Week Twenty-One: Targets of Opportunity

I may have found my muse. Or if not my muse, at least someplace it has been. There is a bit of creative residue here. At least I hope that is what it is. Other residues are possible, but let's not think about that. Mostly on-base shots but that makes sense, as that is my environment of late. Went a bit nuts taking pics in NYC, and travel snafus caused a delay in my uploading the good ones. Ah well. All is well.

Day 1 (141): 28th of April
So when they told me "You're going to Virginia Beach" I had two thoughts. One was related to the glorious exodus from the grind in Crazy Land to a place with decent spring weather. The other may have involved the phrase "Bloody Virginia Beach" (or something similar). What I was not expecting was that the weather here would be startlingly similar to the wet dreary sogginess of Naples. But alas, such are the whims of the gods. Did make for some neat photo ops, like this rather empty pool on base Oceana.

And the drip drip drip of water on the asphalt.

Day 2 (142): 29th of April
One great thing about being in a classroom environment is that my schedule shifts for the better. my 0530 start becomes a 0830 start, and my 1600 finish shifts to a 1430 or at worst 1500 end. Gives me time to do things like the little bit of exercise my fool spine will allow. And wander about taking photos. Found this softball field on base with these silly stupid low benches in the dugout. Why do they do that for fully grown people? Most adults who actually play softball are not the kind who are good at getting off the ground easily. Asking them to sit on a bench six inches off the ground is a bit cruel.

At the same field I realised that I was returning to the scene of a past crime. In this very outfield, I got hit in the face by a line drive from a friend's bat (still have the scar over my right eye). Witnesses said my feet left the ground and I was essentially airborne before my limp body crashed to the grass.

Day 3 (143): 30th of April
More crummy weather. Have I mentioned that I am not the biggest fan of the Hampton Roads area? And excessively tall people in my class who have excessively twattish personalities. And who put their digits on my computer screen in order to tell me where to click and exactly what to type. That is the sort of behaviour that will result in loss of said digits, especially when I am hypoglycaemic. This pinecone is more relaxing. I forgot how much I like pinecones. Italy doesn't have them. Probably because it also doesn't have pine trees.

Not sure why I took this.

Day 4 (144): 1st of May
Gosh I wish I had more exciting things to say this week. But really the fact that the only things I've had to worry about are studying and learning and keeping up physical therapy is wonderful beyond what I can say. And today the Aussies proposed a class drink-up in the afternoon by the beach. The turnout was not great but really that just meant there was more for those of us that showed up. Even the weather cooperated. It was cloudy but dry and just the right temp to not need jackets. Silly details, I know, but that is what makes it, right? Check out the beach. No edits required.

Love was apparently in the air... again no edits required.

Then it got even better with the sunset.

Day 5 (145): 2nd of May
We finished with class at lunch. Best class ever. Probably won't fail next week's test. But I'll worry about that later. I've got two plane rides this w/end on which I can study. I promise I will. Really. No, really. Ooh! Look at the springy little fleurs...

They look even cooler in B&W.

Day 6 (146): 3rd of May
Off to NYC today. For the first time ever. Meeting my old college roommate this afternoon (after she sees a Yankees game... bless). Only been by NYC (gone over the bridge from Jersey), so this will be brilliant and intimidating. I'm totally going to rock the tourist thing. And try not to get robbed. But Naples has trained me for just this occasion. The day was pretty great. Went to a bar owned by my friend's landlord and had nice burger and beers. Got to see the inside of a TriBeCa loft (also owned by said landlords). Must be nice to be absurdly wealthy. Here is a placeholder (maybe) of a nice sight for this enthusiast's eyes.

And here is the bar. They sprayed over part of the B so it is now called the Ear. Brilliant.

Day 7 (147): 4th of May
Quite the romp about the city for Star Wars Day. Started in TriBeCa and walked to the water and down to the Freedom Tower and 9/11 memorial. Really not a bad day for walking all over the place. The memorial was really pretty neat. When I get the photos uploaded from the camera, they will show it. Played with shots of the water, but the best ones were of the tower itself and of the list of names (they put flowers in the names on that person's birthday). Also had lovely crispy eel in a nice little place in Chinatown, had mediocre coffee and rather ice-creamy gelato in a Little Italy cafe, saw Times Square, and got my pin from the Hard Rock. Then went to the Columbia University Film Festival for the premiere of a film I helped produce. Nice little event, even if some of the films were a bit hard to fully grasp. All in all a success. My flights... not so much. Got cancelled from my original flight and put on one for the morning, but managed to get on a flight to Charlottesville, which is a three hour drive from Norfolk. That means that I'll be getting into bed around 0330 or thereabouts. Thus the placeholders. Like this one from the inside of a NYC subway.

And this one of a tulip outside the fancy loft. New York has lots of tulips.

Feel bad taking out the placeholders, but here are some more tulips. Loved this purple.

And here are the ground zero shots. First Freedom Tower.

Now a nice shot of some names. Of all the shots this was my fave.

And finally, my best Bridge shot.

Really sorry about the use of placeholders. I hate that. But blame Delta. This always happens when I fly with them. Promise when I get the technology back, I'll fix it.
Update: All fixed, but left the placeholders because it is not their fault I was foiled.

Week Seventeen: Devil's in [on] it

The details, that is. I've long been fascinated by the whole forest and trees analogy, whether directed at one who misses the former or the latter in favour of the other. As fits with my personality, I vary in terms of where my focus lies. Sometimes I am all about trees, and other times would much rather the forest, thank you. This week was all about the trees. Some of those are slightly sad trees - erm - details, and some are just interesting.

Day 1 (113): 31st of March
Odd Symmetry, though not so fearful, dear Tiger. Last Monday was a horrid traffic day which lengthened my commute rather more than is acceptable. Today did the same fool thing. Problem with Naples drivers and narrow two lane shoulderless motorways is that they do not mix, and the inevitable result is chaos. The desperate need to get just one car ahead (whether or not it helps) leads to every situation becoming far worse than is necessary. Took advantage of the rather lengthy pauses to get a couple little photos, though. Like this little thistle by the guardrail. 

And then later a tree that has gone all green in bits (not those bits). Spring be upon us.

Day 2 (114): 1st of April
April Fool's Day. A.K.A. My Favourite Holiday. Sadly, this year I didn't even notice the end of the month approaching, and as such did not plan anything good. And if it's not planned well, it's not really worth it. Though we did put Rick Astley on the door sound system on a loop all day, so I can be satisfied that we song-bombed all passersby with a little Rick Roll. The reactions were pretty good, though no one did the Astley White Boy Dance in the hall, which would have been best. OK, I may have done it once or twice, but if one cannot enjoy one's own evil deeds, what then? For today, I kept things simple again. No horrid traffic situation this time, but I decided to stop on the side of the road to snap the following. Had to be hasty, as was in the left lane, and despite my illuminated four-ways the locals came roaring up behind me before going round. Just to prove a point, I imagine. Any rate, here is the result. 

And this shadow had me intrigued, so here it is.

Day 3 (115): 2nd of April
My brain is full of music. Yesterday my internal DJ mixed Astley with MJ's "Beat It" and it was strangely brilliant. Today I've had a Bee Gees / Spin Doctors thing happening and it is slightly less brilliant. Song-bombing all passersby is a true passion of mine, but it can have inadvertent side effects. Nevertheless, the detail-focused shots for this week continue, so I took advantage of the later time of sunset to spend time in the out of doors. Lots of looking down this week, so this is what I saw.

And more looking down got this. The light was not quite right, but it is tiny and bright and makes me think of spring.

Day 4 (116): 3rd of April
Today's photos came out of a trip to the other base, where I had to go for to see the Man With the Power. Not of Hoodoo, but rather of therapy (physical). I'd recently seen an Instagram feed where a gal divides the photo in half diagonally and makes use of natural angles. In light of my attention to the details this week, I thought I'd have a go at the same sort of concept. Not sure it really worked, but it is food for photographic thought. Wouldn't be Naples without a fag-end in the grass.

Again, not quite nailing it but there you are.

Day 5 (117): 4th of April
Ten years ago today the date was 04-04-04, in Europe and the U.S. Not sure why that matters (if at all), but seems a neat way to start the day. In April of 2004, I was finishing my second year of University. I'd not yet joined the Navy, but knew that would be my path. Funny old world, isn't it? Had I been able to see then that a decade later I'd be where I am now, would I have changed course? Not really a worthwhile thought experiment, but I sometimes think back like that. It comes with the introvert package. Speaking of connections, here is a chain. Good strong links. 

Day 6 (118): 5th of April
Bummer of a day. Three of the kittens have died in the last twelve hours. No idea why. They were fine yesterday, and then one by one, they stopped nursing and faded fast. Had to look it up, as was feeling like the world's biggest failure, and apparently it is not uncommon for kittens to "fade" in the first week, for a multitude of reasons. That said, I still feel like I've let G.G. down. She's been so trusting, and I cannot help thinking I missed something or failed to do something. The details, in this case, may have been the most important things. On that note, the below sign (though intended for the Americans stationed here) should really feature on most Neapolitan roads. And in this case, the lack of punctuation usage in road signs makes it all the more accurate. We shall name this "Caution Road." 

Day 7 (119): 6th of April
Little Bit is still going strong. She's lost her brother and two sisters, but she seems to be doing well, eyes opening and everything. I've been back and forth on calling her Christina Aguilera and Tiger, as she is a fighter and a survivor. Started with Agatha Christie, but then remembered that the book is And Then There Were None, not And Then There Was One, and I want Kharma on the side of this little dear.      

No worries, though, because Mama's still here. Mamas are always there. That is what makes them so great.

Yes, sad news to close the week. Put me in a foul disposition, and taking care of three dead kittens ruined my w/end. But on the bright side, little Christina Aguilera Tiger - holy crap, just saw what that spells - is on a good path for now. Keep fingers crossed for her.