As the thread title says. :)

I'm all ears.

How many states have you traveled to?

How many states have you traveled to?

I've been to Oregon, Washington, California and Idaho.

What kind of music do you like? (Favorite bands, artists too)

Do you drive a car?

How many bands' concerts have you attended?

Warped: I like a little of everything and own more CDs, 8-tracks and records than most people should. Lately been listening to a lot of 70s music, along with almost as much neoclassical-type music (Enya, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman are great and probably the best-known, but Philip Glass and George Winston are worth noting too) and Native American traditional-type music. And for those wondering... I watch about 2-3 hours of TV a day, typically related to antiques/collectlbles, science, dumb people, or animals.

Howard: When I was a teenager, I had a Pontiac with cooling-system problems, then I ended up with my dad's truck when both Ford dealers here along with the Dodge and Toyota dealers refused to take it as a trade-in, it lasted until it got to leaking or burning a quart of oil a week. I let my driver's license lapse in the midst of a hard time in my life I was going through, but am working to get it back.

Tashlovgit: I have only been to a few by local bands and some school orchestra & world music performances downtown, I have some anxiety issues that keep me from being in large crowds. If the Hult Center is still doing the school orchestra & world music performances, I might start going to those again.

Do you like the ocean?

Do you like the ocean?

It's not too bad, that said I prefer the mountains, forest and desert... I go back a long way with such places. :)

How long have you been taking photos?  What got you interested in doing that?  What type of camera do you use?  What would be your ultimate camera (if money were no issue)?  Would you like to have any of your photos printed/used for magazines or calendars or something?

How long have you been taking photos?  What got you interested in doing that?  What type of camera do you use?  What would be your ultimate camera (if money were no issue)?  Would you like to have any of your photos printed/used for magazines or calendars or something?


Great questions! :)

1 & 2: I have been taking photos on a serious basis since 2005, and it was something I got interested in through someone at the school program I went to at the time, I went into a few overcrowded junkyards and building materials salvage yards and got some great shots that weren't processed beyond cropping in Windows Photo Library on my first computer (IBM Aptiva running Windows XP), sadly those pics are long-lost to the camera I used then having all its memory cards thrown away and the computer itself crashing. :( My best shot out of those was a shot of a 1950s or 1960s Saab partly covered in ivy that was high-contrasted black & white.

3 & 4: I started with an Olympus Camedia that currently sits in my next round of stuff to be donated to Goodwill. Moved to a Kodak EasyShare in 2009, then to a Nikon L22, to a Nikon L120, and will be using a Nikon P510 for the foreseeable future. I would love to have a Nikon D60, a Konica Auto-Reflex, a Holga or Lomo and a pinhole camera of some kind, for different kinds of photos, I already have an Auto-Reflex waiting for me if I can fix the film advance strip and intend to use expired film & infrared film for different effects.  :)

5: I would love to get my work published, I have sold 3 or 4 prints on deviantART and I got some of my work circa 2009-2011 published in a video game webzine. I won't post links out of the general attitude toward self-promotion on the internet, unless anyone wants to see it. My work did improve vastly after I got out of a toxic abusive relationship last year...

Do u like stand up comedy?

If yes who are some of your faves?

Ever seen it preformed live?

Have been out of that circle since I was a kid, haven't seen any in person, but would like to.

What color are the walls in your home?  Are they painted or wallpapered?

I won't post links out of the general attitude toward self-promotion on the internet, unless anyone wants to see it. My work did improve vastly after I got out of a toxic abusive relationship last year...



I would like to see them. I can speak for anyone else, but I always like seeing examples of things people are into and have accomplished.  (Which is why I shared my zombie photos/clips, I wasn't intending to "show-off or boast" about myself, I just wanted to share what I've been doing lately (that might be remotely interesting to some of my friends.)  (While I could be wrong, I think most people have similar attitudes here.)  I figure, if they don't wanna know, don't click on the link.  It's kinda how I feel about alot of things in life lately.  :-\\ :-\\

The walls in my apartment are ivory other than the bathroom walls being greyish white. Painted.

And for bookmistress, here is my deviantART page: http://highweedsandrust.deviantart.com/gallery/

And my video game webzine publication (published under my old dA handle that my ex suggested, which is still my Facebook and Swifty's Garage username) http://ctrlaltdefeat.me/?p=55

I would like to see them. I can speak for anyone else, but I always like seeing examples of things people are into and have accomplished.  (Which is why I shared my zombie photos/clips, I wasn't intending to "show-off or boast" about myself, I just wanted to share what I've been doing lately (that might be remotely interesting to some of my friends.)  (While I could be wrong, I think most people have similar attitudes here.)  I figure, if they don't wanna know, don't click on the link.  It's kinda how I feel about alot of things in life lately.  :-\\ :-\\


What patty said! And I'm proud of u P for stepping out if your comfort zone! And you zombie stuff is fascinating to me (and I'm sure many others!!)


Chris thanks for sharing the links. I don't see it as bragging at all they're awesome achievements but if you do t share them with us how could we ever know???  ;)

Thanks for sharing, Chris.  Those are really good.  :)  It somehow feels better sometimes to get acknowledged for our art, even if it isn't necessarily our personal favorite piece.  It's all subjective with art, which is what I love about it.

I see (have seen) that you like cars or are at least drawn to photographing them.  Is there a reason for that (other then you like them?)  Did you collect matchbox cars as a child or do kits (I mean, I know you do model kits now... did it start when you were a child?)  What's your favorite model you've worked on?
Do you like or have skills of working mechanically on cars themselves? 

And my last and favorite question I ask everybody (no matter how old they are (so don't get offended)...
What do you want to be when you grow up?  (I guess a better way of saying it would be, if you could work in any field of occupation, what would it be?)

Great point, Q. Glad I posted them.  :)

And I have been into cars, especially really strange ones, all my life, no idea where it came from since everyone else in my family is totally different from me in all regards. I did model kits as a child, and still do a bit, but due to the glue melting the plastic a lot and the high cost of kits, I've turned mostly toward customizing/restoring small toy cars like Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Majorette, Playart, Corgi Juniors, Johnny Lightning, etc. If a company that is going to start selling new toy cars in Wal-Mart and other big-box stores soon releases a 1970s two-door Dodge Magnum or Chrysler Cordoba in the near future, I was the brainchild of that by suggesting it on another forum I use.  8)

I worked on cars a bit when I was younger, I don't have what it takes to be a professional, but I want to restore at least one old car at some point.

And sorry I forgot the last question... I don't aim to be a millionaire, I want something that I won't be talked to or disturbed much at, and in any case can't work full-time without losing disability benefits for bipolar and PTSD that would be bad to lose... so I'm hoping to go into some kind of graveyard-shift janitorial or warehouse/freight terminal/factory inventory job would be good.

I am not a reliable person as far as getting up early in the morning goes, and I am a night-owl, (typically I sleep in the early mornings) so graveyard will work out well for me.

The walls in my apartment are ivory other than the bathroom walls being greyish white. Painted.

And for bookmistress, here is my deviantART page: http://highweedsandrust.deviantart.com/gallery/

And my video game webzine publication (published under my old dA handle that my ex suggested, which is still my Facebook and Swifty's Garage username) http://ctrlaltdefeat.me/?p=55


Your art is really nice. Love all those cars.

Thank you! :)

How did you come up with your name High Weeds And Rust? ???

How did you come up with your name High Weeds And Rust? ???

An old song that I used in some of my YouTube photo slideshows...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjUr8r8UZ3c

Goes well with how a lot of what I photograph is old, abandoned or junked, and deteriorating.

Do you drink any sodas or do you just like energy drinks?

Do you have drive in theaters in your city or near by?  And do you like going to them?

I drink Tab, Pepsi Max, Vernors Ginger Ale and Coke Zero as far as soda goes. Otherwise just energy drinks, juice (preferably orange or apple) and occasionally water.

And no nearby drive-in theaters, I've never been to one.

Do you plan on marrying one day in the future?

I plan to have a life partner situation, I don't like the symbolic, cultural, religious and any other aspect, and I am not having kids (getting a vasectomy scheduled as soon as possible), so not getting married.

Have you always liked photography?

As long as I can remember, I have.  :)

Anyone still interested?

What are your plans for 2014?

What are your plans for 2014?

Hopefully to get a job, save up some money, get my license back, get a car, and prepare to move out of Oregon and hook up with my girlfriend to start over together.

Do you keep a diary now or have you ever kept one?

Do you keep a diary now or have you ever kept one?

I had to write a journal as part of my school curriculum, but was afraid to keep a diary as a kid/teen in case my mom would open it, and these days my hands hurt writing small letters like the lined paper in most diaries necessitates.

If I did keep one, my remarks about certain people (no one on inthe00s other than the posts of maybe a handful of long-banned trolls I encountered the remains of in the board archives) would be grounds for a character assassination case if said parties found it.

Why I said "the posts of" the trolls and not them directly? These people could be our offline friends and family taking advantage of internet anonymity and a widely read board to engage in facepalmingly feral monkeyshines before the hammer comes down on them. However, amusement would turn to embarrassment if one of us found that Duderino, Donnie Darko, John Avery or a few others I can't bring to mind was our own kin. :D

Valleyroads is back & it's still fair game to ask questions!

How old were you when you were first interested in cars? What got you interested?

What have you been doing lately?

Warped: Been a lifelong thing that no one knows or remembers got started. Since no one else in my miserable excuse for a family cares much about them, my interest reinforces my theory that a baby's mind is *not* a blank slate, but that elements of the parents' minds are forever present in. Sadly my real mother's and real family's identity has been hidden from me and she was never allowed to hold me or say goodbye to me.

Howard: Been getting ready to move into a new place that I am still unsure about & had no choice other than a group home or the streets if I didn't want it, been very paranoid, but going to support groups regularly, customizing toy cars, and making my mom sad because I don't want to spend Thanksgiving with a bunch of annoying loud old people eating smelly turkey, talking down to me and watching football.

If you had to travel to 1 place in the world..where you would go?

If you could bring back 1 celebrity from the dead, who you would bring back?

If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be?

What are your plans for 2014?

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?

Warped: The abandoned Beelitz-Heilstatten mental hospital in the former East Germany, and Selena (loved her music).

Dagnabbit: Spanish acoustic guitar, would love to compose my own avantgarde chords for it.

Howard: Fix up my great-aunt's van to drive, get SSDI through my dad, get through my program to full independence, live on SSDI with eBay sales of some of my things plus thrift store & garage sale/flea market finds put into a trust fund, get my license, find another girlfriend, find more regular friends IRL, get more exposure for my art.

Snoz: I never knew what I wanted to be. Turns out I'll likely be living on disability income in a low-income housing project in another part of the country and doing frequent photography in 5 years or so.

Ducks or Beavers?

Ducks or Beavers?

Not a sports fan, so neither.