Last of the Summer Grime

One more trip from the brief summer season of the Concrete Collective before all the students are back in town. We'd hoped for more, but real life got in the way, and I missed most of my own meetings thanks to Laura taking control over everything, and we lost our longer trips to Nate backing out at the worst possible moments. And that's how we end up spending a Monday afternoon out exploring, the last day before the start of classes and the fall routine. We didn't have to go far to find our first location... Mt Hope chapel, which…

Continue ReadingLast of the Summer Grime

This Is Ground Control

And, when Nate finally showed up, it was time to make a run for it! There were some rumors of security on site, but a quick jog to the back of the building got us in, and immediately the pungent air inside slapped us in the face, and we scurried right back to the car for our masks. On the second try, it was clear this place was special. Designed in the typical overbuilt, ostentatious style of early 20th century American industry, the architecture (no expense spared) survived the advancing decay. This building, now over 100 years old, was the…

Continue ReadingThis Is Ground Control

Everything Rides Gravity

I was supposed to be in the Catskills this weekend, exploring all the resorts, including at least six I hadn't been to, if the hurricane didn't hit. All week Irene was tracking up the coast toward New York, and Nate defiantly kept the trip on. By last night, the storm made landfall and 17 was flooded, and he still wanted to go, saying the weather would help with not getting caught. Not wanting to be stranded in the flood zone, I pushed to cancel the trip. Of course, even with all the roads closed, and my having a few ideas…

Continue ReadingEverything Rides Gravity

Theo’s Fates

Five days late, Juraj and friends finally showed up to start the new year, and not a moment too soon while I've had it up to here and then some with Laura to the point that even she understood I could use a day doing what I want. I was supposed to help them out with a zombie movie for someone's film study class, but with only a day free I only got to do the location scouting and run through a few of my favorite Buffalo sites. I spent a lot of time waiting at the bottom of the…

Continue ReadingTheo’s Fates

Calm Before the Storm

I should be used to it now -- whenever anything is going well for me, it's only setting up for the collapse later on. I'd only meant to go for a quick early Saturday morning explore with Ian while Nate finished some bullshit at work, and we'd go off to the Catskills for the weekend, and by the time I was back my friends would be here for the semester, and we'd go spend a few days with them exploring everything and getting the rave space up and running again. At least, that's what I thought would happen. Of course…

Continue ReadingCalm Before the Storm

Linear Cave

Finally getting back underground again after a shortened summer with the parents... not so much that they're opposed to me exploring (they're not), as that it's just difficult to plan and do anything when I'm there. But I'm back at school for the fall now, and of course I'd make going on adventures a priority. Just about everything possible went wrong on this one - it was supposed to be one of many places I went with Nate, but I started out with bike trouble and missing the first few places, and finished up with camera trouble, as in the…

Continue ReadingLinear Cave