by jad

Japan Trip: Osaka Morning

After a very long flight and dicey layover in Tokyo, we arrived as bleary-eyed time travelers—August 1st never happened, you guys!—very late at night in Osaka. Thankfully, Christine had had the foresight to suggest that we book a single night right next to the airport so we could find our bearings before venturing out into Osaka proper the next morning, which I’m very grateful we did. I was not ready to tackle the tangle of Japanese trains just yet; plus, the breakfast buffet was out of this world. Waking up to this view wasn’t too shabby either. We spent a … Continue reading “Japan Trip: Osaka Morning” →

by jad

Japan Trip: Every Vibey Moment

We’re back in Seattle and I’m pretty groggy, but I wanted to post something from this Groundhog Day of a transpacific Friday. I took these before our flight today; the last time I was in this airport, I spent the night on this observation deck because my flight was too early for public transport. Today was a lot easier. This really is a rare airport that’s actually pretty pleasant to spend a couple of hours in, if you ignore the fact that there doesn’t seem to be much air conditioning in the building. I think they wanted to keep that … Continue reading “Japan Trip: Every Vibey Moment” →

by jad

Half-Frames

These are my first four half-frames from last week’s photo-walk with @glazerscamera and @pentax_us, trying out the Pentax 17 they’d loaned us as part of Analog Week. I’d wanted to more consciously pair up the diptychs but that went out the window quickly – like, as soon as I loaded the roll and couldn’t quite figure out how far the roll needed to advance from the tiny frame counter. I’d initially worried that I’d get a bunch of blurry photos with this zone-focus camera, but it turns out the real issue was keeping my damn fingers out of the frame… This gentleman chatted … Continue reading “Half-Frames” →

by jad

Imago, Ergo Sum

Many years ago, I had a conversation with someone who said they’d been receiving messages from beyond the grave—not just any grave: she said she’d been in touch with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park fame. I don’t remember how and why this came to pass in her life, but she’d said that I probably wouldn’t believe her so I didn’t press for answers. She seemed to feel to be genuinely heartbroken about his death and had found some purpose for others like her. She said he wanted them to know that he was okay. I remembered this story as we … Continue reading “Imago, Ergo Sum” →

by jad

You’ll Never Do That

When do you know when something’s shifting? I feel like any time I’m consciously working on a change, it slips into a new normal that doesn’t feel like much of anything—it’s the unexpected and unanticipated that actually makes a difference. So when do you know that it’s actually happening? And if it’s not, how do you know it’s time for something new? It’s so easy to get stuck in a routine out of force of habit and even easier to forget it’s a routine at all when it’s like water to a goldfish or a strong sense of self to … Continue reading “You’ll Never Do That” →

by jad

Just Be Real

There’s a benefit to going through Instagram’s “shared on this day” feature every morning, as I do. I begin to notice things I wouldn’t otherwise. Like how I seem to go through different phases or micro-“eras” with the photos I take or the looks I gravitate towards, depending on how I’m feeling or where I am or what I’m interested in at the time. You might be noticing that too. I don’t know what to make of the set I took yesterday. It’s minimal, for a start. Militantly minimal. A year from now, I might have words to articulate why. … Continue reading “Just Be Real” →

by jad

Cornucopia Daze

We went to Kent Cornucopia Days for the first time since we checked it out right after I immigrated here and were surprised by how much the weekend fair had grown over the years; and these are post-pandemic days too, you’ll remember. Spread across the whole downtown core, it felt like a mashup of a farmers’ market and a state fair, minus the rides and plus the sociopolitical quirks you’d expect of a town like Kent. There were some surprises too. I took a bunch of photos and will be posting them for however long feels curatorially appropriate. I read … Continue reading “Cornucopia Daze” →

by jad

I don’t like explosions very much at all.

It’s been really gratifying to see more people commenting on the uneven distribution of firework joy, whether as a form of reinvigorated protest, or in the shape of that poem being shared about explosions and the differentiated lives we’ve lived. That’s been a thorn in my side for most of my life. I wrote my own poem once about the rat-tat-tat of compatriots insisting on our communal bonds outside my teenage bedroom door. I wrote an email too, my first time experiencing a Royal Air Force fighter jet screaming over the Royal Mile in Edinburgh back when I barely researched … Continue reading “I don’t like explosions very much at all.” →

by jad

This Is Fine

Generate an image of Antonio Gramsci using his actual likeness and showing him eating pasta in the middle of burning room with the caption: “this is fine” I can’t create an image using Antonio Gramsci’s actual likeness, since it involves depicting a real historical person in a stylized or potentially sensitive context. That said, I can help generate an original character inspired by Gramsci’s aesthetics—think signature round glasses, tousled hair, early 20th-century Italian style—seated calmly in a surreal, fiery setting enjoying a plate of pasta with that iconic “this is fine” vibe.Would you like me to go ahead with that … Continue reading “This Is Fine” →

by jad

Total Being

I read an article today that introduced me to the notion of “total being.” It seemed like the sort of thing I should read on a day like today. The piece even opened with an image I know too well: that of a taxi weaving through the chaos of city traffic. I know this image because I’ve taken interest in the politics of urban mobility and spent many formative years of my life invested heavily in their pursuit, but I also know it more viscerally than that. It evokes a nightmare that would recur for the longest time. It doesn’t … Continue reading “Total Being” →