Stone Crazy

Years ago at Beth’s Burgers. You can take this blog with a grain of salt. I recently asked ChatGPT about Downtown Orlando’s violence problem. This is the answer I got. Downtown Orlando is a hot spot for nightlife—and unfortunately, for violence too. People scroll through their timelines. They see another video of a fight outside a bar. Or see another news footage about gun shots. Then, jump to…

What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like? I deliver auto parts. Usually, I work mornings to early evenings. In the mornings, I have a ritual. Before my first delivery, I hook my phone up to the truck’s stereo system. Next, I turn on Spotify. On that, I listen NPR for the news. After that, I listen to Spotify music for the rest of the day.

What’s something most people don’t understand? How I can just kill a man. Hit it, Cypress Hill!

Write about your approach to budgeting. Budget?! During these harsh times, how can anyone keep a budget? If anything, I try to put 10% of my paycheck aside. In the past, that has worked for me. When an emergency occurred, I had the money to take care of it. Also, I can’t stand being around people who don’t save money. The materialistic types. They never save. They always spend money on things…

Daily writing promptIf there were a biography about you, what would the title be?View all responses Many times, I prefer being alone. Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate my friends. But solitude gives me something different. It brings me peace of mind. It lets me recharge. My thoughts sharpen, my creativity flows. In the quiet, I see things others overlook. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to writing…

What do you complain about the most? I’ve been complaining about breakups. Being dumped I can take. It’s what happens after the breakup that annoys me. I never liked “Let’s just be friends”. How can you move on? I tried setting boundaries. I didn’t mind keeping things friendly. Yet, I didn’t want to act like best friends. They never could take that. That’s why I prefer them gone.

What books do you want to read? I’ve been wanting to read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. The movie Blade Runner was based off this book.

It was Halloween 2003. I was photographing costumed people at Knock Knock. A now-closed bar that was located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. I was using my Canon Rebel 2000. A film camera. As I photographed people, one guy really caught my attention. He was dressed like Alex from A Clockwork Orange. Loving the costume, I photographed him. A Clockwork Orange is one of my favorite movies. Back…

It was back in 2004. In Downtown Orlando, I was photographing Halloween costumes. I was doing this at the now-closed Knock Knock. I photographed inside Knock Knock. Also, I photographed in the hallway outside of Knock Knock. I was having a good time. Then, I ran across a ridiculous costume. A white guy was wearing an Afro wig. Also, he wore a black t-shirt. On the t-shirt were the words “100%…

Someone emails you. They want you to remove a picture of them from your blog. So, what do you do? First, the person needs to explain why they want the photo removed. Twice, women told me they had a stalker. In both cases, I removed the photo. I didn’t want a death resulting from some nutcase reading my blogs. Now, what if you detect an attitude problem in the email? I received one like…

“Hey, Pat, dudes wanna say you didn’t take those pictures.” That was my cousin Kenny. He was talking about my photo book Nightclub Womenz. (It’s available on Amazon.) For three and a half years, I photographed for a Downtown Orlando nightclub. Photos I took from those nights are in Nightclub Womenz. It was an answer to another photo book Three Orlando Nightspots. For six months, I…

This was 2016 in front of Orlando City Hall. An anti-Trump rally was happening. This was a few days after Trump won the Presidency. Many protest signs were there. This one was my favorite. It references Trump’s infamous locker room talk about groping women. It also references Khia’s song, “My Neck, My Back”. Because Trump won the Presidency in 2024, I wonder what funny signs I am going to see…

Daily writing promptWhat is your mission?View all responses I don’t take this seriously. Yet, I somewhat believe my mission is to document. Sometimes, models approach me to photograph them. I tell them I don’t do that. I’m more interested in documenting. Documenting is recording history. Or just a slice of life, Whatever the photo, documentary photos are something future generations can…

I’m always blogging about Manikins Lounge. A spot located in Downtown Sanford, Florida. For two and half years, I photographed patrons there. One thing I have yet to mention is the coffin. During my last month photographing there, Manikins Lounge bought a coffin. It exists on the back patio. One night, I asked Rei to pose for me. In another blog, I had featured her before. Then, on that same…

Manikins Lounge never ceased to amaze me. For two and a half years, I photographed patrons there. Manikins Lounge is located in Downtown Sanford, Florida. Throughout the bar, one sees mannequins. They’re located at the entrance. They’re located near and on the bar counters. Also, mannequins are located on the back patio area. Thus giving the place its name. One time, I photographed carpet…

Recently, I self-published my photo book, Goth Night. For two and a half years, I photographed Black Fridays. A goth night hosted by Manikins Lounge. Manikins is located in Downtown Sanford, Florida. Every Friday, the black clothing crowd dance to the tunes of She Wants Revenge and The Cure. They do this in the dark and foggy atmosphere. For me, this was the best time to spend Friday nights.…