Muttaz

Pulled out the iphone tonight and was greeted by an email with the subject line "happy thanks giving"

Muttaz almost only emails me on New Years. I knew something was up.

"Dear travis
Happy Thanks giving dear friend
I hope next year will be better than the this one and remains in happiness
and good health
I am in the United States now I arrived 20 days ago"

There was a phone number too, with a New Jersey area code. I dialed it, and when he answered I responded with the very same greeting that I used to make fun of him for using when he answered the phone around me in Baghdad. He knew it was me right away.

Muttaz, along with his wife and two children, has made it to America after five years of trying and the wave of relief I feel that he is safe and alive is overwhelming me right now.

I could go on forever about what this man means to me. Let me just say two things about him.

1. There hasn't been a day since I drove away from Baghdad on October 31, 2003 that I haven't thought of him.

2. I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for him looking out for me.

Muttaz was my translator and driver in Iraq (how do you like that sweet-ass ride he fixed me up with? We had a Mercedes, too!) but over the course of two and half months he became a dear friend. The day before I left to come home, he held my hand as we walked to lunch and said "I'll miss you my friend."

That's the last time I ever saw him.

Get outta the way people... I'm headed for Jersey as soon as I can.

Hmmmm....

My old college buddy William captured me in deep thought.

"Do I still remember how to shoot college football?"

Actually, I'm opening up this post as an impromptu caption contest. I'm desperate for some comments people. Go ahead and tear me to pieces. Lane... I know you'll come through for me. Matt? I double-dog dare ya, bitch.

Fashionably Late

Shot this vid last Sunday. Just now getting around to posting it.

The Eagle's Bonnie Bing hosted her annual Holiday Fashion show

Holiday Fashions from Travis Heying on Vimeo.

Just Because I Need A Fresh Blog Post....

I received an email this afternoon from my friend Denise informing me that I had "been tagged."

The rules state that I must:

• Link to the person who tagged you.
• Post the rules on your blog.
• Write 6 random things about yourself.
• Tag 6-ish people at the end of your post.
• Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
• Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I know the suspense is killing you, so here are six random things about me.

1. I was born prematurely and was very sick. I was an Rh baby and also had a perforation in my colon that was allowing all kinds of nasty stuff to fill my body cavity. I'm lucky I lived longer than six days and I have the nasty surgical scars on my abdomen to prove it.

2. I had my license suspended in college for unpaid traffic tickets. The prize for that feat was an afternoon stay in the Lancaster County Jail in Lincoln, Nebraska.

3. My mother died in a car accident when I was 15. Actually, it's a much better story if I just tell it like it is. She died driving a dump truck. No, she didn't wear combat boots.

4. I've actually seen a car bomb go off.

5. While covering Hurricane Katrina, I provided Sean Penn with directions on how to navigate New Orleans. Even though I had never been there until that very day.

6. Since I was a teenager, being a photographer is the only job I've ever had.

I'll tag the following friends. (This part will be harder than coming up with six random things)

William
Matt
Lane
Jeff
Jaime

That's only five, but the rules said "6-ish"

I'll Just Let The Picture Do The Talkin'

I don't remember people reacting like this when Bush won 8 years ago.