Dancing Monkeys

For the lovers in the house...

His and Hers

homework

Tonight, I give you with a quote from one of the greatest storytellers we have ever known. Not just stories to amuse or please us, but to push us, make us think and always, without apology, to bring forth the truth.

I present this tonight in the wake of those of have not upheld the legacy of Edward R. Murrow, and who in their negligence and laziness, are putting this great profession to shame. They are not only doing a disservice to their predecessors, but they are discrediting the work that so many others are doing to make this new profession credible and viable. Not only that, their actions are doing more harm to the movement then helping. And for that they should be truly ashamed.

With that, I leave you with this:

"To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful."
- Edward R. Murrow

the workspace

Floating

I have this postcard...somewhere. All of this digging has made me start remembering things I have miss-placed.

But I love this image, the feeling of it. I want to be floating like them. No knowledge or concern of what is beneath. Just flying in the air.

It's a good "reminder" image for me.

(I will try to find the title and photographer's name, but it comes from this box of Magnum Postcards.)

Get in the booth!

It seems like everyone is jumping in a booth of some kind these days. As they should be! With the triumphant passing of Super-Duper-Fat-Tuesday, I thought I'd keep us in the spirit of "boothing" it.

A few days ago a friend of mine sent me a link to a fabulous website, Photobooth.net, a site that tracks photo booths across the country and around the globe. And not these new digital photobooths - the real ones, complete with chemical-peeling, smelly goodness.

The second she sent it to me, I was reminded of my favorite photobooth experience ever. No, not making out with a my high school boyfriend. Sheesh. I've been pinning this photostrip to bulletin boards in my various offices and workspaces, but in the craziness of my last move, it never emerged to join the latest batch of ephemera on my walls. So I dug it out. (See it. It's to your left).

Now this isn't any old photobooth shot. It's from Brett Ratner's "Hilhaven Lodge" photobooth. How on earth did I get my picture taken in his photobooth you ask? Well, he doesn't just keep his photobooth at his home, he takes it places. Parties, social gatherings, anywhere that people will jump in and "pose" for him.

I ended up at one of these gatherings in New York City a few years back and jumped at the chance to have my "portrait" taken with my favorite camera. (Ironically, it was the same party where I met Chelsea Clinton. I was more star-struck by her than anyone else in the room... as you might all imagine.)

After I climbed out of the booth, I waited patiently for my photostrip, eager to see how they came out. The little photobooth man (he was actually quite short) pulled out the strip, handed it to me, watched me smile, and then took it back. I was shocked. I couldn't believe he wouldn't let me keep my photostrip. But I tried. The exchange went something like this:

"What?! You're taking my photostrip? How? Why? Oh, wait, you want to put it in Brett's book? Oh...ok! Can I take another one to keep for myself? No. ...hmmmm... please. No. Pretty please. Sorry, kid. I've never seen a photobooth before. Well....okay! But don't tell Britney. Jump in!"

Ok, that last part isn't true. But, the little photobooth man did let me sneak in once more to take a second photostrip to take with me. He even let me choose which one I kept for myself. (Thanks little photobooth man!).

And sadly, no, I did not end up in the book. But believe me, I checked.

"photography is...

"photograhy is bringing life into focus"

I heard that tonight, and thought it was worth adding as a gentle reminder.

Hobo Post #2

"Hobo Post #2"
Attached to wood post in the park behind N Street between 22nd and 23rd
Watercolor on paper

I stumbled across "Hobo Post#2" on my walk home this afternoon. I love this kind of art that's "given" to people to experience on their way home from work, carrying groceries or walking the dog.

When I found it, "the post" was hanging upside down, the top push pin having come loose. So I flipped it around, pushed the pin back in and started walking away. It was just a few steps later that I decided to take a quick shot of it. I don't expect that it will still be there in the morning, but I'll be happy if it is.

Here's what the poem reads:

who does not love
the hot cocoa headed cowbird
fribbling away in his nest
the sparrows drawing baths
in the dust

o who can forget
the steaming puzzle
of a velvet muzzle
emerald scattered pastures
tumbling
like the rumbleseat of giggling garters

where is that freckled face
i nenver get over
in the lavender smoke
& the chipped china teeth
of my sleepwalking lover

Update: "Hobo Post #2" was still posted in the park the next morning. As I walked by, another woman was standing looking at it. She touched the paper gently to see what it felt like and then walked away. Hopefully there will be more soon.

the lost images

“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough." - Robert Capa

There is an amazing article in the New York Times about "the Mexican suitcase" or the lost negatives of photographer Robert Capa. The negatives were discovered by a Mexican filmmaker among his families' belongings, and have recently been given to the International Center for Photography in New York.

As I read this article, which even hints at the need for an entire book to tell the story of these lost images, I can't help but want more. While chatting with a friend, I casually mentioned that someone should write a book telling the entire story. His response was quick and candid, "do it."

So I might just do it. I'm at least going to start reading and researching more about this story. It's just too good to turn away from.

portrait of a lady

portrait of a writer

(sorry for the delay, kids)

the paddle