Rauch Nuptials

Heroes of the Open End, Get to know 'em.

 If you don't know the band Heroes of the Open End, I suggest you get to know them. Otherwise you'll be that guy feeling like a moron standing in awe with buckled knees as they rock your world in Madison Square Garden someday.  

Mike from Heroes of the Open End

Harlem View.

Photo courtesy of Alex Colby Photography

Confidence is sexy.

"Confidence sounds like rock and roll, loud, strong and played without apology"

Hot Summer Nights.

Since recently being banned from Facebook for 'inappropriate' material I will be redirecting more of my work to my blog. 

"I live in America. I have the right to write whatever I want. And it's equaled by a right just as powerful: the right not to read it. Freedom of speech includes the freedom to offend people." -Brad Thor

Harlem.

Photos courtesy of Alex Colby Photography. Find more at http://alexcolby.tumblr.com/

Carpe Diem: Chapter Three

I woke the next morning exhausted from the draining sleepless night. I caught the early ferry to Ko Lanta island also known as paradise...literally. I originally booked a small beach bungalow but in the condition that I was in when I arrived- the last thing on earth I wanted to deal with were the 2 lizards, massive spiders and buzzing mosquitoes that were home to the bamboo hut. I opted to pay $6 more for the air conditioned, wifi, clean, crisp sheeted, cable t.v. equipped room instead. I spent the day in the pool and for the first time in my life, I took a real nap. Not a nap out of the lack of sleep or drug induced but for the first time in the week and a half that I had been in Thailand I was completely relaxed. I woke up to the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. Then I topped the evening off with a massage down the street, a hot toddy, and a fierce game of connect 4 with the bartender who had a joint hanging from his lips the whole time. Then I called it a night. 

The best way to see an island is by renting a motor bike. After a quick breakfast on the beach and witnessing a local cat attack a lizard,  I spent the whole day cruising around Ko Lanta, covering every inch of the island. I made friends with a dozen elephants, a family of crazy monkeys that threw coconuts at me, and a sweet couple from the UK. It's always been a dream of mine to replicate the famous Richard Avedon's 'Dovima with the Elephants'. Being that I was flyin' solo, I wasn't expecting a grandiose shoot to take place, but I couldn't be happier with the results. I absolutely love elephants. They dive deep inside of my heart and tap into a part of my soul that is nearly impossible for anyone to ever reach. Their eyes are filled with sadness, joy, strength, courage, sorrow, and glory all-in-one. Their skin is layered so beautifully with a texture that feels both rough and soft at the same time. These guys had a sense of humor, they interacted with me. Posed for my camera, gave me their leg to sit on. It's like they had been waiting for me just as long as I had been for them. After my day with the elephants I had dinner with Mary-Jane and beer on the beach. Again, I thought to myself-I'm the happiest girl in the world. Check.

The next morning I caught the early ferry back to Phi Phi where I hopped boats to another ferry back to Phuket. I shared a cab with a hilarious American girl that was living and teaching in China. Her spirit and encouragement was just what I needed to get my day going. 

To be continued....