Had heard some blasts earlier in the evening, and thought the fireworks were over until it sounded as though the sky was falling.
Since early in the morning, a tidal wave of humanity flowed onto the banks of the Charles River in anticipation of tonight's Fourth of July Festivities. I took these pictures just before 7 p.m. tonight as the crowd waited patiently—entertaining themselves with food, games, cards, and more food. As I write this, the sun is setting and the fireworks should burst into the sky above all of these patient folk at last.
No more Debtor's Prison and no more public humiliations
I found myself in Hartford yesterday for a seminar in social media networking. After several hours of immersion into the world of cyberspace and cyberfriends, it was refreshing to walk around the center of downtown Hartford and hang out on a bench right near the State House. That's where I noticed the display of some original stockades.
Until yesterday, Hartford CT was always a place to avoid as I veered onto 91 South and then on to Route 15 and Merritt Parkway to make my way speedily to NYC. During these days of Elena Kagan's confirmation hearings, it's interesting to rediscover that the person on the top of the Hartford State House dome is a blindfolded female holding the scales. How odd that the gender that was classically cast to be the embodiment of Justice has taken so long to be a small part (still a minority) of the judges on the Supreme Court.
Back in Boston today, other images seemed to fall into the same theme of changing perspectives and how from where we stand or sit or think, we're only seeing a very limited picture when others see the world from their particular perches and posts.
A local elementary school had a field trip to the Apple store today
The last image that invited yet another change of perspective was the presence of a drink stand unmanned by anyone except a plexiglass box into which, on the "honor system" passersby were prompted by a recorded voice announcement to help themselves to a drink and to deposit a dollar in the box. The set up and invitation to be honest with the expectation and trust that we all would do so was as refreshing as the drinks themselves. People wanted to put the dollar in to support "The Honest Store."
Safe sex? Put all your passion into technology and you can develop a healthy case of techno lust. The pictures in today's posting show a fraction of the crowds snaking along Boylston St. this morning as each techno-hungry enthusiast waited for his or her turn to buy the new iPhone4 that was released today. Most of the people in line already own iPhones but want to upgrade to the latest version with more bells and whistles.
Kick-Ass cupcakes of Somerville got an order for 2,000 cupcakes to be distributed this morning to the patient folks (many of whom camped out all night to be first in line) in front of the apple store complements of wrapsol.com, a company that makes protective coverings for the iPh0nes. In the picture above you can see (behind the tree) the girl in black with a box of her cupcakes. Talk about lust, one bite into a kick-ass cupcake can start its own form of addiction. I know.
Out walking today, I found the return of the farmer's market in Copley Square in front of Trinity church was bursting with color and all the signs of summer. Strangely beautiful butterfly chairs along Boylston Street caught my eye alerting me to a new place, Sugar Heaven.
Moments later I couldn't resist capturing these patriotic shorts, reminding us of the next major holiday.
Two-inch thick Calcutta from Italy
This engineered terrazzo stone above is made from recycled beer and vodka bottles, while the one below has a much less varied palette and can be back-lit for dramatic effect.
You've all heard of butcher block, but until today I had never heard of Butcher Rock which has all the properties of granite with the fun addition of a bold graphic design statement.
I'll be posting pictures of my mandala mirrors over the next few days. The one above was made from a sample floor tile surrounded by screws and plastic screw sets and some simple chain.
What is a Mandala?
Many philosophic and religious traditions create and meditate on the mandala. Most commonly, a pattern centers around a sacred object with decoration and/or illustration that extends out toward the edges. Meditation occurs when one’s eyes and attention move from the center to the edges and back again, creating a calm and composed mood. I had made several of these mirrors before realizing that I was creating mandalas. While gluing the pieces around the mirror within the prescribed 12” x 12” plywood core, I found myself greatly calmed by the process. At first, my motivation was to recycle—to give new life to the detritus of my “stuff” — the everyday objects in my world and life —most of them long ignored, broken and abandoned. I got more than I had expected from the process when I realized the pattern dictated by the form was leading me to a place of inner calm. After researching mandalas further I learned that Carl Jung often drew them to gain insight into himself and his patients.
Why a mirror rather than a sacred object or deity in the center?
Is having the center object a mirror an act of arrogance? I think not.
