September Part 1

September has been an odd month. It's one of the best months in general but this year I've been a little culture-shocky, having moved to a new city and started beginning my own life. Sort of like February, where I was culture-shocky and lonely in Australia. It has felt good not to take photos though I see them everywhere. Enough about me, here are some pictures!


Foxtail



For some reason, this picture makes me think of THE FUTURE!




Campus



See how the undergraduates enjoy their sunny surroundings. College is such a happy time!
But why are they all sitting alone?
So alone!




Correspondents



This is my friend Russ with Daily Show correspondents Rob Riggle and Aasif Mandvi. He was a little star-struck, but they are patently hilarious, and filming on scene in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention.
The next day I was nearly arrested.



Toad



How cool are toads?
So cool.




AVAST



There was a pirate themed birthday party at our house, and this beautiful work of art was on display and then promptly eaten.



Architecture



Now, I don't know the first thing about architecture, but all these identical angles are pretty, if a little disturbing.



Sunlight and Flour



There is something transcendent about the sunlight and the blue sky in September.




Aphrodisiac Telephone



Salvador Dali created my favorite work of art ever. Ever!!




Bacon



I am positive that Bacon is a qualified candidate.



Fifth Street



These empty streets know the tread of our feet,
I’ve been sleeping on your couch.
Those days we sprawled and spoke of airy nothing,
compared our dirty toes.
This tired town, flushed with red at sundown,
finds us still awake at dawn.
Will we make it home?
If we jump the train and ride it west…




Moon Man



Not only is Jared tall, but he's magical.




College Decor 3



Once more, I woke up in a new room in Morris, and this is the first thing that I saw.



Jawesome.

August, Part the Second

August 17 -31! Huzzah!

Tomes

Why is there a German Bible from 1752 in my house? Why? Why was I not informed?

Compass Plant

So named because the leaves apparently align themselves north-south in order to avoid being hit and broiled by the direct sunlight, though this picture leads me to question that fact. Another interesting fact, their roots can grow between 9 and 14 feet deep because they’re both thirsty and hard-core.

Sweet Corn

In younger days we used to make corn-husk dolls with button eyes and corn-silk hair that would dry to a reddish brown. Also in younger days I had braces, which made eating corn quite messy. To this day it remains one of the best summer-time activities.

Room Sweet Room

I moved away from home. Now I live here. There is no shelf space and my roommate is a boy. It’s already a home to me.

Street Art

Someone thought this was cool, and so do I.

Big Things

The Minnesota State Fair boasts a pig weighing ~1200 pounds. And pumpkins weighing over 100 pounds. No lie…I love the Midwest far more than I love America.

Mixed Messages

This says it all. Thanks, Baptist Church!

Viva!

The Republicans have arrived in St. Paul! At the time of this posting, at least 300 protesters have been arrested or detained, as well as numerous incidents of harassment, infiltration, and raids conducted by police on various groups. The hope for peace as well as the media coverage of the peaceful protests is as thin and wavery as those red ballpoint words.

Message Boards

The layered debris of a hundred events, a collage of activities.

Dinkytown

Dinkytown is the neighborhood in which I live now, directly adjacent to the U of M campus. It’s not the most pleasant, what with the frats and bars and stupid people, and it’s far from a lot of the cultural centers and events in this city, but hell, Welcome!

Impatiens

Lovely and vibrant, yes, but the roots of these flowers extend only a few inches.

Façade

And then part of the house fell down.

Cicada

These are best known for their loud buzzing call (a symbol of summer) and their complex life cycle, which can include (for some genus) up to 17 years as a sleeping larvae under the ground. This completely throws off predators and ensures species survival.

On another note, let’s all agree that wikipedia sucks, but the page about cicadas features a video of one molting as well as numerous pictures and even sound files of them calling.

Childhood

There is something symbolic here, I’m sure.

August, Part the First

Nectar

I could probably say many intelligent things about this butterfly at the Como Zoo, like what species it is, or perhaps a word or two about proboscises, but really, I mean, look at that rotten banana. Gross!

Academics

After five years I get these things in the mail telling me I’ve accomplished the American Dream. A college diploma and a teaching license! Look out world, here I come!

Or something.

In reality, college is a series of important conversations interrupted by sleep and class. 99% of what you learn, you learn outside the classroom.

For example, I can hit a man in the head with a nerf rocket from over 25 feet away.

Shadows on the Wall

This just illustrates the whole point of this little experiment…there are pictures everywhere. This one here is my silhouette as I brushed my teeth at night. You’ve got to keep a sharp eye out for these moments of art. Plus you can get a lot of thinking done when you’re brushing your teeth.

Subconscious

This is a shower curtain.

I stared at it a lot as a child, but now, coming home after half a year away, I think it’s kinda creepy.

Mostly because it is remarkably similar to this hallucination I had this one time.

Candle

I'm not a pyromaniac, I just like to burn things.

Hair

Each time I try to tame my hair, it only makes it stronger.

Lilies

Flowers from below.

Tomatoes

These smell like summer.

Wedding

Tracy got married on the 16th. It was one of those moments where you realize your friends are grown-ups, and maybe you should be too. And then you decide not to anyway.