably going to write more about what this year has meant to me, but it’s been a truly beautiful experience to travel to so many diverse places in this country over the course of 2009.  While in years past I’ve done some formidable road trips or backpacked abroad, I have never gone coast to coast to coast (I’ve actually gone to the east coast 4 times from Chicago, and once all the way to the Pacific).

In between, I’ve met up with some incredible friends from my childhood, from tumblr, and various other channels. I’ve met new people who I’ve stayed in touch with, and made memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I saw over 60 concerts and 2 large music festivals, I watched my favorite band reinvent themselves in front of my eyes; I saw the Appalachians, Catskills, Rockies, and Cascades.  I stayed in the desert twice, climbed to the highest point on the northern end of the Grand Canyon.  I heard the natural swirl of sound at Red Rocks, watched the most beautiful sunset at The Gorge, raged in the craziest lightning storm of my life at Deer Creek, and saw shows at two of the biggest stages in the world (Empire Polo Fields and Bonnaroo). I was able to bring my brother along for parts, I traveled with my best friend and business partner, I met up with friends from my Indiana hometown in Southern California and Denver, and I saw tour buddies at various stops in various climates in various months of the year.

Through it all I think I learned more about myself and what I value, and how my values fit in with those of others across the U.S.  Maybe I’ll do another coast to coast trip in my life, but I can’t imagine it being as meaningful or awe inspiring as the one I took this year.

PHISH TO THROW SUMMER ENDING FESTIVAL IN GEORGETOWN, TX?

While Phish is reeking havoc on their fans’ financial, professional, and social responsibilities with their newly announced second leg of summer tour dates for a total of currently 25 scheduled performances - largely because they are hitting Red Rocks where Phish has not played since they were banned following their four-day stand in 1996 - little attention has been paid to the cryptic flash animation and accompanying photo on the Phish ticketing website.

As the animation looks from space and pans in on the globe, then North America, and then… Texas??? it makes little sense as to what this has to do with the band’s tour.  However, doing a little research and utilizing Google’s Earth and Maps features reveals much more: the location is a small, family owned farm in Georgetown, Texas outside of Austin.  View the Google map here for a comparison to the image above.  There’s no doubt this is the same property.  Also of note is the “09” in summer tour, plastered on the image.  09/09?

Calls to Georgetown’s Public Information Office did not verify that Phish will be throwing a festival, but do indicate that a touring band with a substantial following has indicated interest in using the location for a festival in late September.  While it certainly is far from confirmed that Phish is playing a season-ending festival, there’s no doubt that the band has always had a playful, humorous nature with their fans when it comes to revealing tour information.

Providing clues and hints while not directly providing us with answers seems very much in line with the announcement of a “summer tour” followed by… well the announcement of another “summer tour.”  Not to mention the all-but-confirmed Bonnaroo appearance which was also not in line with their initial tour announcement.  An end of summer festival would mark the first Phish festival since the band’s (then) career-ending natural disaster known as Coventry.

Also, speculation remains rampant that Phish’s summer tour will in fact start at Boston’s Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox.  This speculation was further fueled bytoday’s Boston Globe giving mention to this possibility.  Neither Phish nor Live Nation will confirm or deny these rumors, and the Red Sox organization has not commented to dispel such rumors.  What makes this more likely than simple fan chatter is that Red Light Management (Phish’s manager) also manages Dave Matthews Band, who will be playing at Fenway on May 29th and 30th.  With a stage in place, a May 31st tour opening appearance not only seems possible, but extremely likely.

As a reminder, the lottery request period ends this Sunday, March 22, at 11:59 AM EDT.  Tickets to the second leg of shows go on sale through Ticketmaster on Thursday March 26, at 2 PM EDT for Red Rocks (7/31-8/2).  The Gorge Amphitheatre shows (8/7-8/8) go on sale Friday, March 27 at 3 PM EDT through Ticketmaster, while the 8/5 Shoreline Amphitheatre show goes on sale Sunday, March 29 at 3 PM EDT through Live Nation.  Chicago’s Toyota Park show on August 8 goes on sale through Ticketmaster at 1 PM EDT on Saturday, April 4th.  Darien Lake (8/13) tickets will go on sale through Live Nation on Friday, March 27th at 11 AM EDT; Hartford Meadows (8/14) show on Saturday, March 28 at Noon EDT; Merriweather Post Pavilion (8/15) on Friday, March 27 at 11 AM EDT; SPAC (8/16) on March 27th at 1 PM EDT.

(via thebutterroom)

Sometimes life has this extraordinary way of moving us from one direction to another in such a quick fashion that it’s hard to properly understand where we’ve been or where we’re going.  It almost feels like we’re that floating feather in Forrest Gump. But here we are: it’s 2009, the end of a decade.  A lot has changed over the past nine years.  A lot more has changed in just the past year.

Is this going to be a year of apathy or are people going to really invoke “change we (ourselves) can believe in”?  If any slogan encapsulated 2008, it was the collective gasp of an American nation struggling for air to breathe in light of the existing environment shouting,  “YES WE CAN.”

But will we?  The question to the answer was always, “Can we bring change to believe in?”  A lot of that depends on how we all individually approach this year.  History time and time again have proven that change does not come without a price.  Whether it was the revolution that founded this country, one amongst itself that almost ended it, or the dawn of a new era  that appears on the verge of happening a common thread exists: we will have to sacrifice.

Not just as a nation, but as individuals within the greater whole.  Excessiveness can, will, and still could do us in - not just the United States, but this world as a whole. Spending, borrowing, indebting ourselves to others above our means - whether it be financially or in terms of our impact on the environment… all of it determines our collective future.  If we are to bring about the change we claim to be asking for - so in need of,  an escape from mistakes brought upon us, delivered upon our collective half… well then we must start with ourselves.

And just as lethargic as government is, soo too often are we; accustomed to the lax rules, flexing bend of our own wills in part out of pride but also because of the way in which technology has so quickly changed our overarching lifestyle.

Even within the tumblr community there seems to be a great urge for personal change.  If 2009 is to answer the call of the time, we will all have to improve ourselves.  We’ll need to practice the change we said we were looking for.  That’s no easy task, one which is often met with “resolution” disdain and empathy in failure.  I’ve given this a lot of thought the past few days but really feel like this IS the year to redefine, reinvent, reinvigorate your life with something new, unknown, and REAL.

2009 can and should be the year in which we say “More for less” is not the answer.  Less for more.  Simplicity wins, subtlety, intelligence, innovation exemplify the feelings so many of us have had emboldened in us, 8 years in the making (but really much deeper rooted in the past than that).

This year we are going to see the economy get worse.  Maybe it will directly touch many of our lives - through jobs and income, friends and family, life and circumstances.  Maybe it won’t.  The same goes for war… whichseems like a globally acceptable answer going into the year.  One thing’s for certain though, 2008 changed us in almost immeasurable ways, and we can either embrace that change or fight it.  It’s here though, and 2009 should bring us all to answer the call.  So…
- Live It Up
- Make epic shit happen
- Get passionate
- Smile more

I decided I was just going to take it easy for New Year’s and stay in my hometown a couple more days. The past four NYEs I’ve done concerts and I really didn’t want to do an all-you-can-drink in the city. In all likelihood I’ll be traveling to see Phish next NYE, so I didn’t do much of anything last night and was pretty content.

My first day of 2009 was less than pleasant though as I was awoken to my brother’s dog (who I love like my own) vomiting ALL over me. I didn’t realize a six pound animal could even hold that much in its stomach.

I really hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for me this year… it would be all too 2008, right?

Anyway, after a thorough scrubbing in the shower and some clean sheets, I’m going back to bed and will wake up to start the year on a less smelly, chunky note.

The Rolling Stones - “Shine A Light”

One more song from me in ‘08.  I hope 2009 shines some light on all of you.

PHISH.COM

IT’S ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!