Back from Boston and in LA, fortunately in one piece! ATA has some of the worse seating arrangements I've ever seen. And Boston really is a rainy city. Of course it's pretty gray out here in LA as well.
No complaints from me though. As of now I am a certified H2 driver as well as 350HP Corvette enthusiast. I spent the one sunny day in Boston driving a few of the newest cars on fresh man-made courses. The best was the vette, pushing the pedal to the floor and feeling the back end of the car just drop out, 0-60 in 2 seconds. A week ago I would never have expected to have that under my belt! And pushing the H2 up a 90 degree hill so the only thing in site was the sky straight above. Hooray for gravity!
Speaking of gravity and cars, my big-bad pug Waldo was hit by a truck while deciding to chase it down the street. It's okay, he's fine. Actually he's great. He banged up his chin a little and is now as good as new! Unbelievable! A black cloud chasing the fierce tires of an F-160 only to bounce off, tumble across the pavement, hobble around and transform back to himself in a matter of hours. Of course a little vet assistance goes a long ways!
Three cheers for Waldo-Lucas! And three more cheers to Mokey for holding up the fort while I was away!

For those of you who are still waiting to see some wonderful images of the European Trek 2002, check out these photos taken by Ian Grant during our journey in Paris: the first night in Paris began with a journey to the famous Louvre Museum at night. This place was spectacular and absolutely massive. I returned to it a few days later with Ian and got to check out the Mona Lisa. They apparently keep it behind glass for protection and to keep those flashes away from it, but it doesn't stop people from relentlessly shooting it with the flash cameras. Of course its the smallest painting ever and you can only see it for about 5 seconds before being shoved out of the way.
Another wonderful moment in Paris - The best thing was the Eiffel Tower. So beautiful at night and day. We ran down at the last minute to see the glow of the structure. It was like a carnival below with men chasing us around trying to sell us glowsticks and flags. And I was for some reason too nervous to ride to the top of the tower. Fortunately the view from below was grand enough.
And the highlight of the night, the beginning of a week living on sugar crepes and a wonderful pizza shop in the Latin Quarter. I soon became a regular...

Okay, so I am working at my typical speed, posting an update every 4 to 5 months. I am still living in West Hollywood and have come to the realization that street people in Los Angeles are not as friendly as those on the East Coast. My main encounter with the village of people under the bridges in downtown turned ugly when a homeless man turned on me with his trusty pair of scissors and charged. I felt like one of those fools in the horror movies that just stands still and you are screaming at the television for her to run! And eventually I began walking, quickly. Once in the car I noticed that hordes or them were coming out to see the intruder. That was the end of photographing the streets and people in downtown LA.
I'm still focusing on the band work and designing a few album covers here and there. I'm also working my tail off at VH1/MTV so look at the credits when you watch those shows! Also, don't forget to check out MTV's summer movie special of Movie House airing June 28th where Reese Witherspoon tells eLLei she's cute. More on that later...
As of now, I am packing my bags for a 6AM flight. I leave tomorrow morning to return to Boston, checking out the rainy city for a week and hopefully getting some good shots of the friendlier street folk. Stay tuned...

Hahaha, I am now in Los Angeles and yet again attempting to keep you updated! Of course you are looking for all those wonderful stories of the journey across Europe, the travel log of a cross country trip and the joys of living in the crazy city. And where are they!? I'd love to say look for the book on newstands coming this June but unfortunately-not yet. I am of course, not the laziest fool in the world, simply the busiest. But, as a brief update, not to let you completely down: I am living in the sunny city of West Hollywood, shooting photography for bands, continuing on the street photography collection and expanding my digital horizons. My fat kit kat Mokey has joined me in LA transforming from a squirrel spine-smashing feline to a whacked out indoor cat who now slams jingle socks off the walls at night. And of course he's getting fatter, hooray!
I've also been keeping myself up in the loop of commercial making by starring as a top notch background chick in about 5 dentist ads-so be on the lookout! And in the meantime...stay warm, stay cool and don't get lost in the blur.

It's not really May is it? No way. This is insane. Where have the days gone? In less than 25 days I will be hitting the road again. eLLei in the Jeep driving across country, stopping every 10 minutes I'm sure to take a picture of some hidden mystery in the shadows. No more midnight alley photos in the streets of Boston. I'm moving up in the world, photographing the inner streets of LA.

Patience people, patience. The REAL factual account of my journey is coming....

Hey guys! I am officially half way through my journey and my brain is definitely freaking out from sensory and language lingo overload. I've made it through Paris, Versailles, Bayeux in Normandy, checked out the beaches, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum and ate lots and lots of crepes and pizza from the Latin Quarter. By the end of last week I was relaxing in a sweet little hotel room in Madrid, and finally trekking up and down Las Ramblas in Barcelona. I got to check out the real original "Guernica" and Picasso stuff as well as the hugest aquarium in Barcelona where I got to walk through an underwater glass tunnel with sharks everywhere!
Today, after a 22hour train ride, I am in Rome Italy and hanging out at the laundromat while spending a ridiculous amount of euros for the internet. I should be here for a couple of days, filling up on pasta, good breads and lots of historic sights. I met so many cool people on the long journey here and i need to say thanks to all of them for keeping me company, making me laugh, and helping me find my way around! Thanks to all you guys sending the supportive emails! I wish i could share some pictures with you, they show alot more than my words can explain.

So this is where I'm at. I made it, jet-lagged and all. Security at Logan was insane-they made me take off my hat and sneakers! And then six hours flying overseas was great but only because I got to watch two flicks and eat three meals. But arriving in Amsterdam at 7:30 in the morning, not speaking a word of Dutch and trying to find bags and trains is crazy. No sleep, very tired and now I'm lounging back at a twelfth century castle for the night (shhh, thats hush hush) and trying to refuel for an eight hour bus ride to Paris in the morning. Lots of fun, great small houses and gingerbread looking homes. It's like a miniature Vermont with lots of ducks, oh and two moats. Miss you guys!

Okay, guys! Only two more days left before the big flight! I'm taking off around 6pm and should be landing in Amsterdam at 7:30am on 2/14. I'm sure it will be quite interesting. I'm definitely a bit nervous but also excited for the challenge. Make sure you check back to see where I'm at No comments:

Prepare for the February 13th departure of Ellei to the foreign world of European culture. Stay tuned.