My blog posts are not at all like my children. I have some favorites and some are less than favorites. I would rather share the positive than the negative, so here then are my favorite posts of 2013, in no particular order, with enticing quotes and images.
Photographer Barbara Bosworth — Interview
Q: What’s the most difficult thing about photographing trees? The most enjoyable thing?
A: The most difficult aspect: getting to the trees. The most enjoyable aspect: getting to the trees.
My Pursuit of Science Took an Ugly Turn: Guest Post by William Swearson
Carl Sagan put it best when he said, “Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact.” My enthusiasm is still clutched tightly in my fists with my black and blue eye and busted lip, refusing to let go.
Gimme Some Truth: Conversation with Essayist Randon Billings Noble
I always told my students to “be loyal to memory.” And if you have to stray from it, let your reader know. I still believe that.
Had I not seen Ellen on TV that day, some other actress would have been cast and who knows what would have happened then? I was very happy to work with Ellen at the time. And yes, I felt lucky, too. But that luck is different from the kind of luck one feels looking back. Maybe luck is something you see in the rearview mirror.
Interview with Kevin Nutt, Archivist and WFMU DJ
Q: Is an archivist’s work ever done?
A: I hope not; that would mean humanity’s work would be done.
Science Literacy, Carl Sagan, Jill Tarter
DL: Yeah, if math goes it all goes. I think part of the problem is misunderstanding coverage in the press about the latest study and the trending hypothesis. These are confused with scientific “facts” and it creates the illusion that science is constantly being overturned, so in the long run nothing science tells us can really be trusted.
Back to the Old House (Clematis)
Mr. Venusti was a good neighbor. He’d go fishing in the early morning hours and bring my mother fresh Bluefish in the afternoon. I can’t tell you how much this meant to my mother, who was renowned for her seafood. If he had his trimmer out, he’d often prune our ungainly hedges. He did this selflessly and, honestly, I’m not sure my parents properly returned his favors.
Walter De Maria, Paolo Soleri, and A Life’s Work
Rest in Peace, Walter De Maria. You knew how to ask questions, how to fill a room, how to summon lightning, how to dream big dreams.
Yet he agreed to be in A Life’s Work because, I like to think, he knew and appreciated what I was trying to get at. And as Arcosanti’s PR person told me after I first met him, undoubtedly paraphrasing, Paolo liked my vibe.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/57886828[/vimeo]
Do you have a favorite? One of the above? Something else? Let me know. You know I love hearing from you.