Asheville, North Carolina

At some point last week, Kristin asked if I wanted to go with her yesterday to Asheville. She was going to go help her friend Motor officiate some roller derby bouts, but we figured I could skip out on most of that if I wanted to and just get out of town for a while. She also invited our friends Logan and Becky, and we decided to just meet up on Saturday morning, head to Asheville, and wing it. After a bit of a slow start (I am the only one in the group who is consistently on time), we were in Kristin's car and heading east, and then:



There we were.

I've been to Asheville once before, to tour the Biltmore:





which was formerly the largest private home in America (I say formerly because I don't think anyone actually lives there now and it's mostly operated as a museum and wedding venue), but we didn't really go into town and see anything, so I was excited to walk around for a while. I've heard a lot of good things about Asheville and everyone said that I would love it, and it turns out to be a nice city to visit.

Kristin didn't get to see much of it, because our late start meant that she had to go straight to derby. Logan and Becky were doing couple-type things, and I didn't want to do third wheel things so I struck off on my own and went solo for the day, and I had a really good time.

The business district of Asheville is very pretty and colorful:







It's full of interesting stores:









random street sculptures:







and street musicians:



So many street musicians.

I stopped counting them at thirty, but it seemed like there was one or more people playing a guitar, fiddle, bass, accordian, bongo drum, harmonica, or some combination of them roughly every five feet or so. On the one hand, it's nice to hear music everywhere you walk, but on the other hand it seems like there should maybe just be fewer musicians clogging the sidewalks.

Asheville also seems like a very dog-friendly city. I saw bowls like this:



outside of a lot of the stores.

I also saw a couple of famous landmarks, besides the giant iron pictured above. The convention center was right next to the Basilica of St. Lawrence:





and I spent a lot of time at the Grove Arcade:







It's an old building that's been completely renovated to house a lot of stores and restaurants, and is gorgeous inside:





I had a really nice lunch there:



at a counter by the window:



and read my book for a while before going back outside for more shopping and walking. Late in the afternoon I also had an ice cream soda at the lunch counter in the old Woolworth's:



which has been converted into two stories of gallery space:



went to a bunch of bookstores, bought a print at another gallery that I need to pick up a frame for, and eventually joined Kristin for derby:



before we had dinner, piled back into the car, and headed home.

Pictures of September

This month, I have a few more spare photos around than I did of August, because I actually got out of my apartment and went places. Not too many places, mind you, but more than last month. With that in mind, here's a roundup of my unposted pictures from September.

1) The Emporium

On the first Friday of the month I went to an art show downtown at The Emporium:



One of our grad assistants was showing, so I went to be supportive. I've been past the building before, but had no idea it was so light and open on the inside, since it looks so blocky and somewhat industrial on the outside. Its kind of an artist collective space, so there are a lot of spaces inside that are almost like small galleries.

I might go back sometime when it's not First Friday, as every time I go downtown for that I just seem to get irritated by the hipster douches that spring fully formed and slightly disdainful from the walls and sidewalks.

2) Robot and Cultural

Remember way back in 2010 when some friends and I had a weekly photo challenge, where we used a random word generator and then had to take a picture that matched the theme? We tried doing it again this year, but I was in charge of the word generator and seem to have failed as a challenge-runner.

Our first word was "robot", and I submitted this photo of my Lego Lex Luthor robot battlesuit:



I was trying to capture the whole menacing shadows '50's sci-fi magazine "robots are dangerous" vibe, and I think it came out well for a plastic Lego creation on top of my refrigerator. Only one other person submitted a photo for "robot".

Week Two saw "cultural", which was apparently the word that destroyed us. I felt very little inspiration, and submitted this as a last minute "oh, crap, I need a photo" photo:



It's more a bastardization of culture than anything else, but it was also the only photo submitted for that word by any of us.

Week Three brought "distance". No one submitted a photo, including me.

Someone else can run the photo challenge next time.

3) Cars

I saw a few interesting cars this month. This one belongs to one of my coworkers:



I found it interesting because that car isn't brown. That's a full body rusting. He's sanded and buffed it, to take off flakes, and it gives the car a weird coloration that's striking and somewhat unique.

I also saw some fan cars at the home games:







and feel the need to remind people that these aren't just driven at games.

These people drive those cars around town on regular days.

Go Vols.

Pictures of January

I've got some random photos from the last couple of weeks that don't all go together and don't really tell a story (or just don't tell a particularly interesting one), but I want to share. My friend Leo did an excellent 2011 in pictures blog entry, (you should look at it even if you don't know her, because it's just that good) so this is inspired by that, except that mine are kind of the leftover pictures that didn't make it into other entries.

1) Toy friends:



Taken at the campus Early Learning Center when I was riding with Jeannie while my car was broken.

2) Blurry:



The camera that I had for years and years and used to carry everywhere before I went digital. Mom and Dad bought it for me for Christmas sometime in the late 1980's.

3) Pinhole on campus:



I think it's odd how none of the flame, which is in the Torchbearer's outstretched hand, is captured by the pinhole. I've tried this angle before in lower light, but then you can't really see the statue. I will probably keep experimenting with it, though.



I think that motorcycle picture is just perfect. It looks exactly like I hoped it might when I took it, which means (I think) that I'm getting better with the pinhole camera.









I really like that the pinhole camera can take things that I see every day (like McClung Tower) and render them strange and new.

4) Remember when I bought that orange resin clock with the rocks inside?

I still like it.



5) Summer's over:



These have been sitting on top of my shelf since I stopped wearing contacts a year or two ago. It feels wrong to throw away perfectly good sunglasses, but I have no idea what I'm saving them for, unless I decide to try contacts again in a year or two.

I miss being able to openly stare at people from behind dark lenses.

6) Graffiti on campus:



I don't think evolution works that way.



Childhood will never die. What's kind of hilarious is that this cartoon probably wasn't even on the air anymore when the person who painted this was born.





Current events, in stencil.



And a scorpion to round out the collection.

I saw most of these around the entrance to the Art and Architecture Building that faces the pedestrian walkway, which in over five years on campus I have never actually used:



I guess I still need to get out of my office more.

7) Rare Pages III

Since I've never been to that particular entrance to the Art and Architecture Building, I didn't know that it also houses a sculpture:





"Rare Pages III" by Blane De St. Croix.

It's a collection of concrete tiles in a rack, and you can slide the tiles in and out to see each one:





The animals are all rare and endangered, which might explain why that tamarind looks so sad.





I did a little online research and found a link to the sculpture on the artist's website, which left me with two thoughts.

First, it's not quite in the same condition as it was when completed in 1992.

Second, I'm willing to bet that at least some of the animlas on the tiles have become extinct between 1992 and now, and that was a little depressing to consider.