Runcible Blog

Everything is Picture

Andrè Kertesz once remarked (according to my fuzzy memory anyway) that "everything is picture" (English wasn't his first language). He considered almost anything in daily life worth photographing. Although I'm not in Kertesz's league, I've been feeling similarly inspired lately while driving around town. Friday and Saturday nights I patrolled Lawrence, listening to my scanner and looking for photo opportunities. Lawrence is actually quite busy on weekend nights, I've learned. Unfortunately I'm not courageous enough to walk around by myself downtown. My main concern is that I don't know where I could park my car and expect to find it intact when I return. The Park, Myrtle, Arlington, and Lawrence Street area seems to be the most "active" at night.

So while I'm driving around I'm seeing all sorts of potential photographs and imagining how they might look, but I haven't taken any pictures yet. How sad. Once I get a better feel for the city I'll venture from my steel and bondo confines (much like a diver wandering from his shark cage). I'd hate to play the race card, but I haven't noticed many fellow crackers hanging out in Lawrence at night. Also, Lawrence is not Boston -- Bostonians and Cambridge folk (?) are used to seeing snot nosed kids with cameras on the street. Lawrencians, it seems, are more suspicious and paranoid. So, my minority status combined with a somewhat photographer-hostile town makes for an awkward environment. I shouldn't make excuses though.

On another note, I've been thinking about documentary filmmaking. PBS and even HBO make some excellent documentaries that are really inspiring. I'm not sure if I'd be interested in or capable of making a video documentary though. I wonder if it's possible to convey the same ideas and emotions in the same hard-hitting style using still photographs rather than video or film. Well I know it's possible, but I don't see many examples in "mainstream" media. I shouldn't even mention the Eagle Tribune's sorry excuses for photo essays. Bleh.


"the most dangerous liberal columnist"

I'm watching Tim Russert interview Paul Krugman on CNBC, and I noticed a couple things:

  • His name is pronounced KROOG-man rather than KRUG-man. How about that.
  • While reading his columns, I imagined his voice being that of a grizzled, pissed-off intellectual powerhouse. Instead, he speaks with a geeky, anxious, somewhat self-conscious manner (think Richard Dreyfus). Let's just say he has a voice for print.
  • He's still the man when it comes to exposing the administration's lies and distortions.
  • I'll have to check out his book, "The Great Unravelling". If there's a lot of economic mumbo-jumbo, I might lose interest. Ideally, it'll be a fun pop-up book.


    Thought Provoking

    NO Freddy did not die, thats my point, the only thing that killed him was the decapitation, sure the glove through the heart injured him, but think about it, Freddy is as heartless as Jason is brainless, a shot through the heart would hurt him about as much as shoving the machete through Jason's brain, What's not there can't be damaged.

    This (and much more) is what people talk about on IMDB's discussion forums


    Farking Gross

    I just picked up a dirty sock off my floor, and a small, brown, maggot-like worm fell out on to my leg. How disgusting is that? I flicked it away, but now I can't find it. Now I'm paranoid about maggots hiding in my clothes. I think it's a good time to do laundry.....


    Ouch! My Jewels!

    I took my bike out for a spin for the first time since about September last year and was reminded of a few things:

  • I'm way out of shape.
  • I probably don't eat enough food (or enough good food) to do much exercise without passing out.
  • I forgot how uncomfortable that bike seat is. It's hard to believe I survived about 1500 miles on that bike without suffering bike-induced castration.
  • I can't really afford to lose any fluids or weight while riding. I'm down to 130lbs. -- one long bike ride could lead me to appear on a "save the children" commercial.

  • -----------

    I haven't spoken to many people lately (electronically or otherwise). I wonder how everyone is doing? Actually, if I really was concerned I would have made some attempt at communication, right? I think lately I've preferred to have no conversation than have one that goes nowhere.

    I saw some old "friends" a few weeks ago on the T, and they looked almost exactly the same as they did two years ago. It made me wonder if I seem any different than I was in high school. I certainly hope so.

    My work experience has been solidifying my will to change occupations to photography. National and even local politics are important things to be involved in, but corporate politics is mind-bendingly trivial and useless. I don't want to argue about computers; I want to argue about lots of other, non-computer-related things. That's all the justification I need to want to switch.

    I've had some enlightening conversations with a NESOP teacher that I might recap here for posterity (as much as is possible in the ephemeral web).

    Speaking of posterity, that's the word I've been thinking of these days when taking pictures. I think if anyone asks why I'm taking their picture I'd say "for posterity." But I wouldn't really say that because I doubt it's a good enough reason for someone to grant consent. Instead, I'll say "I collect souls, and you're my next catch."