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The mostly harmless pedant.
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 1st, 2009|12:36 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  working | ] |
For months now, when I assign tickets to other people, they sometimes get inexplicably assigned back to me, with my name in the history of the ticket as the one who made the assignment. And most times if I try to assign those same tickets again, it does the same thing. That on top of the entirely asinine way ticket assignment is done is the addition of insult to injury.
The people who run the ticket tracking system (from it's physical location in India) don't know why this happens, and I'm not holding my breath for them to figure it out. I'm actively working at not being very frustrated with it right now.
Coworker G has offered to take me out for lunch. I'm not sure why he does that so often; he seems to just like having someone with him enough to be willing to buy people (or at least me?) food. I won't complain, certainly. I feel a little guilty about it, but I made a small effort to decline a couple times and he seems to be more than happy to pay my way. It'll be nice to get out of here for a little while. Maybe it's good karma?
-------- |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 1st, 2009|08:57 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  thoughtful | ] |
My counterpart from the company we merged with is off on PTO today, so I'm once again taking all incoming calls through eleven o' clock this morning. I will probably be fairly busy with this, especiallly trying to figure out what to do with all the tickets from $othercompany. I really just keep hoping to close enough tickets to look good enough to not worry about my job. I'd really like to work somewhere that I care enough about to enjoy the work and feel accomplished and proud of what I'm doing, but this place isn't it.
I finished Ursula Le Guin's short story collection The Birthday of the World on the way in to work this morning; another excellent recommendation from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) cranberrynomiko. I loved the exploration of alternate forms and ideas of marriage, gender roles, and gender itself. The society wherein marriages are composed of four people, and the society of strict separation and rigid rules for conduct of each sex that's just beginning to see those roles start to unravel were interesting. Even more engrossing was the idea of a race of genderless sentients who take temporary gender as part of the process of procreation, and can go through the process many times as either male or female.
But the story that most moved me was the final one, set during the middle generations of a long-term slower-than-light colony ship. Though it touches on social constructs surrounding pairing and reproduction, it's primarily about the evolution of thought and belief in a society that no longer has any first-hand references to understand what it is to stand under a sky and feel the earth beneath your feet. Some even doubt that such a place could exist, or can't comprehend why anyone would want to live somewhere other than the comfort of the ship that provides for every need. The ending left me with such feelings of hope and sorrow and loss that I'm not quite sure what to do with them apart from go back from time to time and turn them over in my mind as I digest the story. It makes me think that something like that could never work in real life, at least, not the way we planet-bound majority who are left behind hope and wish for it to, without a way to establish latency free communication from Earth to ship. Out of sight is easily out of mind.
I love the construction of the societies in these stories. More and more, as I travel, as I see new sights, as I meet new people, I wish for the opportunity to see life from more viewpoints. To see, as an American-born, white, male, technical worker, how arbitrary all the societal assumptions that I have really are. Though I can't live everywhere and be everyone here on Earth, I love the chance to be so many other people via the magic of story telling.
Meh. I'm so buried at work today.... |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 30th, 2009|08:02 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  content | ] |
These past handful of days have been a whirlwind, and it seems like forever ago that I was last here, sitting in a train car waiting to be ferried off to Chicago. Dealing with work seems an unpleasant afterthought after an otherwise full and satisfying life.
On Thursday, my parents hosted what was really our first Thanksgiving dinner as a small, immediate family. It was them, both of my brothers, Lara, my grandparents, Moira, and myself. It was a delight to see my grandparents and James and Lara particularly, and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have all of us together. I do wish I'd been able to make it to the larger gathering on Saturday; alas, the big events lately seem to keep happening when I already have other plans.
Friday I spent at serinthia and todd_riverden's place, watching anime and playing old console games. First Serin and I watched another episode of a series we've been watching about a boy who must attend an all-girl school as a stipulation in a will (I don't know enough Japanese to remember titles of things at all well. I'm sure Serin will tell me the name). Then, after Todd awoke, we used the emulation computer I brought over to play some Street Fighter 2, Brutal: Paws of Fury, and others. Then the three of us settled in for a few episodes of Wagaya no Oinarisama with some of Serin's yummy macaroni and cheese for dinner. It was a relaxing and cheerful time.
On Saturday, I drove down to Chicago to see the new friends I met through Moira at Windycon, R & R. There was much playing of video games and telephone oracle, discussion of books (I have reading assignments from both of them now!), excellent made-from-scratch food and very pleasant company. For a time, I sat and read Ursula Leguin's The Birthday of the World while R worked on her NaNoWriMo novel; it was quiet and peaceful.
I made it back to Kenosha around six-thirty Sunday evening and had dinner with Moira, sitting on the couch with her and catching up on the events of the last couple of days. She and I talked more about plans for making progress toward moving out of the house and spent an hour or two reconnecting and enjoying each other's company. I love her so very much.
It's been a happy weekend indeed, and it was very good for the puppy brain. My head is pretty solidly together, and I feel up to getting back to the unfortunate necessities of day-to-day life as a working dog. But at the moment, since I still have over an hour before I get into Ogilvie station, I'm going to read some more of R's book. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 27th, 2009|02:06 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| | calm | ] |
It's funny. A lot of things are happening in life at the moment for Moira and I that are making us evaluate plans, interests, priorities, life. Largely good stuff, to be sure, but a lot of change. Without Kuma in our lives, we don't have to have so much space, for instance, and we may not honestly need as much space as we have in this house.
We also have a lot more freedom to be out of the house for a day or two at a time, since the cats have an auto-feeder and are independent enough creatures to take care of themselves for a time. We've been taking advantage of that, what with my being away at conventions and visiting friends, and Moira taking time to visit her friends and loved ones.
I miss my dog in ways I can't easily express, and I have that brief pain every morning when I get out of bed and his crate is gone from the room, or when I drop a bit of food and begin to call him to come get a treat. I really need to put something in the hole at the top of the stairs where his den was. Probably bookshelves. Bookshelves are well suited for filling holes, both in rooms and in hearts.
I'm going to begin making a concerted effort to get stuff out of the house. My shelves and shelves of records; LPs, 78s, a few 45s. I doubt that I will ever play the majority of them. I need to get rid of the boxes and boxes of cruft from work in the garage, and the stack of a dozen or two broken laptops in the hall. I need to sell my Fender Strat. I need to commit myself to doing at least one Ebay listing a day to get stuff out and bring money in.
I'm looking seriously at doing online schooling toward a degree. I think I'm going to talk to a career counselor at Gateway here in Kenosha, too, about their technical writing program. I think I'd be good at that, and I'd enjoy it more than what I do.
A new close friend lent me a few books and I'm reading again. It had been so long since I've read very much at all; just a quick book here and there. A graphic novel or two Moira would bring home from the library, a Kurt Vonnegut tale, (yes, Breakfast of Champions counts as a quick book compared to some things!), a little bit of Winter's Tale, read on the train to DC. Last night I read all of Sharon Shinn's The Safe-Keeper's Secret. This morning, I read the ending again. It makes me hungry for more words to devour and savor.
After an even longer absence, this one of five or six years, I've begun playing at learning the guitar again. Since my left wrist won't allow me to fret anymore, I just picked up my thrifted Hohner classical acoustic on Thursday, flipped the thing upside down, and began playing it left-handed, chord-reversed. I haven't even restrung it for left-hand play since acoustic bodies are braced more strongly on the side of the bass strings to manage the higher tension. This works unexpectedly well, and I can make my way tortuously through the bare chords of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, Neil Young's After the Gold Rush, and Counting Crows' Mr. Jones, all of which I love a great deal. E, C, D, Am, G, they're all coming back to me quickly, albeit mirror-reversed.
I don't know. There seems to be a lot of change these days. The majority of it is exciting and very hopeful to me. But it's still change, and at heart, change is a scary thing to me. I've felt occasionally adrift and confused this past while. But I'm also looking forward to the promise of the new. I feel good about my life, and my connections with my dear Moira, my sweet rileybear67 (who I miss so much), my parents who have always loved me so deeply and accepted me unconditionally, and so many others, near and far, old and new, who I care very much about. If you think that's you, it almost certainly is.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for every single experience in my life that has brought me to the place I am, and made me a person I am content to be. I am thankful for a future that I know will be joyous, sorrowful, and filled with old friends and new experiences.
Blessings on you all, and peace be with you. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 24th, 2009|08:14 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  indescribable | ] |
I just don't know what to say yet about the deep sorrow and the soaring joy of the past weekend.
I ordinarily don't post lyrics. (I think I've done it once? Maybe?) But it's been an extraordinary few days. My deepest thanks to all those who've shared a part of them with me.
I live in the hills
You live in the valleys
And all that you know are those blackbirds
You rise every morning
Wondering what in the world will the world bring today
Will it bring you joy or will it take it away
And every step you take is guided by
The love of the light on the land and the blackbird's cry
You will walk in good company
The valley is dark
The burgeoning holding
The stillness obscured by their judging
You walk through the shadows
Uncertain and surely hurting
Deserted by the blackbirds and the staccato of the staff
And though you trust the light towards which you wend your way
Sometimes you feel all that you wanted has been taken away
You will walk in good company
I love the best of you
You love the best of me
Though it is not always easy
Lovely? lovely?
We will walk in good company
The shepherd upright and flowing
You see...
Jane Siberry - The Valley
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 21st, 2009|02:34 pm] |
Near this Spot
are deposited the Remains of one
who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferosity,
and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.
This praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
if inscribed over human Ashes,
is but a just tribute to the Memory of
BOATSWAIN, a DOG,
who was born in Newfoundland May 1803
and died at Newstead Nov. 18, 1808.
--Lord Byron
=======================
Though those words were written over two hundred years ago, the feelings they express are my own as I mark the passing of my dog, Kuma, early this morning.
He, and the countless happy moments he shared with me, will be forever in my heart.
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 19th, 2009|09:38 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  sleepy | ] |
Dog is not too bright sometimes.
I looked again at phones and decided I'd go with a Blackberry after all. That way I'd have included GPS support. I went through the ordering process. Then I poked around more online and realized that a number of things on a Blackberry won't work without the Blackberry data plan, which would cost more. I knew there was a reason I disliked those things. They're one of my least favorite things to deal with at work too.
So I called up Sprint and found that, even though I'd made the order about fifteen minutes ago, it already went to the warehouse. So they're going to ship the phone and a return kit. Once the return kit gets to me, I use it to ship the Blackberry back and they are supposed to credit my account and reinstate my upgrade discount eligibility. It ought to all be here by Monday.
Well, I'm not in a huge hurry; I can wait for it to get here, get back, and get credited before I pick another phone out.
I'm about done getting stuff together, so I think I'm going to go to bed. Before I do, here's a picture of Coney Island's Wonder Wheel.
The Famous Coney Island Wonder Wheel
Built in 1920 and standing a hundred and fifty feet tall, this is one of the older and larger Ferris wheels out there. It's also unusual in that some of it's cars are on tracks within in the wheel itself and will slide back and forth as the wheel makes its revolutions. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 19th, 2009|07:16 pm] |
From bookwurm
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Do you have any friends looking for a new, crate-trained dog? Please read the message that follows and pass along adoption info to anyone who might be interested. The Dairyland Greyhound Adoption Office can be reached at (262) 612-8256.
Dairyland Greyhound Racetrack in Kenosha, Wisconsin will be closing on December 31, 2009.
900 Greyhounds will need to be adopted otherwise they will be euthanized, now is a great time to consider adopting a Greyhound. They are very loving and laid back. They don't need the space people think they need. They are great for an active family because they have been crated almost all their lives and they sleep about 18 out of the 24 hours a day. They are just looking for someone to love them and supply them with a warm bed!!!!
They test the dogs to see if they are cat friendly and or small dog friendly. They also know if a dog should be a single dog or if they would be great in a 2, 3, or 4 dog house!!!
Please help me get the word out; we only have 6 weeks to get this task done!!
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Here's a link to the relevant post on Craigslist with contact info. Please pass this on to anyone who might be interested.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/pet/1470426702.html
And here's a link to the official adoption page:
http://www.dairylandgreyhoundpark.com/adoption.asp
==============
Hmm; I'm not sure if there are really this many Greyhounds or what the situation is exactly. The only reference to that large a number I can find is that Craig's List post, and that seems pretty high to me for the closure of just one track. But I do know that the race track is closing down this year, so I'm sure there will be dogs that need homes. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 19th, 2009|12:51 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  worried | ] |
I'm worried about my dog.
He's been having problems with his hind legs for a while; stiffness and soreness, that sort of thing. He's been getting around pretty well; he's just been slow on the stairs, and he sits and stands kind of gingerly. Lately, since right around Windycon, he's been having a harder time.
When my brother left the house on Sunday in the early afternoon, he left Kuma in his crate. (Kuma is usually in his crate when no one is in the house, and in fact, he loves it. It's his safe place, his den, and he happily trots in when you ask him to.) When we got home and I let him out, he was so stiff and sore that he couldn't walk at first. After a little time to stretch the old bones he was up and around again, but at first he would try to stand and he couldn't get his hind legs under him. As well, when I try and let him out of the house, he can't seem to make it down the stairs anymore. After he fell half way down a couple times, I've started picking him up to carry him down.
Unfortunately, there are a couple problems with doing it that way. First, picking him up seems to put enough pressure on his tummy that, when I put him down, he pees on me. Not so great. Secondly, he's too heavy for Moira to pick up at all, so we're not totally sure how she can get him out of the house if I'm not around.
I knew that this was coming for a while; he's been getting progressively less mobile. Regretfully, our house is not handicap accessible, for dogs or for people, and I never did figure out what I was going to do about it. Maybe I can fashion a sort of sling to put under him when he has to go outside and I can carry him down the front steps that way. Actually, I think I'm just going to order one of these today. Maybe if Moira or I can just help by taking a little weight off of his rear end, he'll be able to get himself up and down the stairs.
He seems ok other than his legs, still. He's still in pretty good shape for an old man.
=========
Speaking of family members (like my puppy-dog), here are a few pictures of more of them from the subway in New York. I shot these on the way out to Coney Island, and I really like them. I'm no portrait photographer, but once in a while I get images that at least make me smile and think of good times.
My brother No-LJ-James and his girlfriend being silly
( Two more behind the cut. ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 17th, 2009|11:03 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| | working | ] |
"Questions are a burden unto others. Answers are a prison for yourself."
Be that as it may, I want to get in for the first time on one of the old memes that's been floating around for a long time. Ask me a question. Whatever question you'd like. I will do my best to answer it. If I do answer it, it will be honestly and faithfully. Those answers may be in the form of email if I'd prefer not to put them here on display. If I don't answer it, I will explain why. I suppose that would most likely be out of consideration for privacy of people other than myself, though there may be things I'd prefer not to talk about out of concern for my own privacy. Though I am fairly open about most things.
I know there are people on my friends list both who have known me well for years, and who are new to my life or who I haven't talked a lot with. And people in-between, too. If there's something about me you don't know or are curious about, just let me know. For my part, I'm curious to find out what people want to know about me.
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On a tangent, I really need to get a copy of The Prisoner eventually. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 15th, 2009|10:50 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  loved | ] |
I haven't been on much at all this weekend; there's no free internet at the convention hotel.
My birthday weekend at Windycon has been truly extraordinary. There were lots of factors that added up to make the last few days wonderful. Unfortunately, I have to get up at five tomorrow morning for work, so I just don't have the time to elaborate.
But all those involved, near and far, have my thanks. I love my friends, family, and chosen family. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 13th, 2009|08:16 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  excited | ] |
I'm always minorly stressed out when I have a vacation day from work. At least for a little while. It's tied in to feeling like I don't have enough to do and/or don't know how to fix some of the problems that come up. I worry even more that I'll look bad and get in trouble. But I don't let it get to me too much.
Preparations yesterday and last night went well and I'm just about ready to go to Windycon! I'm looking forward a wonderful birthday weekend. akreaveter kindly is watching the animals and the house while we're out, even though I flaked and didn't ask him until yesterday. I bought dog food, cat food, and kitty litter yesterday as soon as work was over. Animals are expensive! And dumb. Sabrina, the perpetually food-neurotic cat, got frustrated after trying to get my attention to put her up on the counter with the cat feeder a couple times. I found her trying to chew into the new cat food bag. Just minutes after getting it into the house. She really has some kind of food neurosis; she seems to always think that, at any moment, it may suddenly not be there.
I helped posicat get his car up on ramps, and he fixed his electrical issue while I was working in the house getting stuff together. Then, he helped me out with jumping the Neon. Except it didn't need a jump; the negative battery cable was just loose. I am officially an idiot. (Posi was kind enough to say that he deals with idiots all day on the phone and that I, by virtue of listening to his suggestions and trying them out, am not an idiot. *grins*)
The golden leaves of the willow outside in the morning are so beautiful. I'm still getting up earlier; it was seven thirty today, so I'll take that as progress in my quest to become a morning person. And you know, I feel really good after going to be around nine o' clock a few nights in a row.
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I'm still getting New York pictures up. Here's one of what may be my favorite building in the city. An Art Deco skyscraper popularly known as the GE Building. (Not the one on Rockefeller Center; this is a different, older one.)
Look at this. The silver fist holding a jagged vertical bolt of power. The arms, over the classic GE symbol clock, reaching out to harness the power of electricity. This was built when technology companies made ostentatious statements, because technology equated to power, mystery, and magic. This is the statement this building makes to me. "We are GE. We own the lightning, and you will use it at our pleasure." |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 12th, 2009|01:55 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| | content | ] |
I'm keeping busy between working on tickets for work with getting my todo list done for the weekend. But I also stopped at lunch to have a nice long shower and spend time on my hair, since I haven't taken care of it as well as I should have while I was away. It's nice and clean, and I combed it out, and it's just finished air-drying. It is also in pig-tails. *giggles* The ends are a little thin, but there really aren't many splits that I can find. I think that perpetually thin-looking ends are just the price of having hair with significant curl to it.
Since I'm thinking about hair, I'm thinking again about learning to braid my own decently well. It's something that I've wanted to be able to do for a long time, but I haven't managed to develop the knack. I think if I could just see the back of my own head while I'm working, I could get it quickly. I have no problem doing a basic three-strand on other people, or even on the sides of my head, but I haven't been able to translate it to the back.
I think there's a piece of furniture that has movable mirrors that will let you see the back of your head, isn't there? It's not quite a vanity; or at least, not just a vanity, since those can have just one mirror, and then you have to use a hand-mirror to see yourself from behind. I'd like to have two hands free while looking at my hair from the back. Does anybody know the sort of thing I'm taklking about, or if it even exists? Maybe I'm only thinking of a room divider sort of thing with mirrors that you stand in the middle of, but I feel like I've seen a vanity sort of thing with an integral seat and mirrors in the right places. Sitting in something like that and playing with my hair would make me feel so good!
I'm just thinking happy hair thoughts right now.
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Maybe I'm just thinking of something like this with little fold out mirror-wings on the main mirror. Something like that but with bigger foldy-wings is I think what's in my head. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 12th, 2009|08:24 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| | hopeful | ] |
So I have tomorrow off in order to get ready for Windycon. I'm looking forward to that because it also means I get to spend a little time getting caught up with the house. I cleaned a cat box yesterday. I didn't get the other one 'cause I'm out of litter so I'm going to have to go buy some. Maybe at lunch today.
I also want to clean the bathroom, and get some more Nature's Miracle to squirt down the spots where the cats pee when the litter box is full. *sighs* I do love that stuff; works great if you keep the area saturated for a day or two.
Since I'm getting to know more and more wonderful people who live too far away from me, I've been getting myself online and on IM more often to talk to them and keep in touch. I've been chatting with custardfairy and uberhill, as well as with rileybear67 as usual. And I'm emailing with Virginia folks and vandringar in Florida. Go me! I'm also finding that I'm notably more easy-going recently that I have been in the past sometimes. I feel like my obstacles are surmountable, my goals are achievable (or at least worth the effort), and I am loved and cared for. I feel centered, and that there's an inertia keeping me there. It's a feeling I need to try hard to remember when things aren't so good.
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I think I need to replace my cell phone. The antenna fell off a while ago and my signal has been pretty spotty, no matter where I am. Plus, it sometimes doesn't ring when I get incoming calls, though maybe that's related. It's just been kind of flaky in general. I'm looking at replacing it with a Palm Centro. Not because it's an ideal phone for me (I'd like a bigger qwerty keyboard, and Bluetooth 2 would be nice instead of 1.2, and the Palm OS seems kind of dated, if functional) but because it's the only phone I can get for nearly no cost through Sprint using my upgrade discount that has both a qwerty keyboard and EVDO. It's nice that it's a smart phone too, but to be honest, I rarely do anything with those capabilities anyway. That said, Google Maps on my phone while travelling has been invaluable.
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I talked to my brother about a possible trip out to Lansing to see he and his girlfriend this December. They have finals around there, so they're not sure. But they'll let me know know. And since I was talking about going out that way to visit custardfairy anyway, they might just give me a place to crash, even if they're pretty busy with schoolwork. laureth and murstein, if I'm out that way, it would be all sorts of neat to connect with you too! I'll have to figure out if and when then check with you.
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And finally, let's not forget that even cartoon characters get the blues too. Even cartoon characters who hold the post of official tourism ambassador of their country. Sometimes it's not easy being a mouthless animated feline.
Why is Hello Kitty crying? Did someone steal her wallet? No, that happened to me. Is she out of pocky? Maybe she misses Japan. For whatever reason, Kitty and one of her friends here in a courtyard on Manhattan's Lexington Avenue seem to be having a tough day. I wanted to give them a big hug, but I wasn't sure if I was allowed to wade in the fountain.... |
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| Armistice Day |
[Nov. 11th, 2009|01:29 pm] |
Having just been in Washington this past week and seen so many memorials inspired by various wars and conflicts, not to mention having walked through the unending fields of stone in Arlington cemetary, I can't help but be a little more affected by today than I might otherwise have been.
Though I haven't quite gotten to posting my Washington pictures, it seems appropriate to me on this Armistice Day to share one of my many pictures I took in Washington of the memorials to those who worked, fought, and died in our nation's conflicts.
As a friend said, I do not support war. I do support those who choose to sacrifice their time and their lives for their country's and family's good, and those whose lives are torn apart by leaders of men who have fallen to the juvenile level of fighting over getting their own way. Those who've given so much, and often get so little in return.
Dedication Plaque - World War II Memorial
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 10th, 2009|08:48 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  stressed | ] |
I'm a little stressed out today.
It's my second day back from a long vacation, and it's my turn to take incoming calls. My counterpart who usually shares the time block with me is out on vacation so I'm by myself. There's a lot of stuff out there that I still don't know how to do, and it makes me feel kind of incompetent. I'm really tired of feeling like this as often as I do. I don't believe that I'm incompetent or lazy, but my job makes me feel that I am all the time. I care about all this stuff less and less, but I have to keep putting effort in and closing tickets. Maybe my brain is really telling me I need to move on.
I'm not just whining impotently and not doing anything. After the busy November con season, I'm going to go in to UW-Parkside to see about talking to a career counselor. I want to talk about getting into library and information science. But I am whining. Sorry about that. Any cheerful comments would be appreciated while I try to figure out what in the hell all these systems are and who can manage to get into them to fix anything. |
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| Perfect Every Time - if you wait long enough |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|03:51 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| | peaceful | ] |
Something I was talking to Ankhorite about this past week was the zen of photography.
As someone who thinks of himself as more of a Taoist than anything else, I have a deep love for, and awe of, the philosophy of wei wu wei - action through inaction. I've never studied Taoism in any formal sense. I've only sat zazen a handful of times. My knowledge of the subject is gained largely from the concepts in Raymond Smullyan's The Tao is Silent. It's a philosophy that jives with the way I've always intuitively seen the world.
Action through inaction is often mentioned in the context of a joke, or touched on by artsy-fartsy intellectual movies like The Motorcycle Diaries. "Let the world change you and you can change the world." (I do like artsy-fartsy intellectual movies....)
And it's directly applicable to making photos. I can sit in front of a marble and granite memorial and complain all day about all the people blocking the image I want to make, or the sun coming from the wrong place, or the cloud cover ruining my shot. Or I can sit in my little corner of the world, think about how I want to compose my image, let the sights and sounds of my location dance and sing to me, and wait. And in time, the world will align itself in just that certain special way, and I'm waiting to to click the shutter. And if it doesn't work out that day; the lighting isn't quite right, or the crowds never clear the scene, or something else goes wrong, that's ok. I can come back tomorrow, or the next day when conditions are what I want. Or if I'm travelling, and I don't have the luxury of coming back another time, well; I make the best photo I can and move on. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe I'll still be back again some day. You never know what the future will bring.
There's a website that belongs to a really amazing landscape photographer out there. When you click the link on his pictures for more info, one of the things it tells you is how long he spent waiting for the light. It ranges anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. And that's what it's about. Being calm, staying immersed in the now, and letting the world change and align itself until it becomes what you're looking for.
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Perfect Every Time - The Chicago Union Station Underground
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|09:54 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| | peaceful | ] |
I'm back in the office in Chicago this morning, after a week away from working and twelve since I actually had to physically be at work. I'm feeling a little scattered and behind, but I'm working on it.
My hosts in Washington, savant_da_rat and ankhorite, were kind and gracious and did at least as much to make my visit an occasion of joy as did the sights I saw in the capital city. I'm so glad I got to meet them in person and I look forward to next time. There was talk, even before I left, about setting up another trip to see them again, and probably xydexx too. If I plan the next trip to bracket a weekend, we'd have time for a good long explorin' trip, as I doubt I'd want to do sightseeing in Washington proper on a weekend anyway judging by how crowded things got during the week. I'm going to write a little recap of my days there when I get the chance to go through pictures and have my memory jogged about the order I did things in. Maybe on the way home on the train.
I'm off this Friday too, for Windycon. Moira and I tested out some costuming last night and it looks like we have an outfit ready. She also has nefarious plans in store for me on Saturday to celebrate my birthday at the convention. I'm excited, and a touch nervous.
My bad dreams have been continuing on. There was one in DC that I don't really remember. Last night there was one too, which I do remember a bit of, unfortunately. ( It's behind the cut because it's a little graphic and disturbing. ) I've never had a run of bad dreams like this. The ones that involve horrible things happening in my relationships are even worse. I feel like something must be trying to tell me something at this point. But what? I'm pretty sure I'm not actually descended from a long line of Schattenjägern. barton_fender, farm_cat; anything you want to tell me?
I hope everyone's having a good Monday. Though I'm dealing with work stuff, I'm still carrying the excitement and peace of the weekend with me. |
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[Nov. 8th, 2009|08:26 am] |
| [ | State of Being |
| |  awake | ] |
I slept pretty well on the train last night, surprisingly enough. I woke up right around dawn and got a bagel around Elkhart Indiana.
We just left South Bend now and I'm enjoying watching the fog-shrouded farmland roll by out the loung window. I'm looking forward to going through Gary and Chicago in the daylight too. All is very well, except for the two guys sitting near me who keep injecting sound effects and the word 'fuck' into a loud and inane conversation about food prices on the train and the women on board. "So where are we goin' first in Chicago?" "I dunno man; titty bar?" *twitch*
Oh God: one of them justsaid there should be TVs on the train. No no no no.
I miss Ankhorite and Savant already. They were so good to a travelling dog and were wonderful and gracious hosts while I occupied their living room for a week. I'm grateful and happy for the company, conversation, food, transportation, and the opportunity for a trip like this. Thanks so much to both of you. I can't wait for next time!
It sounds as though both Moira and Mocha may be picking me up at the Waukegan station. It'll be nice to see Mocha again, and I've missed Moira deeply. I'm eagerly anticipating being wrapped up in her arms.
I'm not sure when I'll get pictures up. I have a couple thousand to go through, and on Monday it's back to getting up at five for the train to Chicago. I more and more wish I could spend my time travelling around, meeting friends, and getting up with the dawn for photographs. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 5th, 2009|10:58 pm] |
| [ | State of Being |
| | excited | ] |
As I was on my way to the Library of Congress today, I passed by a protest in progress outside the Cannon office building. I didn't know what was going on at the time, but it was clear that they were protesting a health care bill from the right-leaning side of things.
I found the story on the CBS news site; looks like they were protesting in front of Nancy Pelosi's office inside the building. Several of them were arrested on various charges, and as I stood outside the building, the police would occasionally walk out leading someone in those zip-tie hand cuffs.
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/05/politics/main5540126.shtml
I have to admit it; I got a real thrill out of seeing this happen in front of me, and being there to photograph it. I've thought about attending demonstrations in Chicago with an eye toward photographing them, and having seen this today gives me more motivation to do so.
Anti-abortion Protester in Washington
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I didn't get a chance to post a picture yesterday; dog was too tired! Today was spent first exploring an abandoned farm house and outbuildings with xydexx the squeakypony, which was full of nifty and shiny! I even avoided getting trapped in a silo with a desiccated animal corpse, thanks to the pony's assistance.
Then he took me in to DC, where I visited the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court building, and the capitol. (It was near the library that I happened upon the above-mentioned protest.) I will talk more about them in detail later one. For now, I will shower and get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be museum day for the doggy! |
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