Backpack

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It's late August and students are coming back to school. This young guy with his backpack reminds me that soon the train will be even more full. It seems like I've always measured years by when school begins and ends.

Graphic Bag

I think anybody sporting an Andy Warhol design is expressing their love of pop culture, or at least of pop art. This girl's outfit is pretty funky and Warhol's design has been combined with a modern color combination. I wonder if she's trying to make a statement about art or if she just thought it was a cool bag. Either way, it fits her style - it seems like she wants to be seen and be different, but still be stylish and accepted. I thought she looked pretty cool; she reminded me of my sister a little bit.

Birthday Cards

This is my grandmother on her 90th birthday. The picture on the card is my grandmother roughly 50 years ago. Birthday cards can be humorous, serious, thoughtful, and sentimental, but this card, to me, conveys a sense of simple reflection.

"The years teach much which the days never knew."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What Do You Hear?

I think this sticker is really interesting. Presumably it's a bit of marketing for a band, but it really makes me think of the neurologically-based sensation called synesthesia. People who experience this phenomenon can literally "taste, feel and hear color."

Broken Door

Yesterday I was on the red line in a car with a broken door. Sometimes when that happens people get rude and impatient, have no respect for other people, and don't seem to understand that adaptation is a necessary part of life. Yesterday, perhaps because it wasn't very crowded, people handled it well and there wasn't any pushing. You can see the girl through the door's window waiting her turn as the man in the backpack calmly departs.

Since the T seems to be feeling the financial strain, I wonder if broken doors will be neglected in order to allow time and money to be spent on more serious issues.

Temple On Wheels

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This person's bumper sticker really says it all, don't you think? The owner has turned this truck into something completely unique and, I'm guessing, meaningful. I wish I knew what was behind those doors. Is it truly used as a temple and the inside is set up for prayer? Are they just carting around everyday things like home-improvement equipment? Maybe the inside is filled with art supplies or is decorated just as intricately. No matter what, I don't think the owner minds attention (and stares). I wonder if they ever remove the temple and use only the unadorned truck.

The details are incredible and it must have taken quite awhile to complete. I love the lobster on the hood. In case you can't tell from the pictures, the gold portion along the bottom of the truck is glitter. The creator is an artist, clearly. I look at this truck and I get the feeling that the owner has a sense of humor (Barbie, beer cans, duck bills), is dedicated to their craft (attention to detail), and has a fiery spirit (they drive around with that thing not afraid to stand out).

Disappearing Footprints

Somebody walked in wet cement. The city tried to cover their tracks. The city failed; I see where that person walked. It looks like a path that should be followed, but they disappear too soon.

Wholesome Vanity

I love to look at license plates and see where people come from. When we were on our cross country road trip in 2005, I saw license plates from all 50 states (Hawaii was the last one I spotted and it was so exciting)! Because I'm always looking, I occasionally see some cool vanity plates. They give people the opportunity to wow us with their wit and add a personal touch to a government issued plate. Vanity plates were featured on Seinfeld when Kramer was accidentally issued a doctor's plate (read about it here).

New Hampshire is full of them, and this one is a great example. I'm so happy I had my camera with me because usually I just try to jot down the good ones on any scrap of paper I can find. Here are few I have collected:

JELLY -- Vermont
MNHUNT -- Massachusetts
POLAR1 -- Massachusetts
ORGN DNR -- Virginia
NH TUFF -- New Hampshire

I'm not the only person looking for these funny plates. Check out COOLPL8TZ for more!

Yard Sale

I took this photo on August 9th, a whole week after the alleged yard sale took place. Why is it that signs like these (yard/tag/garage sale) always stay up long after the event has ended? Is it because the sign is as useless as the things being sold? The owner no longer cares for their stuff, so why should they care about a sign advertising their junk. Or maybe these signs are just forgotten in the midst of all the excitement and exchanges taking place. Perhaps the sale is indefinite; the poster claims "???" as the end time. It doesn't matter why it's still hanging because the message hasn't changed. This sign tells me that somebody had junk for sale. Sometimes castoffs turn out to be hidden treasures, but often people are just trying to sell their garbage.

I like the way the poster board has faded on the right hand side and that the seller used packing tape to attach it to the telephone poll. They chose to to tape it with an "X" right across the middle, thinking that since the tape is clear it wouldn't interfere with the text. They failed to consider the glare of the sun, but for the most part I think they did okay. It's pretty eye-catching, and I think that's the point. Don't you just love those permanent markers with the really wide tips?

The Park

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This situation makes me laugh; it really cracks me up! The sign depicts two children playing on a teeter totter (aka, see saw). This is to alert drivers that there is a playground up ahead. As you can see in the photo below, there is no teeter totter in sight (there really is a park though, so they get some credit).

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The sign is so old and outdated that I can't remember the last time I actually saw a teeter totter! I wonder if kids today would even know what this sign means. When I was little it was one of my favorite features of the school playground, but in the last 13 or so years they've totally disappeared. I think teeter totter is now synonymous with law suit. That is just so completely disappointing!

Parking Tickets

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In our area parking tickets are $40 each when you park illegally park in a permit only area. I'm not sure what happened here, but every car on this block was ticketed! The owners are not going to be happy. Honestly, it seems like the meter maid (or butler?) made an error because I've never seen anything like this. How could every available space be taken by people lacking permits?

Wedding Invitation

Wedding invitations communicate love, celebration, commitment, plans, dates and locations; they're just full of information. The style of the invitation reveals the personality of the couple (or at least the bride?), as do the ceremony and reception locations. They are providing us with a little preview of what to expect on the wedding day. Some invitations suggest romance, while others are more modern; invitations can be energetic and colorful or strictly traditional.

I consider it an honor to receive a wedding invitation because the exchange of vows is personal and intimate.

Relationship With God

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Some people consider it their duty to spread the word of God. I was on the red line when this crazy looking guy with a sandwich board espousing God's will offered me a pamphlet. I usually shy away from anybody with handouts, especially if they are going to try to convert me. This time was no different and I politely declined, but he placed it on the empty seat beside him. However, now that I have a reason to collect all sorts of messages this pamphlet looked pretty appealing. Not wanting to strike up a conversation, I snatched it when he was busy trying to convert another girl. Although I don't agree with the message, I find it interesting that there are a significant number passionate people walking around the country (and presumably the world) with these handouts. I'm more interested in the images than the message, which is why I haven't included any excerpts.

To Act

I found this fortune a few days before we thought of the idea for this blog, but I kept it because I always keep my fortune cookie fortunes. I found it at a little convenience store in Kendall Square. It was tossed aside on the counter and I suspect it had been there for quite some time before I found it. Such luck!