neon epiphany

I had thought I didn’t have a picture at all from yesterday but it turns out I had this [of salt dishes at John Howie Steak in Bellevue].

So for now I’m still golden, as far as the streak goes. But I’m putting up this thoroughly mediocre picture as a testament: From now in, I’m going to adopt a sanity-keeping measure where I may (will!) reserve the right to days where I don’t share my photo. At least not here.

Will: stick with the project, put up as many as I can, but this pressure (from myself) to publish, publish, publish is killing me inside. I can’t bear putting something up without trying to say something interesting, and if the picture isn’t, it means I have to come up with words that are. And well. Words Are Not My Thing.

A very dear friend* told me:

The /365 projects aren’t about art, though. /365 can help perfectionists learn the ebb and flow of creativity.Self-kindness. etc.

If you can; keep up the process, f*ck the product. Choose “only me” option some days, but keep doing it.

This is for me. This is for me. This is for me.

Right.

*will update with attribution if she gives permission.

Walking around campus during twilight: happy accidents, finding the tropics in this everyday architecture. I think I have seafaring on the brain, from listening to Unfamiliar Fishes during my commute. So many audiobooks lately! (I blame John Hodgman.)

I did finish up Assassination Vacation earlier this week, which I loved, but so much Sarah Vowell at once leaves her oh-so-distinctive voice running through my head at all hours. Fortunately, today, it was filling my head with images of warm seas and sunshine.

And! Later this year, I hope to have literal catamaran pictures to match up with this one. More details later.

DO NOT TOUCH.

I’m tired, and I left my laptop in the car, so just the photos today.

Oh, but Oscar nominations are out! Is this the first year of the Animated Feature category that Pixar has been shut out? Not that they didn’t deserve it. Cars 2 was terrible.

I know it shouldn’t (and I love him), but it makes me feel better that Jeph Jacques draws a shitty spaceship.

A series today, playing with decorative grates. Also, for once, people. I call these “Impressionist A” through “C.” Not a whole lot more to say, which probably says I’m actually happy about them more than anything, for once.

You guys! News today that the Washington State Senate has enough votes to pass marriage equality! I… just don’t have any words. Wonderful news.

Also, I totally wanted to link you to a Brahms / Liszt Hark, A Vagrant, wondering how I missed it before, & then realizing it must be exclusive to the book. You know, in case you were looking for a reason to buy it. Brahms! Comics!

These guys are sitting there, waiting for tomorrow to happen. Happy New Year, everyone!

You know, I’m finding I have a lot less to write now that I’m trying to do the photo thing. I guess I shouldn’t complain — at least I’m doing something creative — but the thing that pulls at me is that I really always wanted to write, and the photo thing just happened by accident. In real life, this echoes my career path as well. I just wish my natural talents ran with my dreams.

Okay, enough moping!

So, I was trying to figure out why this image has so many more views on flickr (approaching 25,000) than any of my other stuff, and I finally figured it out: apparently, it was used in this video by Creative Commons. It’s only visible for a fraction of a second, but it’s kind of neat they wanted to use it — makes me glad I used a CC license for my photos. Also, it’s a nice video.

The BBC reports on the worst idea ever: “Sherlock series gets US television pilot, confirms CBS”

Finally, I watched the pilot of NBC’s Smash last night, which is free on iTunes and Zune until the official network premiere on February 6. All I can say is it must be nice to be able to audition for a show with an effects machine in tow. Also, if they end up copping out by having Ivy play Marilyn and Karen play Norma Jean in the show I’m going to throw up in my mouth a little. A lot.

I’ve noticed recently that there’s a distinct lack of bright green in my photos. Trying to see it in my life the last few days. Winter isn’t a help, and neither are today’s pictures.

Went to a swimming pool this morning, two stories underneath an apartment building in the city. It was kind of primordial, listening to the lapping of waves underground, feeling the moist, cool air. There was a small window in the high ceiling, at ground level, through which the windows of the residents above were visible. I wonder what it must be like, to peer down and see the water dwellers through a crack in the earth.

Afterwards I took these pictures, which came out much more colorful than my memory of the place. But I think you can still feel the sheer… interiorness in them?

And, oh, a mystery!

Seen at Renton Uwajimaya:

“Crunchy ramen noodle, onion, garlic and soy sauce flavors blended into premium 53% dark chocolate.”

Oh look, they’re online.

… my one regret is not having bought one. For science.

Images from work. Today, the mundane things of daily life fell like little miracles: driving a car, eating out for lunch, going to work. Heavenly.

Snowfall and plows left my abandoned car covered and surrounded when I went to get it this morning. Really, I should have brought a shovel with me, but instead I dug at the ice with my feet and hands for an hour or so, and still needed a friendly push to get going (thank you, stranger). I’ve got bloodied knuckles but at least I’m home and warm, and with leftover pie to boot. So all told, life is good.

Today I lost confidence for the first time and put the selection of which image to officially use for the day up to a vote. The one up top won, and I feel a little ashamed that I let other people choose for me. It’s even worse because I was initially planning to use this one:

… but then again, I’ve always been a bad judge of which of my photos would appeal to people. I’m actually usually amazed that people enjoy them at all!

Still, I don’t like this feeling, so I’m going to try and trust my instincts in the future. We’ll see.

Today I am thankful for: friends with snow tires, friends who offer to drive you to the grocery store because even though the forecasts were all wrong and OMG IT’S STILL SNOWING, the one thing you want in the entire world is a fresh-baked apple pie right now and there are no apples in the house anywhere.

These are the kinds of friends I have, you guys. Love!

And also hey look a picture without any snow in it. So at least that happened.

While I’m here, I’d like to leave a special message to you, the woman who walked all the way to Starbucks in the snow only to find it had closed a moment earlier, people with lattes and salted caramel mochas still clearly visible through the locked front doors.

I know! First world problems. But your face — that was the look of a broken heart. I’m sure, for at least that instant, you were the saddest person in the whole world. So a million hugs to you, Starbucks lady. I hope you found something warm nearby.

Maybe even five minutes later at the grocery store across the parking lot.

dear diary,

yesterday we played tea in the garden and everyone was there, even joannie and mr. dipple and his cat. we had sandwiches and cakes and when the birds came and took the sun away no-one complained. mr. dipple doesn’t say much anymore, not since rupert learnt him. his hands are still cold but now his teeth are falling out. i don’t like looking at his mouth. it looks like winter and tar and staying awake at night.

it’s been snowing so long! sometimes i hear mommy crying but i can’t see her anymore. if i put my ear against the ground i hear her saying something but i don’t know what. i really miss her.

tracy says it’ll be okay and when the hollow man comes for his eyes we’ll all be together again. i hope so!

i really need to go, but i’ll be back!

tag, you’re it.

xoxo,
-L.

SOPA blackout day; SOPA whiteout day. Not quite the one hoped for, but it was snowy nonetheless. Three days of this has left all of the vegetation around here unhappy, but as is often the case, there’s a profound beauty that can be found in unhappiness. I’m not sure I captured it very well.

At this point, I am absolutely stir-crazy. This follows my memory of the 2008 snow-in, which lasted a lot longer than this promises to be — which is good, because the next stage is murderous rage. If the roads are clear tomorrow I’m going to rescue my car and drive and drive and drive, and take pictures of everything but snow.

One of my favorite movies, Next Stop Wonderland, is now on Netflix Instant Watch. It’s a quirky little rom-com, not to everyone’s taste, but I absolutely love it. There was a time when I was watching it once a week to keep me happy! It may entirely be the soundtrack, which introduced me to bossa nova music.

Astrud Gilberto. Elis Regina. Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Also! Philip Seymour Hoffman as the douchey ex-boyfriend!

It’s a Starz Play title, so you’ve only got until the end of February before Netflix loses streaming rights.

Also, while you’re there, you can catch my other once-a-week movie of years past, Shall We Dance? — the Japanese one. So good!

I had some other links to share, but they’re all blacked out right now. Good for them! I never figured out how to both (1) be lazy, and (2) learn how to do it on my site. So I called my congresspeople instead. Did you?

Tried to go into work.
Tried to work.
Tried to leave work.
Got stuck.
Abandoned car.

(…the rest of the story…)

Got home.

I’m too tired to get into any detail right now, but somewhere along the line I did manage to snap a picture. Which I guess is how it’s going to go, sometimes.

So I know Cliff Mass has downgraded his forecast to two to five inches, but I’m staying home as long as there is white on the ground, thank you very much.

…I hope my car’s okay.

OMG, Sherlock series 2 finale. You guys, watch these episodes now so I can gush about them in detail, okay?

I’ve added some social media button thingies on my entries. I’m feeling a little dirty about it, and I don’t make many lolcats, so I’m not sure why I’m bothering. We’ll see how it goes?

Made it down to Bellevue in spite of the snow, mostly because of an appointment that I wasn’t allowed to cancel. That was upsetting, because I don’t like risking my life for the sake of appearances, but I guess it’s easy to see why: from what I can tell, downtown Bellevue only got the lightest of a dusting. I guess Kemper Freeman paid somebody off! Money talks.

The intended illusion in today’s shot is of the inexorable spread of a city, like the new earth where lava off Kīlauea meets the Pacific. Also, World Trade Center construction footage from the ’70s. In reality, this is the ice skating pavilion in Bellevue Downtown Park in a state of mid-deconstruction. The metaphor seems really overwrought, so I probably missed the mark.

But! I still like the overall feel of the piece, so I’m keeping it.

As a bonus, a contrast of old an new, across the street from Bellevue Square:

Also stocked up on groceries while I was out. Cliff Mass is predicting a possible 8-15” of snow on Wednesday, which is insane. Stay warm, everyone!

This is what it feels like to have committed too early. There’s something mythical in the air; the title just came to me without thinking, but it seems to fit — if you stare at it long enough.

The light is still changing, so there may be more to come.

Today’s image is admittedly cliché, but it is undeniably a marker of the day. Outside the flakes are falling in ever-changing variations of size and rate in a way that seems like nature trying to backfill the last two years’ worth of undelivered snow into a one-day makeup.

The best thing about days like this are the high pitched squeals of delight coming from the street. And snowsuits! Kids in snowsuits are the cutest. And also, Ezra Jack Keats.

… I wish so hard that this look happened in real life!

My original plan was to go into downtown Kirkland today and try to get some shots in, but that probably won’t happen. So my tentative plan includes seeing Ricky Gervais rip into people, hope to get a hookup on the Sherlock series 2 finale, and make friends with loneliness (thank you, pastilla).

If anyone wants to (spiritually) share a glass of Scotch, I’d be up for that too.

Oh, and holy crap, you guys! If you’re like me and thought the one thing that might make the world a better place is a Jane Austen-themed RPG slash dating sim, it totally exists.

SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.