We went to an optician today in search of a new pair of glasses for me, which is always half amusing half traumatic experience. At least for me. All these new (miss)identities. Plus I guess I’m not a regular customer. What I want are regular frames, discrete but also defined. Problems usually start with the word “regular” but today, we had more work and sighs with the word “discrete”. I mean, I don’t want a huge Armani logo screaming from the side of my frames. Nor any other huge and glittery logo for that matter. I’m not a fuckin’ mannequin nor an I a walking billboard. Like CC said, with a logo that size, they should give them to you for free.

The seller was a bit lost when I stated my no screaming logo wish and spent quite a few minutes searching at the far end of display rack and in the backs of the drawers.

Just finished my second batch. More are coming soon.

OK, no smart stories this time :)

“Let me help you with that,” said an airplane.
“Help me with what?” answered the surprised street lamp without raising her head.
“You are missing one cable, you appear unbalanced.  Your posture lacks a certain symmetry.”
“It lacks symmetry? Really? I never noticed that.”
“That is because you only explore the shadows your light makes on the street, not the ones you throw against the sky. Look, I’m tossing away these sparkling white crystals anyway, let’s make something nice out of  them.”

In the airplane, the air hostesses were getting ready to serve drinks. Orange or apple juice sir? Tomato? Well we have it but you have to buy it. Orange than? There you go.

“But these crystals of yours,” said the street lamp after a short pause, “they will not last, they will dissolve before the sky changes its hue. What’s the use of it, if it will only last a moment?”
“Perhaps someone will see it. Stop for a second. Smile.”

The street light was gently swinging back and forth.

“OK, let see what you have there. Perhaps I will even be able to see the face of a person that radiates back a spark of light that I give away day after day.”

Funny thing though, thought the airplane as it flew South. Neither me nor her will actually see the little intangible gift we are making.

A little bit of Ostalgia  from grasswire. Though as Žižek warned, it should not be taken too seriously: “far from expressing an actual wish to return to the gray Socialist reality, it is more a form of mourning, of gently getting rid of the past.” Here is a link to the rest of his lucid NY Times editorial on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/opinion/09zizek.html?pagewanted=2&_r=4&ref=opinion

Any comments?

Both photographs are (somewhat hasty) hand painted black and white prints I took in Prague back in 1996. But instead of captions, here is another bit of borrowed wisdom from Žižek’s editorial: “Capitalism has always seemed inextricably linked to democracy, and faced with the explosion of capitalism in the People’s Republic, many analysts still assume that political democracy will inevitably assert itself. But what if this strain of authoritarian capitalism proves itself to be more efficient, more profitable, than our liberal capitalism? What if democracy is no longer the necessary and natural accompaniment of economic development, but its impediment?”

Looks like you are stuck again with pairs. Don’t be fooled by the greyness, the images are actually about the sun.

When we are conceptualising oppositions, we most commonly speak of East vs. West or North vs. South. How about West vs. South, like in the photograph above?

Well, it has been a while. More to come.

It is frightening how many (baby-related) things one forgets. And surprising how lively they come back. The routines, moves, smells, colours, sounds, or my favorite, the  irresistable calmness of a sleeping baby in your arms.