Friday, October 7, 2011

A little levity, please

The other day I was texting a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless, I won't even tell you her gender) while she was sitting in an examation room, waiting for her doctor. To be more specific, she was waiting to start her annual gynecological exam. As if I needed proof, she then texted me a photo of her view of the bottom half of the exam table, covered in that sterile white paper roll, with the fuzzy pink feet holders extended. A scene every woman could easily interpret. No comments were needed, it was just a simple capturing of her life at that moment in time.

I thought, this is kind of a fun way to keep up with what is happening in my friends' lives. We're all running these parallel lives, immersed in various activities at once. And Lord knows we love our technology. Since I'm sitting around my house the next few days, please feel free to send me a quick snap of a scene from your everyday that needs no explanation, but which encapsulates whatever is happening for you at that time. Like an email, without words. It can be self-explanatory or cryptic. Dull or silly. Whatever you send, it will make me smile. And feel connected.

If I get enough interesting ones, maybe I'll post them.

I'll let you know if I get any entries. Stay tuned.

31 comments:

  1. I got my 2nd entry already. I gigantic pile of chopped wood about to be hauled and stacked, from northern Michigan.

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  2. 3rd entry. A friend working in the art field, with a desk full of Pantone chips and paintbrushes, coffee cups and bottled water, etc. A creative type, at their desk.

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  3. keep the brilliance comin'...oh how i love that mind of my shelldogg.

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  4. 4th: What appears to be a darkened desktop, with a bright window behind it, showing some streets and the lake of the Chicago skyline.

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  5. 5: From a former co-worker, now employed at Starbucks World Headquarters. The focus is of his image is an Italian co-worker strumming her guitar.

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  6. 6: A beautiful child, flopping on her parents' couch.

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  7. 7: A pretty friend, from high school, now living in Montana. It's a self-portrait taken on her way home from work. She's standing in front of a street, with some mountains in the background. Her long brown hair blows slightly in the wind.

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  8. 8: The console between the front seats of her car. Shoved in the crack: A bag of Sour Patch Kids, a pack of Airheads, Chex Mix, Sweet Tarts, a PayDay bar, an open bag of chips, a roll of "Shockers", and last but not least, a Diet Coke. Because who needs all the calories?

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  9. 9- And two babies, in jammies, reading a book on the couch. One yelling , "No!!"

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  10. 10- And a photo of a plain white tee shirt. Except, at the very bottom is a penis, pointing upward. So, when tucked in and belted, it appears to be poking out above the belt.

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  11. 11- A crisp fall scene, a yard with leafy trees turning orange and yellow, a rock wall along a driveway and an American flag. Michigan.

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  12. 12- A cream-colored mailbox, freshly painted for her mom.

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  13. 13- Six sock monkeys, sitting cozily on a shelf.

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  14. 14- A blonde child holding a green leaf easily twice the size of her head.

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  15. 15- The text of the Declaration of Independence, carved into stone.

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  16. 16- The tops of palm trees, somewhere warm and tropical, with a note that it's 21 days into her "det", aka "detachment"; military-speak for a business trip sans family.

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  17. 17- A pack of young boys running after the soccer ball in the crisp Vermont sun.

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  18. 18- A handsome man in a tuxedo, reclining back in a white chair, with a row of empty chairs behind him. The shot appears to be taken post-wedding ceremony. He's starting directly into the camera, semi-squinting, appearing to be full of thought.

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  19. 19- A blonde child throwing rocks into the lake with an expansive sky behind him.

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  20. 20-A terminal at the airport. In the foreground, a computer screen, open to this very blog page. (Clever girl!)

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  21. A dad, a daughter, a son, plopped on their couch, having just moved to Texas. We miss them.

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  22. A beautiful lady, hooking up a brand-new flat screen tv. Also in the frame: a pair of Dutch clogs, and a photo of 4 kids making the letters "O-H-I-O" on the mantle.

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  23. 23- A girl, texting. Looking annoyed to be caught in the act.

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  24. 24- A fuzzy white cat with a black face sitting on a grey rock.

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  25. 25- Salmon jumping up a fish ladder. PACIFIC NORTHWEST REPRESENT!

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  26. 26- A screenshot of a computer, sent to me from a senior VP at a certain company. On it is a slide for an upcoming visioning session. It is full of terms like, "revisit", "concept", "next steps", "goals", "expectations", and "phase". Yet somehow, I am convinced she can and will make it all sound interesting when presented...

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  27. 27- A birds'-eye view of a cat, eating. In view, my friend's feet, perfectly manicured. (Yes, I noticed). (My feet look like dragon claws, FYI).

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  28. 28-A healthy, leafy tomato plant, with green tomatoes visible. The weather appears 20 degrees nicer than here in Seattle, where my tomatoes are sagging in the fall rain.

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  29. 29- A morning scene, in a bathroom. A mother dutifully curls her daughter's long locks with a pink curling iron. The daughter's arms are crossed impatiently as she sits on the sink-top. The mom still wears her long white nightgown, and her long hair is pulled back. She looks tired. There's something very selfless in her disposition.

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  30. 30- An image not of narrative but of texture. At the bottom, some treetops, in silhouette. Above them, stretching to fill the frame, a bumpy quilt of clouds, alternating between true white and charcoal.

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  31. Ok, folks, that will do it for entries this week! Thanks for all your submissions! It was fun for me to see what would pop up. If I didn't acknowledge your photo, it's only because I somehow didn't get it.

    Next round of chemo, I'll initiate another reader participation activity. Because damnit, this is what I call BIG FUN.

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