Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

We have a medical problem.
We’re as healthy as most. You won’t find us getting skin cancer from too much sunbathing.

We’re lazy, dishonest, and trying to fool everyone because we want credit for working at night but don’t actually do it.
This is a horrible misconception. It shows a lack of respect for our natural body rhythms, and it says we’re liars, frauds. Have you ever observed a Night Person at work during peak time? After you’ve sat up with one of us and seen how productive we are, say that again.

We’re insomniacs.
We’re not insomniacs. We aren’t trying to get to sleep.

We’re unhappy.
Only when we’re not allowed to follow our natural schedule.

We think we’re vampires or have some other kind of odd self image.
Do you think you’re the sun god Amon-Ra just because you’re a Day Person?

We’re criminals who use the excuse of staying up late to cover our crimes.
Sure, and all the people who are up in the daytime are law-abiding citizens. Crimes are only committed at night.

We’re hooked on caffeine.
It doesn’t take coffee and coke to keep us up all night.

The only reason we stay up late is to go to bars, cavort, and party.
We like to party as much as the next guy, but don’t blame us just because we’re always the last to leave.

We’re delinquents and degenerates.
How do you know? Do you follow delinquents and degenerates around at night? If you do, what’s your problem?

It has been some years since I have gone through my photographs from the West Bank. Although the work is fairly old and a bit of an aberration in terms of my style of shooting, there are a few frames in there that still hold up in my opinion. I’ve re-edited all the images and also added a few more photographs to the set that have never really seen the light of day.

View The West Bank Gallery Here…

I addition, I have finally gotten around to updating the West Coast Photographs gallery. For the most part it’s still the old party of favorites, with about 4 more recent images added to the set.

View The West Coast Photographs Gallery Here…

Watch for more updates to other featured galleries in the next two weeks, and possibly a new set early next month.

I do my best to keep my politics off the web and away from my art, but frankly, George W. Bush is an imbecile and a boob. That said, we here in the states did get a tax rebate thanks to him. There are no jobs, health care, no affordable housing, and we’re spending billions searching for phantom WMDs, but we got a rebate. A whole $600, part of the economic stimulus package of George W. and the rest of the right wingers and schmucks calling the shots. Just Brilliant, thanks guys…

Rather than waste all that cold hard cash at Wall Mart and Costco like they hope you will, I suggest a more enlightened approach. Buy some art. Here’s why…

1. Art is one of those peculiar things that most everybody loves, but nowhere near enough people actually support it. Do yourself a favor and support an artist, I promise that you’ll enjoy the feeling you get almost as much as the art itself.

2. Most everything in this world is fleeting, nothing lasts forever, except art. It may not be popular, it may be dated, it may not be worth a fortune, but it will always have a place in the world.

3. Art is an investment. Again, it may not be worth a fortune, chances are you aren’t buying the next “Starry Night”. However, nearly all art will appreciate over time.

4. The process itself can be an enjoyable one. It is no myth that artists are often peculiar, eccentric and abnormal folks. If nothing else, purchasing a piece directly from the artist will be incredibly entertaining.

5. WalMart, Costco, Sony and Microsoft do not need anymore of your hard earned money. Honestly, please don’t give it to them, they have enough already. Do any of us really need a 50 inch plasma screen TV anyway? By a piece of art instead, they have better warranties.

FineArtPhotoblog.com, a side project I sort of fell backwards into, has been running for nearly four months now. Originally the creation of Brian Auer and ultimately featuring six other photographers including myself, the idea was to have a place to share and promote our best work and offer fine art prints for sale. Since the site launched in February, we’ve seen a fair amount of steady growth in terms of targeted traffic, readership and of course content, however we are always looking for new ways to improve the site as a whole.

After some debate and a little planning, we have decided it may be time to add one or two more photographers. We are having an open call for portfolios with a deadline of June 2nd. Anyone out there who’d like to join the Fine Art Photoblog should feel free to submit. If you are in fact interested in submitting, Brian has posted the guidelines and submission form on his blog.

Please keep in mind that this is not a commitment to be taken lightly. Everyone who contributes to the site is asked to do so consistently on a weekly basis, or not at all. This is something we have all put a lot of time and effort into, and we will expect nothing less from new members.

If you feel your work would be a good fit, and are willing to put in the effort, please think about submitting your portfolio for consideration. The maximum amount of images is 20, but please submit at least 10. Again, the guidelines and submission form are posted here.

Peng-Kuei “Ben” Huang (Benny 4 Frames), my old friend from college, having recently attended the Magnum photography workshop in Toronto, was nominated for the Scotiabank Prize, a $5,000 scholarship awarded to an outstanding student from the workshop.

In addition, a selection of the photographs he made during the workshop will be part of the group exhibition at CONTACT gallery in Toronto. The exhibition runs until June 10th. More information about the workshop and show here…

If you don’t know Ben’s work, I highly recommend you have a look at his website, lesfocaleimages.com. He also keeps a web log and updates fairly regularly.

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.
- Vernon Law

It’s never crowded along the extra mile.
- Wayne Dyer

No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently.
- Agnes DeMille

To live only for some future goal is shallow. It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.
- Robert M. Pirsig

‘Character’ is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.
- J.C. Watts