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Here In Oakland

Art & Life

Today at the pump




   


Under here.

August 12, 2010

Find That Place
Thursday. To bed a little later last night than I should have, perhaps, up at six with the alarm in relatively good shape, to breakfast and the papers, then on to the supermarket to buy cereal, tomatoes, sliced cheese, sliced ham and nectarines. They suggest staying away from the cheese and processed ham for this ocular migraine thing, but what else do you put on bread? Well, peanut butter, yes. Jelly. Tuna fish, if you can stand the mercury. So many constraints, so little to eat.

Relax. This day is starting well. No need to go off the edge this early in an entry.

True, true. We do go on under an overcast morning sky. All of yesterday was overcast, something that hasn't happened in a while, the sun usually breaks through by late morning, so we'll see how this day progresses. Overcast or not we're getting out and about! (Hup! Hup!)

Later. As I stumble through the days shooting pictures I put some I like aside to post on artandlife and put them up whenever I get enough for a new section. I put another batch up yesterday after looking at them and thinking about them wondering if they were chosen because I consider them reasonable (in one respect or another) or whether I'm just grabbing what I've got, making compromises in order to put up a new page when delay would be the better choice. These I like, I think, but it's an interesting internal conversation: what merits posting, what doesn't? An entirely internal battle, who cares really if you're “wrong” when you're determining wrong from right? Best to go with the gut, but again, the internal tussle is never ending.

It doesn't lead you to getting off your duff, though, and spending the energy needed to get your photography thing right.

Now, now. What didn't you understand about my making the judgements? Good, bad? Happy, sad? Next you'll be suggesting I give up sake in the evenings and start a correspondence course.

Later still. “Getting to bed a little later” seems to have been resolved by a nice hour or so nap, up now just after noon, the sun out, the sky clear, the head pulling its pieces together slowly, but with some sense of purpose. We start more slowly than we have in the past, but we start.

Later still again. A bus ride downtown to sit for maybe ten minutes at a table in the City Center, then on to the patio in front of Peet's for an iced coffee and a conversation with a younger fellow (as in his mid twenties) about the camera I was carrying and how he'd been thinking of buying one as he was a long time photographer going back to school to finish a graphics degree. A nice day, an amble back home avoiding the bus, again, the day bright, but not too warm unless you found yourself out in the sun (wearing a black jacket and cap).

I have to admit I'm feeling pretty good, the head clear at least. That's probably the definition, if the head is clear it doesn't much matter what else is acting up. The walk home was nice, ambling rather than “walking” as such; home now with the fan sitting on the floor blowing a soft breeze toward me and the computer desk. Nice. Nice is nice.

I got word today Mr. W has married his long time girl friend in a ceremony earlier this week. He hasn't really deserved any of the women he's known in his life, but then I'm very happy to hear a good friend is now definitely in good hands. I wish the both of them much continued happiness in a world where this is not always the case. Marriage? Happiness? I've always suspected they go together even when you hear and see how often they don't. But what do I know? Still, much happiness the both of you, seeing how it's worked out does my heart good.

A session this morning on the guitar, I'm getting one or two of these songs down, although you wouldn't guess it if you heard me playing. Another session about now, I'm thinking, the day going well, the head in a good place. Now if I could just reliably find that place.

 
The photograph was taken at the MoveOn.org rally in front of the Oakland City Hall yesterday with a Nikon D3s mounted with a 70 - 200mm f 2.8 Nikkor VR II lens.

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