tedstrong.com
Xmas New Years 2001!
Hi, it's almost a year later as I put these pix up. It's September 30, 2002 as I write this. I've kind of let Digital Weekends fall by the wayside the last year. But, I still did take some pix, and will be putting them all up soon. Maybe they're all already up by the time you read this. Anyway, here's the first batch.

My tree in my Clay/Leavenworth apartment which I moved out of in February.

Mom and Jo in one of the popular, yet wholly dull, let's-pose-by-the-tree shots.

The next several photos were taken in the days surrounding Xmas at the Strong house. I came out from SF and Jo came up from LA. Here she is with HT, wearing one of my old favorite shirts (but was now too worn to wear anymore).

Mom and especially Dad love these dull, let's-pose-by-the-tree shots. Dad thinks if you aren't posing, smiling for the camera, then it's not a good picture. While, of course, the best shots are almost always candids.

I like this picture of Joanna & Steve.

HT is chilling on my bed. Meanwhile, this was the last Xmas we were to have at the 469 house. Mom and Dad sold it in February (I think) and moved to a new, smaller house in the same town.
Ah, the glorious tree. O Tannenbaum. O fir tree dark. As much as I rail against Christianity and all organized (or unorganized for that matter) religions, and as much as I become disillusioned with sentimentality, sometimes I'm still a sucker for That Holiday Season.

Tree close up. Click on the pic and you can see on the mantelpiece some of Mom's extensive collection of little dolls, known as Carollers. Mom loves them. Dad makes fun of them. I'm sort of torn. I mean the dolls are a lot better to me than Mom's growing obsession with "God" and Christianity or her Republican's Women/I love Rush Limbaugh stuff. But Mom is really great. Even though she's a Republican and a Christian she's still really cool and really nice.
This candid shot in the kitchen almost works. Mom's eyes closed unfortunately. It's funny how Dad is like, "Hmm, is Ted taking a picture without telling anyone? He knows I need several seconds to practice my mechanical smile!" And Steve is like, "I am making vegan fondue. They are eating meat and cheese fondue. But I'm trying to be a good person and be animal free!" And Jo is like, "I love my blue shirt, I hope everybody else does!" And I am like, "hey baby, where's the booze?" And Mom is like, "Oh, Ted's taking a picture, I think I'll blink juuuuuuusssstt as the flash goes off."

Hasty realizes there's no place set for her for Xmas dinner.

Jo, HT, Ted, Steve. Xmas Eve I think. Steve is playing with a flute thing he got in his Xmas stocking I think. I did a little "art" with the thumbnail of this pic. Click on the pic and see the original!

Jo and Santa's Helper, HT, in my old room.
Meanwhile... actually not meanwhile. Later... I drove back to LA with Jo to help her move to her new apt. For New Years Eve we went over to our old friend John Katovsich's swinging pad. This is The Man K himself.
JK with his girlfriend -- or person he was -- or is -- hanging out with -- and um -- actually. I haven't really talked to JK since this night, so I don't know what the case is. At the time I was under the impression that this was JK and his girlfriend Bonnie.
Awwww. Isn't this the cutest New Year's Eve kiss ever? Or at least on this page of photos?
Jo and Jay, clowning.
JK, Jay, Jo.
Jo and Jay jokingly reading a Dick Clark guide to dating women or something. Others linger.
Joanna and I posing for a NYE pic. But then Jo wanted to check her make-up.
Okay, now she's ready.
After the JK celebration, we stopped by Jennifer Sanchez' New Years After Party, where everyone was really, really drunk. Here Jen is either playing some type of card game, or pretending to play some type of card game.
An interesting shot of Jo at Jen's. Jo actually ended up quitting smoking just a week or so after this pic was taken. Congrats Joanna!
Meanwhile, and this time meanwhile is used perfectly, back in Alamo, Mom and Dad celebrate the New Year with a classic let's pose for the camera shot! Around this area of the pix, I've done some fancy "artwork" with Photoshop on some of these "thumbnails." Check it out...
On New Years Day or the day after J.O. and T.G. and I went to lunch at Red. Just recently I saw the movie Full Frontal, and part of it was filmed at Red. Then I went back to LA like two weeks ago and found out it had closed! They had really good fries.
Joanna and Tony George. The three of us lived together in LA one year, about 5 years ago. Jo and TG went to college together in Colorado. For a while there was some speculation that they might become an item. Then we saw that could never happen. Then we thought maybe Tony was gay. But I think the word on that is, no. They've both been through a lot of failed relationships in the years I've known them.
Another great pic by me of TG and JO.
These pics are from the period surrounding New Years, at Jo's old and new apartment. This is HT on Jo's unbelievably soft and great rug. I think it was made from the underbelly of 2 dozen polar bears. This is Jo's new apt.
HT with a bunch of blankets and stuff piled on her. This is Jo's old apt.
Artistic photo. I'm suggesting a link between children's toys and cigarettes. Ooooh you evil tobacco corporations! This is Jo's old apt.
Turns out Hasty loves candy canes. She can lick right through one so fast. You have to keep her licking it because she'll bite it if you let her. But it's funnier to watch her lick it all away. Here, Jo is pointing to a piece of a cane for HT.
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Jo's old apt. Even though you can see her bra in this pic, I thought it was a really picture so I am putting it up. I could use Photoshop to make her shirt cover a little more, but then there are ethical issues with that too, aren't there. Anyway, just a few weeks later I get Mr C and I do have a lot of those pix up on my site. But more soon!
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