A few years back, I wrote a rather long blog entry on my first decade of time spent living in Atlanta. You can read it here if you are a) strangely curious b) bored or c) a compulsive stalker. Anyway, you can read about my old friend Laura (see 1995...) and how much she meant to me. When I got married in 98, we lost touch, more by accident than anything else (yes kids, this was before Myspace, Facebook, email, and the social glue that keeps all attached at all time now). I haven't heard from her in 10 years now.

Last weekend, I was out in East Atlanta and when I got back to my car, someone has left a flyer on the windshield for an upcoming show by a troupe called Varietease. A sort of cabaret / drag show / Vegas style song and dance performance. Normally, I just chuck the flyer to the ground and move on, but this time, for no reason I can explain, I just put the flyer in my back pocket.

A few days later, I noticed the flyer on my desk and picked it up to examine it again. The show was in a few days, and it occurred to me that I might be able to get some really interesting photos backstage if they would let me come in an shoot. So I sent off an email explaining who I was and what I wanted to shoot, etc. Done. Forgot about it.

A day later I received this email...

"Matt.... you are going to die when you figure out who's show this is......My name is Blue now but you know me as Laura.... wtf????? I just got your email and saw your name, the crazy thing is I just was talking about you two days ago because I came across the Shimmerzeen(sp) CD and laughed and told some good stories about us...."

I was stunned. Crazy coincidence? Maybe. I'm more inclined to think that the universe moves in mysterious ways and helps rearrange pathways when needed. Who knows why? I don't. But I don't care. I got my friend back and in the words of Forrest Gump, "we's like peas & carrots again..."

I spent the past three nights shooting her troupe and what a treat it's been! Part Cirque, part Drag show, part comedy... I could go on...

Category: News Desk | Posted by mattLandia at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Category: News Desk | Posted by mattLandia at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Mom,

I keep this photo on the wall in my room. Looking at you helps me understand myself...

I was raised by a woman who was madly in love with a spy, endured six children, herded her brood from country to country, bought me both a ventriloquist's dummy and my first guitar, sent me to clown school, made sure I got my Eagle, got me to church every sunday, and taught me how to sew, cook, dress and fix my hair. All the while with a busted up, impossibly painful, mutinous lower back.

Mostly though, I was raised by a woman who found ways to leave her own demons behind, slowly, one by one, until in my mind she came to embody LOVE. Love for her husband. Love for her God. Love for her family. Love for me.

Anything in me of worth, beauty, or grace I owe to you. All things I still lack, I look to your example for inspiration. They say there is nothing like a mother's love. I say there is nothing like MY mother's love.

Happy Mothers Day!

All my love,

Matt

Category: News Desk | Posted by mattLandia at 07:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, I was showing some folks at a client site (Shopko) in Green Bay, WI some of my photography, and I stopped by the Alternative Apparel website to show them some product shots I did last year. (I love Alternative clothing - if you haven't purchased something from yet, treat yourself to some of finest tee shirts around...) While clicking around, we came across this image. I'd seen the photo before, but not the title. HILARIOUS!

moustache club

Category: News Desk | Posted by mattLandia at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been awhile since I wrote a reasonably well thought out entry. And if you think this is gonna change that, well, sorry... However, I thought I'd let the interweb know about a great little oasis in the world of maddening airport terminals.

If you happen to be traveling through Milwaukee (MKE) and need to kill some time in peace and quiet, there is a great little business center tucked away in Concourse C. I've walked by it each trip here, but really never noticed it till today. Since my flight was delayed again (Yay for spring thunderstorms!), I was meandering down the terminal (as opposed to hustling in a stress induced quick step) and noticed the tiny room, empty except for a bunch of empty cubes. Each cube has power, a little privacy and a really comfy business chair that is tethered with steel rope to the cube wall. Nice touch Milwaukee.

I've been able to sit in peace and quiet, do my expense reports, shoot off a few emails, and watched a few episodes of the Office on www.hulu.com. Hulu rules!!

Category: News Desk | Posted by mattLandia at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)