20 February 2007

PHOTO SHOW

17 February 2007

16 February 2007

ice storm redux


a tree encased in ice after the storm the other day.
the sky was really that blue.
beautiful.

15 February 2007

bah humbug on valentine's day...

I hate Valentine's day. I think it's crap.

Don't think me bitter, it's just.......

It's a day that puts an undue amount of stress on lovers and mates in a forced expression of love and devotion. They should not be beholden to one particular day, where expectations are high and disappointment is bound to happen.
Even though it is meant as a day of romance, because of the high level of presumptions, it's all but killed.

A person should be able to express their love on any day of their choosing and do so in a manner of their own choosing. It should not be dictated by Hallmark and over-priced roses. Why is it that flowers cost so much more on the 14th of February than any other day of the year?

And then, there are those not in a couple who are made to feel like less of a person because they don't have a valentine. They're made to feel small, slight, inferior. It's just wrong.

Profess love on a random day and surprise your partner. For the better part of the past sixteen years I've preferred to be wowed when I'm least expecting it rather than have it be forced and hold less meaning. I like the spontaneity, it's more exciting that way.

p.s. i didn't take this photo. it was found on the google.

05 February 2007

love is a mix tape

I literally just finished the book, "Love is a Mix Tape" this morning on the bus.

The book hooked me right away and had me laughing and then crying all in the first short chapter.

For those of us that remember mix tapes, actual TAPES, and LOVE music, this is a book you MUST read! And even if you don't remember mix tapes, this is a good book that describes exactly what a mix tape is and what it means.

It had me reminiscing, waxing nostalgic for that mix tape Matty made for my birthday the second year we knew each other. The actual tape has ceased to exist; it snapped from over-playing, but I still have the cover he hand-made and drew a photo of a bicycle on and wrote sweet things on the inside. It doesn't even have a song list, but I remember some of the gems, that no matter where I am when I hear those certain songs, they will forever remind me of him.

It's a quick read that you're kind of sad to have end. It elicited a whole range of emotions and had me actually laughing out and reading passages to Matty so he could laugh too. I started reading it Friday evening and by Friday night when I was out, I already had to tell anyone that would listen to read this book.

It's a non-fiction work by the Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield. You can purchase the book from here or here. I won't shop at amazon.com any longer, so the links are to Powells Books in Portland, OR and to Barnes & Noble dot com respectively.

As an aside... Amazon likes to contribute a lot of money to Republicans so I don't give them business any longer. Plus, Powells is an independent book seller and a really rad place. If you ever get to Portland, OR go check it out. It takes up an entire city block.

So go buy the book and then tell everyone YOU know to read it too.
It's that good.

04 February 2007

uptown A-train