Still Life with Dog Paw

I've been wanting to post more pictures of Boz, but I know myself. I'm like people who show photo after photo of their kids--it's okay for the first couple of shots but very soon the pictures are cute only to the parents.

I am not Boz's parent. I'm more like his artistic partner. He's always got ideas for different shots to do.

Dogs have the need for artistic expression. Sure they do. Ask any expert.

111111

We should commemorate today because it's Veteran's day. We should commemorate the date if only because it happens just once a century.

If you head up to Memorial Park at Walnut and Raymond today at 10:30 you can be part of the Veteran's Day commemoration. I predict music, a flyover and no rain. But don't try getting anything done at the library or City Hall. All city offices will be closed.

As for the date, I suggest you Google 11/11/11 and find all the fun stuff. There's history, numerology and predictions.

I like to think those sets of ones are auspicious. But I'll leave the details to the numerologists, the predictions to the soothsayers and the Nigel Tufnel jokes to you.

Movie Star Home

Hell of a back yard, isn't it?

I'm not sure why I find this house compelling except it looks like something from a movie. A scary movie, maybe. Can't you picture it all lit up at night? Or maybe we'll keep the sun and have some naked hipsters dancing on the deck, like in a Blake Edwards film set in the swingin' seventies (wasn't there such a scene in "10"?).

That big window faces east. Could get pretty warm in there in the morning, which is perfect if you're a naked hipster. Not too scary for the neighbors, either, because it's isolated enough that nobody can see in unless they want to make the effort to climb the hill and peek. In that case, if they see anything scary, they asked for it.

Librarians Rule

looking out over the north entrance of Pasadena's Central Library

It's no secret I'm a fan of libraries and, by extension, librarians. You can imagine my glee when I received the press release with the following headline:

CALIFORNIA’S LIBRARIANS TO GATHER IN PASADENA TO DISCUSS THE CHANGING WORLD OF LIBRARY SERVICES

It's not like I'm going to the California Library Association Conference, or that I expect to meet any of these librarians while they're here this weekend (the 11th to 13th). It's just nice to know they're coming to town.

I hear they're a raucous bunch. In fact I know they are, my sister's a librarian. She's not a California librarian, but I know what I'm talking about. Don't let all that shushing fool you. These Dewey-eyed fans of Melvil and Melville are into space-age information distribution and wild, late-night author signings. They support literature of all kinds even if they don't agree with it. They read banned books.

From the press release:
“We’re very pleased to host the conference and showcase our community and our library system for librarians from across our state,” said Pasadena Library and Information Services Director Jan Sanders. “It’s a chance for us to learn to better meet the needs of library users.  We also look forward to having conference attendees visit our libraries while they are here.”

They'll be in the libraries! Look out!

More information about the conference is available at www.cla-net.org.

2012 Pasadena Daily Photo Calendar

I've been looking back through old posts and picking out photos to put up on RedBubble. RedBubble's one of those sites where you post your artwork (doesn't have to be photography) and people can buy it in the form of cards, posters, etc. You can click on my little ad in the sidebar.

So I put up some stuff and some of it sold. I was the buyer so it was no surprise. But then shocker! Someone else bought cards! My siblings are not owning up, nor are my in-laws. RB does a nice job of printing. I'm happy with them.

Over the weekend I made a 2012 PDP calendar (this picture isn't on it--just, you know, caveat emptor). I also added a couple of photos with a Christmas or winter feel if anybody wants to order Pasadena-oriented holiday cards. One card has the Colorado Street Bridge on it, one has City Hall and one was taken at the Huntington Gardens. I was thinking of doing a calendar of the Last Day Project with the photos of Johnson Field from September, 2009 to August, 2010. They'd be arranged so as to stick with the January-December calendar structure we use here on the planet. If you're interested, let me know and I'll put that together. Also let me know if you don't see the photo you want and I'll put it up there so you can buy cards or whatever.

I'm doing my Tom Bodett here, my soft-sell. I don't expect to get rich this way. But, you know, a few people asked. Do I sound lackadaisical enough?

Zen Monday: #169

Zen Monday's the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what I think the photo's about. There's no competition, no right or wrong. Let your imagination dictate. We're here to have fun.

I look for a photo worth contemplating or, failing that, something odd or silly. Unless I absolutely must say something I stay out of the comments box to avoid influencing the discussion. However, I'm feeling more and more relaxed about that self-imposed rule.

Grand Mosaic

This is  one of those things where if you know it's there it's no surprise, but if you don't, when you come upon it it's somehow incongruous.

I was of the latter persuasion, coming upon this and thinking, well, a modern tile mosaic is the last thing I expected above the entrance to underground parking.

I should make you guess where this is.

Maybe you already know?

It's at the north end of South Grand Avenue--the last building before the Colorado Street Bridge. It's nice to park there (on the street) and walk out onto the bridge for spectacular views and, right about now, some bracing wind. You can stop in the driveway for a bit of erudition on the way back to your car.