July 1, 2010

helter skelter in a summer swelter

it's one of those gray days here where it looks as though it could rain any moment but it just leaves the air heavy and thick.  much like you were trying to breathe slightly thinned peanut butter (organic of course).  i thought maybe we would be blessed with a full rainy day where i could day dream romantic type day dreams as i sit working quietly, but...no.  and the construction across the street seems a bit louder than usual, which might be good as it drowns out the ticking of my wall clock. 

i've been thinking some of the next class theme, which is 'swelter' - a good topic for summer in the south i tell you.  it seems that summer in alabama is the very definition of swelter, which you think of it as meaning 'suffering due to extreme heat'...that is until you try to shoot it.  the shots from last week went over well - it's always interesting seeing what everyone else brings to the mix. 

this shot today is a very old shot - i love the bright blues of the boards covering this old building and the fading paint.  i wish companies still painted logos on sides of buildings.  so many things lost to the tracks of times.  i do wonder what we will miss in 20 or 30 years from now...i don't miss sweater dresses that covered me from head-to-toe or stirrup pants.  i don't miss frizzy perms or my braces.  i'm not even sure that miss rubik cube or members only jackets.  i don't miss high-top reeboks as much as i love my high-top chucks.  i did love the madras plaid shorts but not how big my bottom looked in them.  i never looked right in sweaters tied around my shoulders and a side pony a la chrissy snow never worked for me.  i didn't rock the leotard or leg warmers, but i loved me a torn 'flashdance' sweatshirt and skinny jeans. 

so in 20 to 30 years we will probably miss paperbooks and film...tacile things we can hold in our hands.  will we have the flying cars or holograms that seem real? who knows technology changes within a blink of an eye.  let's hope we won't miss war or poverty, violence or abuse.  and rude people...can we also get rid of rude people?  i'll vote for that.

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today on the ipod - shelter from the storm (bob dylan), king of wishful thinking (go west), beast of burden (rolling stones), sea breeze (tyrone wells), i wonder (chris isaak), interstate love song (stone temple pilots).  how random is that list?  (and probably one of the reasons why i was thinking about old ways)

on my desk - three notebooks:  one for planning, one for notes, one for keeping up with my workgroups.  papers to be filed.  a stapler, a ruler, and post-its.  antique sheet music that i wanted to share with a co-worker that makes cards and a coupon for bed, bath and beyond.

gratitude - rain for the lawn, paydays and a quiet no meeting day.

22 comments:

  1. swelter exactly describes summers in Alabama. i'm eager to see how you interpret it in images.

    and if you need my signature on a petition to remove rude people from the planet, i'll be glad to sign...

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  2. You draw an exquisite image of summer in the south. Definitely a slow-down time. When I used to visit my grandmother in Florida, I thought it would be possible to cut chunks of the air with a knife.

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  3. I'm loving that music list. And nothing beats a quiet, no meeting work day. I love those.

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  4. I think some of your sweltering heat is headed here. They're predicting temps in the mid to upper 90s from Sunday through next Wednesday. My tomato plants will love it, but for me? Bring on the a/c!

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  5. this is a spectacular photo .. bright yet dark at the same time...i miss that song...you can come up with amazing lyrics char

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  6. the blue window boards in the photo are so bright and vibrant! And i love your music list :o)
    x

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  7. on my ipod: Kissed It by Macy Gray

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  8. i guess there will be some good things in the future (there better be a whole LOT of them!!!), and some bad. please don't take my books away. please don't! i love the tactile and tangible things. we can't do EVERYTHING on the computer! at least i hope not!

    p.s. with regards to your comment today, yes i COMPLETELY understand why you sort of put dating aside. ugh. contact with one too many creeps makes a girl give up. bleh! let's hope the right one comes along for each of us one day. :)

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  9. Breathing peanut butter, even thinned, eeek. Interstate Love Song is one of my favorite songs ever. I think I'll play it right now.

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  10. i kind of miss my reebok high-tops....BUT, the stirrup pants...oh sheesh...they were horrible....LOL !

    our heat came. suffocated us. left. and is coming back in tomorrow morning on a jet plane....not really a plane, but that's what came out of my mouth and if you were sitting in front of me, you would have heard a little melody with it :)

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  11. loved visiting today..love what you have done with your blog....very nice

    kary
    xxx

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  12. Too bad you weren't with me today. It was nice in Huntsville and by the time I got home this evening I was sort of sorry that I'd missed such a nice day at home. It was the kind of day you can do yard work and not think you might have to call the paramedics any minute. Maybe you'll have some of that tomorrow. Or maybe we'll get your peanut butter.

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  13. beautiful photo Char, I don't miss so much of what was on your list. Our weather was comfortable today which was nice for our holiday...Canada Day.
    take care, glad you are doing so well.

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  14. It has been much too hot lately. love the photo. clean against raw, perfect.

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  15. it's as if the blue skies are shining through.
    we're getting the rainy, day dreaming kind of day today but i hope for blue skies the rest of the weekend.
    what a fun post. especially loving your post format.
    i don't miss the padded shoulder pads.

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  16. I think you hit about every unflattering fashion trend--so true about madras shorts. Do you remember Dorothy Hamill haircuts? Equally dreadful, the Friends haircuts? Haha! Hope you have a great 4th of July weekend Char!
    xo Mary Jo

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  17. i adore this photo and the music list! love it!
    xo

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  18. love your ipod list. hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

    xo Alison

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  19. Oh, I think you're so, so right about paper books and other tactile things. I have a huge book collection and I plan to keep right on reading real paper books. I love the feel, the smell--everything about them!

    Your photo looks exactly like the neighborhood where I have lived for the past several years. In fact, it almost feels like looking out my window!! I'm leaving it in less than a month, and I'll miss the crumbling bricks and painted walls.

    Happy 4th weekend, Char! xo Gigi

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  20. I was just dropping in to wish you and yours the happiest Independence Day. May your day be full! May you enjoy laughter shared with family, great food shared with friends, fireworks to make you gasp, a lump in your throat at the anthem, and a full and grateful heart at all we have been given. Happy Fourth of July, my friend!

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  21. I love your musings, Char...I don't miss stirrup pants or frizzy perms either...((shudder))

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  22. I LOVE that. I love summer in Alabama. I love the swelter.

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i feel as if each comment was between us as we sat and sipped something warm....i love to hear what you're thinking.