softservegirl : photo.a.day
the flesh machine : dance films
the dance machine : dance photography
the sonic machine : audio for dance films
Chihuahua Love
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Arrow Ring Love
Jump Love
animals yes!
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It Changed My Life
After learning my flight was detained 4 hours,
I heard the announcement:
If anyone in the vicinity of gate 4-A understands any Arabic,
Please come to the gate immediately.
Well—one pauses these days. Gate 4-A was my own gate. I went there.
An older woman in full traditional Palestinian dress,
Just like my grandma wore, was crumpled to the floor, wailing loudly.
Help, said the flight service person. Talk to her. What is her
Problem? we told her the flight was going to be four hours late and she
Did this.
I put my arm around her and spoke to her haltingly.
Shu dow-a, shu- biduck habibti, stani stani schway, min fadlick,
Sho bit se-wee?
The minute she heard any words she knew—however poorly used—
She stopped crying.
She thought our flight had been canceled entirely.
She needed to be in El Paso for some major medical treatment the
Following day. I said no, no, we’re fine, you’ll get there, just late,
Who is picking you up? Let’s call him and tell him.
We called her son and I spoke with him in English.
I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane and
Would ride next to her—Southwest.
She talked to him. Then we called her other sons just for the fun of it.
Then we called my dad and he and she spoke for a while in Arabic and
Found out of course they had ten shared friends.
Then I thought just for the heck of it why not call some Palestinian
Poets I know and let them chat with her. This all took up about 2 hours.
She was laughing a lot by then. Telling about her life. Answering
Questions.
She had pulled a sack of homemade mamool cookies—little powdered
Sugar crumbly mounds stuffed with dates and nuts—out of her bag—
And was offering them to all the women at the gate.
To my amazement, not a single woman declined one. It was like a
Sacrament. The traveler from Argentina, the traveler from California,
The lovely woman from Laredo—we were all covered with the same
Powdered sugar. And smiling. There are no better cookies.
And then the airline broke out the free beverages from huge coolers—
Non-alcoholic—and the two little girls for our flight, one African
American, one Mexican American—ran around serving us all apple juice
And lemonade and they were covered with powdered sugar too.
And I noticed my new best friend—by now we were holding hands—
Had a potted plant poking out of her bag, some medicinal thing,
With green furry leaves. Such an old country traveling tradition. Always
Carry a plant. Always stay rooted to somewhere.
And I looked around that gate of late and weary ones and thought,
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.
Not a single person in this gate—once the crying of confusion stopped
—has seemed apprehensive about any other person.
They took the cookies. I wanted to hug all those other women too.
This can still happen anywhere.
Not everything is lost.
"Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), “Wandering Around an Albuquerque Airport Terminal.” (via awelltraveledwoman)
__________
Really like the idea of traveling with a plant to stay rooted to somewhere. Airport gates can be transient communities too, as there is a shared experience for part of a day in a defined space.
(via kthread)
(Source: oliviacirce)
“Anchorman 2” is holding an open casting call for San Diego locals. You have a chance to star in the sequel to the epic with Will Ferrell. Well, you at least have a shot at standing next to Ferrell on set. Or, maybe you are the perfect fit for Brick’s lovable lamp?
Central Casting is looking for hundreds of San Diego residents of all ages and ethnicities for various ‘extra’ roles in “Anchorman 2.” Male and female, SAG-AFTRA and non-union are all welcome. There are very few, if any, requirements to try out. All hired background actors will be paid, and the filming begins in May right here in San Diego.
The casting call is next Saturday, May 11 from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Double Tree hotel in Mission Valley. Before you go, visit centralcasting.com and click on ‘San Diego open call’ to get the I-9 information sheet. Bring the completed I-9 and proper identification with you.
“You stay classy, San Diego. I’m Ron Burgundy?”
O.M.G.
my-esl-student:
I’m teaching the cat how to dance. I have taught it by words in the beginning, but it didn’t go well. I changed my teaching method. I’m going to dance with him until he memorize it.
LOVE THIS!
At a public lecture in Pittsburgh in 1934, four hundred lucky students were privy to a lecture by Albert Einstein, in which the great man mathematically derived his famous mass-energy equivalence equation: E=mc2. What you see above is a photo from that lecture, and what is thought to be the only surviving photo that shows Einstein working on that derivation.
The photo was pulled from a halftone newspaper clipping by David Topper and Dwight Vincent of the University of Winnipeg, who discovered it in 2007. Sadly, everything is a bit fuzzy so you can’t really make out the famed equation itself. And even though the original article had a crisp picture of Einstein posing next to one of his blackboards, he’s next to the wrong one.
Here’s a closer look at the man and the math. If you look closely, you’ll see the mass-energy equivalence in the lower left hand corner of the blackboard on the right:
Read more at http://petapixel.com/2013/05/05/the-only-known-photo-of-einstein-deriving-his-famous-special-relativity-equation/#Fj3BrfI26er0yIKX.99
Oopsie Daisy Homophobe.
Was there ever a more charming letter writer than Vonnegut?
In which Kurt Vonnegut modestly offers his talents to the JFK campaign. Our favorite line? “On occasion, I write pretty well.” http://slate.me/11QNcwA
just loved the spots on this bull!
04.26.13 : photo.a.day - pretty spots on a bull. Lakeside, California.
softservegirl.com / archives / about
04.25.13 : photo.a.day - american flag. lakeside rodeo.
softservegirl.com / archives / about
The intention appears to be to create a list of “American Novelists” on Wikipedia that is made up almost entirely of men. The category lists 3,837 authors, and the first few hundred of them are mainly men. The explanation at the top of the page is that the list of “American Novelists” is too long, and therefore the novelists have to be put in subcategories whenever possible.
Too bad there isn’t a subcategory for “American Men Novelists.”
"- Amanda Filipacchi, “Wikipedia’s Sexism Towards Female Novelists” in the New York Times, April 24, 2013 (via nprfreshair)
WHAT?? SEXISM IS TOO KIND A WORD FOR WIKI.
04.24.13 : photo.a.day - woman and horse commanding the field
softservegirl.com / archives / about
04.23.13 : photo.a.day - baby bulls getting ready for the rumble @ the Lakeside Rodeo
softservegirl.com / archives / about
hard working animals and competitive souls @ the lakeside rodeo.
04.22.13 : photo.a.day - Rodeo rider taking a fall. Lakeside Rodeo.
softservegirl.com / archives / about
“In defending the bill, Rep. Dennis Johnson (R-Duncan), who is a small business owner himself, asserted that service will always win over price.
“[Customers] might try to Jew me down on the price,” Johnson added. “That’s fine. You know what? That’s free market as well.”
After it was pointed out to him that the phrase “to Jew down” might be considered offensive by, say, Jewish people, Johnson half-heartedly apologized.
[…]
Indeed, Johnson joins a growing list of Republicans who have thrown around racially, ethnically, and sexually derogatory terms in recent weeks as if they’re complete okay.
State Rep. Peter Hansen of New Hampshire was criticized by many this week for his substitution of the word “vaginas” for the word “women” in an official email.
He was preceded by County Commissioner Jim Gile of Kansas who insisted on hiring an architect to oversee local repairs rather than have someone “nigger-rigging it.”
And Gile was naturally compared to Rep. Don Young of Alaska, who fondly recalled the “50 or 60 wetbacks” his father hired to pick tomatoes on his ranch.”
—
Oklahoma State Rep Dennis Johnson says “Jew down the price” during floor debate… ( youtube )
—
A reminder that Dennis Johnson was also elected to his position.
Check out this excellent timelapse of various places in San Diego!
WELCOME HOME TIMELAPSE (by Michael Shainblum)
Maria Tallchief (January 24, 1925) – Maria Tallchief is a member of the Osage Indian tribe and was the first Native American woman in ballet. She danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in the 40s. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1948 and appeared as a guest performer with the American Ballet Theatre in the late 50s. Her sister, Marjorie Tallchief, was the first Native American to become primere danseuse etoile in the Paris Opera Ballet.
