tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22813885450925847002024-03-20T18:50:37.257-04:00NeuroCookingDo you mind?Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.comBlogger1083125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-59048634729830442222017-04-07T08:01:00.000-04:002017-04-07T08:01:41.937-04:00Neurocooking, indeed!<div class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="400" data-total-count="8291" id="story-continues-12">
From the <i>New York Times</i> article, <b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/dining/to-become-a-better-cook-sharpen-your-senses.html?_r=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>To Become a Better Cook, Sharpen Your Senses</i></span></span></a> </b></div>
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The
most recent multisensory development is the connection between food and
autonomous sensory meridian response, or A.S.M.R. A newly defined
sensory state, A.S.M.R. is a kind of pleasurable shivering or tingling
that spreads along the scalp, upper back and shoulders in response to
soothing repetitive sounds. Originally, these included soft whispering,
pages turning or having one’s hair brushed.</div>
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Now, A.S.M.R. devotees have discovered food. Video series like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/coopernelson16/featured">Silently Cooking</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/ryoya1983">Peaceful Cuisine</a>
have no talking, no music, nothing to distract from the sounds of
cooking: the rasp of a knife shaving chocolate, the rhythmic scrape of a
whisk whipping egg whites, the glug-glug of olive oil pouring into a
pan. Even eating sounds have A.S.M.R. devotees, especially if it
involves <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6SfvNzcGmA"> chewing candy and whispering</a> at the same time.</div>
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Thaler Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884171674964257859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-67292982351024762632016-06-13T16:09:00.000-04:002016-06-13T16:09:03.420-04:00Studs Terkel with Tony Parker: Interviewing an Interviewer<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"I'm looking for the uniqueness in each person. And I'm not looking for some such abstraction as <i>the</i> truth, because it doesn't exist. What I am looking for is what the truth is for <i>them</i>."</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Louis "Studs" Terkel (1912-2008) is an iconic oral historian, Chicago-based radio broadcaster, and author. Above and below is excerpted exactly as presented from an interview with Tony Parker, often described as the UK's own "Studs".</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There was a black woman one time, I saw her standing in the street, with two or three of her kids round her and she was looking in a shop window. And as I'm walking by, I look to see what it is she's looking at -- and you know what? There's nothing in the window, she's looking in an empty shopwindow -- looking at nothing. So naturally I'm curious -- <i>naturally</i> I'm curious -- so I say 'Excuse me ma'am -- but what are we looking at?' She doesn't seem to mind being spoken to by a stranger, and she doesn't turn her head around to see who's asking her or anything, and after a moment or so she says 'Oh' she says, 'Oh, dreams, I'm just looking at dreams.' So I've got my tape recorder and I switch it on and I say 'Good dreams, bad dreams...?' And she starts to talk. Then she talks a little bit more, and a little bit more. And her kids are playing around her, and they can see I'm tape-recording what their mom is saying, and when she stops talking after eight, maybe ten minutes or so, one of them says "Heh mom, can we listen to what you said?' And I ask her if it's OK with her and she says yes, so I play it back and she listens to it too. And when it's over, she gives a little shake of her head and she looks at me, and she says "Well until I heard that, I never knew I felt that way.' 'I never knew I felt that way!' Isn't that incredible? The way I look at it, it's like being a gold prospector. You find this precious metal in people when you least expect it. </span></span></blockquote>
Thaler Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884171674964257859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-3093515739663081502015-11-01T07:00:00.000-05:002015-11-01T07:12:35.422-05:00Autumnal-reflection beaver-blogging!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Lxjxx6ZEkI/VjS-FtFnXUI/AAAAAAAAjg8/XRU4fH57mjo/s1600/DSC_7022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Lxjxx6ZEkI/VjS-FtFnXUI/AAAAAAAAjg8/XRU4fH57mjo/s400/DSC_7022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(A beaver in Rock Creek, as seen from the Kensington Parkway bridge, Saturday, October 31, 2015.)<br /></i></td></tr>
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-44721297490475233972015-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:002015-10-28T09:27:38.380-04:00Fall-blooming camellia-blogging, part II!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CIuv9dT7puN_IxKNdBL9vT5vA5V240kwIJGWhX2UjOrSpfBMAvgUEaC_s3-HGXxRSd-9ISTOEEx6vdvmrEl_vYey4nvkn2YPY6f3Hgdrjy-qcVvaSkV_gskb8CEHYgC7Y01Mhs56Brw/s1600/DSCF2744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CIuv9dT7puN_IxKNdBL9vT5vA5V240kwIJGWhX2UjOrSpfBMAvgUEaC_s3-HGXxRSd-9ISTOEEx6vdvmrEl_vYey4nvkn2YPY6f3Hgdrjy-qcVvaSkV_gskb8CEHYgC7Y01Mhs56Brw/s400/DSCF2744.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-58919694284932142082015-10-25T11:00:00.000-04:002015-10-25T11:03:38.100-04:00Autumn Weekend Now-and-Then Beaver Blogging! [featuring ear-tagged beaver-pairs in drop-crates]<br />
Yesterday morning, at the Kensington Parkway bridge over Rock Creek, I saw a beaver on the downstream side.<br />
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It swam under the bridge, so I crossed, and saw it emerge on the upstream side.<br />
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I watched it for a while.<br />
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And then it swam away upstream.<br />
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This morning, courtesy of my sister and the Washington Post, I saw ear-tagged beaver-pairs in drop-crates. And you can too:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="290" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/f0f06944-797e-11e5-a5e2-40d6b2ad18dd" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="480"></iframe></div>
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-2567247205083605582015-10-24T09:00:00.000-04:002015-10-24T09:06:26.709-04:00Fall-blooming camellia-blogging!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_gJZmfLrv0NCT6Nw1ONLaBZLGoDB_X5RnYlpT2LNzMI-EZfMIvV5FYWilhM_VRiXT_wtheU7NZW7_uFHD0JXS39RetpLI9z1K_m7eI3WsLjUuyIT93GiUGH19XZunualsCOJnptD3YI/s1600/DSC_1593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_gJZmfLrv0NCT6Nw1ONLaBZLGoDB_X5RnYlpT2LNzMI-EZfMIvV5FYWilhM_VRiXT_wtheU7NZW7_uFHD0JXS39RetpLI9z1K_m7eI3WsLjUuyIT93GiUGH19XZunualsCOJnptD3YI/s400/DSC_1593.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-51936366785626650732015-09-29T08:00:00.000-04:002015-09-29T08:11:43.980-04:00Won't you please come in?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-29920804061976372932015-09-07T10:30:00.000-04:002015-09-07T13:07:48.399-04:00Views from the bridge.<br />
Over this three-day Labor Day weekend, I walked each morning to the Kensington Parkway <a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2010/01/from-kensington-parkway-bridge-over.html" target="_blank">bridge</a> over Rock Creek, with a telephoto zoom lens on a full-frame digital SLR.<br />
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<b>Saturday morning:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAw0XdrO6i2bbpi8NuMcLgSj_n5y0KqUU61qAAJA-Utm_C5QVqNss__cIL2BtPG8GWfXQyCZ0OkXLWSXxkmMdeuzcyOHLxbR7B5z6TTkho1pO1wUC74dh91DIdQ4pEVl95w56yC4C-Fw/s1600/DSC_5213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAw0XdrO6i2bbpi8NuMcLgSj_n5y0KqUU61qAAJA-Utm_C5QVqNss__cIL2BtPG8GWfXQyCZ0OkXLWSXxkmMdeuzcyOHLxbR7B5z6TTkho1pO1wUC74dh91DIdQ4pEVl95w56yC4C-Fw/s400/DSC_5213.JPG" width="257" /></a></div>
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<b>Sunday morning:</b><br />
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<b>Monday morning: </b><br />
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-86244779886429350802015-08-24T18:00:00.000-04:002015-08-24T18:19:44.443-04:00Not once but twice last week...<br />
Not once but twice last week, in the early evening, I suddenly saw a beaver swimming towards me; by the time I could retrieve my camera, all I could capture was the back of the beaver's head, moving away...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPB-f7Cl_zTfOO7Mq3QysrLt-dIuDYk-2jjXQTVEXGYb0V5egEQjQGDKQV7NzQvJUQZLLiODA6UlV_M3JKvUCLREtAuHLYS-meOJkcWAqB033wWgCqQNPxPnfWZAnEIzzZTfWmeRBFo7A/s1600/DSC_4802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPB-f7Cl_zTfOO7Mq3QysrLt-dIuDYk-2jjXQTVEXGYb0V5egEQjQGDKQV7NzQvJUQZLLiODA6UlV_M3JKvUCLREtAuHLYS-meOJkcWAqB033wWgCqQNPxPnfWZAnEIzzZTfWmeRBFo7A/s400/DSC_4802.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-64043180291730969852015-06-28T10:30:00.000-04:002015-06-28T18:59:24.703-04:00Reflections on Stories, Empathy, and Helping People Be Heard<style>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I work with stories.
I don’t need to define it. I just need to do it better.” – Participant
</span></i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>“To find a meaningful
story is simply to walk around in the world with your eyes open, listening.” –
Jacqueline Banaszynski, Missouri School of Journalism</i>
</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’m at the <a href="http://ivoh.org/summit/" target="_blank">Restorative Narrative Summit</a>,
a conference and retreat organized by <a href="http://ivoh.org/" target="_blank">Images & Voices of Hope</a>. The
organization believes “that media can create meaningful positive change in the
world. Our global community includes journalists, documentary filmmakers,
photographers, social media specialists, gamers and more. …It’s about
amplifying the best in human nature and whenever possible shining a light on
the steps we can take towards the future we want.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Summit opened with members of its Fellows
program, which provides five journalists with a stipend to spend six months
telling <a href="http://ivoh.org/restorativenarrative/" target="_blank">Restorative Narratives</a>. These are defined as “stories that show how
people and communities are learning to rebuild and recover in the aftermath, or
midst of, difficult times…[These narratives] locate the opportunity in
disruption and move beyond questions of ‘what happened?’ to questions of
‘what’s possible?’”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">When asked what they have learned, one
Fellow, Alex Tizon, offered,<i> “It’s hard to give up narrative as central to the
conflict. …I like the benevolent pressure I feel from this group, it forces me
to work hard, to strive for empathy.”</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Another Fellow, Rochelle Riley,
observed, <i>“It takes longer, because you have to wait for people to move
forward.”</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Time and patience continued to emerge
as key components of empathetic storysharing. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Many participants have self-identified
as recovering advertising people. There’s also a cohort of former broadcast
journalists who are now therapists. Having worked in advertising myself (after
going to college at 16 to earn a B.S. in advertising), I was prompted to
reflect on this convergence. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I was attracted to advertising because,
on 10<sup>th</sup> grade career day, we visited an advertising agency with a
focus room group. Upon seeing the two-way mirror, I thought it was so cool that
you could actually find out why people do what they do and want what they want.
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">At its core, advertising is giving
people what they want. That focus group room was inviting the ad agency to
listen to what participants were thinking and reflect it back to them. There is
a generosity – hear me out, please! – at the heart of the work. Ideally, you
can help people be heard. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Felix Richter, of <a href="http://droga5.com/" target="_blank">Droga5</a>, shared the
incredible ads he made for Under Armour. Felix was speaking on a panel about how
media can challenge stereotypes and change perceptions. In approaching the
Under Armour work, he said they didn’t want to be patronizing to women – “You
can do it!” – nor did they just want to tell women to exercise more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Instead, Droga5 championed the
campaign, “I will what I want.” He explained, “Advertising shows extreme
stereotypes all the time, and they become accepted as true. Showing the
opposite of that can help us get to the real truth.” To that end, I was
delighted to see <a href="http://droga5.com/work/will-beats-noise/" target="_blank">his ad featuring </a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://droga5.com/work/will-beats-noise/" target="_blank">Gisele Bündchen</a>, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">"in a raw workout, while real social
comments, from both haters and supporters in response to the signing of
Gisele to Under Armour just two days earlier, invade her space. Gisele
remains focused, willing what she wants."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I’m guessing the cohort of reformed
advertising folk were not as lucky or talented as Felix, or simply not working
with adventurous clients. Our desire to be generous in giving people what they
want, and allowing people to be heard, led us to journalism, arts, education,
or advocacy. There is an inherent generosity in desiring to respect and reflect
people’s lives back to them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is Kim Cross, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Stands-Storm-Superstorm-Tornado/dp/1476763062" target="_blank"><i>What Stands in a Storm</i></a>, explaining her
motivation in writing a book about a community’s resilience in the wake of the nation’s
most destructive tornado event, focusing on a family that lost a child:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I wanted the reader
to know what it was like for a parent to lose a child. Instead of walking a
wide arc around them in the Piggly Wiggly, they would engage them.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kim also offered a meaningful
distinction between pity, sympathy, and empathy:</span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In sympathy, you are
looking down at someone. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In sympathy, you are
looking at someone.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> In empathy, you are
sitting next to someone. </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Listening to people and enabling them
to be heard is necessary and time consuming. Letting go of assumptions and
allowing the time for people to find their voice and establish enough trust to
share what they are thinking takes patience (and practice). Patience, purpose,
and passion are gifts we give one another. </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the closing reflection, Jacqueline
Banaszynski offered this wisdom, “You don’t have to rush just because you’re
under time pressure.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">The conference is being held at Peace
Village in the Catskill Mountains. Internet and phone access is extremely
limited. Friday was an extraordinary day of news to be spending with
journalists in almost total blackout! At the close of the day, I wept with joy
and sadness – with empathy -- while going through my Facebook feed celebrating
marriage equality, and the transformative power of the eulogy President Obama
delivered in Charleston:<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He was full of
empathy and fellow feeling… He embodied the idea that our Christian faith
demands deeds and not just words; that the ‘sweet hour of prayer’ actually
lasts the whole week long – that to put our faith in action is more than
individual salvation, it's about our collective salvation; that to feed the
hungry and clothe the naked and house the homeless is not just a call for
isolated charity but the imperative of a just society.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Empathy: the
imperative of a just society.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span>Thaler Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884171674964257859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-90909381048946911682014-12-26T19:42:00.001-05:002014-12-26T19:42:28.807-05:00"Neurogastronomy""Baum + Whiteman sees a big future for this <a href="http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/12/25/20-top-food-trends-2015?cmpid=tpdaily-eml-2014-12-25" target="_blank">mouthful of a concept</a>, which
it describes as 'how our senses cumulatively react to food'.” Thaler Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12884171674964257859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-73807348369657226182014-12-18T08:00:00.000-05:002014-12-18T08:08:17.316-05:00Above the mandala on the floor, is the sky.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQo0z5AGDAjWnp91HqVBm4mO3QyV84WrG7qR-2x-3K3njodm9pWm98HzyfHIvR93FDDX2omqr_XEDwK3E391vCoEW8BdluWZo2e1dvzhQV6qsof9dTHcP68_ILdxv7pH_Vx7-a7RB8xM/s1600/DSCF5304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQo0z5AGDAjWnp91HqVBm4mO3QyV84WrG7qR-2x-3K3njodm9pWm98HzyfHIvR93FDDX2omqr_XEDwK3E391vCoEW8BdluWZo2e1dvzhQV6qsof9dTHcP68_ILdxv7pH_Vx7-a7RB8xM/s1600/DSCF5304.JPG" height="640" width="96" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>National Museum of the American Indian,<br />Washington, D.C., 12/13/14,<br />FujiFilm X100S, B&W, 180° panorama mode<br />(click image for full-screen).</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-7806062260183744382014-12-06T10:00:00.000-05:002014-12-06T10:00:44.777-05:00"... the essence of the thing ..."<br />
"To become some other thing, you have to not be that thing in the first place, and, if you are that thing, then it is hard for you to really believe that anyone else <i>can</i> become it, since the essence of the thing is having been it all along."<br />
<br />
-from <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/08/view-bridge" target="_blank">The View from a Bridge</a> by Adam Gopnik in this week's issue of the New Yorker.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-32218379811424037682014-10-30T16:00:00.000-04:002014-10-30T16:00:39.767-04:00Heraclitus, revisited. (Or, sorry I haven't written lately; what's been happening this month?)<br />
I've written recently about <a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-bucky-variations.html" target="_blank">Heraclitus</a>, and my goal of taking photos of <a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/search/label/Bucky" target="_blank">Bucky</a> that are <i>distinct</i>.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, though, like when he stands in the window-light at the top of the stairs and looks into my <a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-bucky-variations.html" target="_blank">portrait lens</a>, images from different days can be pretty damn similar:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsoJh4tgozw/VEQPGMpG15I/AAAAAAAAgrU/zHhiAaXUS8I/s1600/DSC_2199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsoJh4tgozw/VEQPGMpG15I/AAAAAAAAgrU/zHhiAaXUS8I/s1600/DSC_2199.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(19 October 2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vlV6O1bpNCY/VE69LT36_wI/AAAAAAAAgxg/EGGNs7JvdpA/s1600/DSC_2745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vlV6O1bpNCY/VE69LT36_wI/AAAAAAAAgxg/EGGNs7JvdpA/s1600/DSC_2745.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(27 October 2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So, it was nice to get a chance (at bedtime) to snap a shot that is <i>different</i>:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-ZLx2pAXzxlyZdJ-OrnjoicN3TKdiGz8oesNpWwuFLpkVfZX9KZXng8gHxJLA4Q7ysD2nTGW5UD64UU5MlLMihfbD9X3Vb_PeEJWbJyew9kGqYsP_e0fBzDa-EhWHIGxwGKJJSjAGEQ/s1600/BuckyBed20141025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-ZLx2pAXzxlyZdJ-OrnjoicN3TKdiGz8oesNpWwuFLpkVfZX9KZXng8gHxJLA4Q7ysD2nTGW5UD64UU5MlLMihfbD9X3Vb_PeEJWbJyew9kGqYsP_e0fBzDa-EhWHIGxwGKJJSjAGEQ/s1600/BuckyBed20141025.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(25 October 2014)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
Thanks, Bucky.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Click on any image for full-screen.)</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-89053024184678784442014-10-03T19:00:00.000-04:002014-10-03T19:00:42.134-04:00Cubist, but operational.<br />
Last night, a train pulled into the Forest Glen Metro station just as I was rotating my iPhone to take a 180-degree "panoramic" photograph of the platform:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8gjeQ2DgyTve-ta99Poedg2zxgvYUvxzG2wKOOisOezkyqxtwypZf7K3e44NR7AzZIUoRUe3wLS0szOc9KdQzFjITEsiu28fDcinYALumqtFZXi9oRQZe1XIh2XE4Myy9ThWJtGsfzw/s1600/photo-40.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8gjeQ2DgyTve-ta99Poedg2zxgvYUvxzG2wKOOisOezkyqxtwypZf7K3e44NR7AzZIUoRUe3wLS0szOc9KdQzFjITEsiu28fDcinYALumqtFZXi9oRQZe1XIh2XE4Myy9ThWJtGsfzw/s1600/photo-40.JPG" height="95" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's a closeup of the train:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSWu4iSXUwS9SFzts0YhAFrjVPTt893A7o3-K5rEYinSz5YWSIoYamk8XbUwjxC6kGzvgqIBh-WO-wVHQ_kYMun99-nhkD9lEjr4ml4yxv2b0-BiqK3jx4DFuIkjVCk7EIo8FMZn-0y4/s1600/photo-40+-+Version+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSWu4iSXUwS9SFzts0YhAFrjVPTt893A7o3-K5rEYinSz5YWSIoYamk8XbUwjxC6kGzvgqIBh-WO-wVHQ_kYMun99-nhkD9lEjr4ml4yxv2b0-BiqK3jx4DFuIkjVCk7EIo8FMZn-0y4/s1600/photo-40+-+Version+2.JPG" height="152" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I boarded that train and can report that in spite of its shattered appearance, it ran just fine.<br />
<br />
Okay, one more crop:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrzMDuaP63v5Qy9F59wuNn23N6xLEW9rWqFVBuQHsAhJNqF4tSggZsIgDXuduXMsjlE90NIsrk4e-zLlgellzTlrUecHpuQFUgnZakjMdoRiC4muGM6yMbrAiB_Um-u11twWFPt6r2Lg/s1600/photo-223+-+Version+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrzMDuaP63v5Qy9F59wuNn23N6xLEW9rWqFVBuQHsAhJNqF4tSggZsIgDXuduXMsjlE90NIsrk4e-zLlgellzTlrUecHpuQFUgnZakjMdoRiC4muGM6yMbrAiB_Um-u11twWFPt6r2Lg/s1600/photo-223+-+Version+2.JPG" height="640" width="467" /></a></div>
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<i>(Click any image for full-screen view.)</i><br />
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-50768384558682359432014-10-02T07:00:00.000-04:002014-10-02T07:52:31.524-04:00Guess who came by as I was shooting the Morning Glories?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AUUgUzDDyCIif0ITf3MiiUjZdohxekoO5jkC5MSyd4Mjw8MIoC3Tgr_82sdRvCdGb3XRUGmnjPxmdqAn3KlR0mmopYcPO0VFZq1iKU93_Bshu3WU4ooZeI7Dqa2WcYKU6bd-gq1rqF8/s1600/DSC_1277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AUUgUzDDyCIif0ITf3MiiUjZdohxekoO5jkC5MSyd4Mjw8MIoC3Tgr_82sdRvCdGb3XRUGmnjPxmdqAn3KlR0mmopYcPO0VFZq1iKU93_Bshu3WU4ooZeI7Dqa2WcYKU6bd-gq1rqF8/s1600/DSC_1277.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPaZa_RQSSe1XuWIHc_54am8lWRHpHETlEgF0kFlKIjoqJ-M6wkr-MaE_QJhaY-fvQJK_urKkEoP8RQ5SHsxikFxo7NzJlnp5dkelKxPKEUAfDJII4lCcQwub9zJFkr8c4Cr0aJKW_mE/s1600/DSC_1292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPaZa_RQSSe1XuWIHc_54am8lWRHpHETlEgF0kFlKIjoqJ-M6wkr-MaE_QJhaY-fvQJK_urKkEoP8RQ5SHsxikFxo7NzJlnp5dkelKxPKEUAfDJII4lCcQwub9zJFkr8c4Cr0aJKW_mE/s1600/DSC_1292.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-57104777184092940502014-09-12T05:00:00.000-04:002014-09-12T05:16:00.578-04:00"...close to music..."<br />
<i>"The true content of a photograph is invisible, for it derives from a play, not with form, but with time. One might argue that photography is as close to music as to painting."</i><br />
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- <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Berger" target="_blank">John Berger</a>, from "Understanding a Photograph" (1968).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Gtm-sdvAdU/TQvIJOlsaQI/AAAAAAAASAE/Tft4XbcpuPA/s1600/DSC_1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6Gtm-sdvAdU/TQvIJOlsaQI/AAAAAAAASAE/Tft4XbcpuPA/s1600/DSC_1189.JPG" height="236" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/search/label/Bucky" target="_blank">Bucky</a>, December 2010. (Click image for full-screen.)</i></td></tr>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-85532863361485453022014-09-04T18:00:00.000-04:002014-09-04T18:01:46.532-04:00(Reprise.)<br />
Bucky was back <a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-bucky-variations.html" target="_blank">at the top of the stairs</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>8/31/2014 (click image for full-screen)</i></td></tr>
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-39091072030786486022014-09-02T08:00:00.000-04:002014-09-02T08:05:36.802-04:00Specializations.<br />
I am a biophysicist who is married to a biochemist.<br />
<br />
A biophysicist is someone who knows less about physics than a physicist, and less about biology than a biologist.<br />
<br />
A biochemist, on the other hand, is someone who knows everything.<br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-4148636237197480172014-09-01T14:00:00.000-04:002014-09-01T14:00:03.947-04:00"OAK, RED"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TCH9sH2KlMuNPx6uxinUqOHNSWqcRY28en9TKJHE9LBeE-VWHXClWbFX3hMwfV9gbCmxEWhNRxVL8AMZrSHsO0juZG82tZAV_tFiks9McArDmQEob7gQAMFVITHPeKv8ajDBL7LRGSk/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TCH9sH2KlMuNPx6uxinUqOHNSWqcRY28en9TKJHE9LBeE-VWHXClWbFX3hMwfV9gbCmxEWhNRxVL8AMZrSHsO0juZG82tZAV_tFiks9McArDmQEob7gQAMFVITHPeKv8ajDBL7LRGSk/s1600/photo-2.JPG" height="640" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(seen this morning in Rock Creek Park)</i></td></tr>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-38743520144715543112014-08-23T09:00:00.000-04:002014-08-23T09:02:00.414-04:00The Bucky Variations*.<br />
<a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2014/01/under-influence.html" target="_blank">Heraclitus</a> said that "Everything changes and ... you cannot step twice into the same stream."<br />
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If, however, you take several photographs of the same stream – or dog – they may not look all that different.<br />
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But what if you use different lenses?<br />
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Here is <a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/search/label/Bucky" target="_blank">Bucky</a> standing at the top of the stairs, as seen through three different lenses** (click any image for full-screen):<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJmqcrs-h94/U4ZV42st0vI/AAAAAAAAfiY/8LllqO82DVM/s1600/DSCF2571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJmqcrs-h94/U4ZV42st0vI/AAAAAAAAfiY/8LllqO82DVM/s1600/DSCF2571.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2014/08/down-in-florida-summertime-flower.html" target="_blank">Fuji X100S</a>***, 5/28/14.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHuKOIyK8BM/U-aUxFg4s3I/AAAAAAAAgKI/NVLE7EDOYJA/s1600/DSC_9863_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nHuKOIyK8BM/U-aUxFg4s3I/AAAAAAAAgKI/NVLE7EDOYJA/s1600/DSC_9863_2.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2009/12/but-sometimes-your-lens-does.html" target="_blank">Nikkor 105 mm f/2 "defocus control" lens</a>****, 8/9/14</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kjJTC1jZgh8/U-pA34JNQQI/AAAAAAAAgKg/9TkZTGGMPZE/s1600/photo-36.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kjJTC1jZgh8/U-pA34JNQQI/AAAAAAAAgKg/9TkZTGGMPZE/s1600/photo-36.JPG" height="400" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://lensbaby.com/Mobile-LM-10/" target="_blank">Lensbaby LM-10</a>*****, 8/12/14.</i></td></tr>
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And there you have it: Three <i>different</i> views of Bucky at the top of the stairs.<br />
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I admit that these may not reflect three different ways of being, a la Heraclitus, but instead may depict three different ways of seeing, a la <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ways-Seeing-John-Berger/dp/014103579X" target="_blank">John Berger</a>. But, for most of us, ways of seeing <i>are</i> ways of being. And, as for me, I am grateful to Bucky, who has taught me new ways of being, and of seeing.<br />
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__________________________<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> * With footnotes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> ** And cameras.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> *** Built-in 23 mm f/2 lens (35 mm equivalent focal length = 35 mm).</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> **** On a full-frame Nikon digital SLR.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">***** On an iPhone.</span><br />
<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-10985395649947021482014-08-21T08:00:00.000-04:002014-08-21T08:52:18.022-04:00Correction of the Week!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqrdOU1RUQj_zSQ0v45UcNjoWGUE33vAGN8uoO8MMWiriKPf9J6OzBcdt55UdEttBpzRyP1pzPp2w10Jb3cL3uYH5_XNgVf692UOaFgDH4Mf6-5d_WWwxHaoFLkDCXjDXUlJzFhgFzR0/s1600/photo-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTqrdOU1RUQj_zSQ0v45UcNjoWGUE33vAGN8uoO8MMWiriKPf9J6OzBcdt55UdEttBpzRyP1pzPp2w10Jb3cL3uYH5_XNgVf692UOaFgDH4Mf6-5d_WWwxHaoFLkDCXjDXUlJzFhgFzR0/s1600/photo-1.JPG" height="183" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(from yesterday's New YorkTimes)</i></td></tr>
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-73828857289946224592014-08-19T17:00:00.000-04:002014-08-19T17:20:54.748-04:00Late-Summer Indoor Black&White Dog-Blogging!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwuIKqatuW0/U_OkeEGZL8I/AAAAAAAAgMk/xpw6hgjO0oc/s1600/photo-37.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bwuIKqatuW0/U_OkeEGZL8I/AAAAAAAAgMk/xpw6hgjO0oc/s1600/photo-37.JPG" height="400" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bucky, 8/17/14 (click image for full-screen)</i></td></tr>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-65625389171827000432014-08-12T08:00:00.000-04:002014-08-12T08:34:36.510-04:00Sun, & Autumn.<br />
Two analogies from <a href="http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2012/05/h-vs-h-and-mountain-goats-down-under.html" target="_blank">the Mountain Goats</a>:<br />
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<b><i>"...the sun peeks in like a killer through the curtain..."</i></b><br />
-from "The First Few Desperate Hours" from the album "Tallahassee" (2002).<br />
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<b>"...Autumn came around like a drifter to an on-ramp..."</b><br />
-from "In the Hidden Places" from the album "Get Lonely" (2006).<br />
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Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2281388545092584700.post-49891436260031711132014-08-08T07:00:00.000-04:002014-08-08T07:04:56.970-04:00Late-Summer Dog-Blogging!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0_VnFBVT0M/U-OTJ4D3vII/AAAAAAAAgJs/VivLinTGur8/s1600/DSC_9823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x0_VnFBVT0M/U-OTJ4D3vII/AAAAAAAAgJs/VivLinTGur8/s1600/DSC_9823.jpg" height="400" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Bucky, yesterday morning. Click image for full-screen.</i></td></tr>
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<br />Jim Pekarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462091832972906802noreply@blogger.com0