B26

As the year slowly comes to a close, Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on the relationships forged with family and friends that, despite Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, we would not be able to buy.

The ritual begins when we wake up early to beat the TSA lines at the airport. While we line up at the gate ready to get on the plane, we pray our carry-ons, packed with gifts and snacks, will fit in the overhead bins of the plane. As the speaker that announces boarding protocol comes on, a rising sun peeks over the horizon, igniting the sky with rays of pink brilliance.

The world looks bright as the countdown to giving thanks begins.

Brave New World

The morning is quiet as the sun peeks through a flat, gray sky. Carefully trimmed greenery is the only sign of life around a statue of the great Henry Ford. The streets are meticulously clean- free of garbage and those dirty, dumb Epsilons too.

Our city is stunning, with its magnificent glass hatcheries and conditioning centers, yet so empty. Oh wait- but everyone must be partaking in the morning’s solidarity service.

A girl in a piece of artwork resembling Lenina glances up as if she’s greeting Mustapha Mond himself. Boy do I wish I was as tall as the other Alphas. The shops and stores and surface tennis courts are all flawless, but when I look in the mirror I still occasionally wonder what’s happening behind closed doors.

Could there be more to this life than luxury and glamor and soma? I hope to visit the Reservation soon- it’s fascinating to think about living a backwards life filled with physical pain and emotional suffering.

In Memory of Sierra

Unconditional love and blind loyalty are two reasons why losing a dog is so painful. My family and I were unfortunately reminded of this this past Sunday when Sierra, our American dingo, had to be put down.

Sierra truly had a sixth sense- although she could not speak our language, her eyes conveyed meaning beyond the words of the most famous poets and authors. My own words cannot express what Sierra meant to me, so hopefully this slideshow can help.

Good girl.

Life from the Past

During my trip to the Czech Republic after spring semester ended, I was able to visit the magnificent Czech National Museum. Among several long-term exhibitions, the two I remember most fondly were called “The Miracles of Evolution” and “Windows into Prehistory.” Apart from my fascination with the prehistoric world, these exhibits helped me put the accomplishments of the human race in context.

It’s remarkable to think about what humans have achieved in just the last 10,000 years. This span represents just .0018% of the geological time scale since the start of the Paleozoic era, during which the oldest invertebrates whose fossils are displayed in the museum lived.

In this sliver of time we built the pyramids (probably), domesticated cats and dogs, created music, and harnessed the power of the sun and wind. We learned how to fly, made the first pizza, eradicated smallpox, and invented democracy.

As humans, we are far from perfect. Although tribalism, violence, hatred, and slavery are still part of the world we live in today, the needle continues to move in the right direction. If we've achieved this much in the last 10,000 years, just imagine what the next 10,000 years will bring. It takes time for species to evolve and develop- just ask the first mammals who lived during the age of the dinosaurs.

Sky Glass

A patio might be the coolest platform ever- an outdoor space attached to your place where you can relax and read, or celebrate and eat. While I hope to have a patio of my own one day, I can certainly settle for my sister’s one today.

A cool evening breeze sweeps the clouds west to east as I take in reflections off the steel and glass tube. The sky extends across the glass- uninterrupted by the currently dormant elevator. Houses, their rooms, and their chimneys appear to float on blankets of white as the sun slowly dips and dinner gets cooking.

As magical as it is, the view merely plays second fiddle to the most important part of the evening- spending time with family.

Monolith

Between the tangle of branches and electric wires a monolith towers over Somerville’s overcast landscape.

Whether through a chimney or under a street light, the monolith is rarely heard but always seen. When the steel tower does come alive it moves with a steady authority- rotating with a light groan as the load line rises and falls.

Walk through Somerville on an early morning and seeing the monolith is inevitable.

Lanterns to the Moon

In late April I had planned to take photos along the Charles River Esplanade at night. It was a warm and overcast day, and I felt summer stretching its legs as I headed for the T at sundown.

To my dismay, the T was not running between several stations along the route to the Charles. Boston’s public transit had failed me, but there’s something about having to improvise that makes you smile.

I wandered along Somerville Ave looking for inspiration, when pairs of street lights illuminating adjacent foliage stopped me in my tracks. After crossing the road towards the nearest lanterns, I arched my head upwards and circled around the pair of lights. A sore neck was inevitable.

As I jumped from one pair of street lights to another, the lanterns turned celestial and transformed into the moon.

Woods Hole

Woods Hole is quiet in April. A few locals roam the streets, inevitably drawn out by Pie in the Sky’s coffee and scones. Lines are loose off the docks around Mill Pond, as most vessels have yet to wake from their onshore sleep, while buoys bounce in anticipation of their return.

MS 2733 BE woke up early- her bright sunset paint reflecting the gentle dance of the water. The sea on the other side of the draw bridge beckons, but the call has yet to be answered by a vessel. Until me.

The sun’s glow grows as crests of water sparkle at their peaks and approach land. Those lapping waves hit a coarse, rocky beach lined with boulders and shrubs along its edge. Keeping my distance, I wait to descend upon soft nearby sand.

Glimmers of light dot the moving frame of water that brings sediment inland, before taking some away. The ocean leaves its mark on the beach, as do those with two feet. Wind blows through my desperately long hair, and I admire, at ease, the harmony between land and sea.

March for Ukraine

We’ve seen a similar story repeat throughout history, but this time it’s different. The 21st century is supposed to be the century of technology and improvement of the basic human condition, not barbaric invasions. Is this a dream?

I will never understand leaders who solely thirst for control and power. People don’t respect you, they live in fear. Paranoia holds a blade to your neck. Will a show of brute force drive these nightmares away? 

Only one man will be remembered- the man who stood by his people and showed character through love for his country, not the sway of his politics.

I stand with Ukraine.

Parking Garbage

This past Saturday night I trekked to a park along the Charles River to take long exposure photos with a manual flash. I looked forward to combining light trails with objects frozen by the strobe’s light, but my manual flash had other ideas.

After refusing to fire for 15 minutes, I was ready to pack my bag and head home empty handed, but a nearby parking lot offered salvation.

A combination of puddles, pieces of garbage, and the reflections of street lamps offered a unique opportunity to craft a story around litter.

The glow of street lamps floated into the parking lot on a wave of light. Dark shores washed up a green rag weathered by wind and water. Elsewhere, two plastic lids lay exposed, with just a single coffee cup able to lay claim to one of them.

A wrinkled and dirty napkin stood on its side, the victim of sticky fingers which had just grubbed through a bag of M&M’s. Little sticky fingers that is, whose young owner had outgrown a once treasured blue gem.