Glory Days USA - Journal Entry 7

Today’s date is November 8, 2016. Today the United States of America is electing a new president. Just a few more hours and we’ll know who our new President is. This is especially a crucial time since the ongoing war that has been happening since this past April. North Korea declared war on Japan when one it’s vessels was sunk within the Korean Peninsula. However, this alleged allegation could not be proven. America, being an ally to Japan, joined the war effort against North Korea (the UK as well). At first, this looked like it was going to be a short lived war. However, with vast amounts of Japanese ground- troops penetrating North Korea things quickly began to overflow into China’s southern border. This put pressure on China and they quickly became an ally of North Korea for its own self-interest.

At the same time, Russia has been bombing parts of Syria and other parts of the Middle East to eliminate Daesh (ISIS) and other terrorists groups. Russia did not want to go to war until President of the United States self-appointed himself as the “interim” President of the United Nations (earlier in the year the United Nations Headquarters “caught fire” and a majority of its members died due to smoke inhalation).

Well now you know how the war started. In the meantime let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Kirk Shalanaya. I have been living in Coudersport, Pennsylvania for the past 15 years.  I have been working here as an emergency medical technician (EMT) since I came to this county. I live alone and do not have much of a social life outside of work. I stand at 6’ 2’’, have the build of runner, blue eyes, and blonde hair. I normally wear a gray baseball cap that has the Red Cross logo on it. It was a gift. I look like I’m about 24 years old. In my spare time I like to cook, read, exercise, stargaze, and have an interest in electronics.

With all the crazy things happening in the world, I think it may be best for me to get further away from the East Coast. I always wanted to go to Denver. 

A Real American Hero

Happy Fourth of July! This is probably going to be my last photography entry on my blog for awhile (don't worry, other creative stuff to come). Let us all remember why we celebrate the Fourth of July, more commonly known here in America as Independence Day. July 4th, 1776 is when America declared its Independence from Great Britain which has made America the greatest country in the world ever since. I love my country! [Just because I love my country doesn't necessarily mean that I feel the same way about the government].

Many troops over the years have died for our liberties and continue to do so to this day. They fight so we don’t have to. Let us be grateful for this and to that I say, “Salute,” to all of our troops past and present. For that, many of us celebrate the day by having barbeques, watching fireworks, going to a baseball game, but most importantly spending time with our family and friends.

Below is a photo I took of my grand-father outside of his house about five years ago. He served our county in the Korean War. After the war, he got married and went on to have three children and four grand-children (me being one of them). He has been a family man since then and continues to help his family to this day.

Francis Chiavaroli Sr. (Gabby)

Cemetery & Zombie Story

So one day, back in the day, I decided to visit a cemetery in South West Philadelphia. I got a lot of good shots, but wanted to share this one of an the abandoned room (I think it's cool) and did a story board for a zombie scene. I would have done better work with the makeup but I procrastinated. Thanks to the help of of my buddy Tony Trov (writer, film maker, musician) for helping out with this project.

Abandoned Cemetery Building (trying to show light shining down) [Scary]

Scene 1: Zombie Rich awakens from his slumber

Scene 2: Tony is praying for the fallen.

Scene 3: In deep prayer...

Scene 4: Startled

[Copy] Scene 4: Startled
(I wanted to through this one in there too since the emotion is startled and the  photo is off centered)

Scene 5: Dinner

Scene 6: Ahhh!

Random Photos

Here are some more random black and white photos that I wanted to share.

Erasmo @ Ippolito's Seafood filleting the freshest fish (circa 2007)

Star of the Art Museum

STOP or POTS

The Flash

Shadow 1

Shadow 2

Penn's Landing

Shooting night photography for the first time was tricky. I took a bunch of photos, but these two came out best. The first one is just of the sky and the lights reflecting on the water.The second is one of my favorites. When developing the photo, I had to process one side of the photo longer than the other (I think that's the term) as you can see the photo goes from darker to lighter from the left to right. The reason behind this is to show the submarine and the ship since there was less almost no light there when the photo was taken.

Reflections

Ships & Submarine

Self Portrait

So here is a self portrait. I used a tripod for the camera. This wasn't the best copy as you can see by the darkness of the sky, nevertheless, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Self Photo taken at the 1100 block of Cross Street in South Philly in front of an abandoned Ozzie's Cleaners
 (currently State Side) 

Photography 101

A few years back I wanted to learn a new a hobby that I was always interested in, photography. I took a basic 101 class in which we had to use a manual camera with a 50mm lens and use 35mm film. Using the camera, I learned how to use the shutter speeds, aperture, and built in light meter.

The class had to take various photos focusing Point of View, Abstraction, Depth of Field, Shutter Speed Variations, Quality of Light, Environmental Portrait, Sequence, Night Photography, Selective Focus, and a Self Portrait.

A few cool things that we had to learn were how to unload the film in a dark room, and do all of the developing ourselves. In my upcoming blogs I will share with you the various black & white photos that I created. Enjoy.

Playground

Urban Flower

On a Mission

The Lakes

Worm

Italian Market

No Sign of Things

Spokes

Clothes Drying

Scrubbing Bubbles

Got a dirty bathroom? Is soap scum taking over your shower? Then it’s time to take control of your throne with Scrubbing Bubbles. These are a handful of assignments that were worked on as a group. I can’t take full credit for these. I didn’t have anything to do with the art, but I did a lot of the copy. “I work hard so you don’t have to.”

Rubik’s Cube

Although the Rubik’s Cube was invented in 1974, it truly is a toy/game of the 1980’s. I’m sure I still have one some where in my back basement along with other toys such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghost Busters, ThunderCats, and Master of the Universe to name a few. Someone bring back the slap bands!

The Rubik’s Cube can be solved, but most of us can not solve it. Unless of course you remove all the stickers to just reveal black. Than why have so many of us purchased this vintage gem knowing that we will not complete it? You decide.

I can not take full credit for the following collection of ad assignments for the Rubik’s Cube. This was a group assignment. I don’t remember who I worked with, but I give credit when credit is due.

Bailey's Irish Cream

Everyone likes a Bailey's. Whether it's in a shot, on the rocks, or a martini, you have to admit that it is smooth and delicious. I don't remeber the direction that I was going with these ad assignments. You decide.

Supercuts

Here are some print ads I did for a class on Supercuts. Keeping it simple! The tagline is "101 Styles and Counting" and each ad has its own title, trying to show individuality.

It's the Idea that Matters

These ad assignments I did made me laugh. As you could probably tell, I’m not an artist in any way. The furthest my software knowledge of artsy programs begins and ends with Microsoft Paint. That being said, here are three ads for different brands. Remember, it’s the idea that is trying to be sold. What are your thoughts/perceptions on these ads?

Ippolito's Seafood

As I’m going through my old college portfolio I came across some assignments I did for a retail seafood company I used to work for. So, here comes the plug for Ippolito’s Seafood. Ippolito’s Seafood is a high-end seafood purveyor located in South Philly. It specializes in fresh seafood from around the world and also has prepared specialties. I still stop in the store to say hi and have been trying their new sushi menu. Delicious!

Sashimi

I remember being a fish monger like it was yesterday. It was a fun experience when working there but a lot of work. I learned a lot about seafood like learning about different grades of tuna, filleting different types of fish, shucking oysters/clams, and much more. Christmas was always fun. I might have carried hundreds of pounds of baccala within a week of the holidays, pulled dozens of live eels out of the tank, and picked out the perfect sized piece of flounder for the older Italian ladies.

Picture from "The Patriot News" when Rocky Balboa was being filmed at the Vicor Cafe

Below are some ads I did for a class on Ippy’s. The tagline for the three ads is “Our fish are so fresh they talk back.” The other ad that the class had to do was for a business but have a title that had nothing to do with the business. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Oreo

Happy Birthday Oreo! The cookie that is known to be milk’s best friend turns 100 years old today. The Oreo was first sold in Hoboken, NJ in 1912 and has become one of America’s, if not the world’s, favorite treat. The Oreo has be known to be eaten a handful of ways by dunking it a cold glass of milk, tearing one side off and scraping the cream off with your teeth, eating it whole, and other ways. I’m a dunker myself. 

Other than the original cream Oreo, the brand has other flavors such as chocolate, chocolate cream, golden, and peanut butter to just name a few. In honor of its 100^th birthday, the Birthday Cake Oreo’s have been released and have rainbow sprinkles on the delicious cream. The Birthday Cake Oreo has a vanilla flavoring and taste just like eating a piece of cake. Just add milk!

Back when I was in college, I did a couple of ads for a class on Oreo’s. The tagline was “Who says you can’t play with your food?” Here are the two ads I produced. Happy Birthday Oreo!

Who says you can't play with your food?

Another Comic Book Story

Preface: I wrote this story back in college for a creative writing class and wanted to share this just for fun. Enjoy!

Another Comic Book Story (2005)
By: Richard Panichelli Jr.

It was getting dark outside and the air suddenly began to turn misty at the Community College for the Sciences in Pennsylvania. It was mid November and the weather was approaching the point where your face turns red because the wind leaves a burn like a blistering slap from Mother Nature. Two students were standing around campus trying to seek shelter from the blistering cold. Aside from seeking shelter, the students had other intentions. They had to find a schoolbag. Tony and his girlfriend Trish had to get into the science building and into Dr. Hocks laboratory because that is where Trish left her schoolbag while waiting for Tony earlier that day. Unfortunately, the college attendants were locking most of the buildings on campus.
“What are you kids still doing here?” the old security guard asked. “You two nice kids should go home, its cold out there.”
“Yes I know, but we have a problem. My girlfriend Trish left her books in the science building and we need to get in there,” Tony said in a calm voice, “Can you please let us in?”
“Sure,” the guard said, “but you kids only have thirty minutes before the silent alarm goes off.” The guard let Tony and Trish into the science building. As the crime fighting couple looked around, they did not know what to make of their situation. The three-story science building had black walls, black ceilings, and black floors. The only way to make their way through the building was to follow the after hour lights that were flashing on and off like a yielding stop light.
“Now that you got us in the building, do you know where to go without getting us caught by anyone?” Trish asked.

“I know everything,” Tony said, “you just stick with me honey baby and well be out of here in no time.” They started to walk down the corridor towards an elevator when suddenly they heard whispering coming from a vent. Tony pushed his ear against the vent to listen.
“Take over the school, creatures... experiments, revenge!” Tony heard a devious voice through the vent. After a minute of attentive listening, Tony was shocked.
“We need to get out of here now!” Tony exclaimed.
“Is something wrong?” Trish asked. Tony explained to Trish that Dr. Hock was planning some kind of evil lab experiments. Hock wanted to turn his lab monkeys into super monkeys to make an evil army that would take over the campus. Tony had heard stories about Dr. Hock being a little strange, but now he knew that the good doctor is an evil man. After hearing this terrible news, Trish stood there motionless as a teardrop ran down her pure ivory face. Tony grabbed the startled Trish and took her into the elevator. He pushed the number three switch on the panel. Just as the elevator was going to pass the second floor it stopped.
“Not now!” Tony cried. Trish grabbed his hand and looked deep into Tony’s frightened eyes. Trish and Tony had been in a serious relationship for two years now and both had raging hormones. Whenever Trish felt that she was in danger she would get very hot and bothered.
“Just go with the flow baby”, Trish said seductively. She began to take off her tight white blouse as Tony stood there with a look of acceptance on his face. Tony was used to this behavior from Trish.

☺☺☺☺☺
The last time they were in danger was at the school circus when The Sinister Sage was controlling horses and elephants with his mind. Of course, Tony saved the day. Since Trish was hot and bothered, Trish and Tony engaged in crazy sex; the kind of sex where you walk into a room and smell the un-forbidden smell of sex linger hours after the deed was done.
☺☺☺☺☺

While Trish was taking off selected items of her clothes she analyzed Tony very thoroughly and knew why she liked him so much. He stood over six feet and had an athletic build. Trish always adored his dark brown hair and his dark brown eyes. Just as she was pulling down her red spandex pants, the power went back on and the elevator began to move. “Looks like were not going to die, too bad for you,” Trish said jokingly.
“Damn it!” Tony said in disbelief. Trish started getting dressed and just as the blonde beauty was fully clothed, the elevator door opened. Trish and Tony made their way out of the elevator and found themselves on the third floor of the building. There was a sign on the wall that read, Lab 1 to the right; Lab 2 to the left.
Which way to Dr. Hock’s laboratory, Trish asked with desperation.
“I can’t see it’s too dark. You go right and Ill go left,” Tony said. Right before the two went their separate ways Tony grabbed Trish and gave her a passionate kiss. Trish walked to the right and kept walking.
“Ahhhhhhh!” Trish screamed in a horrifying tone. Tony started running back the opposite way only to find himself panicking. After a few deep breathes there it was, at last, the laboratory of Dr. Hock. Tony opened the old rusty door. Rahhh Dr. Hock stood in the center of the dark lab. Hock was a middle-aged man with reddish hair, a long red beard, and a sinister smile that would send the devil himself screaming in fear. Even the lab resembled something you would see in the movies! There were giant test tubes, examination tables, an electric current flowing up and down the wires that surrounded the walls and everything else was completely dark.
“Where is Trish?” Tony demanded in a loud but calm voice.
“You must mean the bustling blonde, she is safe for now,” Dr. Hock said. Over twenty minutes had passed since Tony entered the building, which meant there was less than ten minutes remaining before the alarm would go off. “Why do you look at me like you know something son?” Hock said.
“I don’t know anything, just let me leave with the girl and I’ll be on my way.” Tony tried to stall the Hockster because he knew the alarm would sound soon and the police would be on their way.
“Sorry, but I can’t let you do that. Dr. Hock then reached under his white lab coat and pulled out a small remote. He pushed the button on the remote and one side of the wall started to rotate. It revealed four monkeys in a cage and Trish in some sort of bubble. The monkeys were wearing red capes and almost looked human.
“What do you plan to do?” Tony said.
“I’m going to inject these chimps with my super serum, and for your little girl friend, I plan to use her brain cells to replace the damaged cells of the monkeys,” Hock said softly yet sinister.
“You’ll never get away with this!”
“But I already have son, I already have.”
I don’t understand why you are doing all this.
“It started about three years ago. I was the new scientist on campus and the older scientists were intimidated by my brilliant scientific skills. I was going to take one of their positions and they did not want that to happen. So, they duped me into coming to a meeting where no one showed up. I was in a room and toxic gas started to come through the vents. I thought that I might save myself,” Dr. Hock confessed.
“How are you alive now?!” Tony asked.
“Let me finish, son. Then I saw a glass jar that had an X marked on it. So without any hesitation I gulped it quickly. It saved my life, but there were consequences. It made most of my body deformed and made me go how would you say… crazy!”
“I’m sorry to hear that Dr. Hock, but I can’t let you do this,” Tony said. In an attempt to take down the evil genius, Tony stumbled over his own two feet. Dr. Hock then pushed another button on his remote. The monkeys were automatically being injected with the serum.
“Hahahahahahahahaha,” Hocked laughed evilly. Tony was lying on the floor, but remained calm because Trish looked safe. With his quick wits, Tony jumped up from the cold and dark floor and snatched the remote from Dr. Hock’s hands and smashed it against the evil doctors’ skull. Hock fell slowly to the floor just as the cage door that holds the monkeys started to open, as did the bubble Trish was held in helplessly.
“This cannot be my fate because I never lose,” Tony said with confidence. He then helped Trish out of the bubble and the monkeys cornered the couple. Just as these strange monkeys approached the couple, Dr. Hock was back on his feet.
“Stop!” Hock commanded. The monkeys stopped dead in their tracks. Just as Hock was going to say something the alarm went off. Red lights were flashing throughout the building and the monkeys started to go wild. Hock tried to control the monkeys, but the alarm was making the monkeys go crazy! Madness filled the lab! Since Dr. Hock was preoccupied, Trish and Tony were able to sneak out of the lab, but they were still not out of the clear. The couple started running towards the elevator; they would soon be home free. Just as Tony pushed the down button, Dr. Hock was behind them. The sinister doctor took off his lab coat. The doctors’ true self was revealed. He had a human body, but it was covered with brown fur and a long red tail hung down from his backside. Tony thought to himself and figured that the chemical X must have done that to Hock.
“Enough of these games,” Hock said. Dr. Hock raised his right hand to strike Trish. Just as his hand was about an inch from Trish, it was stopped. One of the super monkeys was holding back the doctors hand. Hock then grabbed the monkey and started to wrestle with it. The elevator doors opened and the couple went in without a sound.
The elevator door shut and reached the first floor in three seconds. The couple ran down the long flashing corridor and ran out of the science building. Thankfully, the authorities were waiting outside. Boom! An explosion thundered from the third floor of the building. The blazing building lit up the cold dark night like it was the Fourth of July. Tony and Trish explained to the police what happened. Trish couldn’t figure out why the monkey went after Dr. Hock.
“Why do you look so confused babe?” Tony asked.
“The monkeys” Trish tried to explain but Tony interrupted.
“The monkeys were humans; they were former scientists of the college.”
“How do you know that, Tony?”
“Let’s just say it’s a hunch,” Tony said. The police did not believe the story for one second. Then, the firemen came out of the smoky building. The firemen described exactly what was on the third floor to the police. The kids looked like they would go home happy as the authorities were laughing with each other.
“You kids are lucky to be alive,” Officer Law said; “I can’t believe what was up there!”
“What did you find sir?” Tony asked politely.
“Just the remains of some monkeys I suppose, but almost everything were destroyed in the explosion.”
“What about human remains?
“We did not find any.” Tony and Trish both looked bewildered. The night was still cold and almost everything seemed in place, everything except the whereabouts of the doctor. Trish began to look around the rubble of the building.
“What are you looking for honey?” Tony asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Trish said.
“Yea I bet.”
“Hey, do you kids need a ride home?” Officer Law said.
“Yes,” Trish and Tony in unison. As the couple approached the police officers car, they noticed something very odd. They thought the police officer seemed familiar to them. Not thinking anything of it, they got into his car. The cop did just as he promised, and took the kids home. He dropped them off in front of Trish's house. The police officer stopped his car and got out. He opened the door for them.
“Thanks for everything officer,” Trish said.
“No, thank you kids,” the officer said. Tony and Trish walked up the stairs to Trish’s house and went in to get out of the cold. The police officer was still standing outside of the house. He grinned with a strange look on his face. The cop then went back into his car. He looked in his rear view mirror and just behind his head a long red tail came up from under him. It was Dr. Hock all along.
Meanwhile, back inside Trish's house, Trish was in the kitchen making something to eat before bed.
“There's never a dull moment,” Trish said.
“Not with me around, hahaha”, Tony said jokingly. Knock knock knock! There was someone at the door. “Now who could that be at a time like this?” Tony left the kitchen and began to make his way to his front door. All the walls were white, along with the furniture. Trish's house reminded Tony of his own heaven. Tony began to open the door, but the evil Dr. Hock busted the door open just as Tony turned the doorknob. Hocks body had burn marks on it.
“Did you really think that you could get away that easily?” Hock said.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Tony said.
“If I left you alone then I would have no one to torture, and if I had no one to torture then I really wouldn't be the sinister Dr. Hock that you accuse me of being.”
“What is it that you want?”
“You! I need your body in order to go unnoticed back up at the college.”
“You're insane!”
“That's what I’ve been told,” Hock said. Without anymore hesitation, Dr. Hock pulled out a needle and drove it into Tony's neck. Tony fell instantly to the floor. Trish was still in the kitchen and finally decided to see what was taking Tony so long to come back. Trish made her way to the door only to find Hock trying to take Tony out of the house.
“Why can’t you just leave us alone?!” Trish screamed.
“Why can’t you just die? Hahahahahaha”, Hock said.
“Don't take Tony, take me instead.”
“Now where is the fun in that?” But then again Hock quickly took Tonys helpless body outside to the car. Trish tried to stop him but her effort was worthless. Hock then began to chase Trish back into the house. Just as Hock began to look around for Trish he noticed that Tony was not in the car. Hock started to get worried. He made his way up the stairs so he could find Trish. After looking around the house he came to a locked door. Hock was a very intelligent man and was able to easily pick the lock on the door. Hock slowly walked into the room only to find himself in complete darkness. As he tried to reach for the light switch Cling! Tony was in the room with Trish waiting for him to enter. Tony had cut off Hocks arm with a samurai sword.
“But how?” Hock asked.
“You must mean how I managed to wake up from your little needle to the neck.” Tony said.
“Yes.”
“Well, it was very easy. Right before you came into my house, I had drunk soda pop.”
“That explains it all, but how did you know that soda pop would suppress the drug?”
“You must have forgotten that I'm a science major and I'm top in my class... or should I say your class. That's how I knew, but it was just a coincidence that I had drunk the soda pop before you came here. The soda’s acidic acid prevented the serum from having a long term effect on me because the acid dissolved the serum almost instantly after entering my blood stream.”
“Nooooooo!” Hock screamed. Dr. Hock stood there in disbelief. As blood started to pour from Hocks severed arm Tony took one last slice with his sword. Tony chopped off Hocks head with one clean slice of his sword. As Hocks head flew across the room Trish fainted. Tony put down his sword and tried to revive Trish. A few minutes passed and Trish regained consciousness. They called the police and they arrived in moments. Just as Trish and Tony made their way to the front door an officer approached them.
“I'm sure glad to see that you kids are alright,” Officer Law said.
“Me too,” Tony said.
“One more thing kids, I found this outside of the house.” Officer Law handed Trish her school bag.
“How did you have that?” Tony asked. Officer Law tried to reply, but Trish interrupted.
“Now I remember, I left it on the lawn this morning. How careless I am,” Trish said. Just as the officers were cleaning up the mess and getting ready to leave the house Officer Law double-checked to see if Trish and Tony were O.K.
“What am I going to do with you Trish?” Tony asked.
“You can get me a new school bag,” Trish replied. Tony looked at Trish with a big grin on his face and Officer Law, Trish, and Tony laughed all the way into the cold winter night.

The End