Photo Friday; Debris

In 2006 I discover the debris of the previous fall's Hurricane Katrina at the breach of the 17th street levy in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was there on an Operation Photo Rescue sponsored trip.

—Photograph copyright 2006 Robert C. McLaughlin

Photo Friday; Monochrome

—Photograph copyright 2009 Robert C. McLaughlin

Photo Friday; Self Portrait 2009

Here’s the real deal.

—Self Portrait by Robert McLaughlin

This work by Robert C. McLaughlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Photo Restoration

My 66th pro-bono photo restoration for Operation Photo Rescue.

Photo Friday, Casual

—Photograph by Robert McLaughlin

This work by Robert C. McLaughlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Photo Friday; Round

—Photograph by Robert McLaughlin

This work by Robert C. McLaughlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Illustration Friday; Impossible!

The miracle of life — Joe got there first!

—Illustration by Robert McLaughlin

“Amoebas at the start were not complex;
They tore themselves apart and started sex.”

—Arthur Guiterman

This work by Robert C. McLaughlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Photo Friday, Wealth

Haven't seen much of this stuff lately.

—Photo by Robert C. McLaughlin

Photo Friday, Grandmother

—Photograph by Robert McLaughlin

My Granddaughter

I think Madelyn might be learning to smile.

—Photo by Lorene J. Huffman

A Miser’s Guide to Disneyland

Robert getting some virtual gas in Toontown.

—Photo by Patricia McLaughlin

1. Go to Priceline.com and bid $55 for a 3-star hotel in the D’land vicinity. You WILL win the bid.
2. Show up at the Doubletree (or whatever) hotel with your broken leg so they won’t charge extra for parking. If your leg isn’t broken you could hire my uncle Guido, he’s real good with a baseball bat.
3. Take the hotel’s free shuttle to D’land. Tip the driver a few bucks.
4. Use a Disneyland annual pass to get in. (More expensive in the short run, but if you use it 3-4 times a year, it’s a real savings.)
5. Do NOT eat at Disneyland—carry in bottled water and protein bars. The folks that strip search you at the gate will let protein bars through but will confiscate smuggled PB&J sandwiches on the spot. Tipping the strip searchers is NOT recommended!
6. Resist the temptation to buy $25 Mickey Mouse T-shirts and $15 refrigerator magnets. You’ll just lose interest in them when you get home.
7. When you call the hotel for a pick up casually mention that you are in a wheelchair. When they come and pick you up in a regular shuttle with no disabled access keep smiling but really struggle as you crawl backwards on your butt up the stairs. Smile meekly as they apologize profusely for their blunder. Make sure you tip the driver at least $5. Graciously thank them as they hand you a voucher for a free breakfast buffet and a free beverage at the lounge.

That’s it. A little tipping and smiling goes a long way.

Photo Friday: Extreme Closeup

—Photograph by Robert McLaughlin

My Son Gets Some Recognition

Molly Bickerton, 2008 State GOAL winner, and David McLaughlin

My son David won the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership for his college. The next step is to move on to the state-wide competition. In my unprejudiced opinion, he's a shoo in.

Photo Friday, Edible

I love hamburgers. Eaten in moderation they’re wonderful!

Now what idiot would go on a 30-day McDonald’s hamburger-only diet? And then make a film about it!

And somehow that’s McDonald’s fault if he or anyone else drops dead from obesity and/or a heart attack? Get real! Show some personal responsibility!

Oh, BTW, I’m hungry.

—Photograph by Robert McLaughlin

A Renaissance Of Sorts

A note from my Facebook page

I think I will take the “down-time” so graciously given to me by California SDI to rise like the Phoenix and learn some new software and read some important books, turn OFF the TV and watch only selected documentaries or movies or TV shows on hulu.com. As Rahm Immanuel says (the epitome of the political opportunist), “You never let a serious crisis go to waste”. I should work my personal disasters to whatever benefit I can squeeze from it.

—Robert McLaughlin

An Excellent Outcome

My young relative, in the first day at the cult compound, saw through some of the lies and deception, and decided not to join. She's a smart young lady, and I'm glad she applied her reasoning skills to this situation. Yessss!

Damned Cults!

I just had a relative of mine, a young lady of 18, get sucked in by one located in Vista and Valley Center. Anyone ever hear about the 12 tribes? Rick Ross has. He makes it his business to know about destructive cults in America.

Downtown Honolulu

—Photograph by Robert McLaughlin

This work by Robert C. McLaughlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

My New Granddaughter

Madeline Grace Huffman. She doesn’t look like me—she looks like a soft little ball of newborn.

Live Long and Prosper

—Received via email

The Power of Pain

The sensation of pain is essential to life. Without it we would blindly go in any direction that caught our fancy—and some of those directions lead to death and destruction.

Thank God for the sensation of pain that caused me to cry for help and seek the care of the medical professionals that have put my leg back together.

Front view of my right Tibia

This last month I’ve been reduced to tears. I couldn’t see or feel God, my friend’s assurances gave momentary comfort that was soon replaced with emptiness, Percocet and Morphine eased my pain only one to three hours at a time.

Three nights ago, my wife sleeping soundly beside me, unable to sleep, in pain, unemployed, full of self pity, I finally broke down and cried.

Like the bum who doesn’t shower often I don’t cry often.

After a few minutes of heaving and sobbing, I felt as though I had stepped out of a shower for my soul—all dripping wet, feeling clean, and wrapped up in a warm towel with which to dry off and rest.

Side view of the right leg showing one of the two ankle fractures

So, here is where I found God in all this. He has manifested himself not in dreams and visions, nor in epiphanies or special revelations, but in this body he has given me. I cry and feel better, the doctors pin my bones together and they begin to heal. Now, nine days after the operation, the pain has subsided (from 8 Percocet a day to 3 or 4).

Although my employment situation hasn’t changed, I remain confident that that too will change for the better in the near future.

I Shut Down Diamondhead

For at least 45 minutes on Monday I shut down access to the top of Diamondhead crater as first-responders extricated me from a cramped tunnel and spiral staircase.

Mere minutes from disaster, Robert McLaughlin blithely poses at the top of Diamondhead. Photograph by Norman Huffman.

My son-in-law and his family and I hiked up to the rim of Diamondhead. While challenging, it isn't a terribly difficult trip. Here's a photo of your's truly with Honolulu in the background.

Near the top there is a spiral staircase. On the way down my left foot slipped on the next to the last step and when my right foot hit the cement floor I heard the sound of a loud pop, felt the bone break away, and crumpled to the ground in excruciating pain.

Robert's right leg broken in three places. Swelling hadn't started yet. Photograph by the Good Samaritan.

My God! Help! I screamed like a little girl. Fortunately amongst the crowds there was a good Samaritan who was also an EMT. This gentleman and his family stayed with me until the first responders arrived.

Strangely my sense of humor stayed with me. As unsuspecting tourists squeezed by I would say to each, "Welcome to Diamondhead, watch your step, and hold onto the handrails."

The Good Samaritan and his wife. Robert was smiling when he wasn't screaming, crying, or whimpering. Photograph by the Good Samaritan's daughter.

In about 30—45 minutes the first responders arrived. "You got any drugs for me?" I asked. You can't imagine how disappointed I was to learn no drugs were available until I got to the hospital.

Honolulu Fire Department first responders at work rescuing a stupid tourist. Photograph by Robert McLaughlin (AKA, The Stupid Tourist).

They splinted my leg without the benefit of Morphine—whereupon I proceeded to scream like a little girl again. My rescuers assured me I didn't scream like a little girl—I screamed like a woman.

It took another 30 minutes to extricate me from the stairwell and get me to the helicopter. Thanks to everyone for helping me out!

Robert in the ER at Queens Medical Center. Photograph by Patricia McLaughlin.

Street Chopper

This is one of my most popular stock illustrations. You can find it here.

—Illustration © by Robert McLaughlin

Advice for Uncertain Times

Here's an article I like from Ben Stein, my favorite geekmeister:


by Ben Stein

The night before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in Memphis, he gave a memorable, inspiring speech. At its end, he said, "I don't know what's going to happen with me now. We've got some difficult days ahead...."

Unfortunately, this is true now about the American (and global) economy. I wish I could say I knew what was going to happen in the future. I have learned that I do not. I was not given the gift or the burden of foresight. I thought that our government would not let the bottom fall out. I was wrong. I am sorry.

So given that I do not know the future, what can I tell you that will be useful? Actually, quite a bit.

Cash Really Is King

First, taking the advice of my dear pal Ray Lucia, rock and roll star and investment guru, I can tell you that, no matter what happens, it will be good to have a nice chunk of money in cash or near cash. Yes, I know we may soon have inflation. But if we do, the rates on money market funds will rise. Cash is just a lovely thing to have in almost situation. Cash or near cash offers a level of comfort that even a large portfolio of stocks does not offer.

Taking a cue from my dear pal Phil DeMuth of Conservative Wealth Management, I can tell you that, if you think we are definitely at a bottom, you might be fooled. While Phil's research tells us that we may be near a bottom by postwar metrics of price, price to earnings, and price to dividends, we may have ( as Phil puts it ) "jumped the tracks of history."

My own view is that we have been fooled so much in the past 15 months about what real earnings are, what real book value is, that we cannot trust the data given to us. Yes, by current price-earnings measures, stocks look fairly reasonable. But we don't really know what true earnings are. That is the vicious truth. So if we are in the quicksand of not being able to rely on the data our companies give out, then anything can happen. Yes, we may be at a bottom or near it. Or we may not be anywhere near a bottom.

Anything Can Happen

Just to illustrate, who would have dreamed a few weeks ago that Citi would be in the kind of trouble it is in, even after a $45 BILLION infusion from the federal government? Anything can happen in the treacherous world in which we find ourselves.

Third, taking counsel from my pal Barron Thomas, very possibly the best salesman on the planet, I will tell you a rule of indisputable value in this or any economic situation: WORK.

Barron is in the real estate and private plane businesses. These are both highly impacted by the economic slowdown. How does Barron deal with it? He gets up at 5 a.m. every day and works the phones from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., goes home, makes notes, and then sleeps well until he starts all over again. And he closes the deals. There are still plenty of people who will make the deal at the right price.

Keep on Working

Next, from yours truly: Work is deeply therapeutic. It makes us feel better. It gives us a much better attitude about ourselves. It makes us feel as if we are worth something. A middle class person who works has a far better self image than a rich person who does not work. Work is a gift, a sacrament, a true blessing. Plus, people who work are generally going to have higher incomes and higher standards of life than people who do not work.

If times are tough, work harder than ever. You will get through the rough patches and learn how strong you really are. Do not seek to avoid work -- embrace it.

Then, finally, I will tell you something I do when I feel buffeted by the markets. I dig into the 12-step program that has saved my life for the past 20 years. Using its precepts, I say to myself, "I am powerless over the stock market. It is all up to God. I do the very best I can, and after that, it's up to God."

Know What's Important

If you don't believe in God, then you can substitute "fate." Powerlessness is a huge source of power. Try it. You will like it.

"We shall overcome," we used to sing at civil rights demonstrations when we were getting tear gassed. "We are not afraid." Now I lie in bed at night and say to myself that if the men and women at military hospitals in this country and abroad can get through what they do, if their families can go through what they go through, then I can deal with market volatility -- trivial by comparison.

And so -- here it is. I do not know how it -- the stock market and economic turmoil -- will end, but to paraphrase The Bard, it will end, and that suffices.

A Cranky Geezer Goes To Disneyland

My wife got me a year pass to Disneyland for Christmas (What, not something either dangerous or electronic?) and insists that we use it. So, last Friday, its off to the Magical Kingdom for a day of overpriced and poorly cooked food, crowds, and sore feet. Ah yes, life is good.

Here are some photos (for family and friends and occasional weird stranger who might stumble upon this blog and actually be interested).

I couldn’t figure out why she wanted to drive those mini-cars on the “Autopia”. But then, I was the one who drove an hour and a half through Southern California traffic to arrive at this attraction. And might I say that “Autopia” is a misnomer, it should be called “Auto Dystopia”.

Okay, okay, I might be smiling on the outside, but I’m screaming on the inside.

Patricia might be serene on the outside, but she was a giddy little girl on the inside.

This calls for a good cup of overpriced coffee.

Evening Palms at the Pier

—Photograph by Robert C. McLaughlin

Photo Friday, White

A white bathtub crudely isolated on a gradient background.

The Chargers vs The Steelers

Three friends and I decided to get together and watch the San Diego Chargers beat up on the Pittsburgh Steelers today. Beebo, the pet cat, was interested in the outcome of the game also. First half was okay with the “Other Team” leading by only four points. By the two-minute warning Beebo decided to go into the bedroom and commit suicide. Services are scheduled for sometime next week.

Beebo rests in peace next to an empty bottle of Valium.
Photograph by Robert McLaughlin.

We’ll miss “The Beebes”. May we all learn from this—it’s JUST a game!

10 perks of passing 50 and heading towards 70

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. 
In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

3. People call at 9 p.m. and ask, “did I wake you?”
4. 
People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

5. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

6. Things you buy now won’t wear out.
7. 
You can eat supper at 4 p.m.

8. You can live without sex (but not your glasses).

9. 
Your eyes won’t get much worse.
10. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.


An Update to Cameras I Have Loved

A year or so ago I did a series on most of the cameras I have loved (I mean owned). Here I am, in the twilight of my working life, and I’ve taken a shine to a new lover. Her name is Niki and I’d like to share some pictures with you. (BTW, we’re getting married this Thursday when the UPS driver arrives).

It’s what’s up front that counts.

Her backside is not too shabby looking either.

A Glamorous Profession

This is me trying to get a portrait of a boy with his dog, and getting a portrait of a boy and his dog’s butt instead.

—Photo by Peter Libby

Patricia McLaughlin

Lookin’ all purdy at the Fish House Vera Cruz.

—Photograph by Robert McLaughlin