Sat - May 15, 2004

The street musicians were out in full force today.





Posted at 05:14 PM     Read More  

Mon - May 10, 2004

An odd assortment of Madison storefronts


Under the "LAVA" logo of hellish flames, you'll see the sign for the Blue Lotus "Piercing Lounge." I don't know how my different readers feel about piercing, but can we not all agree that "lounge" is not quite apt?





Yes, lounge! lounge!--everything's a lounge around here. Even with licking red flames, you're presumably lounging.




I realize the intention is to give the impression of a hip and cool nightspot. But isn't it a mixed metaphor? How can "lava" convey the notion of coolness and how can "lounging" make any sense in a lava environment.




For a mellower expression of commercial message, I like Bill's Keys. It's keys, no complicated undertones. Just keys. You know it's keys. It's just plain, honest keys.





Okay, then, let's try something a bit more challenging. This is a shop called Amsterdam, and I assure you, I'm not setting foot inside. Because i don't need a coffin shaped handbag.




I don't need a backpack with a skull and crossbones or any clothing with spider logos.




And I thoroughly don't need--look through the blue building reflection--a chain mail bikini.




Oh, let's just get some falafel. Falaful rules.



Posted at 08:11 PM     Read More  

Fri - May 7, 2004

Summer arrived today...


Summer, for me, arrived today, though it's still cold enough to wear a jacket. The last exam of the semester took place, and I have carried off the pile of bluebooks. I have big plans for the summer, beginning with reading the bluebooks. And reading the last few, straggling admissions files. Interspersed with these duties, I will do a number of organizational, personal administrative tasks, and I have an ambitious list of these things, which I intend to accomplish by using them as a break from grading. For example, I'd like to take everything out of the kitchen and then evaluate each item, so that it must earn its right to return to a place in the kitchen or be damned to the trash heap or sent to the purgatory of Goodwill. I'd like to give the same treatment to the things in the basement and the attic and the garage and the dressing room and the studio and "outer space." What? You mean there's a part of your house called "outer space"? Why, yes! And it's overflowing with junk ... art and junk. It's quite a mess. Why is it called "outer space"? It's a literary allusion. A kid literary illusion. To "Fraggle Rock." Anyway, de-junkifying, exam grading, etc., mark the beginning of summer.

Posted at 08:49 PM     Read More  

Wed - May 5, 2004

Please do one with just ducks, ducks, ducks....

















Posted at 03:35 PM     Read More  

So, really, what did the Terrace look like today?



























Posted at 03:29 PM     Read More  

Today's walk up State Street


I think I'll skip the fortune today and just take my chances heading out into the world unwarned:




B-side Records looks nice today:



And there's a place to buy a present for your sugar magnolia:



And the street musicians give off good vibrations:


Posted at 02:57 PM     Read More  

Tue - May 4, 2004

Bring back those flowering trees of yesterday!




Here is the Red Gym, and a slight glimpse of Lake Mendota there in the center .... that little triangle.



Here is the Red Gym in it's full Red Gym-iness.



Here is the Wisconsin State Historical Society, with a glorious cherry tree. To the left is a bit of the Turkish festival. You can see the snow has made no impression and people are enjoying spring warm, at the 60 degree level.



The fountain in Library Mall. A kid gazes into the water. As my high school English teacher, Mr. Tucker, used to like to quote, "Meditation and water are wedded forever." A denim suited man consumes a little lunch, undoubtedly bought from one of the lovely foodcarts that fill the Mall six months of the year.



The white blooms--apple trees I think--form an arch, the beautiful tree-cathedral effect.



White bloom profusion.

Posted at 06:43 AM     Read More  

Oh, yeah, there was this cookie...


... and I thought you might miss this cookie. Why did I ever post this picture of a cookie? I just liked it. Didn't want to buy it or eat it. Just liked the look of it, in its little plexiglas cabinet, keeping company with bagels.


Posted at 06:19 AM     Read More  

Snow on snow-on-the-mountain


Here you see the freak snow of May 2 as it appears on a ground cover plant called snow-on-the-mountain. The plant's name comes from the white markings on the light green leaves that make the plant look as if snow has fallen on them. The "on-the-mountain" must have come from the likelihood that high in the mountains snow would appear on green spring plants. But here I was in University Heights, which is not really so high, looking at real snow on my snow-imitating plants, which are now bereft of real snow, relegated to reveling in the sunlight in their their pseudo-snow markings.





Posted at 06:10 AM     Read More  

Restored freak snow photographs











Posted at 05:59 AM     Read More  

Turkish festival day in Madison


... but there was next to nothing going on. A number of these tent-roof things were set up, shielding tables that held modest displays of imported items, and recorded music was playing. A couple flags and travel posters were on display. C'mon, that's not a festival. It looked like this:







Posted at 05:24 AM     Read More  

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