2020 - SB Hopper

Shoulda been a tweet: Great photo essay in NYT

Stephen Hiltner has an excellent photo essay in the New York Times [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/travel/a-long-lonesome-look-at-america.html?action=click&module=Editors%20Picks&pgtype=Homepage] . I worry about posting links to paywall sites. If you can't read it but would like to, let me know. Maybe

On the Streets

Kick it to the curb

We all know it's an arbitrary day on a calendar. Regardless, I think we're all happy to see 2020 in the rearview mirror. It's difficult to make sense of the numbers...the numbers of people who aren't celebrating the new year. Life is short and precious, and when our time's

Hopcast

Eyes in the sky (the sounds of 2020)

shoulda been a tweet

Shoulda been a Tweet: a few links

Stat has an interesting opinion piece about COVID denialism [https://www.statnews.com/2020/12/23/put-straw-man-pandemic-denial-out-of-its-misery/] . I think I needed to read that, a healthy reminder that most people do believe that the pandemic is real and is dangerous. I was losing sight of how much my perceptions were

On the Streets

It was a beautiful day in Seattle. It was sunny, and my mind has fully embraced the passing of the winter solstice - the days are getting longer! Then I made the mistake of reading the news. Pardon for you, and a pardon for you. Who wants a pardon? I'm

On the Streets

Snow in Seattle

I went for a walk this evening hoping to catch a glimpse of Saturn and Jupiter. I wasn't optimistic. We got a lot of rain today, and it was still going after sunset. There would be no stargazing. I noticed that snowflakes were stealing the rain's thunder. I didn't think

Photojournalism

Sweep seems imminent

The helicopters have returned to Capitol Hill the past few days. I think it's safe to assume that their hovering presence is related to a sweep of Cal Anderson Park. A sweep. Terms stick. Shortened, abbreviated. We risk losing sight of what sweep really means - the Seattle Police Department

On the Streets

Ticking boxes

I had a good run of about twenty years where the cold didn't bother me. That warrants some background context. I grew up in Phoenix, so if you could see your breath in the air, it was full on Game of Thrones Winter is Coming dread times ten. I left

shoulda been a tweet

Shoulda been a tweet: Seattle Times FYI Guy on COVID numbers

Interesting article in the Seattle Times by Gene Balk [https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/positive-coronavirus-tests-surge-across-king-county-seattle-hits-10-rate/] . It's a pretty detailed look at Seattle's infection rates from mid-November using King County's Health Reporting Areas. The numbers aren't good anywhere. It will be interesting to see if Governor Inslee's increased restrictions have

shoulda been a tweet

Shoulda been a tweet: Light at the end of the tunnel

If you're reading this, you've probably made a typo or a wrong turn in Google. But welcome. I hope you're well, all things considered. You're no doubt very curious about where you've landed. Just an obscure blog out of Seattle. I'm self-deprecating by nature - this blog is HUGE in

On the Streets

On the Streets: A Fog for the Times

A thick fog rolled through Seattle Saturday night. I went for a quick walk to grab some photos. Night photography is challenging, and I'm rusty. I'm not a camera or photography expert, but it seems like the camera strives to minimize the fog. Fog, Capitol Hill, Seattle, November 2020.Fog,

2020

The blank page

(If you're new here, a warning is in order. Linearity is not one of my strengths. This bounces around a bit.) Notebooks, journals, diaries. The siren's song of creative potential. They beckon. Many of us are incapable of walking by a shelf of Moleskines without dreaming of plays, scripts, short

On the Streets

Jiggle some wires or something...

First things first - if you're reading this, it means you're plowing ahead in this awful year. And that's not nothing. I'm not sure where we fall on the definitive list of worst years, but we're allowed to say this one has sucked. I hope you and yours are well.

shoulda been a tweet

Not sure what I'll wake up to...

It's 0300 in Seattle on 4 November 2020. The election is far from over. I can't keep my eyes open. Biden still has a chance. Right now, I'll take that. In 2016 it was clear much earlier. At least that's how I remember it, seeing the crushed looks of election

On the Streets

End the Madness

Here we are, at last. The big day (sort of - hello lawyers). I went for a walk earlier and recorded a meandering, distracted Hopcast. I haven't got the energy to process the audio. There weren't any new thoughts or observations. We've all known for a year (or four) how

On the Streets

Anticipation

If you like photography, there's a good chance you're aware of the intense debates over which is better - film or digital. I'm not interested in those debates, but I'm not criticizing the people who are. I think to some extent this or that and why is hard-wired into our

On the Streets

On the Streets: Capitol Hill

Fall is the best season. It's the one I always ask to hang on just a little longer. Unless I'm in Arizona, and I'm begging the one week spring not to go gently into that awful inferno. Took a few photos on some recent walks. Was it a couple of

consumingjournalism

Consuming Journalism: The Independent is bad at context or dishonest

I want Trump to lose. I want his campaign to be doing poorly. I don't want journalists to spin context to reassure me that Trump thinks he's losing and that his campaign is doing poorly. If you read (watch) The Independent, you might get the impression that Trump sadly told

On the Streets

On the Streets: Time Capsules

It's safe to say my cognitive abilities have not increased during the pandemic. I blame myself. I have willingly hopped into the hamster cage and started doing laps on the wheel. No, that's not accurate...I'm mindlessly watching other hamsters go round and round on the wheel. At least they're

shoulda been a tweet

Shoulda been a tweet: You killed my father, prepare to die

> Here comes the rain again Falling on my head like a memory Falling on my head like a new emotion I want to walk in the open wind I want to talk like lovers do I want to dive into your ocean Is it raining with you ~ Eurythmics I'm sure

On the Streets

Drizzly morning on the Hill

News

October 2020

This is the last time I'm going to discuss the election or how COVID-19 relates to the election. Is there really anyone who hasn't made up their mind about who they're voting for? Anyone claiming to be undecided at this point is likely an attention seeker. I can't stop looking

shoulda been a tweet

Shoulda been a tweet: Some wild ass times

Somewhere, the scientist working on the simulation governing our world tired of the project and moved onto something else. One of his twisted colleagues found it sitting on the hard drive and is seeing how much mayhem he can cause. Before I continue, I want to point out that I

On the Streets

Off to a slow start

My plan was to stop reading news today. Focus on seeing this beautiful state before I move. A couple of problems. My plan lacked an actual plan. And then Trump announced that he tested positive for COVID-19. Lots of texts. Lots of theories. Lots of suspicion. I know a few

Blog

I need glasses to find my glasses

On most days my desk looks like a bowl of cable spaghetti. The cables are all black. USB this, lightning bolt that. My reading glasses are black. Black chameleons. I set them down and they become one with the cables. Shopping list - white or Ferrari red glasses. I'm taking