Abstraction

I've been focusing a lot on finding beauty in the mundane.  I was talking with Jeff King, and the subject of photography came up.  Great photographers, we agreed, see the world differently than most people.  A nod of the head– a tilt of the eye– they see and capture brief glimpses of magic that would pass by the unobservant without detection.

Now, I don't claim to be great, but I was inspired.  Why not try to make plain, ordinary objects and situations beautiful?  I went out to shoot a few photos...

To see beauty in the mundane is no easy feat.  It takes persistence and patience.  Find the best in what you've got– and if what you've got isn't enough– know that nothing is set in stone.

A Minor Adjustment

It's time for my weekly dose of chiropractic care.  Every time I walk into Dr. Fecht's office, no matter how bad of a day I've had, I know I'm about to get a holistic fix and all of my bodily ailments will disappear.  The office is tucked away behind an old First Bank building, with an amazing view of the Marina.

The Office 

The View

You walk in, and are instantly greeted by Duke, the resident dog and most consistent doorman on the planet.  Nothing cheers you up more.

Duke the Doordog

Today, Duke wistfully enjoyed the view.

Doctor Fecht makes you feel like a new person every time you walk in the office.  Of course, he's an expert with the tools.

The spinal segment he adjusted for me today (C-something)

Dr. Fecht's diagnosis

Old-school and hyper-accurate blood pressure cuff (yes, it still has mercury in it)

Frat Life

Beta Theta Pi: we’re known as friends, gentlemen, and scholars.  Fraternity is often a stigmatized term, but Beta is different… sort of. 

Frat Hat

It’s three o’clock and 81 degrees; the sun is beating down on our Manhattan Beach duplex, and we’ve got a keg in the back and a grill on the balcony.  Add 40 college men and the day is prime for fratting.  For those who are uninitiated into the world of fratting, it is formally defined as “As much a state of mind as an action: unambiguously displaying confidence, intelligence, wealth, style and class while maintaining a positive, lackadaisical, attitude.” One who truly frats hard never forgets the value of having a good time or the responsibilities to which he is obligated.

Frat Machine, Caleb Nyberg

Frat Shades, Jake Stephens

Today, we’re celebrating our graduating class at the senior BBQ.  An annual tradition, the senior BBQ marks the point where our seniors close one chapter of their lives in order to clear the way to open another.  We have burgers and ‘dogs roasting on the BBQ, just as each senior is being roasted by his brothers.  Though not as fiery, roasting in this sense is just as painful as in the traditional sense.  Each senior goes up one by one to the Beta spotlight, and each of us who has been affected by the graduating senior takes a turn telling embarrassing stories and sharing sentiments. 

In the midst of a devastating roast

Once the roasting flame goes out, we spend the rest of the time goofing around and having a good time.  The Beta spirit seems to be flowing free and stronger than ever at this point.  Truly Fratastic.

A silly Sean Christopher

Fratty Jack Jarvis enthusiastic about being in the limelight

…and his abnormally voluptuous glutes