Watch your Feet! ( Introspection ain't so great)

I was wandering up the Brown’s mountain trail immersed in some obsessive thinking stimulated by work. Hands in pockets, looking down, vaguely recognizing anything, I saw this small patch of unevenly lit leaf and dirt, and snapped a shot.

My introversion is really more like an empty room where someone has left the television on, and it’s running a commercial for an anti-depressant. The thinking turned out pointless, as, by the time I got to work the next day, all the elements I had reflected on had been “shaked, rattled, and rolled” into a different configuration.

Auction, Crumpton Maryland, and the Bunny

The picture above is from Crumpton Auction, at the time a very interesting large auction held mid-week on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. To my surprise, I found that a local antique dealer in Charlottesville still does send a truck down to the Auction.

There is a lot to see in this photo. The most puzzling element is the large Dali-like painting in the back. I have no idea what the story might have been, but I was not able to find anything documenting this image as one of his. If it had been titled, it would have to have been “Women Contemplating Cruise Ship.” Then there are a few portraits of unknown folks, and lamps galore, including one of the Buddha with a power cord wrapped around it. No bulb socket visible on Buddha, so all of him must have glowed.

Crumpton had it all back then, including farm related items. That included small livestock in one section, such as chickens, rabbits. There were some students from Washington College (how I ended up in Chestertown Md. in the first place) with me, and one decided a rabbit was going to be saved from becoming someone’s dinner. She took the rabbit home, but it became an issue where she shared an apartment, as rabbits tend to smell, unless you are very vigilant with their living quarters. So, a week later the rabbit was released into the wilds of Chestertown, where it might have done fine. The next day there was an unusual 2 foot snow storm. I only mention this as it is sometimes a characteristic of well-meaning, best laid plans.

My View at Work

Ah “work.” In many cases, work is where we spend our lives, although “spending” is an odd way to think of it. Time spends itself. I’ve noticed it spends itself at different rates too.

This is my work computer, outfitted with dual lizards, a mystery plastic prism I found in a pile of trash, and my most favorite picture of a famous person. Marilyn Monroe, no makeup, looks friendly. She stares at me, looking a trifle amused. I’m not a fan of the glamour version of her, but this photo shows another side. I need these props to humanize work.

I worked part of the day with a researcher interested in getting a short video about hydraulic concrete edited. He never seemed to notice any of the props, or perhaps he was being polite.

Alley, Bible, and Weed

I’m basically a ghost which has learned to post to the internet.

So, no surprise, I was haunting my usual route, down through the twisty alleys of Charlottesville, underneath the warmly lit windows. Rounding the corner, I came across what appeared to be the “Good Book” in a window. A weed grew, in an unlikely spot, directly below. And, even though the God of art said “never center,” the God of circumstance everlasting, chose the middle path.

The Chicago Arts Ensemble at Cabell Hall

The Arts Ensemble of Chicago played Old Cabell Hall at the University of Virginia many years ago. Malachi Favors, the bassist pictured here, passed away in 2004. I’ve seen many unusual acts at Cabell Hall. UVA’s music department has booked many great players over the years. Often the artists are also there to do hands on classes with the music students.
It was an impressive layout of instruments (see picture below) and tympani played a major part.


At times it was a wave or wall of sound, some of the loudest unamplified playing I think I’ve ever heard. Lester Bowie seemed to be taking a leading role on trumpet, front and center. Unlike the rest of the band he was dressed in a white lab coat, as though he had wandered over from the UVA Hospital. Malachi and the others were in what seemed like very non-traditional African inspired dress, although it tended to the avant guard also. One or two pieces in the concert were quite different, tonal, and melodious, with a quiet dynamic.
The only seats left when I got there were in the balcony, so I took some photos with a 35mm camera and mirror telephoto by using the wooden rail around the balcony as a tripod. It was transparency film, 400 ASA, but still not enough in the low light. The exposures were ¼ second. Malachi is a bit abstract, although one unmoving string on the bass seems in tight focus. I like it anyway in that it captures the energy he was applying to his playing.

Saigon Cafe-Hot Tea

Click above image for a larger view

Our favorite Vietnamese Restaurant in Charlottesville, Saigon Cafe, with the required drink in hand, hot tea.
This is an example of how a completely unsharp image can still convey a mood. The lack of detail somehow enhances the experience of the color and the shapes.

The Clock Shop - Charlottesville - Time Passing

This was taken through the window of The Clock Shop of Virginia (closed on Saturdays), caddy corner to where the Charlottesville City Market is held. The shop has been here as long as I have lived here. The display case is like a small museum of different clock designs, from antique, to modern (as in what was modern in the 50-70’s).

Time remains one of the most mysterious of concepts to me. The clock implies a structured, measurable property, yet psychological time seldom has that characteristic. If an event is charged with enough emotion, it may never seem far away at all.

The Clock Shop has seen some time pass by, and you can feel in a different time while browsing its collection. That display case has little to do with sales; it’s a display of eras via clock design elements.