Tag: walking

by jad

Photo-Elicitation

Taking photos with someone else is an interesting way of looking at things differently. You’ll probably notice the same things, but you may not; you’ll pause to listen in one spot while the other is talking and vice versa; you’ll use these stops to compose or capture, or you may just peer through the viewfinder, too engrossed in the conversation. You’ll probably start off talking about what you’re seeing, but it’s more than likely that you’ll end up somewhere else entirely. Looking back at these, I’m struck by how most are imprinted with a memory of something said or remembered, … Continue reading “Photo-Elicitation” →

by jad

Assemblage & Photography

Someone said that the best camera is the one that inspires you to keep using it. This is my #FujifilmXT4 with an old #NikkorLens originally designed for film cameras, with a focus wheel that’s a little loose but is light enough to feel like nothing on this camera body. It’s fun. It’s imprecise. Adapted to this body, it’s completely manual. How does one assemblage inspire what another does not? x This is the same route I take every time I walk to work. Sometimes, things change and I notice them in a #superordinary way, but most of the time, things are exactly the same, and so … Continue reading “Assemblage & Photography” →

by jad

A Facebook Status about a Bridge Troll in Seattle

Someone threw a sandwich wrapper at me this morning as I crossed the great gulf that splits my city in two, breaking my reverie, to the cackle of his friends. They seemed surprised when I was stopped in my tracks, inquiring: “what the hell was that about?” Their laughter was replaced by silent smirks and a little dance by the trickster doing tragicomic tricks—at a time like this?—a strange two-step to a secret jig playing in his head. He tugged at his loins and approached me, staring me down with Dennis the Menace eyes too dark to read. All the … Continue reading “A Facebook Status about a Bridge Troll in Seattle” →

by jad

Neighborhood Exegesis: Little Saigon/Atlantic, Seattle

I did a quick “walkabout” yesterday, around the peripheries of Little Saigon and Atlantic, down to the edge of Hiawatha Place and back to St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish on S. King St, as part of our parish visioning process this year. I took dozens and dozens of photos, and soaked in the sights, sounds, smells and sensations along the way. I turned corners for the first time; I felt my body tense up and relax as it passed through jarring disparities—my sense of walking in the midst of colliding pressure systems heightened by the gathering storm clouds overheard. I saw … Continue reading “Neighborhood Exegesis: Little Saigon/Atlantic, Seattle” →

by jad

Seattle Womxn’s March, 2019

This morning, I was at the Seattle Womxn’s March with comrades from Seattle DSA, PSL, Socialist Alternative & others, as part of the Revolutionary Feminist Contingent. Just some good, clean intersectional fun, and my first proper demo in this country. We walked from Cal Anderson Park to the Space Needle, where I secretly hoped we’d all stomp our feet like we used to do back in the day, streaming into downtown Beirut. Instead, we bumped into a couple of fire-and-brimstone “preachers” denouncing the godless. This would have been a bummer, if it weren’t for the amazing responses from the crowd; … Continue reading “Seattle Womxn’s March, 2019” →

by jad

#AdventWord 2018, Week 3

#Rejoice Today’s #AdventWord is ‘rejoice,’ and I’m sharing a snippet of last night’s Christmas concert at Seattle First Baptist, which opened with a song of bittersweet anticipation: “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.” This classic carol set the tone for the whole night, as bright jewels of the Western Christian tradition were cast against the dark backdrop of current affairs—tear gas at the borders, the words of women made lesser-than, people of color gunned down in the street with impunity. . . This sociopolitical interweaving may surprise some people, but Seattle First Baptist certainly made it sound … Continue reading “#AdventWord 2018, Week 3” →