In the Bin

This week’s In the BIN is brought to you by the National Association of Dollar Stores, which reminds you that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to drain your wallet and you don’t have to have a significant other to enjoy the fruits of that most commercialized of commercialized days.

Case in point, my good friend, Merujo, over at Church of the Big Sky, provides several excellent pointers for how to enjoy the most obnoxious, overpriced, and overrated day of the year. Here’s When the Postman Don’t Call on Valentine’s Day.

And speaking of things to do, my other good friend, Mary Ellen, over at Rio Grande Valley Girl, reviews the movie The Good Shepherd. If you haven’t seen it, but you’re thinking of seeing it, stock up on soap. Sounds like this flick may leave you feeling amoral and in need of some redemptive cleansing. Here’s The (not so) Good Shepherd. And, hearty congratulations to you, ME, on landing a gig as a columnist for The Monitor!

The other day, I had the opportunity to talk on the phone to The Gunfighter. What a lovely, lovely man. Toward the end of our conversation, I asked him about his work and what he does exactly. Turns out, gunfighting is an art and philosophy that I hadn’t appreciated. I guess my query sparked his writing juices, because he posted this entry on his blog. Here’s What I Do.

Those are just some of the folks in my links. Culling material from elsewhere, I give you these gems. The theme is photography. Here are some of the better photography and photojournalism blogs out there. At least, I think so, anyway.

From San Francisco, of course, Fog Bay. I love this entire site, but probably for really obvious reasons. Be sure to check out the photo of the RMS Queen Mary 2 sailing into San Francisco Bay. It’s picture #475.

From New York City, Native Eye. He captures life around the Big Apple. Some of his photos are better than others and you have a dig a bit.

From Chicago, A Thousand Words. Be sure to check out his photos of a recent house fire (December 14, 2006.)

From Philadelphia, Dark Water Chronicles. This blog also includes links to several other Philly photogs.

From Rural Missouri, Farm Girl Fare. This blog features a new photo every day from the farm of “Cultured California Chick to Manure Mucking Missouri Farmgirl.” Also, if you want a heart tugger, read the story about Baby Cary, the orphaned lamb that grows up to be a sheep with a human soul.

That’s probably enough for this issue of In the BIN.

Join us next week when we bring you… blogs I’ve noted as a result of clicking “Next Blog” in the Blogger header. Until then, “good night and good luck.”

P.S. I tried to find a D.C. photographer to note, but all I could find were lots of wedding and event photographers. Boooooooring. If you know a D.C.-area photographer who captures life in and around D.C. in ways that are better than average, please let me know about him/her/them. I’ll have a look and then choose one to post in a future In the BIN. (There's Keith Stanley, but I'm not 100% certain he's D.C.-based. If he is, here's a shout out to him.)

P.P.S. Keith Stanley aside, I'm looking for a D.C. photog who captures more than just monuments and politics. I'm looking for someone who photographers the colors and textures of this city and its neighborhoods outside of the area surrounding the National Mall, Capitol Hill, the White House, etc. I'm sure you "get the picture"??)