(for the record, I didn't look at the 2001 pic before I took this yesterday. I literally took the shot on the webcam on my computer when the calendar invite went off and then went right back to work.)
3.13.2008
self portraits: march 12th
3.11.2008
3.10.2008
3.08.2008
3.07.2008
self portraits: march 7th
Of course the day after I started this little project, my digital Elph had to die. And of course my blackberry doesn't have a camera on it and there was no way I was bringing my digital SLR to the 9:30 Club. So instead, you get a post-11:34pm shot of where I was at 11:34pm.
And I've been trying to really hold back any judgement on these images and just post them as they are. But I really must admit that I have no idea why I am making that ridiculous face in the polaroid from 2001. I can only hope that there was someone else there making just as idiotic a face...or an incredible amount of booze. But somehow I doubt it.
3.04.2008
self-portraits: then and now
I have a box of polaroids that I've taken over the years, most way back from my art school days. Digging through the box, I discovered polaroids from a daily self-portrait project I did for one of my classes, which happened to run in March 2001.
So, as a fun little project, I decided to take self-portraits of myself at the same exact times as I did in 2001. I'll post the original (scanned) polariod and the new shot for every day as the originals. I'll try to post around the same time too. But, as you'll notice, I kept quite odd hours back in the day. And now that I'm old and go to bed early, some of these times could be a bit...um...interesting.
Here you go. March 4, 2001 and 2008.
3.02.2008
Three Up, Catch Up
I have been negligent in posting, and I really should know better. So for this "catch up" post, I think a list is in order.
1. I was accepted into the Social Documentation Master's Program at UC Santa Cruz. I am, in a word, THRILLED! As much as I love everyone here in DC, I am bouncing off the walls at this opportunity. Banana slugs, here I come!
2. Access: An Idea is still percolating in my head. Through conversations, organizing RootscampDC, talking with bloggers and other online organizers, I'm really seeing the void that exists and how, before we realize it, this technology leave behind the people who we are supposedly trying to help the most. To be clear, I don't want to stop this advancement of technology and uses of it, but I feel like someone needs to make a conscious effort to slow down and wait for those at the end of line - and help them keep up.
3. RootscampDC is going to be awesome. If you haven't signed up yet, you should. I'm psyched.
4. I'm listening to the old iPod - reliving the music of the past and relishing in the familiar sounds, and feeling inspired. (Some old Wilco, Patty Griffin, Merrick, The Shins, Aretha Franklin, U2, Talking Heads, Simon and Garfunkel, Amos Lee, Spoon and Smiths all on one playlist, good stuff.)
5. I have a fun new project starting in 2 days. But I'm not going to tell you what it is yet. You'll have to come and see for yourself :) Speaking of which...I have to remember to charge the camera batteries...hint hint.
6. I filled up my last Moleskin journal in record time and bought a new one today. It already has the recipe for my newest lasagna concoction written in it (which is coincidentally baking while I write this).
7. Conversations of a certain nature are irreplaceable and I want more of them. More on that later.
8. For now, it's time to do some dishes and check on the yumminess cooking in my oven.
9. Oh, and I've become slightly obsessed with the idea of going to Cuba.
2.21.2008
2.19.2008
Access: An Idea
Photo: Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images"By 7 a.m. Tuesday, few Cubans had heard the news, which was published in the online version of the Communist Party newspaper Granma....Cubans are not allowed to have internet in the home. So word of mouth will spread rapidly as people start to wakeup and head to work..." - NPR, February 19, 2008
"..now allowed to have internet..." and "...so word of mouth will spread rapidly..."
These are the phrases that caught my attention this morning and have stuck with me as I've casually skimmed online news media sites throughout the day.
Word of mouth. In the age of technology, the primary method of sharing news of the end of Fidel Castro's presidency is being shared in the most rudimentary method that any historical story has been shared - from person to person, voice to voice.
And then tonight, just as I was closing the various windows and checking the papers one last time, I noticed this - the BBC has ended its English shortwave radio service in Europe after 75 years of transmission.
How is it that in the same day, one society can end its most basic communication services in favor of higher technology, while another society continues to stretch the limits of its most basic - and far less efficient - method of communication to spread what is possibly the most important news in its history.
The juxtapositions are endless. The comparisons. The stories within the stories.
I am amazed that more has not been written yet about how Cubans found out that Castro resigned (though I have admittedly not done that much research on it today). Media outlets mention that the news was released online, but at most skim over the fact that Cuban families are not allowed to have internet in their homes. However, a simple Google search for "Cuba, internet access" confirms that Cubans are forced to wait hours in line for access to a computer and that internet service to individual homes has been shut off since January 2004.
Yet, as one BBC article notes "It is true that whenever a new law comes into effect here, Cubans - who are famed for their inventiveness - tend to find a way around it. "
This has sparked incredible interest and curiosity in me. It touches on all of my areas of interest - technology, access, storytelling. Not to mention it adds to my long desire to visit Cuba and adds just another item to the list of reasons to go.
hmmmm...ideas percolating.
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