March 15

With enough of these pictures, I might appear to have a social life.

I've been attending "edit-ins" for National Novel Editing Month -- my friend Anna is the Queen of Edmo. Marion, Belynda, and Brandon were there with us; Randy and Arika weren't able to make it because Arika hurt her foot. Still, we had a good time, even if there wasn't a lot of editing going on. There was enough laughter to make up for it.

I have to say, I'm quite pleased with this group pic. It came out pretty well for an informally-posed picture; I guess it pays to have attractive friends.

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March 14

I don't know if it's art, but that's what I was aiming for when I created this piece I call "Guard Dog."

We live on the second floor of a two-family house, and in our entryway we have what I can only describe as the ugliest wallpaper ever. There's not a lot we can do about the wallpaper -- the space is awkwardly-shaped, so stripping the wallpaper and painting it is out of the question. It did, however, give me a large wall space to try this art experiment.

I took an old black-and-white photo of Pogo, my dog, and did some work on it. Each of the tiles you see is a plain piece of copier paper. I blew up the photo, ran it through a halftone filter, then divided the image up into separate images. These were printed on a laser printer, and I assembled them into one honkin' big piece of art (42.5 inches wide, 66 inches deep). It wasn't made specifically for the entryway, but it was the only swath of wall large enough to put it up.

It's pretty cool what you can do with copier paper, scotch tape, and a little imagination.

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March 13

There was a lot going on today. So much so, it was nearly impossible to find one photograph to bring home what today was all about.

Today, Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, the folks who brought you the "God Hates Fags" website, sent picketers to Massachusetts. They started off their day at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where a vigorous counterprotest took place. After working 16 hours on the overnight shift (getting off at 7 am this morning), I snagged an hour's sleep and Boyfriend drove me into Cambridge to attend (since I was decidedly too tired to drive). My friend Anna came with me. It was enlightening.

It's difficult to explain what the WBC people are about without it sounding like hyperbole. This is a case of truth being stranger than any fiction you could think up. Reverend Fred Phelps, the founder of the congregation, is vehemently anti-gay. His motto is "God hates fags," and he expands this to include "fag enablers," which encompasses almost everybody. WBC pickets schools with gay-straight alliances (like CRLS), gay bars and clubs, Pride celebrations, etc. They've expanded their behavior to activities like picketing military funerals, claiming that the government is full of fag enablers, and that soldier's deaths are God's wrath on the United States. Their website thanks God for the recent school shootings in Germany, the Alabama shooter, and their various "God hates ..." websites continue to multiply. These are just hateful people in the purest sense.

I was stunned when I arrived to see the steps of the school full of people ready to counter WBCs protest. There were so many people, and so much love and support. It filled my heart. Tears came to my eyes. Even Anna said it was touching. I'm proud that I was part of this group of 500-plus people who came together to show these hateful people what tolerance and love is.

Furthermore, I'm resolving not to use the word hate in normal conversation anymore. It is such a loaded and powerful word -- doubtless why this hateful group has latched onto it with such fervor -- that I don't feel comfortable using it anymore. That helped with my final decision to select the photo above to represent today. It put into words the way I feel, having attended this event.

Links:
Fox 25 news link to protest story
CRLS Senior's blog about the event
My flickr set from today

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March 12

It's going to be a long day -- and night. My coworker Chris, who normally covers the overnight shift, is on vacation, and it fell on me to cover his overnight shift tonight. I arrived at work this afternoon at 3 pm and will leave tomorrow around 7:30 am.

On the plus side, working the double-shift overnight lends itself beautifully to this photo idea. Here's the building where I work, in daylight and darkness. I marked the space on the sidewalk where I placed my tripod legs, thus getting close to identical shots about five hours apart. Placing them side-by-side in Photoshop was simple enough, and while the match isn't perfect (it's very windy outside and hard to keep the camera steady on the tripod), it's close enough.

I'm interested in seeing my photo of the day for tomorrow; I've made plans, but if I'm too tired to stay awake and go into town it's going to be a crap shoot what I come up with.

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March 11

One of my stated goals for this blog was to become more aware of my surroundings. An artist friend of mine is constantly asking me if I've seen particular places or photogenic sights (a particular tree in fall, for instance); I'm hoping that if I pay more attention, I'll be more attuned to these things.

I've known for a while that there's an American Legion post across the street from Forest Hills Station for a while now, but today, as I was stuck in traffic while city workers filled in potholes ahead of me, I happened to glance out my window and saw this flag, made from colored slats inserted in the fence facing Washington Street. And as I gazed at it, I realized I've been going by this spot for the past eight years or so without looking in that direction.

It's not a very impressive sight, but I'm glad that I've learned to pay a little more attention.

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March 10

There's just something terrifically appealing about hot chocolate. Today, my doorman and I received Starbucks from one of our residents. Ennio got a chai, while I was given a hot chocolate with whipped cream. The whipped cream had melted into the hot chocolate, and the result was positively dreamy. Yum!

At the building where I work, there's a no-tipping policy in place. "It's all part of the service," is our mantra, and for the most part, it works. Many of the residents, since they're not allowed to give us tips, often bring us food and drink. When somebody gives you a tip for doing something, it can feel rather pro forma; when somebody feeds you, on the other hand, you feel appreciated. I like that.

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March 09

I've managed to get a few steps along in the process of getting the new computer to a usable state. I've always thought myself a reasonably-intelligent computer user who could handle most situations, but setting up this computer has humbled me a bit. The endless loop caused by an incorrectly-installed Windows Update, where the computer wouldn't boot up without crashing, was loads of fun.

I run an older version of Adobe Creative Suite (CS2), which isn't specifically set up to work with Vista. Intellectually, I can understand that, but it's really frustrating when I have very expensive, perfectly good software that I can't completely install because it's not the newest version. I managed to get Photoshop working fairly well, but it's going to be an inconvenience not to be able to make PDF files of graphic design projects (since Adobe Acrobat 7 doesn't play well with Vista.

Microsoft Office, fortunately, is a good little doobie and works fine.

I've got a list of programs to download and install on the computer as I'm able. Meanwhile, it's running with a functional software firewall and antivirus, and I'm composing my first complete POTD entry with the new machine, so it's not going badly -- just slowly. Too damn slowly.

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March 08

I've been suffering from computer problems over the past week. My laptop developed a bulge over the keyboard, and the cooling fan was running hotly and continuously. Then my display began acting up, making the computer unusable after it ran for a few minutes.

I'd been hoping to keep my old computer running until Windows 7 is released, but that hope went by the wayside. I had an older computer, but it's not very reliable either, and if I wanted to continue having daily access to a working computer, I had to replace it. And I hate spending money -- especially on a Windows Vista machine.

Nonetheless, I bought a replacement machine, one that should (hopefully) be a reliable machine until it's time for the next version of Windows to come out. Meanwhile, I'll be working over the next few days getting this new machine set up. That should make keeping up the Photo of the Day project pretty interesting.

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March 07

Ever wonder what the inside of a Treasure Chest looks like?

There's a little junk store near my house called The Treasure Chest. It's a cluttered, crowded, claustrophobic mess inside, as you can see. The selection of items is eclectic -- it's the place to go for a fine earthenware elephant, a used dictaphone, heaters, suitcases, battered furniture ... if it's ever been bought or sold, it has probably passed through here.

I don't get to visit as often as I used to, but I stop by on occasional Saturdays when they're open. Rick, the owner, is a real character. He's the fellow who put aside the vintage Parker Duofold fountain pen for me last year. How he found a pen in the chaos of the store stymies me, but I'm glad he's on the lookout for things that interest me. It's been sort of a theme recently, but it rings true: It's good to have friends who look out for you.

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March 06

There's something to be said for ending the day on a high note. I loathe the snow, so I find very little amusing about it. However, on my way to my car after getting off work last night (or, more correctly, early this morning), I saw this. Then I laughed, unlimbered my backpack, took out my camera, and took the picture.

This is the exit in front of the Colonnade Hotel from the E Line at Prudential. Somebody -- a prankster, or one of the many art students who roam the sidewalks at night -- had put a "carrots" sign, such as you might see in a freshly-tilled garden, in the snowbank. I've been studying the photo and can't really explain why I think it's funny. I just think it is.

I ended the day laughing at this wretched snow, which was a perfectly marvelous way to end a long day, and hopefully will be my bon voyage to the wretched stuff for the season.

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March 05

Given my druthers, I'd either be independently wealthy or working as a successful photographer with a studio and a high-end clientele. Unfortunately, I've neither won the lottery nor discovered the secret to becoming a successful photographer, so I must work a real job to make ends meet.

It's payday today, although my paycheck won't be direct-deposited until midnight. But on Thursday, I get my "Earnings Statement," which is a paycheck except for the "not a check" notice stamped on it. Every 14 days, my pay goes in and I begin another two-week cycle of budgeting, making sure I can pay the bills and still have some money to put into savings (usually too little), plus pay for small luxuries like dining out from time to time.

It's nice to get that regular paycheck, even if I'm doing a mundane job instead of working in an artistic or creative field full-time. And it certainly beats not getting the check.

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March 04

One of the more tedious aspects of my job as a concierge is the planning and posting of events on the building bulletin board in the mailroom. Posts can range from the mundane (the time change), to the banal (notices about parking spaces and window cleaning), to stuff we hope our residents are interested in (area events -- like the Restaurant Week listing above).

How appropriate that today, this boring little task made my "Photo of the Day" archive. It's been a very boring little day. When it's my turn to post on the bulletin board, I try to make the display at least a little interesting. It gives me a chance to work out my graphic design skills a bit, even if it's only adding a blank page of colored paper in the background as a unifying element for two separate notices.

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March 03

I'm fortunate to have very thoughtful friends. Out of the blue, I got this card from my dear friend and confidante Ruth today.

Ruth and I have a very close and special relationship (as I described a little here), so getting this card was a pleasant little surprise. It's a sweet little card, with a short message inside. It's certainly nothing extraordinary, but seeing this in the mail was the high point of my day.

I'm going to visit Ruth and her family in May, when she graduates from college. She'll be sharing the stage with her father, who's getting his degree from the same institution, and her cousin Walt, who's graduating from Seminary. To be invited to the graduation is a privilege, and to be invited to the family party afterward is quite an honor.

Many gay people refer to one another as "family," and it's something of an axiom that gay people have the families they're born with, and the families they choose (meaning their closest friends). Ruth's family, while a little unusual, forms a kind of surrogate family for me, and I'm closer to Ruth than I am to many members of my biological family.

I consider myself fortunate to have such wonderful and thoughtful friends. However, "fortunate" doesn't begin to describe my feelings about being close to Ruth. It's more than good fortune ... I'm lucky to have her in my life.

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March 02

It's amazing, really, how Boyfriend's Saab looks fast even when buried in the snow. I awoke this morning to the sight of both our cars slumbering under this foot of frozen precipitation, and proceeded to spend two physically-active hours shoveling them out from beneath the sodden mess. I'm beginning to think I'm going to get my first repetitive stress injury of my life from shoveling snow. It's dig-carry-dump, dig-carry-dump, over and over again.

This winter hasn't thrown any particularly-bad blizzards at New England, but it's been relentless in sending us snowstorm after snowstorm after snowstorm. The biggest of the drifts and mounds of snow had just melted -- finally -- before this storm arrived. There are only 18 more days until spring arrives, and I can only hope that it brings warmer weather and more sunshine -- mainly because I'm going to lose it if I have to deal with shoveling very much more snow!

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March 01

Dinner with friends -- my friends, at least -- may not be elegant, but it's usually entertaining.

My friend Anna is running National Novel Editing Month, and held an edit-in to kick off the month. The group was small but fun. In front is Marion, one of the municipal liaisons for Script Frenzy next month, and Anna. I'm in the back (going for Marion's neck) with Randy, a stalwart of National Novel Writing Month for the past few years. Our friend Belynda (the other ML for Script Frenzy) was feeling icky and wasn't able to join us. Still, we had fun.

We met up at Subway for the edit-in, and moved the party over to the Longhorn Steakhouse for "chicken parts," as we've dubbed the Crispy Chicken Trio appetizer they serve. (It's excellent, and definitely worth the trip!)

I'm not usually a social butterfly, but I have to admit that I have some great friends and the few times I hang out with them, I really enjoy it -- as you can see.

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February 28

Pogo had a lazy day today, but he kept Boyfriend company at his desk most of the evening. That's where I got this shot. I nearly didn't have a photo of the day today. I didn't even make it out of the house, except to walk Pogo, until after 8 pm this evening.

Taking care of Pogo has gotten a lot easier now that both his humans are home. He especially enjoys it when Boyfriend cooks for him -- apparently he's not the only one who finds my cooking lacking. It's also nice not to have to rush home to walk him after work, and not having to change the housebreaking pads Pogo had to use because he had to be at home alone ten hours or more a day.

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February 27

I'm starting to worry about my preoccupation with the weather.

On days like today, when the sun is shining and it's nice and unseasonably warm, it's enough to cheer you right up. I even pulled my camera out of its bag before leaving for work, just to snap a photo of the temperature reading (which is a far cry from January 16th, but still). But on my way in, I listened to the forecast on the radio and heard that more of that vile, disgusting snow is going to fall on Sunday ... and Monday, and possibly Tuesday.

You know what? That really sucks.

Spring can't come quickly enough for my taste. I've had quite enough of snow and sleet and cold temperatures for this season.

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February 26

My watch has given me a rash. I wonder if this could be a case of jewelry-transmitted disease?

I've owned this watch for a while now -- almost two years -- without problems. Recently, though, my wrist started itching under the strap, where the buckle is. Of course, without thinking, I did what anybody would do when they start to itch: I scratched it.

In the greater scheme of things, this isn't a big problem. I'll probably end up buying a new wristband for my watch and be done with it. It is, however, a distraction -- I end up thinking about this every time I glance at my wrist to check the time.

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February 25

Normally, I'm not a name dropper. But today I received a present -- the gorgeous print above -- from accomplished plein air painter and budding multimedia artist Anne Fitzpatrick

She lives in the luxury apartment building where I work as a concierge in the evenings, so I've known her for a few years now. In the course of several evenings last year, I offered her advice and instruction on using Photoshop to complete an art project she was working on: Iconic Handbags. I'm technically skilled at photo enhancement, and I'm a pretty good teacher, so I was able to help her take her artistic vision and turn it into physical reality.

This evening, she surprised me with this lovely framed print of my favorite part of the project, inscribed to me, and a nice personal note as well. It was such a thoughtful gesture. And, of course, it had to be my Photo of the Day.

Note: Artwork is copyright Anne Fitzpatrick and reproduced here with her kind permission.

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February 24

One of the things a concierge is expected to do is keep up with the goings-on in the city. Most of the time, my colleague Robin puts together lists of activities for the residents that can go up on the bulletin board, but occasionally, I put something together.

Restaurant Week in Boston is coming up, so I did a little detective work and put together a list of restaurants participating in the event. It's a great opportunity for people to visit new restaurants and try a prix-fixe menu, or to visit their old favorites.

Considering the zeal in which I make lists to keep my own life in order, it should come as no surprise that compiling a list of 100-plus nearby restaurants was a fairly simple thing to do. Besides, my residents are an uncommonly well-fed bunch, and -- pun absolutely intended -- they eat this stuff up.

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