oh, heck

Why not just run with the picture theme?

"developing" styles

This picture reminded me of something I saw a lot but barely registered while I was in Guatemala a few years ago:

The women dress in Mayan fabrics, but the men dress more or less in "western" dress: always jeans, and a short-sleeved shirt. (It's very rare to see a man in "native" clothing; I'll have to post a photo of one...)

This picture is "compelling" because the kids here are dressed exactly like adults. It's eerie, only in contrast to how kids in the "northern" world. The boys actually look like really small Guatemalan men to me.

Hmm, what's the word for how people dress? sartorial culture? Fascinating, in part because it's often so subliminal. Speaking of which, my favourite fashion blog: theSartorialist.com I actually have a physiological reaction every time I load up this blog: I relax, and a little bit of icy chi courses through my veins. I can feel it, I swear.
It hits my mental funny bone, kind of like taking a Cosmo quiz, getting a massage, or looking at surfing photos.
Maybe it's a Pavlovian reflex? But really, it's the Sartorialist himself -- the stamp of his laid-back, beneficent enthusiasm, and the spell he casts.

somethings completely different

Super cool photos I ran into last week:

From the NYTimes' article on Things to do in Montreal:


And... dancing witch doctors!

Scanned and posted here, and here, and more here, and more here again.

They're from the albums of a mysterious RAF officer posted in Iraq, Egypt, and Nigeria between the wars. And they're absolutely fascinating. Lots of the photos are aerial shots, too. Check them out! Hopefully they will get the exposure (and preservation) they deserve.

sweet water

This article in the NYTimes makes me pine for whitewater rafting.

When Mr. Henkel’s paddle snapped halfway down the river, he reached for a backup without missing a stroke. When the floor of the boat tore loose, he hopped out and put it back together while standing chest deep in the water. “Lean in!” he shouted while deftly steering the raft down a chute to intentionally pinball off a boulder at the bottom and spin sideways in the thundering wash of a 12-foot waterfall.

sigh... :)