Day 20 (Tues., Sept. 20)

I started the day by going to an assignment just down the street from home. Fifty students from Colombia are in town doing a learning course as part of an exchange program. I had fun hanging out w/ the kids as I moved around and snapped a few photos of them.

As I was fixing to leave, the person in charge asked me to take a group photo. Normally, I would oppose to such thing just because newspapers generally do not publish photos of groups. That's what newsletters and yearbooks are for. However, the lady was so nice to me from the moment I got there, that I just shot the photo for kicks. In doing so, I came up w/ an idea. I brought her from out of the crowd and put her in front of them. After all, she's in charge of the students and professors. I couldn't stop being creative just because I was shooting the photo just to amuse her. I think it works.

Going to this assignment, however, made me feel very old. Not only because the kids were all between the ages of nine and 17, but because I felt out of the loop. You know you are old when you can't relate to the kids in their slang. I felt so dumb today as I read the shirt worn by a boy. The shirt had a phrase that is heard in a song by Juanes, the Colombian singer. I have heard the song over and over and never thought there was any vulgar and sick meaning to the verses. However, when I read the kid's shirt, it brought it all into perspective. I do not want to name the song and/or the lyric because I shouldn't repeat such obscenity. The song's lyric says something about a "black shirt". It's sexual innuendo is ok for an adult. But here's a young boy wearing the shirt. His guardians allowed him to do so. Or maybe they were out of the loop, too. Actually, the lyrics written on the shirt are so vulgar that you don't have to hear the song to know a young boy should not be sporting such shirt. I felt sad thinking that the kid's parents, supervisors and society allow him to wear that shirt. Then I felt sad because finally I realized that I am getting old. If I can't relate to the youngsters, there's something wrong.

Tropical storm Rita escalated to a hurricane today. So, after work I drove down to the beach to see if I can shoot a few photos of what was going on. Here are a few things I saw there.

Kimberly Butterfield of Plantation felt the strong wind as she held on to the shirt belonging to Vincent McMahon on Ft. Lauderdale beach.

Chad Barfield, 20, looked at an emergency helicopter fly by over the water at Ft. Lauderdale beach. Barfield, of Cooper City, was on a three-man group that went to the beach and played around on a kayak as they enjoyed the waves.

Jeda Hemlock, 21, (right) and her 16-year-old sister, Brittany Hemlock, enjoyed the rough waves on Hollywood beach.

The hurricane is cruising through the middle of Cuba and Key West. There might be some destruction. So, tomorrow I will be going down there to see what I can shoot. W/ that in mind, I went out and got my hurricane kit. Two five-gallon gas tanks, new windshield wipers, food, water, clothes, rubber boots and a towel are part of my kit. I learned a valuable lesson on Sept. 1, when I drove through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama after Katrina. I was not going to put myself in danger ever again.

Yesterday - Main - Tomorrow