Oh, I Think So

The Courtyard of the Louvre, hotbed of people taking pictures of each other La Défense, the largest business district in Europe Lunchtime at La Coincidence, Rue Mesnil, near Place Victor Hugo La passage des grand cerfs:  Once you see the cat, everyone sees the cat. Galeries Lafayette:  Noel Monstre outside at night Opéra Garnier, viewed from the Metro entrance   Galeries Lafayette has just one ornament, but it's a monster View of that ornament from below, non-panorama Place de la Concorde, standing on the traffic light divider Yes, those cars were shaving my legs Air France Terminal 2E, the one that collapsed and was rebuilt -- now quite solid

Yes, I went to Paris and was gone for a whole week.  Here is what it did in Paris:  It rained.  When I went out to dinner without my camera, it would suddenly stop and all the clouds would clear from around the Eiffel Tower and I would see it in the distance, looking fabulous with the twinkling light show on the hour.  When I brought my camera hoping the rain would clear out, it wouldn't clear and would, instead, rain.  I went to the Christmas market on the Champs Elysees -- way tackier than anything you could imagine in the States -- and it seemed so clear that I decided I'd walk to the Arc de Triomphe, get some pictures, then walk to the Eiffel Tower from there.  Instead it rained with great purpose and I went soggily back to my hotel.  There were, however, pictures to be taken.  The Saturday I walked from Rue Réamur down to the BHV then all around the Marais was a few hours that even offered a little blue sky and sun.  The day before I l...

I am going off on vacation, but before I do, let me say these few things: 1.  Brian Urlacher is right:  Jay Cutler is not an elite quarterback.  (Brandon Marshall personally attacking B. Urlacher -- talking about the man's personal life -- just makes B. Marshall look like Jay's bitch.) 2.  Marc Trestman may be a good coach -- he was very successful in the Canadian Football League -- but their bottom-of-the-division standing makes me wonder what the hell is going on at Hallas Hall (besides Jay being the head QB). 3. See you in two weeks with pictures, including more pictures of people taking pictures. AFTERWORD Yesterday I followed this person on Belmont for many blocks.  Yes, that's a howling wolf in the picture window: I beg to differ.

It wasn't yet dark in Federal Plaza as a miracle got me out of work early on one of the last warmish  days of the year.  The young photographer was asking her model to rock back and forth, front and back as she was posing, seemingly to get the illusion of movement in the picture.  P.S. We're all wearing wool and light down jackets now. Federal Plaza, 28 October 2014, about 5pm

OMG, OMG, OMG!  WHY DOES IT FASCINATE ME SO??? Much like the beauty of a filled wastebasket at work, people taking pictures continues to capture my imagination.  Now when I arrive at Federal Plaza in the evening it is either dusk or dark and picture-taking there is over until spring but there will be other options.  Yeah, that's a hint. From my personal archives, here are some selections: I like this so much that it's now my desktop wallpaper -- MOMA, NYC, May 2014 And waaaaay off in the horizon, is her boyfriend. - Federal Plaza, Chicago, May 2014 Nighttime at Cloudgate:  The Bean is a neverending source of others snapping pix -- August 2014

Open House Chicago 2014 has come and gone, affording views not otherwise possible for those of us who lead normal lives. And so voila, for you we have a few things I got to see and capture, over which I can sigh in the future. Yesterday was the first time I saw this 2nd floor elevator call signal The occupants with this view know they're lucky String instrument workshop, Fine Arts Bldg. Venetian Court, Fine Arts Bldg, open just for Open House Chicago Venetian Court panorama The Studebaker Theatre, down to its backstage bare bones

I am not the newest bowling ball in the alley and in my time I've met a lot of people with a lot of opinions.  Sometimes it's best to keep one's opinions to oneself, like when religion and politics are concerned.  Other times, it's interesting to hear what one has to say, but that's an opinion and not a fact or a complaint.  People often can be made to change their minds about an opinion, it's true, except for two differing yet similar topics. People are pretty passionate about both of them.  They will not waiver from them.  They will argue their point vehemently.  It's always surprising. The two topics are these: 1.  Do you put the toilet paper over the top or down the back? 2.  Do you read in the toilet? Really.  I am not kidding.  Assuming you're not some stuck-up, arbiter-of-good-taste mope, if you bring up either of these topics (assuming, too, that those with whom you're discussing the topic are not also stuck-up mopes), ...