Yes, another week has gone by already. Just as I suggested in my zine about coping with cabin fever, and as I suspected might happen for me, I’ve become preoccupied with my houseplants. I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at them, trying to figure out what they need, and watching the heartleaf philodendron cuttings I’m propagating to give to Casey.
Speaking of Casey, he walked over this week to pick up some clothes I’d set aside to give him. He didn’t get closer than maybe 10 feet. It’s strange to feel so nervous about being near someone you’re used to spending so much of your time with.
I expect many aspects of life to change significantly as the pandemic progresses and am anyway uninterested in things going “back to normal” given how unjust and unsustainable “normal” was in the US, but I will say that I am impatient for a time where it feels/is safe to meet one-on-one and in small groups again.
But I don’t expect that to happen soon. So, here’s what I saw while passing the time this week.
Casey, visiting. Don’t worry — I shot this at 200mm and cropped in.
A mask-wearing cyclist on the Minuteman Bike Path where it passes through Lexington Center.Bricks waiting to be laid in Lexington Center.The (closed) Lexington Venue movie theater.The mask my mom sewed for me, sitting in the sun after my Saturday Scream.Violets, freshly foraged from my parents’ yard.Flowers on the crab apple tree.
Violet petals soaking in hot water overnight to make violet syrup.My latest and very misshapen bread loaves. We found out yesterday that our oven is off by about 100 degrees in the cold direction, which might explain this lackluster oven spring. Mom setting up to take pictures of some mask-themed pennants she made for an art project.My t-shirts, arranged chromatically. (Not pictured: the 2nd drawer filled completely with black and gray t-shirts)Finished violet syrup. Here’s the recipe, if you have violets blooming in your area and want to make your own.Old garlic I decided to sprout in some water. You can’t consistently grow new garlic this way, but you can eat the green sprouts!
I’ve started a documentary photography project about my hometown. (Okay, it’s just a glamorized blog, but whatever.) I just uploaded the first post. Take a look if you’d like. The history and culture of Arlington is a niche topic, but I hope I can make it visually interesting enough that anyone can enjoy it.
Back when it wasn’t nasty out, my friend Matthew and I took a trip to Mount Auburn Cemetery to take some photos. You can see Matthew’s work (as well as some amazing poetry) on Instagram here.
Here are some shots from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we saw a great exhibit of Michael Nichols’ wildlife photography. Also, there was a rainbow!
Here’s the other event I shot this past Saturday! This is actually the first — the Haitian culture night was later in the day. This event was a blast. The weather was lovely, the festival-goers were friendly, and the art was fun. Check out all my photos below, or click through to the WickedLocal article…
Here’s another from the archive: these promotional portraits of Sophia for their band Home Despot. This was a fun shoot! We went to Kelly’s Diner, a Ball Square staple, and shot in/near the Tufts Crafts Center, which is full of brightly colored surfaces and strange items to use as props. Assuming everything isn’t canceled for…
