October 05, 2006
Use Handrails
An order painted on the walls of an old caboose parked in the field behind my sister's house. This caboose is actually in very good shape but its doors are open so it looks like people use it from time to time to sleep in and to shelter from the elements.
September 29, 2006
September 27, 2006
Ronald Reagan Station
The post office in “the Heights,” a sort of suburb of Billings. The name of this post office tells you just about all you need to know about this area of town.
September 24, 2006
Northern Plains open for business!
Grand opening sign at the Northern Plains Resource Council's open house last week.
September 13, 2006
September 11, 2006
Industrial Strength Sleep
A sign inside the Pompidou Center (I think). This was probably part of an art installation of some kind. L. should really be posting this so she could explain...
I don't know what it means, but I think I could use some of that...
September 08, 2006
Les Give Me Five!
An ad at a Paris bus stop. It looks like they might be giving away MacBooks, but I'm not really sure.
August 16, 2006
Ok Computer
A sign in the mountains above Red Lodge. Why? Well, we were driving to our trailhead for our short hike and L saw this sign from a distance. “No fires,” she said. “No barbecues... but ok computer? Why would you want a computer up here?”
She likes Radiohead. What more can I say?
Also, from a distance, it really does look like a laptop, don't you think?
July 31, 2006
Hank's Place
A diner in Red Lodge, Montana. We stopped in for breakfast here and were very pleased w/the food, even if the service left something to be desired in terms of speed. Life just moves more slowly in Montana, I think, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It can be frustrating sometimes when you forget to take off your “rush rush rush” city hat, but otherwise it can be quite refreshing.
July 21, 2006
Crooked Trail, Crazy Canyon
A sign along the Mt. Sentinel fire road points hikers, bikers, and other travelers toward two of the mountain's delightfully-named hiking options. Hiking this road I learned it could take me to the “M” and/or the summit of Mt. Sentinel. Does anyone know what happens if you just keep going, say, to the Crazy Canyon Trailhead? How far can you go? I'm sure I could learn more about my Missoula hiking options online (e.g. from the Missoulian's Uncover Missoula for starters), but sadly I don't really have the time to go exploring like I'd like to. Or maybe I'd do better on the bar exam if I just chucked the books and cleared my head with a good, long, hike. It's tempting....
July 10, 2006
Tree Slugger
A bumper sticker on a vehicle in my apartment complex parking lot. What do you think it means?
July 04, 2006
Moving Tip #68
Advice on our Budget truck keychain. Smart idea, except that if you lose your keys, you won't have access to this advice, now will you?
We used the 4th of July holiday to move into our new house. Thanks so much to my hardworking family for making the move so fast and easy!
June 27, 2006
Western Hip Hop Wear & Tack
Two storefronts side-by-side in downtown Billings, MT. Where else are you going to see something like this?
If the Western Wear shop looks empty, that's b/c it is. I'm not sure if it moved or just closed down. Maybe it just couldn't compete w/Classic Kicks.
June 18, 2006
June 09, 2006
Ethnic Aisle
The aisle marker in a Billings supermarket. It struck me as funny b/c what does “ethnic” mean? Non-white? Maybe I just never noticed it before, but are signs like this common in supermarkets nationwide, or are they more common in areas whose populations are not very diverse?
June 07, 2006
June 06, 2006
Do Not Approach Wildlife
A sign at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park on the western edge of North Dakota. I stopped here for a break on my drive and was reminded that Teddy R. was quite the outdoorsman—a buffalo-killer, even. He apparently fell in love with the “bad lands” and set aside many acres of them for a national park. I also thought it was fitting juxtaposition to the bison in D.C.
May 29, 2006
Silence and Respect
A sign at the JFK Memorial in Arlington National Cemetary. It's a good reminder of why we have this holiday.
May 06, 2006
Burrito Board
A Chipotle ad near 19th and J I St. NW. That's a lot of burritos. There was a time when I thought Chipotle was a pretty good thing to have around for a tasty lunch, but not so much anymore. Perhaps I just had too much of a good thing, but for some time now I have not enjoyed my burrito bowls that much. Plus, the last time I had one I bit down on a big chunk of plastic that was nicely hidden by all the beans and rice and beans and salsa—I thought I'd broken a tooth! I don't think it did any permanent damage, but you know, just not something I'm really going to miss when we live where there's not one on every corner.
April 30, 2006
I'm Stuck in Debt!
Marker grafitti at a bus stop near Calvert and Connecticut in Woodley Park. Sadly, this is all too true for me, and probably for many other Visa customers, as well.
April 23, 2006
March 30, 2006
halo
The sign for halo, a bar or restaurant or club-like thing on P St. NW between 14th and 15th Streets. We were in the neighborhood last week to see “Fat Pig” (an excellent performance!) and I just thought this sign was cool.
March 20, 2006
Visa = Risk
An ad inside the Gallery Place Metro station. When I saw this I couldn't believe it—Visa is advertising itself as risky! And what's shocking about that is that it's so honest. If you take on too much credit card debt, you're risking your entire future b/c credit card companies have managed to get so much legal protection there's almost no way to get out of paying back that debt (declaring bankruptcy won't get you off the hook anymore). Meanwhile, they will continue to charge you unconscionable amounts of interest until your debt is all paid off. So yeah, using Visa is substantially risky. I'm just surprised such a greedy franchise would be so honest in its advertising.
March 15, 2006
The Rapture Is Not An Exit Strategy
A bumper sticker on a sign in the middle of Connecticut Ave at R St. NW.
February 27, 2006
c o r c o r a n
The cool banner outside the Corcoran Museum on 17th Street across from the White House Oval. As you drive up or down 17th Street you can read this banner at a distance; when you get too close like this, it starts to break up. Pretty cool, I think.
February 22, 2006
Why We Fight
The publicity poster for the movie, Why We Fight. L. and I saw this the other night and found it to be excellent. It's starting point is Dwight Eisenhower's warning to beware the rise of the military industrial complex. From there the film traces the growth of that complex and how it has taken control of U.S. foreign policy for the sake of its own profits. Sick, sad, scary stuff. The concluding line comes from Karen Kwiatkowski: “I think we fight because basically not enough people are standing up saying, 'I'm not doing this anymore.'”
So true. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. If you *have* seen it, what did you think?
February 17, 2006
Muggle Prez
A bumper sticker on a car in Wyoming. My sister took this photo and sent it to me a long time ago and I'm choosing to post it now b/c the other things in the posting queue would just take too much time.
Posting a photo every day means much randomness, ok?
December 14, 2005
Widespread Vandalism Should Be Expected
A large sticker on a newspaper box near the corner of Connecticut and R St. NW. Does this mean that Borf is back, or that someone else has appropriated his face for this sort of thing?
November 07, 2005
Extraordinary Apple
The Fiona Apple window display at the Dupont record store. I downloaded this album when it was circulating for free in that period between when Apple's first label dropped it and she got another label to release it. At least I think that's how it worked. Anyway, good stuff.
October 07, 2005
Potbelly
The sign inside the Potbelly at 17th and Pennsylvania, just across the street from the White House. I was skeptical of Potbelly before I tried it; I figured it was just another big chain. And maybe it is, but the sandwiches sure are good and relatively cheap, too. Plus, where else can you listen to live music while you eat your $4 lunch?
September 28, 2005
September 22, 2005
Hiking the AT
A sign at Sky Meadows State Park lets you know you're hiking along the Appalachian Trail—you can tell by the distance you can travel and still be on the trail!
September 17, 2005
Operation Ceasefire
A poster for the peace action scheduled for next weekend in D.C. It sounds like it's going to be an awesome show, and I hope it will also be accompanied by a huge and helpful demonstration. Next weekend is going to be way busy for progressive types around D.C. -- the Green Festival will be happening, too!
September 12, 2005
Smoked Cut Goat
A sign at the loading docks of the D.C. Farmer's Market. I was really not aware that smoked cut goat was something that people might want to buuy. Ox tail I've heard of, and cow feet, sure; also beef tripe—not for me, generally, but I know some find it quite the delicacy. But smoked cut goat? Well, it's good to be reminded that there is much in this world I do not know.
August 17, 2005
August 15, 2005
Mourn : Honor III
The regularly-updated display of the number of U.S. soldiers killed and wounded so far in Iraq. Previously in this series:
See also:- Combat death toll in Iraq hits record high in August. This headline refers only to Guard and Reserve troops; the highest number of total U.S. troops killed in a single month was 137 in November, 2004.
- U.S. & Coalition Casualties to put faces and names to the dead.
- Iraq Body Count
August 12, 2005
Chikin Rooteen
An ad on a Chick-fil-A bag encouraging you to eat more chikin. Our fast food consumption is pretty low, but we generally make an exception for Chick-fil-A. Mmm... chikin. I guess it's sort of a wacky Christian company. For example, they close on Sundays because they believe you shouldn't work on that day and there's this:
Our official statement of corporate purpose says that we exist “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
So there you go.
August 02, 2005
July 27, 2005
Walton's Eureka Sunbeam
An old vacuum cleaner store in Bethesda sports a very cool sign. What do you think — 1950s?
July 21, 2005
Yay! I can't breathe!
A billboard in the Gallery Place metro station sends a double-message. From the pic at right you may be able to see that this is an ad for “electricity from coal.”
On the subject of the metro, there's a station I visit frequently where the down escalator is being repaired. That means the only way down is via the elevator (slow and won't hold many people) or the regular staircase. Meanwhile, there's an up-escalator that works fine, yet people insist on going up the regular staircase, forcing the throngs of people coming down to make way for them. Every time this happens I have to try very hard not to ask these people what the heck they think they're doing. And why should I care? I don't know. It's irrational. Say goodbye to roadrage, say hello to metrorage!
July 14, 2005
Last Chance to Buckle
A dire warning for Ohio drivers leaving the parking lot where we waited for our tow truck.
June 25, 2005
Secret Construction Man
A sign on the fence surrounding a construction site. I can't tell whether this is Agent Smith (from “The Matrix”) or some faceless construction worker. The lack of nose and mouth was a really nice touch, don't you think?
June 22, 2005
Adult Action Video Movies
A sign in a Chinatown video rental store window. I've never seen an adult action video movie before, but I bet it would be good.
June 04, 2005
June 02, 2005
Photography Not Permitted
The notice on the door to an exhibit in the National Building Museum. This is the last NBM photo, I promise, but I couldn't resist taking and posting it because, well, you just can't stop people from taking pictures, can you? Reflections are also cool, don'tchathink?
April 23, 2005
Be Pep
A sticker on a neighborhood street sign gives some great advice for someone taking finals. I think. Is being pep anything like having pep?
March 07, 2005
Mourn : Honor II
March 01, 2005
Water Pressure
A pressure gauge in the building where I work. For some reason there's one of these on each floor.
PIWIT: Great shot of a fortune cookie by photogene. It makes me wish I had a better camera w/more serious macro and adjustable depth of field. I might be able to do something like this, though, given the right light. Something to keep in mind...
February 24, 2005
Capitalist Lie #1
A provocative sign pasted in Adams Morgan. Don't you just love this city?
(I don't believe it, either, by the way. I'd go to a meeting, but another trick of capitalism is to keep would-be revolutionaries so busy they don't have time to attend meetings. Excuse? Um, yeah, probably.)
February 17, 2005
No Dogs
A self-explanatory but notably graphic sign seen near the Braddock Street metro station in Alexandria, Virginia.
January 12, 2005
Crossfire At GW
A sign at the GW campus directs visitors to the Crossfire studio at 21st and H. I wonder what's going to happen to this space now that Crossfire will be no more.
December 23, 2004
Stroopwaffles!
The Dutch Brothers Bakery in Billings, home of the best stroopwaffles (caramel cookie waffles) you'll ever taste. It's also one of the best places for lunch in Billings; for about $5.00 you get a tasty pastry filled with chicken, beef, spinach, or something else (can't remember), a large cup of terrific soup (often chicken noodle or potato, but it varies), a stroopwaffle, and a small drink. It's a delicious deal. Really, this place is not to be missed if you passing through Billings. Highly recommended.
December 18, 2004
Mourn : Honor
December 13, 2004
Exam Schedule
Chalkboard at GW with this morning's list of finals and locations. This board tells you where I met my doom in Corporations. It was very not good. Possibly my first C... or worse. On the 30 multiple choice questions, I was pretty clueless and had to guess according to my corporate law rule of thumb, which is: When in doubt, assume the court will defer to the corporation. I guess I'll see whether that strategy worked. The lesson for the future: Pass/fail is a good option for classes that you're not really that interested in in the first place.
December 06, 2004
Good Jobs
AFL-CIO Headquarters in downtown D.C. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago, but it seems appropriate now as I study for a labor law final coming up Wednesday. This banner hangs about two blocks from the White House.
December 05, 2004
Terrorista?
A poster from a small town in Wyoming. My sister sent me this picture yesterday. In case you can't read the small print below the image, the poster says “Distributed by: Team Enemy Counter Propaganda Project.” A quick search didn't turn up anything on the web about the group, so I'm guessing it's just a local thing. As my sister and I read it, he three K's in “Amerikkkan” suggest the poster is accusing Bush of acting in some sort white supremacy, and “terrorista” is Spanish for terrorist, I believe; therefore, the message may be from a Hispanic or Latino group. I'm just guessing.
Pic I Wish I'd Taken (PIWIT): viva la fête II, by fredrik, a photoblogger from Stockholm, Sweden.
November 30, 2004
Baseball Kerfuffle
A sign demands we stop the $440 million stadium giveaway! Opponents of the mayor's new baseball stadium plan have been rather successful throwing a monkey wrench in the plans to bring the Expos to D.C. I'll be keeping an eye on dcist for updates on the ongoing baseball controversy.
November 12, 2004
No riots Yet
This is a poster that went up around the Adams Morgan neighborhood after the election last week. I haven't seen any riots yet. The counter-inaugural protests should be interesting. I was all set to go get arrested at the inauguration (yeah, ok, I mean I thought about it), but then I started thinking that's maybe not the place. I mean, the evidence seems to be that this joker was more or less fairly elected, so making a big scene at his inaugural is going to do what? Anger those who voted for him maybe, confirm in their minds that they made the right decision, make Dems look like sore losers, etc. It just doesn't seem good. Other things could damage this administration more than protests, like if it squanders the opportunity now for middle east peace, or continues its head-in-the-sand environmental policies.
See, hope does die last, doesn't it?
Tech question: So obviously this shot is not great. W/out flash it was too dark and blurry, w/flash it was washed out and glarey. So I held my finger over the flash a little, causing the shadow at the top of the photo. I kind of liked it at first, but my question is: Is there a good way to diffuse a built-in flash, to reduce the glare but give the light? Can you hold a piece of thin fabric in front of the flash or something?
November 05, 2004
Mental Illness?
November 04, 2004
Doctor Doctor
Sticker on a downtown D.C. parking meter. I started seeing these in several places last week and took a picture thinking that about now I'd be able to say that at least Bush is no longer part of the equation. Oops.
But see, here' s a silver lining from the election: Bush is a symptom, and when you're trying to diagnoses a disease, it's nice to have such clear indicators because they eliminate any doubt about the diagnosis and make treatment that much easier. Still, I've yet to hear about a good way to get more people to take the red pill.
November 03, 2004
Election Day
A Kerry Edwards sign outside a Philly polling place. I spent the afternoon at this polling station, which was the Happy Hollow Rec Center near the corner of Logan and Wayner. If you're familiar w/Philly, maybe that means something to you, but I was pretty lost all day long. The “election protection” was not difficult work in Philadelphia yesterday, as you can see from the thumbnail—we were jumping rope with the locals to pass the time. The DNC had hired or appointed (I don't know if they were paid) good poll watchers at every location I visited or heard about; they were attorneys familiar w/election law and they seemed to be working vigilantly to ensure that all who were registered and eligible could vote. That's what we were there for, so we were kind of redundant. The republican poll watchers were an interesting contrast. Most were clueless about why they were even there or what they were supposed to be doing; they were just average people who were getting paid $200 to be there all day and they didn't seem to know or care why. Most seemed to support Kerry, as did the Arlen Specter staffers at most polls. (Specter is a moderate Republican from Philly.)
So it was interesting, to say the least. Terrific to see the election process up close and to help in small ways. In the first polling place I worked yesterday, the election judge was clueless and harried and she drew on our “expertise” many times to resolve questions about provisional ballots and correct polling locations. There were no challenged votes that I heard about. Some of the election protection volunteers said that some voters thanked them just for being there b/c the voters felt that our presence alone was reassuring and was preventing many problems. We'll never know, but it was good to be ready to help if help was needed.
I can't talk about the outcome. Maybe tomorrow. Kerry did win PA, Yay.
November 02, 2004
November 01, 2004
R2D2 is Voting for Kerry
Welcome a new photoblog by a friend of a friend: Plattitudes.
October 22, 2004
Exit Enter
Parking garage in and out. This is a garage for the “Universal” building, which occupies an entire upper Dupont Circle block, except for the lonely little Visions, which is now closed.
October 21, 2004
Shuttered Visions
The last Visions showing ever? I walked by the former Visions Cinema the other day and saw that they were still advertising their closing party, which was sadly several weeks ago now. Apparently there's been speculation that someone will try to open a Reagan museum there since it's close to where Reagan was shot.
I'm always hearing how cool and hip Dupont Circle is, but I just don't see it. The only really cool things about Dupont Circle are Kramerbooks and Visions, and now one of them is gone.
October 19, 2004
@
Clever bookmark advertising the Ohio Center for the Book. We picked this up at the National Book Festival and I just thought it was cool.
October 16, 2004
Giant Frapp
Giant frappucino looms over the corner of 20th and J streets NW.
Pic I Wish I'd Taken (PIWIT): As autumn falls by David J. Nightingale.
October 15, 2004
Resist
Adam Eidinger for U.S. “Shadow” Rep campaign poster. It's by far the best campaign poster I've ever seen, and it doesn't hurt that it's promoting a cool campaign.
October 14, 2004
Debate Bingo!
October 12, 2004
October 09, 2004
Crazy Truck
A radical soundtruck in front of the White House last weekend. Don't you just love freedom of speech?
PIWIT: No Name Lake in Glacier National Park by Andy Curtis. I've been there, but I wish I'd been there recently and taken this gorgeous shot.
September 21, 2004
No Sweat
Chuck Taylor copies made by well-paid labor. Some of the proceeds of this particular model go to Code Pink. These shoes are made by NoSweatApparel, and they're a sort of protest of the fact that Nike recently bought Converse, and Nike is known as a global “leader” in the use of sweatshops to make its goods. We saw them at the Green Festival on Saturday, which was very very cool. From a cynical perspective, the festival was just proof that caring about the environment just puts you in another, more specialized (and often pricier) demographic. It was basically a mobile mall where all the stores were selling healthy and environmentally friendly products. But from a more positive perspective, it was community activism and social justice in action. Sure, just about everyone there would have been happy to sell us something, but for the most part, any money we spent there would go to environmental protection or sustainable and socially just activity. You can't say that about a trip to many other marketplaces, can you?
Check out the list of exhibitors—you might want to do business with some of them in the future. For example, get your: - Fair trade coffee from Equal Exchange or Cafe Campesino
- Safe cosmetics from Safe Cosmetics or Organic Truth
- Cell phones from Better World Telecom
- Gluten-free snack bars from Bumbler Bar
- Completely animal-free shoes (no leather) from Deja Shoes or Shoes with Souls
- Gluten-free popcorn and soy snacks from Grandpa Po's (they're yummy!)
- Gluten-free bread from the French Meadow Bakery
- Reusable gift wrap from Lagniappe Gift Wrap
- Smart t-shirts from Northern Sun
- Eco-friendly household products from Seventh Generation
- Sweat-free clothing from American Apparel. Note: AA has a controversial relationship w/unions —it says it treats its workers well so they don't need a union (which is one of the things many anti-union employers have always said). I say it's great that AA employees get good pay and benefits, but that only means they have a responsibility to help their industry peers who don't get such good treatment, and the best way to do that is by joining the union. The union's corrupt? Join and change it. I'm not seeing AA's high ground here. See a bit more on this here.
September 20, 2004
Teach Critical Thinking
Good advice written by someone at the Adam's Morgan Festival on a street banner. As I've been meaning to do since the festival, I've finally collected the rest of my pics from that day into a short series. None of them are that great, but there are more pics of these banners if you're interested in more of what the average Adams Morgan Festival attendee thinks of Bush and the war on Iraq. (Hint: D.C. is overwhelmingly Democratic.)
September 15, 2004
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Is this what Shel Silverstein had in mind? (This was taken on Adams Mill Rd, which borders the SE edge of the National Zoo.)