As I lay in bed early this morning, I heard thunder, saw the occasional flash of lightning, and then saw the color of the sky change into a natural sepia tone. It was such a phenonmenon that I got out of bed early, turned off the house alarm, got my camera, and went outside to capture the moment.

Drew Slatton & Marie-Adele McArthur in a scene from Act III of Aïda.

I am in the male chorus of Phoenix Opera’s production of Aïda at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. I got permission to take photos of the show during Act III, which I’m not in, and it was thrilling to capture dramatic moments in this grand opera. Another photographer turned to me while I was snapping photos and he had a smile on his face that showed me he was on a photographer’s high– it was that look that one person gives another when he’s so bubbling over with happiness he has to turn to his fellow man and say, “isn’t it great?” Turns out the photographer is Howard Paley, the Executive Director of Phoenix Opera. I told him how I would put these photos on Flickr and send him a link to them. I only had enough time to get six hours of sleep and put up a few photos for now, but I look forward to putting up more later this afternoon.

P.S. Back home from work now, I must add that what is astonishing in the chemistry you see here is that Drew Slatton, our new Radames, flew in just before this final dress rehearsal to replace an ailing tenor. He has played Radames several times, and he was able to jump in at the last minute to Save Our Ship. The nimbleness of Phoenix Opera, Drew Slatton, Marie-Adele MacArthur, and all the performers who adjusted to him goes to show the amazing talent and dedication of the opera world!

Production credits: lighting design by Paul Black, costume design and production direction by David Castellano, artistic direction by Gail Dubinbaum, musical direction by John Massaro and stage direction by Albert Sherman. More info at phoenixopera.org

… and I didn’t have penile enhancement surgery! I simply ordered a Golden Wong, which is a long weiner covered with melted cheese and bacon. Great concept, but the execution left something to be desired. I was hoping for a hot dog in a warm, toasty bun. What I got was something that seemed over-microwaved– a hot dog that took a long time to cool down to edible temperature and a bun that was slightly rubbery. The little shack we ate in (on Thomas Rd just east of 7th Ave) was a little grimy, the restroom made some gas stations’ facilities look like luxury amenities, and the staff kept reaching into a freezer in the "dining room" that any patron could have access to. I tried their wings, too, and they were good, but there are much more savory places to get such fare, and next time I’ll patronize one of them instead.

I’ve seen Long Wong’s restaurants elsewhere in the Valley, and I wouldn’t be opposed to trying one of them if it’s nicer than this.

With all the “I’m Addicted to Pete’s Fish & Chips!” bumper stickers I’ve seen around the Valley, I would have thought I was missing out on a local legend (having never been to one myself).

I’ll tell you a little secret though: those bumper stickers are free! If people had to pay for them, I don’t think there would be so many.

I was starving after work yesterday, and here I was sitting in the drive-thru of Pete’s on 27th Ave & Van Buren, so I thought I’d take a commemorative shot of my first time at one of the legendary Pete’s. But I’m telling you the morning after driving the food home and eating it, it’s just a greasy mess! It’s not delicious or special or anything. It’s just over-greasy rectangular slabs of fried fish on top of over-greasy shoestring fries. So, I don’t love Pete’s Fish & Chips; in fact, I don’t even like them!

This is one of my favorite sights in Phoenix. Located on north side of Indian School Road just east of 56th Street, Arizona Falls is a manmade waterfall that channels the water of the Crosscut Canal through a hydroelectric power generator. It is a part of the Salt River Project (SRP). I have taken many photos of it by day, but this photo is one of the first photos I’ve ever taken of it at night.

At about 12:30 (solar noon on this particular day), people at the Burton Barr Central Library in downtown Phoenix watched as the sunshine flooded the west wall and lit up the tops of the columns like ice blue “flames” atop “candles.” It was not what I would consider a spectacular event, but a quiet one in which a people gathered in a building and witnessed their and the building’s place in the universe… or at least that’s what the architect, Will Bruder, brainwashed me into thinking.