Quintessentially Umbria

This is an old one I just pulled out of the bowels of my computer, as I'm looking back through all the thousands of photos I took in Europe two and a half years ago. This particular image is from Orvieto--the most beautiful, unique, and charming little village in Italy.

Monochrome Staircase

See more black and white images at Monochrome Weekly Theme.

Alone

Fearful Symmetry

Or maybe just symmetry...


Another image from around town.

LoveSick

Sonnet 116
by William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

I don't believe in love, but I have to admit, I do love the way Shakespeare writes about it.

Levels

Library Day

Today was a good library day.

The best part is, I hadn't even meant for today to be a library day. I had several books that were due back a few days ago, and as usual I procrastinated and kept putting off returning them, even though I finished them all quite a while ago. I know, I'm terrible. I can't for the life of me turn a book in on time. And considering that I worked in a library on and off for seven years, that's a little concerning.

Anyways, I finally decided to stop by the library on my way home from work today to drop them off. At first I debated whether I should just go by the drive-through book drop-off, but eventually decided that I might as well go in and see if there was anything interesting on the new book shelf. Well, as soon as I walk up to it and start scanning the shelves, the first book I see is Douglas Adams' The Restaurant at the End of the Universe! I've been wanting to read that book since I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy way back in October, but the library's only copy was missing. Well, they must have decided to replace it, and just gotten the new one in. YEEESSSS!!! I loved Hitchhiker and really wanted to continue the series, but I'm one of those people that absolutely HAS to read books in order. I can't skip books in a series. So you understand my excitement at realizing that I can finish the series now! Yay!

Then, a few books later, I found Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! Another book I've been anxiously awaiting, since my old roommate J alerted me to the fact that it was soon to be published, way back last winter. It just came out a few weeks ago, and I'd been meaning to check the library for it but, as usual, hadn't gotten around to it. I mean, come on! It's Pride and Prejudice! With zombies! What could be more awesome?

Then, after that I found a few new titles by two of my favorite authors of trashy romance novels (my guilty pleasure--I can't resist them!) and stocked up on them.

Then I found a new Chuck Palahniuk novel! Yes! I'm a huge fan of Fight Club, so I can't wait to get to this one.

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a major book person. The only thing I would ever get in trouble in school for when I was a kid was for reading in class. Something that I did a little too often, and maybe explains why my basic math skills are so lousy...

All in all, it was a good day at the library.

I Don't Wanna Grow Up

Piano
by DH Lawrence (1885 – 1930)

Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.
In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.
So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour
With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour
Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.

Orange

Both the cat and the curtain!

Baskets and Bars

Gothic Light

I took my camera to work again and took a lot more pictures while I was cleaning in the ballroom. There are these great light fixtures on the walls that always remind me of Gothic chandeliers. They also cast great shadows! Very atmospheric and moody.

Serene

New Photos

I was talking to one of my coworkers, who is also interested in photography (and exceedingly jealous of my new DSLR!), during our lunch breaks yesterday about how I haven't been taking any pictures lately, even though I have this nice new camera. I was telling her how I would usually go for a walk downtown, and that's where I would take most of my shots, but since my ipod disappeared I've had no inclication to walk anywhere (I know, I know, I'm pathetic). Her suggestion was for me to try take a picture every day. It doesn't have to be great, or even that good, just. . . . a picture. Of course, seeing as how I'm slightly a perfectionist, I'm going to end up taking dozens in an attempt to get one good one. Oh well, that's the advantage of going digital :)

This isn't 100%, but I'm at least going to try taking one photo every day. I might not post it here, but I'll try, as, after all, this is what this blog is for. A medium for me to display my photos and to encourage myself to take more.

So, for better or worse, here is my first attempt at posting a daily photo. Enjoy!