Things To Look At

My most recent video is very close to complete. I hate making people wait to see a man from space, so here is a low res teaser of Memories of Home, by Tyler Walker.

</p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/videos/" title="View all posts in My Videos and Films" rel="category tag">My Videos and Films</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2012/03/spaceman-teaser/#respond" title="Comment on Spaceman – Teaser">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-337" class="post-337 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/the-boys-and-i-in-hong-kong/" title="Permalink to The Boys and I in Hong Kong" rel="bookmark">The Boys and I in Hong Kong</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/the-boys-and-i-in-hong-kong/" title="7:07 pm" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">December 13, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <p><a rel="attachment wp-att-341" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/the-boys-and-i-in-hong-kong/hongkongmuseum/"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-341" title="HongKongMuseum" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/HongKongMuseum-500x500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" /></a></p> <p>photo by Kreep.</p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/the-boys-and-i-in-hong-kong/#respond" title="Comment on The Boys and I in Hong Kong">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-322" class="post-322 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/a-computer-is-flirting-with-me/" title="Permalink to A computer is flirting with me…" rel="bookmark">A computer is flirting with me…</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/a-computer-is-flirting-with-me/" title="3:20 pm" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">December 3, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <p>Ever wonder what the future will look like?</p> <p>Last week my friend Emilie Autumn and I were tweeting back and forth. She joked that she was going to make me a one armed t-shirt with the band’s tour slugline, “Don’t make it weird.”</p> <p>This morning I received the following email. Using Woot and data they have mined from social networking, Amazon appears to have generated a graphic rich advertisement, which knows what I shop for, what jokes my friends use, and how to tell those jokes back to me in context.</p> <p>A computer is flirting with me… That’s a really creepy intense algorithm.<br /> <a rel="attachment wp-att-334" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/a-computer-is-flirting-with-me/the-future/"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-334" title="the-future" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/the-future-500x313.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="313" /></a></p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/12/a-computer-is-flirting-with-me/#respond" title="Comment on A computer is flirting with me…">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-316" class="post-316 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/11/what-whirlwind-that-was/" title="Permalink to What whirlwind that was!" rel="bookmark">What whirlwind that was!</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/11/what-whirlwind-that-was/" title="8:34 pm" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">November 17, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <div class="ngg-imagebrowser" id="ngg-imagebrowser-8-316"> <h3>street-lights</h3> <div class="pic"> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/travel-photos/street-lights.jpg" title="" class="shutterset_travel-photos"> <img alt="street-lights" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/travel-photos/street-lights.jpg"/> </a> </div> <div class="ngg-imagebrowser-nav"> <div class="back"> <a class="ngg-browser-prev" id="ngg-prev-46" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/11/what-whirlwind-that-was/?pid=46&pageid=316">◄ Back</a> </div> <div class="next"> <a class="ngg-browser-next" id="ngg-next-51" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/11/what-whirlwind-that-was/?pid=51&pageid=316">Next ►</a> </div> <div class="counter">Picture 1 of 6</div> <div class="ngg-imagebrowser-desc"><p></p></div> </div> </div> <p><strong>I’ve returned, the Studio in New York City is back in action!</strong></p> <p>I had a wonderful, exhausting, inspiring journey all over the world. Whatever you do life, take time to travel and really look around you while you are there. Its worth it.</p> <p>I’ll try to share more of my photos and experiences later…</p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/11/what-whirlwind-that-was/#respond" title="Comment on What whirlwind that was!">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-306" class="post-306 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/10/things-to-look-at-takes-a-holiday/" title="Permalink to Things To Look At takes a holiday…" rel="bookmark">Things To Look At takes a holiday…</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/10/things-to-look-at-takes-a-holiday/" title="6:57 am" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">October 13, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <p>The studio in New York City will be temporarily closed while I’m traveling abroad. I’ll return in November with adventures to share.</p> <div id="attachment_307" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 510px"><a rel="attachment wp-att-307" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/10/things-to-look-at-takes-a-holiday/photo-2/"><img class="size-medium wp-image-307" title="photo 2" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/photo-2-500x500.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="500" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">So wonderful to find myself out of my element. Photo by Ari Boles.</p></div> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/10/things-to-look-at-takes-a-holiday/#respond" title="Comment on Things To Look At takes a holiday…">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-297" class="post-297 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/09/burke-veronica-and-irene/" title="Permalink to Burke, Veronica and Irene." rel="bookmark">Burke, Veronica and Irene.</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/09/burke-veronica-and-irene/" title="1:49 pm" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">September 1, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <div class="ngg-galleryoverview" id="ngg-gallery-6-297">  <div class="slideshowlink"> <a class="slideshowlink" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/09/burke-veronica-and-irene/?show=slide&pageid=297"> [Show as slideshow] </a> </div>  <div id="ngg-image-39" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-8.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-8" alt="hurricane-irene-8" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-8.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-38" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-7.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-7" alt="hurricane-irene-7" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-7.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-37" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-6.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-6" alt="hurricane-irene-6" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-6.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-36" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-5.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-5" alt="hurricane-irene-5" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-5.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-35" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-4.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-4" alt="hurricane-irene-4" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-4.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-33" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-2.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-2" alt="hurricane-irene-2" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-2.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-34" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-3.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-3" alt="hurricane-irene-3" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-3.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-32" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/hurricane-irene-1.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_6" > <img title="hurricane-irene-1" alt="hurricane-irene-1" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/irene/thumbs/thumbs_hurricane-irene-1.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div>  <div class='ngg-clear'></div> </div> <p>With the hurricane looming we were afraid Saturday would be a mass NYC exodus. We decided to leave for Woodstock late on Friday night to beat traffic. We got here at about 3 in the morning. When we woke we bought some basic groceries, and moved our emergency supplies from the garage on our property to our fancy rental house. A couple of V’s friends from the city asked to shelter with us as well. The rains began that evening, but it was generally very quiet.</p> <p>Sunday morning around 4am power went out, causing the home security system to beep constantly. Unable to locate the code, we left a message for the owner, wrapped the box in make shift sound proofing and went back to bed. Before sunrise, the alarm added a new beep to let us know the phone lines were out as well.</p> <p>At dawn I was able to walk to the edge of the property and receive a text from the owner with the alarm code. A little silence sure feels wonderful. It was still raining heavily and had been all night, but there was no wind.</p> <p>The walk around the yard revealed a couple potential hazards. The small creek that runs beside the house was very close to overflowing. If the creek over flows, the driveway washes out. The creek normally passes into a culvert above the driveway, then waterfalls down a small ledge below the driveway, then disappears into second culvert and exits at the bottom of the lower yard. Now the creek was swelling almost over at the top, and under the driveway is was blasting out with such force it was missing the lower culvert altogether and flooding straight onto the lower yard.</p> <p>Also, the rain gutters over the barn/art studio were blocked and a waterfall had formed directly in front of the door, causing water to hit hard and shoot under the door onto the nice hardwood flooring. The river that borders the property is normal a few inched shallow, mostly rocky outcroppings and stretches of sand. Its the kind you can hop across at the narrow parts without getting wet. Now it was a ragging orange, a hundred feet wide and carrying entire 100 year old trees in its torrent. On a normal day this might seem traumatic, but we were in the middle of a hurricane. I unclogged drains and stacked some rocks, and thought were doing quite well.</p> <p>However, when Veronica woke she was insistent that we belonged back in NYC. The sense of coming catastrophe had brought up a lot of stuff for V, she was very emotionally volatile. (Remember we lost our house and everything in it back in April.) She had been unsettled and unhappy since Friday night, and had a “bad feeling” about being here. V’s bad feelings are hard to argue with.</p> <p>At 1pm the rain just stopped. The air was suddenly still and the clouds began to break up. We heard that the city was mostly fine, but had no real details. We knew the roads were very bad. I felt it was better to stay and wait for solid news. V was still intent on leaving. I sent here to get more info while the rest of us started making food.</p> <p>V went to the fire department. The fire department was in a frenzy, trees were down all over town, roads were getting blocked, and emergency lines were overloaded. They told her to stay at home, or go to the Olive town fire station nearby which had set up a flood shelter. But they said, “if you are going to leave, you needed to go right now.” Though the rains had stopped here, the valleys above were still spilling with storm water, the river was about to take the road, and when it did any exit would be impossible. They were preparing to evacuate the fire station.</p> <p>So V returned to the house and we decided to do the least reasonable thing… leave our house (which was safely above the flood plain), head away from the Olive flood shelter, and drive instead to NYC 120 miles away. I killed all the breakers, sealed the windows and I left my generator running to pump out water collecting in the basement. We packed the two vehicles with 4 people, 3 dogs, and sandwiches, and we pulled onto Watson Hollow Road while the radio man announced a state of emergency, and relayed pleas from local authorities to stay off the roads.</p> <p>It was becoming a beautiful day, the sun came out, and though the ground was soaked the air was light and dry. Trees were jammed on the riverbank like piled tinker toys, and the boiling orange water as feet from the road, but this road was passable. However, 28A was blocked… In both directions. So we tried County 3, then County 2, then smaller roads. In all of my life I have not seen more fallen trees, snapped power lines, and flooded roads, as I did that drive.</p> <p>For 7 and a half hours, we wandered down, up, over and back, each road a hope and disappointment. All these roads were strangers, miles from our usual route, many too small to have names, most un-passable. Some were blocked by barricades or police. Most were open to test on our own, till bravery or fear made the final call. We slipped under trees, drove over power cables, wadded roads on foot before risking a vehicle. We passed lakes that had been farms, a hundred trees held only in place the power lines they leaned against. We saw cars that had attempted water too deep and now sat like glossy islands in the waterways.</p> <p>We were almost to Pennsylvania when we reached New Jersey. We were exhausted when we reached New York City. The city was bone dry. It was only fashion envy that made the hipsters on our block long for V’s knee high galoshes. There wasn’t even water in the gutters.</p> <p>We staggered upstairs and passed out. We were beat tired and felt foolish for attempting the drive, but at least we knew everything was safe, here and upstate. In the morning Chris called. He owns the house we rent in Woodstock. A neighbor called, heavy winds had hit after the rains. A big tree had dropped on the house.</p> <p>And so we packed a new set of sandwiches and headed north. Much easier going this time. Most of 87 was open headed north, and we were the only people who wanted to head that way, traffic was a breeze. (see the picture of V and Niney)</p> <p>The wind storms must have sounded like the end of days. Dozens of trees came down on the property. The lower yard is a sideways forest on top of a bog. The pool has been buried by birch trees. It was the largest white pine on the property that crushed the roof of the main house and most of the garden.</p> <p>The interior of the house was remarkably untouched, nothing of ours was damaged. There is however a single 6″ hole in the living room ceiling. When the pine fell, a 6 foot long branch, about 5 inches in diameter, speared straight through the roof. It passed through the roof shingles, one layer of plywood, layers of baton, then one sheet of drywall, and came straight down, point first onto the couch.</p> <p>If you and 3 friends were holed up with no power, no water, and no road, waiting out a heavy storm by candle light, where would you be sitting?</p> <p>Love,<br /> b.</p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/09/burke-veronica-and-irene/#respond" title="Comment on Burke, Veronica and Irene.">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-290" class="post-290 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/08/the-new-york-post/" title="Permalink to The New York Post" rel="bookmark">The New York Post</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/08/the-new-york-post/" title="3:14 pm" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">August 21, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <p>Ms. Veronica Varlow has turned up in the <a title="Varlow in the NY Post" href="http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/dating/love_tips_from_the_pros_gD4NKiLKiMCywYuzoJtJON" target="_blank">NY Post</a> again dishing out some love tips… with my photo.</p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/08/the-new-york-post/#respond" title="Comment on The New York Post">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-286" class="post-286 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/07/a-day-off-in-texas/" title="Permalink to A Day off in Texas…" rel="bookmark">A Day off in Texas…</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/07/a-day-off-in-texas/" title="3:52 am" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">July 9, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <p>Just a few photos from our first day off in Texas. At 100+ degrees its almost impossible to be outside and comfortable this time of year. But the rivers here are fed by a massive underground aquifer. If you can find a quite spot near the springs, they are cool clean and magically refreshing. <div class="ngg-galleryoverview" id="ngg-gallery-4-286">  <div class="slideshowlink"> <a class="slideshowlink" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/07/a-day-off-in-texas/?show=slide&pageid=286"> [Show as slideshow] </a> </div>  <div id="ngg-image-13" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2594-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2594-small" alt="img_2594-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2594-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-14" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2601-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2601-small" alt="img_2601-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2601-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-15" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2612-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2612-small" alt="img_2612-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2612-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-16" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2620-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2620-small" alt="img_2620-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2620-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-17" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2628-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2628-small" alt="img_2628-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2628-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-18" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2639-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2639-small" alt="img_2639-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2639-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-19" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2660-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2660-small" alt="img_2660-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2660-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-20" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2663-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2663-small" alt="img_2663-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2663-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-21" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2666-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2666-small" alt="img_2666-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2666-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-22" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2667-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2667-small" alt="img_2667-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2667-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-23" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/img_2668-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_4" > <img title="img_2668-small" alt="img_2668-small" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/texas/thumbs/thumbs_img_2668-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div>  <div class='ngg-clear'></div> </div> </p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/07/a-day-off-in-texas/#comments" title="Comment on A Day off in Texas…">1 Comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-259" class="post-259 post type-post hentry category-random-posts"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/our-house/" title="Permalink to Our House." rel="bookmark">Our House.</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/our-house/" title="11:23 pm" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">April 25, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <div class="ngg-galleryoverview" id="ngg-gallery-3-259">  <div class="slideshowlink"> <a class="slideshowlink" href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/our-house/?show=slide&pageid=259"> [Show as slideshow] </a> </div>  <div id="ngg-image-8" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/img_0819-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_3" > <img title="The last photo we have, before the fire" alt="The last photo we have, before the fire" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/thumbs/thumbs_img_0819-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-9" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/img_2139-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_3" > <img title="Police Line" alt="Police Line" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/thumbs/thumbs_img_2139-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-10" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/img_2153-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_3" > <img title="Our Bedroom" alt="Our Bedroom" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/thumbs/thumbs_img_2153-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-11" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/img_2161-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_3" > <img title="Our wonderful woodstove" alt="Our wonderful woodstove" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/thumbs/thumbs_img_2161-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div> <div id="ngg-image-12" class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box" > <div class="ngg-gallery-thumbnail" > <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/img_2166-small.jpg" title=" " class="shutterset_set_3" > <img title="The Cottage on our Wedding day" alt="The Cottage on our Wedding day" src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/gallery/our-house/thumbs/thumbs_img_2166-small.jpg" width="100" height="75" /> </a> </div> </div>  <div class='ngg-clear'></div> </div> <p>Around 5 am Saturday morning, an NYC police officer buzzed our Brooklyn apartment and gave us a number to call. It was a stark, confusing way to wake up. The officer expected us to know what the number was for, we didn’t. He called to check, perhaps the number wasn’t meant for us.</p> <p>I was standing in the doorway with just a pair of pants on. Everything seemed a little surreal, and displaced, like i was standing a couple feet behind myself. The officer was on his cell phone. He was very young. My mind was slowly catching up, my body had answered the door on its own really. I began to wonder if some elaborate prank was underway. But he was in proper uniform, including a fire arm.</p> <p>The visit was not an accident, the number was for us. All the officer knew was there might have been a fire at our cottage in Woodstock. But moments later he said a car may have hit our home. A car hitting out house was the better option, our cottage is up on a hill, a drunk driver would have to work very hard to hit the house. If there had been a car accident, they almost certainly meant the garage, located right along the road. Other than tool storage, I don’t have much attachment to the garage.</p> <p>The officer left and I called the number, Woodstock’s emergency dispatcher. There was a fire, near our house, possibly our neighbors. All information was broken by long silent stretches as he fielded other calls from the sight of the incident.</p> <p>Eventually this is what came together. At about 3 in the morning a driver woke our neighbors. They borrowed the phone to report a fire, coming from a home, our home in Woodstock. The fire department responded within a few minutes, but by the time they arrived, the roof had already collapsed, and damage was “extensive”.</p> <p>Veronica, Niney and I were in the city. No one was inside at the time of the fire. No one was hurt. We are most thankful for that</p> <p>By the time we reach Woodstock its after 7am, the fire is out. The driveway is blocked by a cop car, and the neighbor’s drive is filled with other emergency vehicles.</p> <p>It is pouring rain. The season has only begun to turn here, the trees are still barren. The wall of our house are the brightest thing in sight, a gentle mint green that suggests spring. We can see smoke stains rising from all the windows.</p> <p>This lone wall is the best view of our little home. Closing in we realize it is the only standing remnant. Everything else is leveled, no porch, no roof, no other walls. No color but black. There is a strange smell, not the smell of burning wood. I know the smell of a campfire and love it. This is a different smell.</p> <p>I knew before we arrived it would be bad. I was braced and I was standing tall, for myself and for Veronica.</p> <p>Veronica was already in rough shape. She had fallen into an unexplained sadness 2 days earlier. I think it was a preemptive sorrow–a blessing (as well as curse) of being magically intuitive. When the cop first appeared in Brooklyn, I was thinking, “what now?!” But I was approaching it backwards. I should have been thinking, “Now we’ll find out what!”</p> <p>The extent of the damage makes it easier I think. There is so very little I recognize, it is just a pile of ash and cinder. I can pick out a few appliances, the oven, fridge. I can see most clearly our wonderful wood stove. But everything else is just gone. It is better that way, no half burned furniture, no charred paintings on the wall, no melted toys from my childhood. Nothing to spike a hope of recovery, or pang of loss.</p> <p>I don’t cry till I see the crawl. Of all the stupid things, I’m walking around the grave site of my home, and I look down into the crawl, and I start to cry.</p> <p>I fucking hate the crawl. Its dank, its too short to keep from banging my head, the sump pump strays you with water when it kicks on, and the only stuff down there is mechanical. Who gives a shit about their crawl? But now it is the least damaged part of our home. Yes, it is five feet deep in black ashen water, but it never burned. The brand new water pressure tank Francis and I installed is there, floating on its side. The new plumbing I cut my knuckles on is there, fresh pipes running from the water heater to blackened nowhere.</p> <p>What is needed to develop a relationship is just time and effort, more than friendship or understanding. I have a relationship with this stupid crawl. I put all that stuff down there. The new floor joists are my work. There is a hole where the sump pump sits, a hole cut in solid stone. I know because I chipped it myself. The hardest work in the house has happened down there, and now the crawl has left me, abruptly. Hours of banging my head, cussing and cutting my knuckles is a relationship. Its like an abusive lover has left. Its the only part of the whole house whose passing I should celebrate, but instead I’m crying.</p> <p>Veronica has asked the firemen to dig in one particular spot. She knows where her journal was kept. All her journals were there, but she is looking for one journal in particular, her wedding gift to me, testament of our love, the singular collection of all our early moments. I journal I have never read. She has lost her proof that we were meant to be together, lost record of all the little omens she received. She has lost the words her grandmother gave her in a dream, the words which became our wedding invitation. She has lost the poems I wrote her, the pressed flowers from our first road trip. She has lost all her childhood photos.</p> <p>A public adjuster has slinked his way up the driveway. They get 10% of your insurance claim for their services, and they move very quickly. The kitchen is literally still smoking, and a stranger is trying to pull me aside for a business card exchange. Veronica orders him off the property. He does not leave. I sense the anger welling in her, and I separate them immediately.</p> <p>I have my arm around his shoulder leading him quickly down the drive. He is still proposing to me as Veronica is literally cursing him from above. She is not cussing, she is cursing him. I am trying to protect him, by getting him away as soon as possible.</p> <p>I reassure myself that he can’t be capable of understanding, or he wouldn’t be here. He must just be missing some basic human ingredient. I try to be understanding. He gets in his car. I return to our… home. Veronica is still yelling. She says something about sadness, about the sadness that will come into his life. From his car window adjuster decides to retort. Maybe he is incapable of understanding that his presence is causing sadness? I’m trying to be understanding.</p> <p>He yells something at Veronica. And I loose myself. I’m walking, pointing him away. Then I’m running, and my body is halfway through his window. And I have him by his collar and I am screaming. I tell him to never ever speak to my family. I tell him many other things I cannot remember even as I am saying them. Its all rage, but I am sure it was all true. Maybe now he will understand, or maybe his life will just stay sad and confused.</p> <p>A firemen hands Veronica her journal, matted and wet and burned to a small black oval, maybe having the center portion of many pages will be enough to spark her heart and memory.</p> <p>When the cops and firemen leave. We pick through the rubble. I help Veronica drag remnants to the garage. They are garbage and I know it, a melted bike frame, a shattered christmas ornament. But I help her.</p> <p>Then we walk up the hill, and sit. And we see the daffodils, the first sign of spring, clean stalks of green and yellow buds. They return every year, and they have not stopped for this. And the moss is growing, covered in dew. The rain has paused by now and the mist makes everything soft, even the black ashes below. This home was our friend, we have lost a friend. But nature has no surrender, no ending. It will swallow this death in rain, and sun and moss and lichen, and a thousand little creatures will bed in this sorrow and make new life. The mice are probably inside already nesting for children. The pond has eggs and tiny tadpoles. Life here on the hillside is emerging from a deep sleep. And everything will be alright.</p> <p>If I were as wise and grand as as the land we stand upon I would know it is already all right, as it always has been. I have only forgotten the steps for a moment, but I will fall back into the dance soon. Spring is coming. And we will build again.</p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/our-house/#comments" title="Comment on Our House.">20 Comments</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="post-221" class="post-221 post type-post hentry category-random-posts tag-hawaii tag-love tag-travel tag-veronica-varlow"> <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/sunrise-539-am/" title="Permalink to Sunrise 5:39 am." rel="bookmark">Sunrise 5:39 am.</a></h2> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/sunrise-539-am/" title="4:42 am" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">April 9, 2011</span></a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://thingstolookat.com/author/Burke/" title="View all posts by Burke">Burke</a></span> </div> <div class="entry-content"> <p>…Even if Veronica hadn’t told me to, I would still caption this photo with a note about how much I love her. Taken at sunrise above the Pololu Valley. We had watched the sunset on the opposite side of the island the night before (see entry below), and drove to the east side just before dawn. I really do have tremendous amount in my life to be thankful for.<br /> <br /> <div id="attachment_250" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 160px"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/sunrise-539-am/pololu-valley-sunrise/" rel="attachment wp-att-250"><img src="http://thingstolookat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Pololu-Valley-Sunrise-150x150.jpg" alt="" title="Pololu-Valley-Sunrise" width="150" height="150" class="size-thumbnail wp-image-250" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Things to be thankful for...</p></div></p> </div> <div class="entry-utility"> <span class="cat-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links">Posted in</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/category/random-posts/" title="View all posts in Random Tyrades" rel="category tag">Random Tyrades</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="tag-links"> <span class="entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links">Tagged</span> <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/tag/hawaii/" rel="tag">Hawaii</a>, <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/tag/love/" rel="tag">love</a>, <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/tag/travel/" rel="tag">travel</a>, <a href="http://thingstolookat.com/tag/veronica-varlow/" rel="tag">veronica varlow</a> </span> <span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="comments-link"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/2011/04/sunrise-539-am/#respond" title="Comment on Sunrise 5:39 am.">Leave a comment</a></span> </div> </div> <div id="nav-below" class="navigation"> <div class="nav-previous"><a href="http://thingstolookat.com/page/2/" ><span class="meta-nav">←</span> Older posts</a></div> <div class="nav-next"></div> </div> </div> <div id="sidebar"> <div id="primary" class="widget-area" role="complementary"> <ul class="xoxo"> <li id="search-2" class="widget-container widget_search"><form role="search" method="get" id="searchform" action="http://thingstolookat.com/" > <div><label class="screen-reader-text" for="s">Search for:</label> <input type="text" value="" name="s" id="s" /> <input type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search" /> </div> </form></li><li id="text-3" class="widget-container widget_text"><h3 class="widget-title">Twitter</h3> <div class="textwidget"><script src="http://widgets.twimg.com/j/2/widget.js"></script> <script> new TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'profile', rpp: 4, interval: 6000, width: 210, height: 300, theme: { shell: { background: '#1a1b1f', color: '#ffffff' }, tweets: { background: '#232228', color: '#666666', links: '#2fc2ef' } }, features: { scrollbar: false, loop: false, live: false, hashtags: true, timestamp: true, avatars: false, behavior: 'all' } }).render().setUser('thingstolookat').start(); 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