randomfootage: alan

Barbecue

On one of my regular journeys along a major Chicago street, I pass by this restaurant. I have never gone inside, but I've been wondering lately what is Live Barbecue. I hope it is not what I think it is.

No pastries in Denmark

Evidently,  in Denmark your newborn baby's name must be chose from a list of approved names. I'm told it is so that by restricting names to a designated list, no child will be disadvantaged by having a 'bad' name. Sort of like school uniforms with names. I notice there is Allan and Allen, but no Alan. There's a girls list too, and the only girls names beginning with Q are Queenie and Quinnie. Here's the list for boys:

http://navneforskning.ku.dk/personnavne.doc/Godkendte_drengenavne.doc

Infant car seat blues

No one can argue that the most important aspects of an infant car seat revolve around its designated function - to protect the baby from the rigors of the urban vehicular experience. This is key, and I won't compromise in this. But after safefy requirements are satisfied, there are many other things to consider: how heavy, how much room it takes up in car, cost, ease of installing in car, abillity to clamp onto a stroller, etc.

One other consideration: looks and style. Many of these seats are truly ugly, or at least they seem so, particularly to the fathers who are forced to use them. I am talking about calico prints, teddy bear patterns, gingham squares, frills, even leopard and zebra prints. I don't want to come off sounding like some kind of style elitist, and if someone can show me that my baby will truly enjoy the little flowered print (which his back is against anyway) I might repent, but at the moment I am unconvinced. Fortunately, some manufacturers have gotten the message, and have designed great seats with all the functions of a safe and effective device, but with looks that please. The Italian seat by Peg Perego, 2006 model, with Side Impact Protection comes to mind, and this is available in the U.S. The model pictured below though wins in the looks category, for me. By Maxi-Cosi, a Dutch company, this product is not for sale in the U.S. as they have not sought to submit their product for approval here.  Sleek, simple, elegant, and meets European safety standards (which generally are more stringent than U.S. standards anyway. What a nice looking seat. This is the Cabrio in Black Reflection color:

Back on my blog.

Hello. I am back after not posting on my 'blog' for nearly a year.  The rat and cat and the cat pictured below have the distinction of being the top stewards of the blog over these many months, and for this I thank them.   

My friend Tony recently started a Blog, and it reminded me that I had one, laying dormant and utterly neglected. Originally I had meant to 'take a photograph a day' but certainly that didn't happen...

At the moment, life is basically centered around the anticipation and excitement of the upcoming arrival of our first baby, a boy.  My wife and I are enjoying this unique time together as we wait for him to come;  between time spent at work and in preparing our environment for the newcomer, we're trying to get out and enjoy company with friends and family.  I'll keep posted...

Window, animals

Both these animals are forever frozen in their frustration, one pursuing and the other the pursued. But they will never meet.

I recently found this storefront window on the way to a Kinko's copy center to use their precision paper cutter. I was in a bit of a hurry, but I had to stop and take a picture. Someone needed to tell the story of these poor creatures.

Coffee Shop day and night

This is one of the best coffee shops in Chicago, pictured during daytime and evening. I'm told that in England, the institution of the 'coffee shop' as known in the U.S. is nonexisent. They do have Starbucks, Costa Coffee and other independant shops, but generally they're for buying coffee for take-away, or maybe to linger for a short while. But to come have a coffee and muffin, 'hang out' and talk with friends, sit alone at a table with books or homework, or especially to sit and type away on a *laptop* -- no, this is a strange concept to our cousins in the UK.

Could it be that 'pub culture' is much more a part of British society than it is in the US? Is the coffee shop the perfect antidote for people who want to spend time out with friends on a rainy evening, and who don't want to go sit in a bar? Are bars old news in the U.S., losing their appeal? Anyway, here are some shots of the place, day and night.

Devil's Food Cake

(Two photographs) Cakes usually don't inspire emotion or even much thought. Today I passed by a random bakery shop here in town, and was horrified. Scary clowns in a devil-ring, at their secret clown meeting/seance. Edible Scarlet O'Hara hoop skirt, topped by plastic, rhizomelic child figurine. Take your pick, but don't invite me to your party.

Garage window

Windows in the garage where I park my car. The garage is old, dark and generally filthy but the windows are somehow cheerful. At night, the neon lights from the sandwich shop across the street bathe the windows in purple. During the day, the only useful light in the place comes through. The windows are made of that glass brick material you see in so many factories and wharehouses. I like it with the colored lights; it looks almost like a fabric. (3 photographs, Jan 2005)

English doorway

Notting Hill near the top of Westboure Grove Road. These people had a nice front entrance, especially the door, but really the whole thing. We need better doors over here. I think we need more colorful doors.

Colorado ski lodge energy crisis?

This was really bizarre. We recently returned from a trip to Colorado for some skiing, relaxation and to get some 'mountain air' with delightfully reduced oxygen tension. What's that formula again for the rate of decline of 02, per foot of altitude above sea level? Well, at 11,400 feet, it gave me a low-level occasional headache. I didn't experience any of the talked about 'vivid dreams' to make up for that, so I feel a bit short-changed. I did learn to ski better, and overall the trip was a pleasure.

I took this picture, because it looked so absurd, the heavy snow layered like lovely marshmallow pudding on top of these summer deck chairs. But wait! On returning and dowloading the pictures to the PC, I noticed something truly absurd: no snow on the ground, anywhere. It's not even shovelled or swept away, the ground was totally clean and dry. Yes, the Earth around this resort (to be unnamed) was heated, with what method I'm not sure. I'm told that if you put your hand to the ground, even when it's below zero F, you will find that the pavement is actually *hot.*

By the way, they left notes in the hotel that they'd like us to re-use the towels in order to conserve water in the drought-stricken Colorado River territory. I'm happy to do that. They can even use my towel to keep the Earth warm.