No-no

"Is there enough time left?"

"...Does it matter that I do not specify for what? Was there ever enough time? Was there once too much? Does the notion of "enough time" actually make any sense? Does it suggest we had things to do and could not do them for reasons other than that we were incompetents? Did we have other things to do? Things better done than not? Thus, important things? Are there important things?"

- Padgett Powell from The Interrogative Mood: a novel?

do you see what I see?

So, according to Susan Sontag, at the 1855 Paris Exposition Universelle when the first retouched image was shown next to its original the crowds were astonished. She asserts, "The news that the camera could lie made getting photographed much more popular."

I love this. What is it with humans and deception? What makes for the thrill? Was viewing that retouched image the moment at which we all realised the camera's possible ability to reveal to us newer and (some might hope) better versions of ourselves, our lives, the world?

She goes on to say that photographs contain not only evidence of what was there when it was photographed, but how we saw it, "not just a record, but an evaluation of the world."

Apple bread's a big hit at our house...

Oven to 350˚

1/2 c butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla

4 Granny Smith or MacIntosh apples, peeled & grated

3 c flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1 t nutmeg
1 t ginger
1 t baking soda

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. In another bowl sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. Add dry ingredients gradually.

Butter, then line two loaf pans with parchment. Divide batter between the two.

Bake at 350˚ for 50-60 minutes (time will vary depending on moisture/size of apples, etc.). Cool in pan 10 minutes then turn out on rack.

Thanks to Stephanie Colgan for orchard photo - link to her work on right.

poems & talk

The fine people at Linebreak published my poem "unnamable force in reserve" this week. It's especially wonderful because they ask a previously published poet to read the current poet's work aloud. My poem is read by Steven D Schroeder. I enjoyed hearing it outside my own head.

I was also lucky enough to have been asked to guest-edit their blog, Unstressed. Links to both at right.