Ofest

The Fourth Annual Oktoberfest is upon us. It seems to be my full-time job lately. [Click here if you want the details.]

We have just over a week and one day to make it all happen. To top things off, I'm sick. I can't explain that. I thought I was supposed to get sick after Ofest -- just like getting sick after finals. As the Germans say, na ja, what are ya gonna do?

I wish I had a witty story or an observation of human folly to post -- but really all I've got is Ofest.

I'm dreaming about it now. Thankfully, I'm not having dreams about the fest or when the merchandise will arrive, or how the tent is going to be erected on our brand new parking lot, or if we'll have enough tables, or ... No. Rather, I'm having my usual dreams about nothing -- but everyone is wearing lederhosen and alpine hats.

Hmmmmmm. I don't care to know what Freud would think about that!

Green City

I used to think that Chicago was a big city like you imagine when you picture Gotham City. I was afraid it was going to be all concrete and asphalt and steel and glass.

Long before I came here, David would reassure me that there were neighborhoods, and trees, and parks. But I knew what that looked like -- that was where I grew up. I couldn't imagine that a city as huge as Chicago would have green space and lush trees.

Wow was I wrong.

I took the picture above during the spring of 2000. David let me start playing with an old East German camera. Nothing automatic, nothing pretty, pure function.

I bought a couple of books at a used book store on photography and tried to self-teach f-stops and proper camera holds and the such.

This was one of my first shots ever. I was trying to figure out how you do that thing to make the foreground out of focus and the background in focus and vice versa. I'm not sure which I was going for here -- and I'm not sure if it worked, but I've always liked this shot.

I centered things nicely (at least in comparison to other shots on the roll), and I love that there are two people at the far end, and dark branches that frame the top. And I like it because it is so green -- the picture is full of green! And it's on a side neighborhood street in the big city of Chicago.