A picture is worth oneword

 In Which Emily Learns You Can Connect Your Google Photos Account Directly to Blogger

Taking walks and observing nature for inspiration: it was good enough for Beethoven, so it's good enough for me.

But Beethoven knew neither the epic highs nor the infinitely more numerous lows of owning an iPhone. To wit, he could not take photos on these walks. I can. Beethoven - 0 Emilyjones - 1

To be fair and balanced:

Symphonies composed: Emilyjones - 0 Beethoven - 9 

Tonight's post is going to be a bit of a retrospective photojournal of my last few walks. Things I've seen but forgotten to post or send pictures of, and any little thoughts those bring up.

 Tuesday

I took BART to El Cerrito yesterday for a trip to the Asian supermarket. It's about a 15 minute walk from the station to the store, a walk I've made once or twice before. This time, however, when I asked Google Maps how to get there, it suggested an alternate route that went down a walking trail rather than the busy main roads. It began on a main road, then cut through a shopping center, then went to a trail.

 

I started down the sidewalk and heard a man's voice

- Sorry, didn't mean to blow all that smoke in your face.

It didn't occur to me at first that he could be speaking to me at all. I didn't see or smell any cigarette smoke. Not even a vape cloud. Regardless, I turn toward the voice, and the man is looking at me. He has a beard, a southern drawl, and a baseball cap. He's probably in his early thirties. 

- "Uh, it's all good," I say, or at least I mumble something to that effect because, Reader, I reiterate, no smoke of any kind had been blown in my face.

- Can I take you to dinner? The man asks. We're both waiting at a crosswalk.

- No thank you! :) 

- You're a beautiful woman. Luckily we are crossing in different directions.

 

That takes me to the shopping center I have to cross through. Walking around in jeans and a baggy sweater, you know, like a beautiful woman.

 

Then I make it to the beginning of the trail. Trail is a strong word, really, more of a sidewalk that happens to be next to a creek. But it was still a nice change of pace.

 

I love the art on this sign. And it also reminds me not to take any creatures for granted. My first thought when looking over the list of animals was Well these are all very ordinary. I was hoping for something more exciting. But look at how lovingly rendered these all are. And, of course, these animals don't exist everywhere. In France you'd have to go to a zoo to see a raccoon. Losers one and all, the French.

 The French mind couldn't comprehend a creek like this.

 

This little path took me to the grocery store, or rather, I eventually made it to the grocery store. First I had to wander through an Asian shopping mall that was much larger than I remembered. Lots of interesting stores and restaurants there though.

I'm intrigued about what late night karaoke happy hour looks like at a sushi restaurant in a mall. Every night!

 

Later that evening, when I was walking to campus to dedicate almost two hours (3, if you include travel there and back) to three minutes of Mahler, I took some time to take pictures.

 

I've walked past this spot almost every day for 3 years and have never seen this Vibe Check rock. Consider my vibe checked.

I think these bright, bright pink flowers came into bloom recently. I really do love and appreciate the patches of wildflowers all over the sidewalks in town.

 Spotted outside the Cat House, which often has a lot of cool and based things posted outside. Free "fuck ICE" posters, copies of a radical newspaper, etc. But this has me baffled as to the message. Yes, it's anti-AI. This seems to imply the existence of a large contingent of AI users who pay LLMs to be weird. And our resistance to that? Bunny ears. Keep up the good work.

 

 Wednesday

Far fewer pictures today, because I spent a good chunk of the afternoon at home cleaning. (sidenote: my chore chart seems to already be working before I've even said anything. I was sitting at the table this evening eating some cherries. Maya came in to make dinner. She unloaded the dishwasher for the first time in what feels like months, and signed the chart) My Goodwill finds have already been reported on. 

I did, however, see a couple of things on the way to and from Maddie's today:

 

Free herbs. I was going to take the sage on the way home but I completely forgot. I would have tried burning it, just because. I think now I will go diffuse some sage essential oil as a consolation prize.

 

I was already in a purple and yellow mood today. The flowers I bought at the grocery store today were those colors. Then while walking I saw these gorgeous flowers that are purple on one side and yellow on the other. In general, a lot of the flowers I've seen while walking have used complementary color schemes. I wonder if there is something in nature that encourages that. I think there was a chapter of Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass about this very question, but I forgot everything else about that book, so, go figure.

 

My darling boyfriend predicted the return of I <3 Boobies bracelets in 2026. Even if those don't take off again, we can officially say he was right. Someone <3s boobies enough to shout it from the rooftops.

Unless, of course, there is some other meaning instead of the obvious interpretation.

Lesbian Vampires Bite Every Woman Before Sex

 

--

And with that, a work of photojournalism is completed.

Until next time, fair Reader. 

 

Yours, 

Emilyjones