While taking a few photographs at Phoenix First Friday — I had to endure the following:

• Missing the train
  

  very, very full

• Catching the train — which one car short and utterly packed
• Have the Scientology folks attempt to hand me paperwork and give me a free “stress test”
• Have the anti-Scientology folks attempt to hand me paperwork (I don’t know what they wanted to give me)
• A fairly awful rock band.
• I listened, very briefly, to the worst Evangelist ever… (as people are walking by ignoring him) “What is the opposite of lies? Anyone? [Bueller?]  Anyone? Truth. Is it Truth? (people still walking by).
• I was approached, while taking a long exposure on a tripod, by a lady who wanted to know if I had been standing out there the whole time taking photos. I said nope, I had just arrived. This is apparently means that we’re best friends because she invited me to go with her to Church.
• Same location, less than 1 minute later, a woman asks if my roommate highly trained photography assistant and I would like our pictures taken together. When I explain that we’re taking art-type photos she proceeds to ask if I’ve ever taken photos of orbs. Yes, orbs. She then explains that taking pictures of orbs would really set me apart from the other professionals in the field because not many people do it. I explained that the only orbs I’ve ever taken a photo of have been from the light striking the front element of my lens at a weird angle and/or light bouncing around inside the lens and/or debris on my sensor.
• 

  Forget "orbs" .... I can take photos of ghosts.

  While taking another photo I was interrupted by some guy (who, at this point, I assumed wanted to ask me if I was going to Heaven) who asked what I was taking video of. Turns out he’s not such a wacko, just a little forward about questions to random people — probably helped that way by some booze. He got my business card… I should have asked him to stand in traffic, but instead my trained monkey assistant did that for me resulting in this photograph:

PHOENIX, AZ: The Modified Arts gallery on Phoenix First Friday