A year ago today a fire took the lives of four children and an adult. My friend, Erin, two cousin's, Christa (8) and Mikayla (6), were among the casualties of that tragic mid-December fire that seriously injured their father, Arthur Foster Jr., and claimed the lives of his second wife, Kimberly Stoltz-Foster, and her own young children, Brett and Tory Stoltz.
During the summer of this year, Barre Town, Vermont redeveloped and dedicated a park in the girl's name. While I was in Barre last month E took me to see the park. One of my assignments that I had was to capture the illusion of motion. An easy task, but one for me that was becoming difficult.
Everytime I'd go to develop the roll with this assignment on it, something would make me completely fuck up the process and I'd end up with nothing on the roll. This happened not only once, but twice!
By the time I went to Vermont, this assignment was already about 5-6 weeks past due. It was while Erin and I were at Christa & Mikayla's park that I was finally able to capture this assignment.
Erin was swinging on the swing while I was busy taken pictures of other parts of the park. It was when I finally turned around and saw her swinging that I finally saw my illusion of motion that I was supposed to capture...Erin swinging on the swing in the park that was dedicated in her cousin's name.
This picture is dedicated to Christa & Mikayla.
Monday while I was on one of my breaks at work I was reading The Daily Review and came across this:
Man found shot to death in Hayward
Article Last Updated:10/09/2006 02:41:54 AM PDT
HAYWARD — A man was found dead in his car Sunday morning near the intersection of D and Grand Streets, police reported.
A Hayward police officer making routine patrol rounds about 12:50 a.m. spotted a stalled vehicle in the roadway near the intersection. After inspecting the car, the officer determined the driver had died from gunshot wounds.
A later investigation showed the victim, a man in his 20s whose identity is not being released until family is notified, had been driving along Alice Avenue when he was flagged down by a pedestrian.
Witnesses said the man pulled up next to the pedestrian and began talking with him when a second person attempted to open the driver's door and a struggle ensued. Witnesses said a third person then fired shots into the car.
All of sudden, witnesses said, a third person, who was standing outside the car, reportedly fired shots into the car, leaving the man wounded.
The man was able to drive away but later died when he reached the intersection of D and Grand streets, police said.
The cause of the shooting is still under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call Inspector Bob Coffey or Inspector JP Guimaraes at (510) 293-7034 or (510) 293-7000.
While I was reading it a feeling had come over me and I was praying to myself that I hope it wasn't who I thought it was. And for the life of me I couldn't even think WHY he even came into my head as I was reading it, but he did. He had wrote in his blog here on MySpace that he had be jacked by some guys just a couple of weeks ago. I was worried that something a lot worse was going to happen to him. Reading that little article in The Daily Review triggered that thought again. But there was no name of the guy and I was just hoping that the name that I feared seeing wouldn't be him after they finally released the name after notifing the family.
Tonight I went into Porky's and the first thing I was asked was, "Did you hear about your friend?"
"What friend?"
"You know, that weird kid that worked here."
"Do you mean Zenn?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"No. What happened?" I asked. I'm starting to get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach by this time.
"He was killed Saturday. Car jacking or something. I think in San Francisco."
Now at this point all I can think about is the article that I had read in The Daily Review, but that happened in Hayward, not San Francisco. I'm shocked nonetheless. Zenn. Dead? No fucking way man! This is freaking me out.
It was confirmed by one of the kids that works there that it was true. But no one could tell me for sure where it happened, when, or where. I had to leave. Needed to come home and check Zenn's MySpace. I get home and sure enough Zenn's MySpace page is now reading as memorial as all his friends are leaving comments.
I finally find his last name through one of his friend's page. Then found this at SFGate:
HAYWARD
Motorist fatally shot on street is identified
He was able to drive away after resisting gunman, died in car
Chronicle Staff Report
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
A motorist who was shot to death in Hayward after he was flagged down by two men in dark, hooded sweatshirts was identified Monday as Shawn Kimbell, a 22-year-old Hayward resident.
Kimbell and a passenger were riding in a Mercedes-Benz sedan on Alice Street at 12:50 a.m. Sunday when one of the suspects flagged them down and began to talk to them, police Lt. Reid Lindblom said.
A second suspect then opened Kimbell's door and tried to pull him out, saying something like, "Get out of the car," Lindblom said.
Kimbell struggled with the second man, who shot him, Lindblom said. Kimbell was able to drive away but fell unconscious and died in his car at D Street and Grand Avenue, where a police officer found him and his passenger.
The attack was probably a robbery, Lindblom said.
He asked that anyone with information call inspectors at (510) 293-7034 or 293-7000.
Words can't even explain what I felt after finding this. What I am still feeling. I had a feeling it was him when I read the first one only to have it confirmed for me tonight.
I hope they catch the fuckers that did it!
Zenn By Faerie
Shawn, known to all his friends as Zenn, dead at the age of 22. Over a senseless act of violence. Oh, I know why these guys flagged him down and I know why Zenn stopped. I'm not even going to go into that. That's neither here nor there. The point is, it was SENSELESS! No one, NO ONE deserves to die that way.
I didn't know Zenn well, we had met when he worked at Porky's. He reminded me of my ex in a way, with the long dark hair in a ponytail, tall and skinny. He had a great smile that lit up his eyes. A beautiful kid. I wanted to photograph him, asked him if he'd let me. He was all for it. We could never get our timing right though. I'm sorry I never got the honor of doing so.
Zenn will be greatly missed by all who knew him or paths he had crossed.
We will cross paths again...
Hugs and kittens.
This is going to be my next tattoo. It is my favorite picture of my grammy, it has been ever since I was a little girl. From the 40s to the 50s, just the way women dressed and wore their hair, I can't explain it... It's just one of the eras that I love. I especailly love the 40s platform shoes from this time period! I think it's from the whole pin-up thing, I love pin-ups too.
Before my grammy passed away earlier this year, one of the things that she and my mother talked about was of one of the tattoos that I have on my lower back. My mom hates it, she hates all my tattoos, but my grammy loved it. She even told my mother that she thought it was beautiful and for my mother to just get over it. That's my grammy! She was pretty open minded about a lot things, yet so set her her own ways. I miss her everyday. What a better way to honor my grammy than to get a tattoo in memory of her!
Now the only thing that I haven't been able to decide on is where I want to put it. I've got so many ideas of all the other tattoos that I want to get, it's just so hard to decide on where I want to have my grammy's portrait put. I was thinking on one of my arms, high up. But I just don't know, yet that is the only place I can think of since I've got pretty much the rest of my body already taken for other tatts that I want to eventually get. Augh! Decisions, decisions...
Now for who I want to have do it is a whole 'nother dilemma. After watching a Miami Ink marathon a few weeks ago, there is no question in my mind that Kat Von D is fucking bad ass when it comes to doing portraits. Her black and gray, single needle work is just fucking awesome. For me there is no one else I'd want to have do it. Being able to get her I'm sure is hard as hell though. She's going to be at the San Jose Tattoo Convention October 20-22, but you know she is already all booked up. Shit, this chick is not hurting for work!
I guess all I can do right now is start saving up the green and try contacting her through her website and try and catch her when she is down in LA, or hopefully another tattoo convention near here. Although, it would be kick ass to make it onto Miami Ink. I seen that Miami Ink is hostingan open casting call at Red Sky Bar in NYC on June 24th from 12pm - 4pm. You can fill out an application here. That would be bad ass, and if I was just so happening to be taking my vacation in a few days in NYC I'd give it a shot, even though I know I'd have no chance in hell getting picked. Hell, even if I got picked I wouldn't have the money to pay for the airfare to Miami and a hotel room. All expenses, from the tattoo to your travel and accommodations, are all on you.
But let's just dream awhile and say that said opportunity knocked on my door. How fucking bad ass would that be?! Ami is pretty fucking hot, as is Kat herself.
Okay, back to the real world.
Just to keep my options open though, if anyone out there knows of a kick as tattoo artist that also does very good single needle, black and gray portraits that is anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area (or San Jose area), let me know! I would love to go check them out, see their work, talk to 'em, and get a feel for 'em. I just might change my mind and go for a local artist. And if you know anyone who's specialty is dragons (also single needle, back and gray) definately let me know. I've also been on the hunt for a kick ass dragon for a couple of years now.
