My So-Called Life Revisited

My So-Called Life takes me back to a time when I felt really insecure and sometimes pretty lost. Watching it now somehow makes me feel like it was ok...because there are other people out there who probably also felt that way. I'm also reminded that it's always good to look back on those times, because even though I may not have figured it out yet, at least I can see how far I've actually come. *smile*

And because it is amazing, I thought I would share one of my favorite moments from the show...

Katimsky (reading to class):
'My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun.
Coral is far more red than her lips.
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun.
If hair be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seem roses damasked, red and white, but no such roses see I in her cheeks.
And in some perfumes there is more delight, than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know that music hath a far more pleasing sound.
I grant I never saw a goddess go...my mistress when she walks treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare.'

Katimsky: What kind of girl is Shakespeare describing here? Is she, is she the most beautiful girl?

Brian: No.

Katimsky: Is she a goddess? Physically perfect? The kind of girl who...uh...stops traffic when she walks down the street?

Brian: No.

Katimsky: So, he's...not in love with her?

Jordan Catalano: Yeah. He is.

Katimsky: Well, why is that? Why is he in love with her?

Brian: She's not just a fantasy. She's got, like, flaws. She's real.

Katimsky: Thank you.

High Line

New York amazes me. The city is every changing and full of creativity and inspiring energy. This past weekend Ryan and I went to explore the High Line with our friends Matt and Alexandra and had such a wonderful time. I had never been even though it opened to the public last Spring and am so glad we finally got a chance to experience it.
The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift freight trains off Manhattan's streets. Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, formed in 1999 when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. In 2006 they began the work that eventually transformed the space into an amazing, elevated park on the West Side.
They've done a great job retaining the original history by featuring the railway paths within the landscaping. Old meets new...
In addition to the gorgeous landscaping, the designers also used beautiful lines in the pathways and benches.
The textures in the space were organic, natural...and yet, they also fit perfectly with the city as its backdrop
I . love . birch . trees ...
To good friends ...
To unexpected art ...
And to the simple beauty of nature in the middle of a city...
Thank you, High Line. I look forward to our next visit.

The London Bridge...

...was really not impressive. It was a simple, arched bridge across the River Thames which served a purpose of travel, but did not really spark any artistic inspiration as an interesting piece of architecture.

I love bridges. I love their lines and the power they hold as they arch themselves over rivers and valleys. I was looking forward to seeing all of the beautiful bridges spanning the River Thames in London, and thankfully, despite my disappointment in the London Bridge, I had a great experience with other bridges in the city.

I was so excited to see the Millennium Footbridge after having seen it destroyed in Harry Potter: Book 6. It is a steel suspension bridge linking Bankside (right near the Tate Modern) with the City (right in front of St Paul's Cathedral).

I have always wanted to try a delayed exposure photograph in an area where people were bound to walk by my camera. This was a perfect day - overcast with low light - and place to give it a try and I was really pleased with the result. I really like the movement in this photo which gives you a sense of the energy of the city.
From the Millennium Footbridge we were able to see the Tower Bridge in the distance.
And then the next day, we saw it up close...