Marietta Soap Box Derby

I've never rode in a soap box derby, let along been to a competition, so this is fresh to me. I was expecting the "Cool Running" sort of excitement and crashes, but none of that sort here. Well, still fun to watch!























The last photo sums it all:



See the rest of the photos HERE

Columbus Surprise

“I’ll be away next week for research.”

“Oh yeah, where?”

“Columbus Ohio.”

“Oh… ok”

Every time I mention about my trip to Columbus Ohio, the reaction was always rather cold. I guess this set my expectation for the trip.

What do I know about Columbus before this trip?

-Ohio State University

-Columbus College of Arts and Crafts

-Mid-West

-Ohio State University…

So that’s all that I knew about Columbus, but I was rather excited to first, get out of town for a while, and second, to relive the mid-west experience.

What’s the “Mid-west experience”? Flat landscape, endless horizon line, wide and straight roads, easy city layout, smooth traffic and the sense of freedom because of the laid back lifestyle. That was Michigan, and I hoped to get it in Ohio as well.

This trip was going to be a series of in-home interviews for work, so I was glad that for once I am able to see how the locals live instead of just walking around as a tourist. Hopefully, I will have some time to make a few photo-walks around the city. Most of the interviews were scheduled with residents on the north side and a few on the east side of the city. With regards to the content of the work, this is as far as I can reveal.

Getting into town was a breeze… actually, there’s very little traffic everywhere, even at construction zones where typically a bottle neck will occur. Sure, there were a few stops and goes during the trip, but none were anything worth mentioning. My hotel is just north of downtown on High Street where all of the city’s excitements happen. To my and my co-worker and my surprise, there is a noticeable population of cyclists and a striving bicycle culture, much like that of Portland Oregon. There are also interesting shops, restaurants and people. It was much more pleasant than Detroit downtown which is nothing but abandoned high-rises. Columbus Down Town is pretty pleasant!

Then comes Monday and off we went, going by the schedule of the interviews. Very quickly, I noticed that as soon as we venture outside of that very small pleasant district, everything goes downhill very quickly, and it remains downhill. It seems that no matter which neighbourhood we go to, the streets and houses are always very run-down. The scene was desaturated, and rather depressing. The average residents seem to be in the mid-low income group. Unlike the America that I know, there’s little intention to maintain the up-keep of the landscape, from streets to houses and the much valued "lawn".

A week went by. It was neither long nor short. We interviewed a wide array of residents with very different lifestyles. Still, it is not enough for me to paint a picture of the local habitat. In this economy, it is definite that people are struggling, but at the same time, people are coping. We met people who are very open and honest to one who’s paranoid and insecure, from barely making ends meets to one with plans for major renovations for his home. It was a learning experience for me, a start, but an eye opening opportunity for me.

So here comes the high-light of the trip.

As we finished the last interview session on Saturday afternoon and driving back to the hotel in downtown, we saw lot’s of people on the streets, some topless(men), some in bikini-tops, but many with rainbow flags and banners.

COLUMBUS GAY PRIDE PARADE 2009!!!!!

So as I got back to the hotel, I quickly searched the mighty internet to see what it was about. I was right, a Gay Pride festival. Needless to say, I grabbed my camera and went photo hunting. It was a very vibrant atmosphere. Everyone was rather high, of course. As I was walking among the crowd, I soon realized that such event pre-determine situations. What I mean is, if I was walking with another man, I will be considered gay by the others. If I was a female walking with a female, I will be seen as a lesbian. If I am along which I was, I am an outsider, a third person, a non-related individual. Even with my big camera in my hand, no one felt uncomfortable. I was sort of FREEEE…..

To me, it is important for people to find channels to express their associations, whether it’s about gender preference, religion, race etc. However, it also shows that the society isn’t ready for this yet. If homosexuality has become a norm, the it will not even become a topic of interest. For homosexuals to attend such a festival is probably a bless to them. But what happens when they return to their normal life? Do their struggles follow them home? Does this festival offer them a different outlook? Or is it just a short get-away that is only as good as a puff of cigarette?

Gay culture also offered an interesting thought. Just like any other culture, gay culture has a strong visual representation. Stereotype if you will. It’s really interesting that outside of this festival, people who are homosexual often do not present themselves any different from a none-homosexual. I know gay friends who said they cannot even tell if someone is gay or not. They are as much a part of us as we are a part of them in this society. Then taking a glance down High Street, you see men with tan tops, gun glasses, short spiky bleeched hair with masculine built and tan skin. Then you see women with the same short bleeched hair, hippy fashion, beads around their necks and of course, the rainbow palette. So, which is the true image? The one that says,”We are no different from you.” Or “I AM GAY!”?

Serious thoughts aside, there are high and low moments in this parade for me.

High: Damn, some of those lesbian chicks are hot/cute!

Low: Damn, they are lesbians!

So here I am, back in Atlanta. I find myself not just returning to a location, but to a routine. In a big way, I find myself scrambling to “get back” to the usual track and behavior, such as the routine weekly grocery shopping, weekly laundry, weekly mountain bike ride. I put pressure on myself to do all these things right after I got home in the afternoon, thinking that I only have half a day left on Sunday to “get back” so I can be ready for Monday. Why does this seem so important? It’s not, but I made it seem to be.

More Photos HERE

Just more photos

More HERE

PDK Air Show

Nothing much, just some photos from a local airshow. The weather was perfect, a little too perfect. Five hours under the sun meant I was roasted. It's pretty interesting as this is more of a community event where different organizations, such as police, fire fighters and the airport authority show their best technology to the public. This is a day when you can get up close to the bomb removal robot, or the SWAT team without being the criminal.

Collection of the photos are here.