Today was a tough day, ending an extremely tough couple of weeks. Stan Plesser, the Senior Plesser I've been writing about, passed away. I ran a shot from this same series back in June when the family took a trip together to Los Angeles. Anything I would have shot fresh would have seemed so irrelevant with today's happenings, and I really needed to see his smiling face again anyway.Stan was a pretty short guy, but he had the enthusiasm of a giant. He grew up in New York City and had the most amazing stories of his childhood there. He loved telling stories of growing up in the Jewish neighborhoods and of smelling the fresh roasted nuts wafting up to his open bedroom window from the street as well as the fresh fish he could buy from off the truck ("I have never again tasted fish that fresh!").He was a dreamer who was continuously thinking of new and creative business ideas and solutions -- including lots of ideas for me on how to save newspapers, which he could never fathom not reading. Stan read every paper he could, watched as much TV political news as anyone (especially me) could stomach, visited all kinds of museums, traveled the world over and loved to listen to public radio. In short, he loved to learn.He was also an old-school music industry guy who had once managed rock bands, and reliving those stories with him on tour was a treasure for both Jamie and I, the obvious rock fanatics. He opened a club in Kansas City in the 1960s and promoted shows there for many years (resulting in a documentary being made on him and his impact on the local music scene -- which he was extremely proud of). He never gave up on new music, and I loved it that at 79 years old he was interested in Wilco and Delta Spirit. Along with the new artists, he loved to tell you about seeing Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley live. Man, he loved music -- just like I do.Beyond rock'n'roll, Stan also loved the Kansas Jayhawks with a vigor only matched by his sons. I fear we may miss him most on game days this year, when as the game comes to a close, there is no phone call to dissect every players' magnificence and every referees' blind call.Stan was an amazing man who will be missed deeply. I'll be back in Kansas City for the week as we remember his passions and say our goodbyes.

Tonight after work I stopped by an area park to take some photos of Kickball Prom. How fun is that!?! This group meets once a week to play kickball, and once a year they have "prom" where everyone shows up dressed for a dance! They have music playing through a PA system and there was even a disco ball hanging above home plate. It was absolutely adorable.To see a bunch more photos of the team both getting ready and playing in this attire, go here.

I had a nice blog post written in my head about how nice it was to have my pup back at home, even if she is a complete bed hog etc. etc. etc. Then I was going to tell you a touch about my workday (which had a few interesting bits) and then tell you all about the TV on the Radio show tonight (which I attended but did not shoot -- weird, I know).But in the middle of the concert, which was an amazing performance, I was hit smack in the face with a migraine, and I had to leave and drive home squinting in the dark while fishing around for my sunglasses because the streetlights were TOO DAMN BRIGHT. So you can imagine how I feel about looking at this computer monitor right now. Right. I'm going to bed.

My buddy Ashley had me over to shoot some family portraits this evening, and after the girls were done posing she brought out all these bubble guns filled with colored bubble solution. They didn't have this when I was a kid, and now that I've seen it in action? Even if they did I'm pretty sure I would have never found out. This stuff is MESSY.But man, those girls had a blast. The key was getting them into the house and into the bathtub after the shoot without them touching a single thing in the house, because none of us were sure if the dye would stain or not. What a fun shoot though! Look at the tiny bubbles in their hair!Sidenote: This month has been absolutely insane with work, and frankly, I miss my friends (good thing I love this thing called income). I added it all up, and the last day that I did not work either at my day job or on photos for clients was July 30. Yeah, that's too long. I have a few more shoots to finish up this weekend, but I am declaring Labor Day as work-free for this lady here. Halle-freaking-lujah.

Tonight I shot another senior portrait. It was pretty obvious that posing for senior portraits was not his idea of a fun night out. But as soon as I started asking him to do goofy stuff, he relaxed and became more game. Guys are interesting like that, eh ladies?Anyway, I wasn't really intending on using this shot in his take, but it made me laugh -- so I'm sharing it with y'all. What a sport, eh? Plus, I like the overly happy expression on his face because that is EXACTLY how I felt when Jamie got home tonight. And I promise it wasn't just because he brought me a bunch of bbq from Kansas City (holy cow, I have a new favorite bbq joint). You guys should have seen the amount of beef and ribs I downed at dinner. Tasty!

I had two shoots today, one with an adorable little one year old (who took some first steps when I was there!), and then I got to take this young lady's photo tonight. It was so much fun talking to her during the shoot. She reminded me a lot of myself at that age, except she was much better dressed. She's the editor of her high school yearbook and she is pondering a lot of colleges for different reasons, and it just took me back.When I was her age I was *all business.* I was working at the city paper as well as the editor of my high school paper and I was working a second job as well (for tip money). And I had college all planned out so I could get out in four years and start my career right away. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME? In all honesty, the hard work paid off tenfold, but man do I sometimes wish I would have taken a year off to travel. With what money, I have no idea. But I do still dream about it. Um, which is probably why I get the bug to travel so much now...The big news with my father-in-law today was that he got out of bed and into a chair. That might not seem like a big deal to you guys, but it was to us. Otherwise, I believe his status is about the same. I'll keep you posted if anything changes.

This is my buddy Carl. I love how when I raise my camera to shoot, he always strikes a pose. Super fun! I wish everyone was like that! (And yes. I realize that I, myself, am the exact opposite).Anyway, I saw Carl and about a gazillion other friends tonight at the Lake Harriet bandshell where they had a free show by 4ontheFloor followed by a screening of Strange Brew. Which was just about perfect after this week.I don't really have an update on Senior Plesser other than he's eating a lot of sherbert and yogurt and ice cream. I think that would make anyone feel better. I know it's *my* diet of choice (coffee, salty caramel and chocolate ice cream, please). He's still working through a lot of complications, but we are keeping our fingers crossed. Jamie might be coming home on Sunday, which will be amazing. I miss him and Memphis tremendously.

Today we had a fashion shoot for vita.mn, which was fun because... well, it just was. These shoots are always a blast. I love working with teams of stylists and models on fashion projects, and it's a great change of pace from the cubicle. Of course I didn't want to give too much away in my photo of the day, but I loved this texture, so I guess I can give you this sneak peek.Also this morning, I got to talk to Senior Plesser! It was so good to hear his voice. He still needs a ton of luck and good wishes to get through this, so please keep those positive thoughts coming.