Feature that never ran

Badass Toyota

I shot this thing for MT a few years back.

My friends are "The Best of Suck!"

Grand National Roadster Show 2012 part two

Second part of my coverage of the GNRS.

COMPLETE COVERAGE PART TWO
PART ONE

Grand National Roadster Show 2012

This weekend is The Grand National Roadster Show. I got lazy and didn't use a tripod. So needless to say, I'm not happy with my shitty pictures but I'm going to post them so that everybody can get a chance to see what they missed. Sorry for the quality but here you go. Part 1 of the GNRS 2012

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE COVERAGE!

Lowlife Video Circa 2004-ish

This is Mike shooting the cover to "The Corruption Tour" which was our unreleased video. Sort of, you see 1000 copies were produced and some lucky fans of the video did get it.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST OF THE SHOTS

These Pictures are from our first trip to The Indy Truck Bash in Indiana. I remember that every truck we shot this weekend for Lowlife Video was from Relaxed Atmosphere.

Some of the tickets from our trip

I didn't always just wear black shirts

 

 This was a hell of a trip, Mike Venegas and I traveled by stand by all the time which means you may or may not get on the flight. To make it even more interesting this time we took a few friends with us. So now it was four of us on the road. We ended up in Ohio and drove a rental car to Indiana. Along the way we got pulled over on the highway and it would be one of two times we got pulled over while in Indiana.

I did end up getting a ticket for speeding, but luckily the cop didn't bust us for open container. You see while I was mashing out on the highway, good ole' Mike Venegas was drinking a good Bud Light. Instead of stashing the beer right away, he pounded it just before the cop got to the window. And where do you hide a beer, in the glove box of course, right next to my wallet. Luckily we the cop didn't notice and let us go on our way.

This picture is not from Indy, just from an old shoot same time period.

This picture is not from Indy, just from an old shoot same time period.

Years later Lowlife Mike would be banned from this show, for running the Golf cart down the raceway and later into his own booth. GOOD TIMES!!!

This picture is not from Indy, just from an old shoot same time period.

If you were there, you would know. For the Lowlife crew it was always a non stop party. I just wish in these early days I would have taken more pics. Keep an eye out for more pics from the early days which I'll be posting over the next week.

It's nothing, Just No Regrets and The Time Machine....

I'm not exactly sure what year it is, but I think it's Resolutions 2003. My Mitsubishi Mighty Max which was called "No Regrets" and the world famous "Time Machine" by Charles Armstrong parked side by side.

This was a great year because not only were these two trucks there were at least six or so Mini Truckin' Magazine cover trucks and they were all parked within feet of each other. It was like a Mini Truckin' cover truck coral.

Phtographs that move you.

Recently while cruising through the internet I came upon a list of some of the most moving photos ever taken. These aren't necessarily the best photos ever taken, but photos that would take your breath away. As I scrolled through the images one particular image caught my attention. It shows a malnourished boy crawling on the ground. At first it caught my eye but I didn't really spend too much time on it. I'd seen photos like that before and even though they're hard to look at it, it's just a sad fact about the world we live in.

This image, captured during the Sudanese famine of 1993, is both alienating and compelling. The helplessness and hopelessness of the child contrasts with the predatory patience of the vulture. The shot epitomized the cruelty of the famine and brought the harrowing issue into sharp focus across the world. The photographer who captured it took his own life shortly after this photograph was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

A few days later I realized that I hadn't been able to get that image out of my mind so I decided to do some research. As it turns out, the man walking away in the shot, had just stole the food from the boy. Suddenly a huge pain overcame me when I realized just how horrible that whole situation must have been. I spent the next few hours researching the photo and reading other people reactions to the shot. (See the shot below)

This photograph was taken by Tom Stoddart, in 1998, at the village of Ajiep, in the Bar el Ghazal region, Sudan.

Some people say that the boy would not have survived with the food and that it's just "survival of the fittest." But I can't help but wonder if maybe the boy had more family or even if just one more meal would have helped him die slightly happier.

I had such a huge mix of emotions. I felt bad for the kid, wanted to kick the guys ass, but more importantly it made me realize how lucky I am and that I shouldn't take things for granted. When I think about the petty first world problems we have compared to this it makes me sick to my stomach! But somehow I feel like this image has changed me, maybe for the better.

I found an article on a blog which says a lot about these types of photos and gives great explanation. Take the time to read through that as well. It's very well written and it tells you more about the photo.
MAN STEALS MAIZE FROM STARVING BOY

Below you'll also find a few links to websites to help feed the starving children of earth.

Child Fund
Child Hunger Ends Here
Save the Children
Feed the Children

Cat Tattoos! Is it abuse or not?

Recently while cruising the net I came up on a picture of a tattooed cat. At firstI thought it was a cool photoshop, but then I realized that it might be real. Apparently in places like Russia they think it's pretty cool to tattoo cats. I'm not sure where I stand on this because I'm not sure if it's causing the cat any problems. Being tattooed myself I know that the worst part is the healing so they are obviously putting the cat under some stress. I thought it was interesting enough to share. What do you think? check out the video below and see it in action.

1963 Impala

I recently picked up a 1963 Impala. It's not much of a car, more like scrap metal right now, but I'm already making the moves to make it one of my coolest builds yet.

I don't know much about the car other than it was channeled by Mr. Bob Grant himself from Grant Kustoms in Oroville, California. At some point it ended up in the hands of my homie Ben Da Pirate where it's been sitting for a few years.

As far as my plans for now i simply plan on getting it assembled and in one color. A buddy of mine and club member Dennis Sayers aka Yankee has agreed to put it in primer for me. But if things are feasible I might just have him spray it in white. As of now I don't know if I want to put it on some tru spokes, cragars or supremes. I know it will definitely have that old school flavor though. One of the few spots that will need some immediate attention is the interior because as of now, it has none. I'll be looking for some T-Bird rear seats and some swivel front seats.

As I searched on the internet for 63 Impalas I found this little gem below which is definitely what I could picture my car looking like in the near future.

This car has it going on.

Hopefully I'll have my hands on this car by mid this year or sooner. As soon as I get my hands on it, I'll be sure to post some pics.

I know this isn't a 63, but it definitely has the right look

La Galaxy Open House

Today the family and I went to the Home Depot Center in Torrance to see the LA Galaxy at the Open House. It was definately not what we were expecting. They had two food trucks and an ice cream truck, long lines and everything seemed chaotic. We are still looking forward to the new season especially since Beckham has been signed for another two years!!!