At Work: My New Friend, Carl

Brian Moore

Moderator
These two buildings stand on Pacific Coast Highway in huntington Beach near the intersection of Warner Avenue. I pass by them every day on the way to work. I have long been interested in snapping a fotie of these two buildings together. There is something about the yellow next to the white/blue that I find interesting. No idea why.

Anyway, I had one shot left in my new old Polaroid 450, the one I picked up last week, and, since for reasons unrelated to the story I was late going into work today I decided today would be a fine day to get that fotie I had so long longed for.

I didn't even have to get out of the car. I just parked across the highway, got the old Pola ready, then waited for a gap in the traffic so that I could shoot. Well, just when that gap came and I went to squeeze the trigger, some bloke comes waltzing out the front door and I thought, "Magic!"

"Click!" I had him!

I turned away to retrieve the image and a moments later I hear a bellow,..."Yo...!" It was the bloke,...he had spotted me snapping the fotie and he was coming across the highway toward me.

For a brief moment I considered putting the car into drive and motoring off, perhaps with a raised finger by way of farewell, but instead I decided to play it out and see what would transpire.

Well, turns out the bloke had "a problem" with me taking a picture of the motorcycle--the one on the left. It was some special custom thing he was doing and he didn't want his work compromised (bear in mind this is my summary of his sentiment, and not the words he actually used). "So why is it sitting out front on PCH" I'm wondering!

Anyway, I told him no problem, you can have the picture. (He was of course blissfully unaware that I had every intention of reconstituting the goop side of the image with bleach, and thereby rendering myself a delightful negative from which I could make a thousand copies if I so desired.)

So he agreed to take possession of my image. I told him, we just needed to wait a minute for it to develop and then he could have it.

We passed the time during that minute exchanging pleasantries,...me explaining about my old Polaroid, he explaining about his motor bike, which was equipped with a specially designed drivetrain (thus, the secrecy) as well as a propane tank that allowed it to shoot flames out the back some ten feet in distance. "Holy ****" I commented. (Rhymes with hit.)

During this time he introduced himself as Carl and we shook hands.

When the picture was developed I peeled it off and handed it to Carl. "There" I said, "you can put it on your wall or something." He looked at it and said "I don't need the picture,....you can't see the bike." I told him he could have it anyway. "Nah its Ok!" he said. That ****** me off a little! (Rhymes with kissed)

 
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Great story to go with a fine shot. Interesting car on the far right...

It's obvious why the guy didn't want the shot, Brian - that pole on the left is off-vertical. Tut, tut.
 
Nice mood shot. But...as I look at this Brian...you may just take that shot back to this place and get a tat across your back.
 
Great story to go with a fine shot. Interesting car on the far right...

It's obvious why the guy didn't want the shot, Brian - that pole on the left is off-vertical. Tut, tut.

That explains everything, Rob!

That car on the right,...well-spotted, Rob...wish I'd verified with my new friend Carl,...it looks like a Citroen Traction-Avant.

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Nice mood shot. But...as I look at this Brian...you may just take that shot back to this place and get a tat across your back.

Thanks, Glenn. The tat will say "Up Yours Carl!"
 
Never heard of a tat...

Better than a tramp stamp Rob :D

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Great story Brian - and props for hanging in there when the heat was coming your way.

Some people have no taste however - you offered him a priceless original and he turned you down

He's probably not the sharpest tool in the tool-box! :D

I'd be tempted to go back and do a series of close-ups on the bike - just because ;)
 
What a **** ... (Rhymes with ... ... I'll leave that to your imagination)
nice shot though, the back story definitely makes it ... Mind you gotta be some sorta **** to want to spit fire 10' out of te back of a bike ... :)
 
Great story and a super shot as well - his loss, our gain. And I have now managed (using special eagle-eye skills) to produce a full set of detailed blue prints of the aforementioned motorbike, an analysis of which, suggests strongly that it will handle like wet t*** (rhymes with turd). ;)
 
Better than a tramp stamp Rob :D

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Great story Brian - and props for hanging in there when the heat was coming your way.

Some people have no taste however - you offered him a priceless original and he turned you down

He's probably not the sharpest tool in the tool-box! :D

I'd be tempted to go back and do a series of close-ups on the bike - just because ;)

lol. :DThanks, Chris.

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What a **** ... (Rhymes with ... ... I'll leave that to your imagination)
nice shot though, the back story definitely makes it ... Mind you gotta be some sorta **** to want to spit fire 10' out of te back of a bike ... :)

Thanks, Hamish.

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Great story and a super shot as well - his loss, our gain. And I have now managed (using special eagle-eye skills) to produce a full set of detailed blue prints of the aforementioned motorbike, an analysis of which, suggests strongly that it will handle like wet t*** (rhymes with turd). ;)

I think you got the blueprint off the wall, Pete! ;)
 
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