"Even when you've got your camera, things aren't always what they seem."

"Even when you've got your camera, things aren't always what they seem."

Let me explain.

In 2007 I was working alongside the Adult Swim folks in the TBS building on Williams Street here in Atlanta. My flip phone starts to vibrate across my faux-wooden cubicle desktop. "Mom" it declares, with a font choice that was clearly based on an "even-numbered" pixel scheme. The pointed letters never had a chance.

In the last 15 years my Mom hadn't called me once, with one exception.

9/11.

"Apparently you're trying to blow up Boston!"

With the images of the falling Twin Towers still kicking me into shock whenever I saw the word "Mom," I gasped.

"What?! Me?! Boston?!"

"WHAT?!"

"Turn on CNN..."

I pull up CNN.com on my computer and sure enough, there's a live feed from Boston where they're getting ready to blow up a suspicious device.

I know this device.

I had seen it not 2 weeks back in the hallway at work. It was a DIY Lite Brite that used big D-cell batteries to power the light. Every hipster bar in Atlanta got one to hang up behind the bar. (I think The Local still it up.)

These devices were sent to a ton of hip places and cool hangs in about 8 cities and stuck up gorilla-style in popular spots.

They had been up for weeks before my Mom called to alert me that we've decided that Bean Town must fall.

"Hang on a second"

I jumped out of my cubicle and starting walking down to the Adult Swim offices just to see if they knew they were trying to blow up Boston and might I be able to help so as not to feel left out.

They knew.

I retreated quickly as not to get caught up into the vortex of "oh, fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!"

All this to say. 2 days ago a man was dragged off an airplane for suspicious behavior and a "bomb" for taking pictures with a vintage Mamiyaflex.

Mom never called.

Beir bua,

John