Cold Eye

   

   

#51

02.20.10

  

Photo

   
I captured this photo of rock behind a frozen cascade of icicles along the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet.  There are many such sights along the Arm, but this one was perhaps the most spectacular of the drive.  When I look at it I think of an icy cave, or perhaps a very cold eye.
 
Here are a few additional shots to show the scope of ice fall:
 

 

There's the "cold eye" near the bottom, center of the pic.

   

From a little further away...

 

 Looking up.

 

 Different angle, looking up.

 

Music

 
The Cave Singers of Seattle had put out two albums before I learned of them, and I was kicking myself for not having discovered them sooner.  They have a raw, unkempt sound that resonates with me on some days... while on other days it does not so much.  Today it does, and I like how their tune fits my photo.  
   

Parting Comments

   
Q and I were sitting in a rental car in Utah last December while T looked for wrapping paper, or stickers, or was it greeting cards?  I don't think it really mattered; she wanted to unload some of our cash on a vendor, any vendor, and just so happened to be in a store that was dedicated to accommodating her wish.  Ain't America grand? 
 
The real point is that while we were sitting there and waiting for her, we were listening to KRCL, which in Utah is the equivalent of KNBA in Anchorage, or WXPN in Philly:  "Listener Supported, Commercial Free" radio.  They rolled a track by Cave Singers and I was caught up in their strange sound.  I remember thinking at some point during the tune, 'my goodness, what if I don't catch the name of the band?'  That's when I remembered I had Shazam, and went fumbling through my pockets for the iPhone to use that app and figure out the song and band.  By that evening I owned both Cave Singer albums, and find plenty of occasions to enjoy their sound.  Hopefully they have a sound you might enjoy incorporating in to the soundtrack of your life too, wherever you may be.
 
Until tomorrow... thank you for looking, listening and reading.  CCE 
   

8-Ball with my Bro

   

   

#50

02.19.10

 

Photo

 
To be honest, I didn't think I'd get past entry #8 in this iPhone Photo Blog; yet here I am at post #50.  And to commemorate the occasion I am posting a photo that features a Human for the very first time.  How perfect that it be one of my favorite humans of all time, my youngest brother D.M.E.?
  
Though I was still recovering from a stomach bug that laid me low for about 48 hours, and from which I continue to recover even now; Wednesday night was the last night my parents and D.M.E. would be here in Anchorage for their visit.  So I mustered the strength to take D.M.E. out to the Anchorage Billiards Palace on C Street.  He had been playing there one to three hours every day since he arrived, but I had never been there with or without him.  
  
In fact, I hadn't "shot stick" really since I was an undergrad student at the University of Utah in the early 90's.  That's where I'd meet guys like M.R.B., M.C.D., J.H., D.R.S., C.T., and my "irish twin" brother E.S.E. at the Union Building from time to time.  While our skill levels were variable, neither the quality of company nor the presence of Pink Floyd, Tesla, Whitesnake, Queensryche and Tom Petty on the jukebox were variable.  What great times!  You know, on second thought, I did shoot some stick with M.C.D. in Chicago when I got to go out and visit him and his brilliant wife a few summers ago.  More great times!
  
Playing pool again was a real blast.  The Anchorage Billiards Palace is a real clean place featuring no smoking and a dress code to boot; so there is nothing to keep me from wanting to go again right now, even.  I really, really like this photo of D.M.E. putting some felt and wood on the ball.  If I'd snapped the photo one split second later you would have seen a cloud of blue chalk rise like smoke off the cue... or do I wax too poetic?  
  
I only wish I could look so cool in such a photo.  He was kind enough to offer to take my photo when I shot, but after the photos I had of him, I just knew I couldn't ever measure up.  And for those keeping score, D.M.E. took the day 3 games to 2.
 
More photos showing the photogenicity of D.M.E. as well as his gnarly pool skills:
 

 

 Sink it, D!

I almost chose this as the featured photo.  And I must give myself credit for teaching D. the "behind-the-back" shot, which M.R.B. taught me many years ago... and I'll be chucky-darned if he didn't sink the first three behind-the-back shots he tried!  Please remember me in your future memoirs, D:

"SLC Slim - Pool Shark".

And to finish my tribute to the D.M.E., I just have to say how proud I am of him for graduating as a Doctor of Pharmacy in December.  He just passed his national board exam right before coming to Alaska, so it was time to celebrate indeed.

Music

  
In 1987-88, right before I went to Guatemala for two years, I started listening to the synth-pop sounds of a band called Underworld that formed from the fragments of another band I followed called Früer.  By the time I got back from Guatemala in 1990, the Underworld had morphed from a synth-pop band into a techno band, and I wasn't in to no sissy techno / electronica / rave bands, you know?  Except that after listening to Dubnobasswithmyheadman by the Underworld, I was in to sissy techno music after all.  And lots of it, too.  
 
I went methodically through all the bands as they came out in the movement, including Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Fluke, Orbital, Utah Saints, Daft Punk... you name it.  I sampled, purchased and liked some from each group.  But all these years later, it is still Underworld that has my ear.  And how could I not like these cats?  I'm a proud Welsh-American, afterall... and these boys are from Cardiff.  Cymru Am Byth!
 
This track 8-Ball fits the photo perfectly in both name and mood.  It comes off their album 1992-2002 as a previously unreleased recording.  What a song!  I get lost in it every time, and have found myself typing to the beat since I started playing the track on loop tonight.  And though I passionately loathe dancing, I cannot help but admit I've had a few shoulder wiggles and head bobs as I've typed, too.  The horror!  What's happening to me?!  What's next, ABBA?!  Somebody, quick!  Call the paddywagon!

  

Parting Comments

  
Just last week it seemed like everything was firing on all cylinders.  Work was great.  The family was great.  Everyone was in good health.  The Sun would rise and set at the expected times and places.  My folks and brother arrived for a visit.  The blog was humming along with regular entries, each the length of the pre-edited script for Ben Hur. 
 
And then... well... I just don't know.  The wheels came off the wagon, so to speak.  I got the stomach bug, and *poof*, it was a struggle to keep afloat.
 
But today the old wagon's wheels have been replaced with high performance Blizzaks, and I'm ready to roll again.  Thanks for your patience, most gracious gentlepeople.
 
Until tomorrow... thank you for looking, listening and reading.  CCE
 

Wildflowers

#49

02.18.10

Photo

Another iPhone photo from last summer.  T grows these wildflowers alongside our home, and they're a real treat to come home to each day.  The variety of flowers and colors are pretty enough to stop people on their walks, and sometimes even the cars driving by.

Parting Comments

I'm feeling quite a bit better today; but I'm still tired and working full, heavy days.  Hopefully today's photo signals better and brighter days for the blog in the near future.

Thanks for looking.  CCE

{iPhone} 

Polar Bears

#48
02.17.10

I took this photo at the Alaska Zoo with Q last summer. It was one of
those Right Place, Right Time events. It was fun to see the bears
wrassling under water.

Thanks to all the well wishers out there; I am back to work, even if
not at 100%.

The blog / music are going to remain scaled down until I feel better.

Thanks for looking. CCE

{iPhone}

Fire

#47
02.16.10

Photo

Just a simple shot of the fireplace. It will be my friend as I recover
from illness.

Music

If I'm feeling well enough to drag myself to the desktop later today,
I'll update the music.

Ironic, isn't it, that the last time I left the same song playing
multiple days (when I was on the Caribbean) it was also Ryan Adams.
Hmmm... Coincidence? I shall very cautiously add R.A. tracks in the
future.

Parting Comments

Ah, the joys of stomach flu. Really, is there anything better? Aside
from papercuts to your eyelids, or razor blades embedded between your
toes... Those are clearly 'better'.

Until tomorrow... You know. Enjoy. CCE

{iPhone}

Starlite (City) Diner

   

  

#46

02.15.10

 

Photo

 
We went to breakfast at our favorite weekend  joint, City Diner in Midtown Anchorage, again today as we have many times before.  Nevertheless, everything looked different today.  This time I arrived keeping a close lookout for that next potentially beautiful and interesting photograph, something I've learned to do since 01.01.10.  Though I'd seen these shiny counters, refrigerated dessert case, colorful beer taps, stainless steel espresso machine and mirrored decor a hundred times before; today I finally saw them.
   

Any time there is a blitzkrieg of light, color and reflection... I'll be sure to capture an image of it these days.  Here are a few more shots I took of the place while we waited to be seated:

  

  

Music

 

Today's musical feature goes back to Ryan Adams who was featured back in entry #16 with the lonely Evergreen.  Now we're listening to his softly paranoid song Starlite Diner off the THIRD album he released within the calendar year of 2005, entitled '29'.  Talk about prolific!


Starlite Diner is a lovely, lovely listen.  It sounds to me like his date is a mere 15 minutes late for dinner at the diner, and this propels his psyche into a tailspin of melancholy and self-doubt, as if he's lost her forever.  I love how at the end she does shoes up, and with quiet relief he repeats "oh, there you are".
 

Parting Comments

 
My folks and my brother have been here in Alaska for 3 nights, now... and we've already enjoyed the fine food of Villa Nova, Moose's Tooth Pizzeria, and now City Diner.  Tonight we stay in for home cooked king crab with almond rice.  Between the cruise last month and their visit this month, I think my body is starting to believe I am a guest at a banquet hosted by Tymon of Athens.  I don't know how March is going to keep up with January and February... but it better start planning NOW, because my expectations are currently running quite high.
 
Until tomorrow... thank you for looking, listening and reading.  CCE
   

Your Boots

   

 

#45

02.14.10

  

Photo

  
These monochromatic and worm-holed boots make me ask questions to which I have no answers.  Shouldn't all good art make us ask the same questions?  Even still, I really don't know the "What, Where, When, Why, or How" of them; but I do know the "Who" of them (see below in Parting Comments).
  
The photo was easy to take, and I like how the one drop of red paint near the small toe of the right boot suggests the sculpture really is in color, even if just one color, and this isn't just a black and white reproduction of something.  
  
I really don't have much else to say about the piece or the photo, other than I find it interesting to look at.  I hope you do too. 
  
Here are a few more images I took at the exhibition:
  

 

 

 

 

Music

 
It has been a battle for me thus far to not post a song by the Eels in this blog.  So many of their songs have been on my radar, and finally in this entry and with these photos I have found a proper home for a nice track.  I really like them (him), and have a good friend at work who loves them (him) even more than I do.   Their (his) language and lyrical imagery are not meant for mass consumption; but I find it all to be beautiful, meaningful and interesting music just the same.  The Eels are really Mark Everett, who likes to go by "E", just like me.  To Lick Your Boots is a rather mellow and clean song for the Eels, so it is unlikely to offend anyone.  It has an easy, lilting tempo that I enjoy.  It comes off the 2005 double album Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. 
 
My favorite lines in this song, and the reason the song was featured with today's photo, are:
  

People spend their days
Trying to find new ways
To put you down

All over town
But they're not fit

To lick your boots.

Parting Comments

 
The images featured here were taken at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in downtown Anchorage last month.  It was part of the Silent Sketches installation by artist Jessica Brown.  She also has nice mixed media artwork that I have seen online.
 
If the art above doesn't strike you as either interesting or beautiful, then perhaps this image I took through a store window that night while walking back to the car with T and Q might make proper amends:
 

 

Just in time for Valentine's Day... 

the Alaskan Fur Bikini!

Classy...  just plain Classy.

   

Until tomorrow... thank you for looking, listening and reading.  CCE