High-School Trail

The dogs hiked the High-School Trail up Poo Poo Point with little to no incident. Everyone was friendly and there were plenty of creeks to play in. 

RIP, Snoopy

Snoopy got ran over by a car tonight. I'm shocked, almost in denial. It's truly sad.

Snoopers last year. Still a puppy. 

Where she liked to hang out best.

With Charles and Tess.

Farewell, Snoopy the poopy weenie.

Beach

The dogs and I spent the day at the beach yesterday. It was cold, around 37'F. We were all feeling a bit of cabin fever being stuck at home.

Puppies maxin' relaxin'.

It was sunny the day before.

Literature

I unshelved my copy of the Bible (CEV) to read the Old Testament. At the opinion of my peers, the contradictory passages within are not to be taken seriously. But why not? Is it dishonest to revoke integral parts of the scriptures entirely?

At first, I thought Zillah was the progeny of both Lamech and Adah. Zillah, was Lamech's second wife.  Ostensibly second, but technically first marriage(s) in the bible.  A curious prelude to all the rest.

To end cruelty and violence, God sent forth a flood that had killed off the entire human race, with the exception of one family who had offered blood sacrifices to him.

A Saturday in January

, a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

Nabokov said:

The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.

It was sunny today. Last sign of blue in the sky was two weeks ago when I biked to Redhook with KT and Sarah. KT and Sarah are at Disney this weekend. They're running their first half-marathon.

Sarah

Sarah, a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

In the grand scheme of things, my proficiency in portraiture is mediocre at best. But I think I'm fine with that.

This portrait was very difficult for me because light emanated from the subject's back. I'm not accustomed to crosshatching shadows across important features of the subject's face; nose, eye-sockets, chin, etc. I'm satisfied, though, since the drawing looks like Sarah. Or, at least I think so.

KT

KT, a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

This wasn't the finished product. I modified the subject's left-eye a little.

Kurt

K.V., a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

I missed the Bushwick Book Club's little show on Kurt Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions" tonight. So I made a drawing instead.

Exquisite

, a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

I shouldn't get used to this. By far, the most expensive concoction to ever waft with aroma around the house. Morels, saffron, cardamoms, on veggie stock.

Fleeting

Fleeting, a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

It was roughly 32˚F outside when this shot was captured. Inside, I felt the sharp layers of warm light and cold space as I walked into different areas of the house. I sensed that this was akin to the act of transiting through wormholes, traveling in and out of multidimensional fields. Fancy, but I was actually just glad to find brightness arresting the surface of my windowsill.

Trains

, a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

Trains are common symbols for direction. In the novel "Water For Elephants," the hero, Jacob, is running towards nowhere. Having suffered misfortunes after another, he decides to run away, (literally, running away) and in the course of doing so ends up following a train track. This is where life shifts, and it unfolds the real story of Jacob.

_____

I had a strange holiday.  It's difficult to actuate words to show indifference to all the celebrations that took foot, but I think this was the first that I felt like giving absolutely no shit for Christmas.  I can't, for the life of me, kindle any appreciation for all the gift-givings and pretentious displays of generosity toward others.  I had a conversation with my friend, Britt, earlier in December.  I had inadvertently wished for all of the greatest toys as presents for her children on Christmas.  This was followed by "we're trying not to teach our children to expect material gifts."  I was embarrassed, but I believed similarly and had suggested it only because it was conventional to.  This indicated my passive observance of the world, and there was justice in its resulting shame.

My godson, Lukas, will be celebrating his birthday this Friday.  I'm careful more than ever with choosing the proper regalia to provide him in this celebration.  I don't repudiate gift-giving entirely, I only hate the idea that people do so because they have to.  This results to hasty decisions that fortify the economy of producing junk under the guise of toys, or other objects that serve no real purpose other than lighting up someone's face for a moment and then condemned to invisibility the next.  Like Britt said, the most wonderful thing you can grant a child is the gift of experience.  I bought Lukas a mid-level microscope set for Friday.  This, I hope, will survive his youth and spark curiosity of the world in which his eyes can not readily see.  There are other dimensions of reality outside his own, and I want him to experience it early on in his life.

New Year!

, a photo by herb.purganan on Flickr.

Like Christmas, I'm staying in to hang out with the pups. Art, gin, and postcards from Germany are sufficient devices to welcome the year with.