On the cusp of an important day, Corey (CoreyBlack) and I marked a threshold, and in crossing a bridge, I spat into the inkwell shadows of the water below. There were no passing boats and so no one felt the splatter of Roma superstition keeping the Devil at bay. We returned to Corey’s apartment near midnight and promptly threw ourselves into slumber. We awoke at 6:00 am the following morning and stepped closer the threshold looming before us. It is his to cross, but he will not do so alone. This (for me) is the meaning of friendship—and as another friend of mine once said: ’Friend’ is the name of god inscribed on the tongues of all humans, but only the bravest of us ever dare utter that single, simple word and embrace ALL of its meanings. Okay, he didn’t quite say it like that, but hey…I like my version of that observation a bit better. And so, with the name Friend on my tongue, I can say that Corey isn’t crossing any thresholds without me, and Victor and Pavl (and many, many others) at his side. Surgical procedures are a routine-enough threshold to cross, but it’s best when the recipient of such procedures can cross such a marker with at least a few people acting as cheerleaders (or in my case, a science-geek techno-nerd who annoys nurses and anesthesiologists with probing questions about ion balances, pressure differentials, and the relative merits of parabolic curves as opposed to straight-line scalpel cuts.) Now, in looking back, I can still sense myself on a particular bridge spanning the deeper, murkier depths of the Chicago River—the downtown part of it where big boats may throw their wakes in the night. Though I’m civilized enough to not spit in polite company; I’m just atavistic and primitive enough to load such an archaic (and wet) gesture with all sorts good vibes. Moments before I nabbed this shot, I’d paused to allow Corey’s camera finger to capture me gawking at the pretty lights of the night-lit city, and after he took the shot, I looked next to him—noticing ironwork and rivets. I noticed the light and thought of his Tangerine Series. As I was on a bridge over as familiar as my dearest Vltava or the seductive, inviting Moscow (Moskva) I felt it only right to snap a capture to mark the night before a big event. It’s only fitting that I dedicate it to Corey, as close a friend to me as Pavl, as Victor, and ALL of the official Renderosity Ninjas (even the ones who don’t post here, or who aren’t photographers.) Now, with the surgery/recovery event underway, I’m posting that mark: quite happy that it’s a tangerine shot, albeit with my camera and my take on that vaguely hepatic city light that marks so many of my nocturnal wanders with Core,: with fellow photo ninjas, loopy Czechs, and one particular, quiet Russian. There will be more night shots, more Ninja Outings, and rambling wanders with Corey and other friends, and this is (after more than 500+ posts in my gallery) only the beginning. *** Corey won’t be posting for a short while, but images will appear in his gallery during his break. He’s taken a number of shots and given them to me to post on his behalf. I hope to post the first of those shots tomorrow at the earliest or Saturday at the latest. My own gallery and commenting output might be a bit sporadic for a while, since I’ll be visiting with Corey and helping out with various necessities that might eat into posting/commenting time, but as always I hope that you enjoy this shot and that it acts as a lens, focusing all sorts of good (tangerine tinged) energy Corey’s way.