This is one of my first attempts at dropping a subject onto a new background. I didn’t exactly pick the easiest of subjects. Can you tell? Is it believable? I have my own opinions… what are yours?
I finally found some gallery software I could work with, and it must be pretty idiot-proof, because I got it installed without a hitch. There are still a few kinks to be worked out in getting it to play nice with my current WordPress theme, but so far so good. And, yes, it requires Flash. *sigh* I know… Sorry! For the time being I am working with slideshows because they scale better with the theme but I will likely try and get away from them as time goes by.
For those interested, I am using Alex Rabe’s Nextgen-Gallery. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it’s not bad at all. A great tutorial can be found here. The software also works with Cooliris, something I haven’t yet played much with, so the jury is still out on if it is really as “cool” as they claim.
Anyhow, hope you all enjoy the new functionality and photos. As always, please do not reuse or reproduce without permission or credit! All photography is ©Amy M. Ditto & Aperture Laboratories. All rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. Thanks!
On June 2,3, & 4, the San Felipe de Neri Parish celebrated its 304th fiesta. Yes, that’s three-hundred and four. Stefan and I actually stumbled upon it, having intended to go do some practice portraiture in Old Town. The music was playing, folks were dancing, and to my surprise, people were relatively unphased by the two of us walking around taking pictures with less-than-discrete equipment. What wonderful people, and what a wonderful day in the square.
If you’re like me, every once in a while, between blustering about it, you ask yourself critically why we’re arguing about such stupid topics. If you’re not, you’re probably one of the ones pressing the argument. It’s true. The American public is ridiculously easily distracted by irrelevance in politics. The issues put before us may be emotionally compelling (gay marriage & “sanctity of life”), but they are more often than not shoved under our noses to distract us from real problems (war, the economy). What results is a situation in which the American public spends more time busy-bodying (or arguing about it)- meddling in the affairs of others for the sake of building a world we’re only slightly more comfortable in- than focussing on what matters.
We could learn a few things from the Europeans. They aren’t arguing about teaching good science in schools (evolution), or the legitimacy of human-caused climate change (they accept it as truth, because it is universally agreed upon by the scientific elite). Why should this matter to us? Why would we consider living by example? Call it respecting your elders. Cities and countries ravaged by devastating wars? Been there. Forests ravaged by industry (acid rain)? Been there. Whole peoples ravaged by disagreements about religion? Been there. Massive disagreements about how to govern? Also been there.
But, Gore Vidal aptly describes the US as “the United States of Amnesia”. We can’t even learn from our own past, let alone the legacy of our European ancestors. Just like children, our comparatively young country insists on learning through experience. (And, promptly forgetting.) For a country that made a book entitled “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” a best seller, we sure are pre-occupied with it.
What American political thinking needs is a re-adjustment. Political affiliation to Americans has become like choosing a favorite sports team. We root for them regardless of how idiotic their rhetoric and actions are, no matter how counterproductive that is. For the good of the country, and more importantly for the good of our people, we need to drop the petty partisanship and accept empirical truths: Focus on what really matters, as best as we can agree upon that.
That stated, why are we arguing about things that should be a matter of personal preference, are irrelevant, or are indisputable truths? Because someone wants us to. In the process of adjusting our thinking, it would be very wise of us to ask why.
The conversation went like this:
“What do you want to do this weekend? Let’s go take some pictures.”
“Um, okay, where?”
(Flipping through the Alibi…)
“Oh, wow, the first New Mexican World Naked Bike Ride is happening tomorrow in Santa Fe. Looks like ‘Burque should be well-represented. Sounds like a great excuse to go take pics and get some great grub!”
14 hours later:
“We going?”
(I’ve been up since 5 am and went to bed at 1.) “Aughghgh… I dunno, you want to go?”
“I dunno.”
“Flip a coin.”
(Snooze)
“Okay, get up, we’re going.”
And thus, we went. Not being townies, we came up the back way through Madrid, which is always beautiful. We rolled into town roughly when the ride was scheduled to begin. The jump-off point was cleverly situated at the South Capitol Rail Runner Station (presumably so ABQ Folks could ride the train and join in). A small smattering of riders had already collected, along with a whole bunch of looky-loos (ourselves included), mostly with fancy cameras. The riders were more than patient with us.
Now, regardless of how you feel about the relevancy of the protest, or the means in which it was executed (yes, I read the responses to the thread announcing the ride), I ask you this: Where else can a bunch of crazy hippies take off (most of) their clothes and ride proudly through the city streets for a cause? (Okay, in the US, 26ish other cities, it seems!) That, fellow New Mexicans, despite our differences, is something we should all be genuinely excited about. Because that brothers and sisters, is what it’s all about. People. Glorious people. Brave people. People engaging themselves in political discourse, via whatever (non-violent) means. People caring about other people. People caring about where the country is going. People caring about the planet. People who aren’t afraid to put it out there. And, these folks seriously put it out there.
The level of negativity in the current political climate can be exhausting. Rather than criticize anyone for their methods, we should be celebrating how crazy-wonderful things like this are. And if that’s not convincing enough, consider that not only do events like this enrich our lives, they completely freak out tourists. (I kid… mostly. The response of the crowd at the Plaza seemed really positive.) And, if you could have been there fellow native, oh, the smiles to be had! I submit to you that productive politics should be more about the positive… and there was joy and courage in this that we all could learn a lesson from. That, dear readers, is my thesis for the day. Do with it what you will, but more importantly- enjoy the photos!
(Riders, I have higher quality images available, please contact me here if you are interested in copies. And, thank you for your enthusiasm and being such wonderful subjects! Everyone else, please do not reuse without credit or permission. Thanks!)
A bit of poetry to start the day…
The Layers
by Stanley Kunitz
I have walked through many lives,
some of them my own,
and I am not who I was,
though some principle of being
abides, from which I struggle
not to stray.
When I look behind,
as I am compelled to look
before I can gather strength
to proceed on my journey,
I see the milestones dwindling
toward the horizon
and the slow fires trailing
from the abandoned camp-sites,
over which scavenger angels
wheel on heavy wings.
Oh, I have made myself a tribe
out of my true affections,
and my tribe is scattered!
How shall the heart be reconciled
to its feast of losses?
In a rising wind
the manic dust of my friends,
those who fell along the way,
bitterly stings my face.
Yet I turn, I turn,
exulting somewhat,
with my will intact to go
wherever I need to go,
and every stone on the road
precious to me.
In my darkest night,
when the moon was covered
and I roamed through wreckage,
a nimbus-clouded voice
directed me:
“Live in the layers,
not on the litter.”
Though I lack the art
to decipher it,
no doubt the next chapter
in my book of transformations
is already written.
I am not done with my changes.
This is absolutely a must read. A tear was running down my cheek as I burst out laughing hysterically at another message.
Where is the woman’s “right to life”? It’s tremendously ironic that a group of people so worried about “property rights” and “the sanctity of life” fail to acknowledge that a woman’s body is fundamentally her property, and are willing without compunction to further destroy a 10 year-old girl’s life and let a woman die (and likely the fetus with her) rather than give her an abortion and provide cancer treatment. Adult women are not just incubators, they have a right to life too. In defending that right, they are not criminal monsters an unborn cluster of cells must be protected from. They are exercising their fundamental right to do what is right for them, for their health and for the health and welfare of their future offspring.
To be perfectly clear: I’m not arguing for late-term abortion (except in cases where the mother’s life might be in danger), nor that it be used as a form of birth control. We should all be encouraged to take responsibility for our choices and if you don’t want to be pregnant, you can surely figure it out prior to that point. But, I genuinely believe that no woman wants to be put into the position of considering abortion. And, obstructing a young woman in getting access to a legal post-coitus drug after she has been raped and laws such as those that threaten not just women’s but parent’s rights to know if their baby is physically deformed or otherwise compromised so that they can make an informed decision are barbaric, immoral, and unconscionable. Enacting legislation that attempts to guilt women into changing their minds by requiring invasive procedures and dragging things out when they have already struggled with the decision is similarly so… and any law that could be misconstrued to suggest that a woman is a criminal for falling down the stairs is completely, utterly unacceptable.
Even if it doesn’t concern us, we should be concerned. I’ve never had an abortion. I’ll soon be beyond the age when it will matter for me. But, I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. My body is my property to do with as I please. GET OFF MY LAND!
