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Day 303: I've had a pretty fun weekend. Yesterday, I hung out with my friend April...we went to dinner and then hit a couple of bars around Greektown. Today, we both got library cards (very important to have so I don't spend all my loan money on books!) and then headed to another bar to watch the Chiefs/Bears game. I am a Chiefs fan so I was sad that they lost, but next Sunday I'll be a Bears fan again lol
British postcard by Heroes Publishing Ltd., London, no. SPC2621.
Keanu Reeves (1964) is a Canadian actor, producer, director and musician. Though Reeves often faced criticism for his deadpan delivery and perceived limited range as an actor, he nonetheless took on roles in a variety of genres, doing everything from introspective art-house fare to action-packed thrillers. His films include My Own Private Idaho (1991), the European drama Little Buddha (1993), Speed (1994), The Matrix (1999) and John Wick (2014).
Keanu Charles Reeves was born in 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. His first name means ‘cool breeze over the mountains’ in Hawaiian. His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., was a geologist of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage, and his mother, Patricia Bond (née Taylor), was a British showgirl and later a costume designer for rock stars such as Alice Cooper. Reeves's mother was working in Beirut when she met his father. Upon his parents’ split in 1966, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister Kim Reeves to Sydney, to New York and then to Toronto. As a child, he lived with various stepfathers, including stage and film director Paul Aaron. Keanu developed an ardor for hockey, though he would eventually turn to acting. At 15, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre. Reeves dropped out of high school when he was 17. His film debut was the Canadian feature One Step Away (Robert Fortier, 1985). After a part in the teen movie Youngblood (Peter Markle, 1986), starring Rob Lowe, he obtained a green card through stepfather Paul Aaron and moved to Los Angeles. After a few minor roles, he gained attention for his performance in the dark drama River's Edge (Tim Hunter, 1986), which depicted how a murder affected a group of adolescents. Reeves landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated period drama Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen Frears, 1988), starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. Reeves joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy Parenthood (1989), and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990). Unexpectedly successful was the wacky comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989) which followed two high school students (Reeves and Alex Winter) and their time-traveling high jinks. The success lead to a TV series and a sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (Pete Hewitt, 1991). From then on, audiences often confused Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart.
In the following years, Keanu Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma. He developed an eclectic film roster that included high-budget action films like the surf thriller Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991) for which he won MTV's ‘Most Desirable Male’ award in 1992, but also lower-budget art-house films. My Own Private Idaho (1991), directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring River Phoenix, chronicled the lives of two young hustlers living on the streets. In Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Reeves embodied the calm resolute lawyer Jonathan Harker who stumbles into the lair of Gary Oldman’s Count Dracula. In Europe, he played prince Siddharta who becomes the Buddha in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Italian-French-British drama Little Buddha (1993). His career reached a new high when he starred opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit action film Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994). It was followed by the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (Alfonso Arau, 1995) and the supernatural thriller Devil’s Advocate (Taylor Hackford, 1997), co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. At the close of the decade, Reeves starred in a Sci-fi film that would become a genre game changer, The Matrix (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999). Reeves played the prophetic figure Neo, slated to lead humanity to freedom from an all-consuming simulated world. Known for its innovative fight sequences, avant-garde special effects and gorgeous fashion, The Matrix was an international hit. Two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) and The Matrix Revolutions (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) followed and The Matrix Reloaded was even a bigger financial blockbuster than its predecessor.
Now a major, bonafide box office star, Keanu Reeves continued to work in different genres and both in bid-budget as in small independent films. He played an abusive man in the supernatural thriller The Gift (Sam Raimi, 2000), starring Cate Blanchett, a smitten doctor in the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give (Nancy Meyers, 2003) opposite Diane Keaton, and a Brit demon hunter in American-German occult detective action film Constantine (Francis Lawrence, 2005). His appearance in the animated science fiction thriller A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006), based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, received favourable reviews, and The Lake House (Alejandro Agresti, 2006) , his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, was a success at the box office. Reeves returned to Sci-fi as alien Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (Scott Derrickson, 2008), the remake of the 1951 classic. Then he played a supporting part in Rebecca Miller's The Private Life of Pippa Lee (2009), which starred Robin Wright and premiered at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. Reeves co-founded a production company, Company Films. The company helped produce Henry's Crime (Malcolm Venville, 2010), in which Reeves also starred. The actor made his directorial debut with the Chinese-American Martial arts film Man of Tai Chi (2013), partly inspired by the life of Reeves' friend, stuntman Tiger Chen. Martial arts–based themes continued in Reeves's next feature, 47 Ronin (Carl Rinsch, 2013), about a real-life group of masterless samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenged the death of their lord. Variety magazine listed 47 Ronin as one of "Hollywood's biggest box office bombs of 2013". Reeves returned as a retired hitman in the neo-noir action thriller John Wick (Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, 2014). The film opened to positive reviews and performed well at the box office. A sequel, titled John Wick: Chapter Two, is currently in production and is scheduled to be released in 2017. This year, he could be seen in the psychological horror film The Neon Demon is (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016) and the romantic horror-thriller Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016). Reeves’ artistic aspirations are not limited to film. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the grunge band Dogstar, which released two albums. He later played bass for a band called Becky. Reeves is also a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. After asking designer Gard Hollinger to create a custom-built bike for him, the two went into business together with the formation of Arch Motorcycle Company LLC in 2011. Reported to be one of the more generous actors in Hollywood, Reeves helped care for his sister during her lengthy battle with leukemia, and has supported such organizations as Stand Up To Cancer and PETA. In January 2000, Reeves's girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth eight months into her pregnancy to Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, who was stillborn. The strain put on their relationship by their grief resulted in Reeves and Syme's breakup several weeks later. In 2001, Syme died after a car accident.
Sources: Biography.com, Wikipedia and IMDb.
after an unexpected half year hiatus here on flickr i thought i would give a few words of explanation about everything that has been happening. i realize i probably don't need to, but many of you have quickly become close friends, and friends don't drop off the face of the planet for a few months and then show up again like nothing happened.
i also wanted to say thanks to those friends who made a point of staying in touch, or sending me a message or an IM to check in and see if everything was ok. you know who you are. thanks. it was appreciated and definitely needed.
i'll try to give you the condensed version. but it's a bit of a complicated story.
at the end of last summer i was nearing a breaking point. after almost five years, life in nash vegas - that's nashville for anyone who hasn't lived there - was becoming an endless cycle of frustration and dead ends. dreams i had been pursuing, and waiting years for always seemed just out of reach. i was ready for a change. earlier that year, a close friend had accepted a dream job down in orlando and moved to florida. i went down to visit. in the span of a week, i had a job interview and what seemed like a great job offer. i accepted, of course, and moved down to the sunshine state.
three weeks later, the miracle fell apart. without real rhyme or reason, my new employers told me they didn't feel things were going to work out, and good luck. i was stunned. and i was totally blindsided.
long weeks passed. and then months. interview after promising interview. but no new job offer.
as the holidays came around, i made the reluctant but necessary decision to pack up and head back north to be with my family. weeks passed pursuing countless job leads there, but with no response. absolutely nothing.
i was depressed before. and now? i was just numb.
when hope continues to disappoint, it becomes easier to stop feeling all together. hope becomes a cold, double edged sword. too heavy to hold on with any real strength, and too difficult to let go.
i guess i'm just too stubborn, or maybe just too stupid, to know when i should give up. everything seemed to scream that GOD had long since abandoned me, or had never shown up in the first place. but something deep and fierce inside of me remained defiant and refused to give up hope.
i decided to trust that GOD had a plan and a purpose for everything that happened down in florida. i started searching for job leads in orlando again. one of the prospects called back. i took a risk, and the step of faith, to fly back down to orlando for the interview.
i was offered the job a few weeks later. so far it's been everything i hoped for and more. the last few months have been full of final transitions down here, moving,emptying storage units, buying expensive car insurance and all that fun stuff.
anyway, thank you again my friends for all the love, prayers, and encouragement. it's good to be myself again at long last.
and it's good to be back.
Excerpt from an early 'automatic-drawing' of sorts. Watercolour paint, ink pen, felt pen.
Mid-90's. See also: www.flickr.com/photos/47545187@N00/277348745/
When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside you’re twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
’cause I see you
I find it hard to believe you don’t know
The beauty that you are
But if you don’t let me be your eyes
A hand in your darkness, so you won’t be afraid
Lyrics from the song "I'll Be Your Mirror" by The Velvet Underground.
B&W version of a previosly uploaded pic. New crop, textures & tones, just because is one of our favorites... ;D
British postcard, no. 1004. Publicty still for Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991).
Keanu Reeves (1964) is a Canadian actor, producer, director and musician. Though Reeves often faced criticism for his deadpan delivery and perceived limited range as an actor, he nonetheless took on roles in a variety of genres, doing everything from introspective art-house fare to action-packed thrillers. His films include My Own Private Idaho (1991), the European drama Little Buddha (1993), Speed (1994), The Matrix (1999) and John Wick (2014).
Keanu Charles Reeves was born in 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. His first name means ‘cool breeze over the mountains’ in Hawaiian. His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., was a geologist of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage, and his mother, Patricia Bond (née Taylor), was a British showgirl and later a costume designer for rock stars such as Alice Cooper. Reeves's mother was working in Beirut when she met his father. Upon his parents’ split in 1966, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister Kim Reeves to Sydney, to New York and then to Toronto. As a child, he lived with various stepfathers, including stage and film director Paul Aaron. Keanu developed an ardor for hockey, though he would eventually turn to acting. At 15, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre. Reeves dropped out of high school when he was 17. His film debut was the Canadian feature One Step Away (Robert Fortier, 1985). After a part in the teen movie Youngblood (Peter Markle, 1986), starring Rob Lowe, he obtained a green card through stepfather Paul Aaron and moved to Los Angeles. After a few minor roles, he gained attention for his performance in the dark drama River's Edge (Tim Hunter, 1986), which depicted how a murder affected a group of adolescents. Reeves landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated period drama Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen Frears, 1988), starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. Reeves joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy Parenthood (1989), and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990). Unexpectedly successful was the wacky comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989) which followed two high school students (Reeves and Alex Winter) and their time-traveling high jinks. The success lead to a TV series and a sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (Pete Hewitt, 1991). From then on, audiences often confused Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart.
In the following years, Keanu Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma. He developed an eclectic film roster that included high-budget action films like the surf thriller Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991) for which he won MTV's ‘Most Desirable Male’ award in 1992, but also lower-budget art-house films. My Own Private Idaho (1991), directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring River Phoenix, chronicled the lives of two young hustlers living on the streets. In Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Reeves embodied the calm resolute lawyer Jonathan Harker who stumbles into the lair of Gary Oldman’s Count Dracula. In Europe, he played prince Siddharta who becomes the Buddha in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Italian-French-British drama Little Buddha (1993). His career reached a new high when he starred opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit action film Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994). It was followed by the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (Alfonso Arau, 1995) and the supernatural thriller Devil’s Advocate (Taylor Hackford, 1997), co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. At the close of the decade, Reeves starred in a Sci-fi film that would become a genre game changer, The Matrix (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999). Reeves played the prophetic figure Neo, slated to lead humanity to freedom from an all-consuming simulated world. Known for its innovative fight sequences, avant-garde special effects and gorgeous fashion, The Matrix was an international hit. Two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) and The Matrix Revolutions (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) followed and The Matrix Reloaded was even a bigger financial blockbuster than its predecessor.
Now a major, bonafide box office star, Keanu Reeves continued to work in different genres and both in bid-budget as in small independent films. He played an abusive man in the supernatural thriller The Gift (Sam Raimi, 2000), starring Cate Blanchett, a smitten doctor in the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give (Nancy Meyers, 2003) opposite Diane Keaton, and a Brit demon hunter in American-German occult detective action film Constantine (Francis Lawrence, 2005). His appearance in the animated science fiction thriller A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006), based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, received favourable reviews, and The Lake House (Alejandro Agresti, 2006) , his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, was a success at the box office. Reeves returned to Sci-fi as alien Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (Scott Derrickson, 2008), the remake of the 1951 classic. Then he played a supporting part in Rebecca Miller's The Private Life of Pippa Lee (2009), which starred Robin Wright and premiered at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. Reeves co-founded a production company, Company Films. The company helped produce Henry's Crime (Malcolm Venville, 2010), in which Reeves also starred. The actor made his directorial debut with the Chinese-American Martial arts film Man of Tai Chi (2013), partly inspired by the life of Reeves' friend, stuntman Tiger Chen. Martial arts–based themes continued in Reeves's next feature, 47 Ronin (Carl Rinsch, 2013), about a real-life group of masterless samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenged the death of their lord. Variety magazine listed 47 Ronin as one of "Hollywood's biggest box office bombs of 2013". Reeves returned as a retired hitman in the neo-noir action thriller John Wick (Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, 2014). The film opened to positive reviews and performed well at the box office. A sequel, titled John Wick: Chapter Two, is currently in production and is scheduled to be released in 2017. This year, he could be seen in the psychological horror film The Neon Demon is (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016) and the romantic horror-thriller Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016). Reeves’ artistic aspirations are not limited to film. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the grunge band Dogstar, which released two albums. He later played bass for a band called Becky. Reeves is also a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. After asking designer Gard Hollinger to create a custom-built bike for him, the two went into business together with the formation of Arch Motorcycle Company LLC in 2011. Reported to be one of the more generous actors in Hollywood, Reeves helped care for his sister during her lengthy battle with leukemia, and has supported such organizations as Stand Up To Cancer and PETA. In January 2000, Reeves's girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth eight months into her pregnancy to Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, who was stillborn. The strain put on their relationship by their grief resulted in Reeves and Syme's breakup several weeks later. In 2001, Syme died after a car accident.
Sources: Biography.com, Wikipedia and IMDb.
Vintage postcard, no. C 445.
Keanu Reeves (1964) is a Canadian actor, producer, director and musician. Though Reeves often faced criticism for his deadpan delivery and perceived limited range as an actor, he nonetheless took on roles in a variety of genres, doing everything from introspective art-house fare to action-packed thrillers. His films include My Own Private Idaho (1991), the European drama Little Buddha (1993), Speed (1994), The Matrix (1999) and John Wick (2014).
Keanu Charles Reeves was born in 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. His first name means ‘cool breeze over the mountains’ in Hawaiian. His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., was a geologist of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage, and his mother, Patricia Bond (née Taylor), was a British showgirl and later a costume designer for rock stars such as Alice Cooper. Reeves's mother was working in Beirut when she met his father. Upon his parents’ split in 1966, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister Kim Reeves to Sydney, to New York and then to Toronto. As a child, he lived with various stepfathers, including stage and film director Paul Aaron. Keanu developed an ardor for hockey, though he would eventually turn to acting. At 15, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre. Reeves dropped out of high school when he was 17. His film debut was the Canadian feature One Step Away (Robert Fortier, 1985). After a part in the teen movie Youngblood (Peter Markle, 1986), starring Rob Lowe, he obtained a green card through stepfather Paul Aaron and moved to Los Angeles. After a few minor roles, he gained attention for his performance in the dark drama River's Edge (Tim Hunter, 1986), which depicted how a murder affected a group of adolescents. Reeves landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated period drama Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen Frears, 1988), starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. Reeves joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy Parenthood (1989), and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990). Unexpectedly successful was the wacky comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989) which followed two high school students (Reeves and Alex Winter) and their time-traveling high jinks. The success lead to a TV series and a sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (Pete Hewitt, 1991). From then on, audiences often confused Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart.
In the following years, Keanu Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma. He developed an eclectic film roster that included high-budget action films like the surf thriller Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991) for which he won MTV's ‘Most Desirable Male’ award in 1992, but also lower-budget art-house films. My Own Private Idaho (1991), directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring River Phoenix, chronicled the lives of two young hustlers living on the streets. In Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Reeves embodied the calm resolute lawyer Jonathan Harker who stumbles into the lair of Gary Oldman’s Count Dracula. In Europe, he played prince Siddharta who becomes the Buddha in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Italian-French-British drama Little Buddha (1993). His career reached a new high when he starred opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit action film Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994). It was followed by the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (Alfonso Arau, 1995) and the supernatural thriller Devil’s Advocate (Taylor Hackford, 1997), co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. At the close of the decade, Reeves starred in a Sci-fi film that would become a genre game changer, The Matrix (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999). Reeves played the prophetic figure Neo, slated to lead humanity to freedom from an all-consuming simulated world. Known for its innovative fight sequences, avant-garde special effects and gorgeous fashion, The Matrix was an international hit. Two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) and The Matrix Revolutions (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) followed and The Matrix Reloaded was even a bigger financial blockbuster than its predecessor.
Now a major, bonafide box office star, Keanu Reeves continued to work in different genres and both in bid-budget as in small independent films. He played an abusive man in the supernatural thriller The Gift (Sam Raimi, 2000), starring Cate Blanchett, a smitten doctor in the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give (Nancy Meyers, 2003) opposite Diane Keaton, and a Brit demon hunter in American-German occult detective action film Constantine (Francis Lawrence, 2005). His appearance in the animated science fiction thriller A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006), based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, received favourable reviews, and The Lake House (Alejandro Agresti, 2006) , his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, was a success at the box office. Reeves returned to Sci-fi as alien Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (Scott Derrickson, 2008), the remake of the 1951 classic. Then he played a supporting part in Rebecca Miller's The Private Life of Pippa Lee (2009), which starred Robin Wright and premiered at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. Reeves co-founded a production company, Company Films. The company helped produce Henry's Crime (Malcolm Venville, 2010), in which Reeves also starred. The actor made his directorial debut with the Chinese-American Martial arts film Man of Tai Chi (2013), partly inspired by the life of Reeves' friend, stuntman Tiger Chen. Martial arts–based themes continued in Reeves's next feature, 47 Ronin (Carl Rinsch, 2013), about a real-life group of masterless samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenged the death of their lord. Variety magazine listed 47 Ronin as one of "Hollywood's biggest box office bombs of 2013". Reeves returned as a retired hitman in the neo-noir action thriller John Wick (Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, 2014). The film opened to positive reviews and performed well at the box office. A sequel, titled John Wick: Chapter Two, is currently in production and is scheduled to be released in 2017. This year, he could be seen in the psychological horror film The Neon Demon is (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016) and the romantic horror-thriller Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016). Reeves’ artistic aspirations are not limited to film. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the grunge band Dogstar, which released two albums. He later played bass for a band called Becky. Reeves is also a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. After asking designer Gard Hollinger to create a custom-built bike for him, the two went into business together with the formation of Arch Motorcycle Company LLC in 2011. Reported to be one of the more generous actors in Hollywood, Reeves helped care for his sister during her lengthy battle with leukemia, and has supported such organizations as Stand Up To Cancer and PETA. In January 2000, Reeves's girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth eight months into her pregnancy to Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, who was stillborn. The strain put on their relationship by their grief resulted in Reeves and Syme's breakup several weeks later. In 2001, Syme died after a car accident.
Sources: Biography.com, Wikipedia and IMDb.
There's a purpose and definition to my train of thoughts as I stumble on clumsy limbs and gently rub the sleep from my as yet reawakened eyes. Is stupid o'clock and even the birds nesting in the overhead cliff face are still gargling prior to the cacophony of their dawn chorus as the light from the glorious sunrise awakens my senses and fills me with a euphoric wave of well-being that catches me off guard emotionally. There are tears in my eye. Must be the salty sea mist hitting my face. There can be no other explanation that this Heathen heart can contemplate or accept.
You are on my mind.
Damn it, if truth be known then you seldom stray from the realms of my inward contemplation, my introspective analysis of data and actions from the wreckage of my life. I'm standing on the deliciously wet golden sands at six in the morning, unshaven, hair blowing in the deceptively aggressive breeze, dirty Nike's and jogging bottoms that billow in the wind, a tee shirt that neither covers my flesh nor affords me any sense of warmth or protection from the ravages of the icy cold that causes my nipples to harden and goose bumps to take the flesh on my limbs unwilling prisoner. I couldn't sleep again. The clock hands ticked around that big round face with monotonous precision, eyes wide open and brain buzzing with questions, none of which my stupid brain could answer. Shadows on the wall from the gap in the curtains playing tricks with my mind as Spunky the tabby cat rolled over onto his back, nuzzled up to my side for warmth and protection, and gave a contented yelp as he stretched out his paws and went in search of a few more zeds in those twenty two out of every twenty four that he sleeps.
So here I am, standing in the dampness as the tide begins to chase the horizon, each incoming wave leaving behind a veil of white foam that slowly crackles audibly as it dissolves in the air, the patterns formed not dissimilar to those that you and I used to identify, lying in the tall grass in our garden, staring up at the cotton wool like clouds as they skipped across the ocean blue sky. I must be getting mellow in my old age. I'm turning into a retrospective softy, doting on the past, reminiscing with the best of the. I'll probably get into jazz music next, and start shooting straight single malts from one shot glasses whilst dimming the lights and letting the dulcet tones of some Miles Davis number tease and invade the avenues of my soul. You'd find that pretty funny wouldn't you. I can hear you laughing at such a preposterous notion. Yeah, your laughter resonates and I can see your face right now, smiling back at me in the days before the blindness came like an assassin in the night and stole away any semblance of self worth and logic that ever I possessed.
I can't get you out of my mind. Try as I might, you are simply there all of the time to haunt my waking hours and plague the long lonely nights when the bed feels as wide as the ocean itself, as empty as my heart since you left. Spunky has those grey patches around the eyes and lower jaw that give away the truth of his longevity. At first he pined your loss, seeking scents, curling up and falling asleep ,in your old pink fluffy slippers that you left behind in your haste to get the fuck away from a past you so obviously hated. But now he seems over your loss, caring little for anything other than the hands that currently place his breakfast on the kitchen tiled floor, the lap that gives him comfort in the long and lonely evenings, and the reassurance of some loving words. In truth, don't I just long for the same as him?
Are you happy now, wherever you are? The changing PO box that I send on the mail to gives little away, and your Mother no longer phones to tell me all about you and cry softly at the end of our conversations as she recalls how perfect a couple we had always seemed. I still have reminders of you around the house, but I'm giving some serious thought to putting your clothes into some bin bags and making an uncharacteristically unselfish donation to the local charity shop in Maiden Avenue. I guess it's time for me. A man has to give up on a lost cause and move on at some point. Oh I've done the things that our friends have suggested out of concern and worry for my very sanity. I've pubbed and clubbed it, shaken my tush to loud music, drunk all manner of substances and woken up with a strangers touch and guilt for the actions of my desperation. After the fact, aside from the physical needs and emotional unburdening, there is nothing but a great black void and polite conversation as I make my excuses and slam the door behind me as I leave. They're not you, and I'm no longer seventeen and capable of bouncing back like a spongey rubber ball. This big dumb animal has a heart you know, and feelings like piano chords stretched over wooden rafters.
Did you find whatever the hell it was that you were liking for in some strangers arms? I've given up longing for the key to turn in the front door lock and you to walk back into the ashes of our former love nest, humbled and begging forgiveness, falling into my arms and begging for a second chance. I have my dignity you know. I guess sometimes the deceit of delusion comforts a broken heart more than the pain of reality and rational thinking. In my case at least I know it to be true. You are still all around me in this empty house, little reminders, a scent, a memory, a moment of joy and happiness that comes to mind every time I find a trinket under the bed, one of your belongings, even your favourite coffee mug with Garfield the cat on the front that we bought from the local market, that I still keep on the kitchen mug tree for God knows what reason.
So here I stand amidst the early morning purple rinse pensioners with their arthritic golden retrievers and polite conversation that frankly bore me. Here I am in the seafront town that we once loved and which now irritates the hell out of me me with it's accutely English eccentricities and quirky nostalgic overtones. It's just me against the world. Well, me and Spunky against the world I guess. As the tide screams yippee and heads for the horizon, I picked up my heels and start jogging in the drying sand, back along the beach front, past the cliff face towards the steep cemented ramp where my car is parked and waiting to whisk me back to the deafening silence of the house.
It's a really rather beautiful sunrise, as the golden hues of orange and yellow burst through the thin layer of clouds and the morning light permeates the coastline as far as the eyes can see. Time for a fresh pot of coffee and some pilchards for Spunky. It's the dawn of a new day, perhaps the dawning of realisation for this poor fool as I finally accept the inevitability of your betrayal and start to dust myself down and move on with my life. Right now I don't know where I'm heading or what my goals and objectives are, just getting through each single day without you like an addict escaping the clutches of his desire. You're killing me, drowning my emotional turmoil, suffocating the sense from my head, poisoni9ng my very soul without even being here to say a word. It's time to move on. This dumb ape is about to make a stand, step out from the shadow of you, leave behind the destruction of your cruel and selfish actions and learn to walk tall again, at last.
.
.
Written on April 12th 2011
Photograph taken on April 10th 2011 at 06.30am in Botany Bay, Broadstairs, Kent, England.
Nikon D700 14mm 1/125s f/6.3 iso200 -0.7 step EV comp
Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED IF. UV filter. Hoodman right angled viewfinder. Manfrotto 055XPro & Manfrotto 327RC2 pistol grip ball head. MetaGPS geotag
Latitude: N 51d 23m 19.54s
Longitude: E 1d 26m 13.78s
When we were at the cabin, Ollie and I were up every morning before dawn. It always took a while to get out the door because I had to put on so many layers of clothes! But it was worth it, I never got tired of watching the glow of the sunrise over the Collegiates. I love how it looks like Ollie is introspective here and watching and enjoying the sunrise with me.
Actually he is watching the mule deer. They were on both sides of the road. There were a lot of them in this area, and whenever he saw them on our walks, he just sat and quietly watched. He didn't wag his tail, bark, jump around, or act like he wanted to chase them. He just seemed to know that we were observing them, and if we remained calm, we could watch them longer.
I'm sure if I let him go, all hell would have broken loose. But I did enjoy the peace and quiet and deer sightings on our early morning walks.
± :: introspective series
nikon d100, tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro
© all rights reserved. copyright smb 2009
Here we see Blonde Joni looking pretty in a rare introspective moment as she ponders what to do about the tree trunk growing out of the back of her blonde head. Should she cut it down or should she simply trim the branches??
This photo was taken at a time share in Myrtle Beach in the wee hours of the morning after the bars had closed almost a year ago. Joni is proud to state that her virtue was intact and uncompromised at the end of the evening, although it may call into question the validity of the common mantra about blondes having more fun. . . .
Every image is a gentle negotiation between the seen and the unseen.
Black and white portraits and minimalist places dissolve into a calm, lucid silence—where light sculpts the hidden side of the soul and architecture reveals its poetic geometry.
Moments suspended between consciousness and dream, memory and presence, a journey in the language of introspective visual and photographic poetry.
In ogni immagine si consuma una silenziosa trattativa tra visibile e invisibile.
I ritratti in bianco e nero e i luoghi minimali si dissolvono in un silenzio lucido—dove la luce scolpisce il lato nascosto dell’anima e l’architettura rivela la sua geometria poetica.
Attimi sospesi tra conscio e sogno, memoria e presenza, un viaggio nel linguaggio dell’introspezione visiva e della poesia fotografica.
Kelbaker Rd., Saltus, CA
March, 2010
High contrast intended to make up for poor sharpness.
Inspired by *Mike Flores, who does great self portraits. Makes me want to do more of myself.
I swear, these are the last :P
Black White.
Up Down.
Left Right.
East West.
Call them as you want.
Here are my opposite poles.
Group of sculptures called "Introspective" by Sophie Ryder, Great Britain.
Contemporary sculptures in a pre-historic landscape. Exhibition in 2017, Pilane, Sweden. When the British newspaper The Guardian appointed "10 of the best scupture parks in Europe", Pilane was one of them.
pilane.org (website partly in English)
Acrylic,alkyd paint on used paper
This work is not drawn by the plan.
First, a screen is filled with the rough dot by a paintbrush, and if a certain scenery appears there, it will be made clear and will be finished. The technique of that automatism is the feature of this series.
Kitajima Hirofumi ___contemporary art Contemporary Art CONTEMPORARY ART Cool Japan Mountain
British postcard by Heroes Publishing Ltd., London, no. SPC 3017.
Keanu Reeves (1964) is a Canadian actor, producer, director and musician. Though Reeves often faced criticism for his deadpan delivery and perceived limited range as an actor, he nonetheless took on roles in a variety of genres, doing everything from introspective art-house fare to action-packed thrillers. His films include My Own Private Idaho (1991), the European drama Little Buddha (1993), Speed (1994), The Matrix (1999) and John Wick (2014).
Keanu Charles Reeves was born in 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. His first name means ‘cool breeze over the mountains’ in Hawaiian. His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., was a geologist of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage, and his mother, Patricia Bond (née Taylor), was a British showgirl and later a costume designer for rock stars such as Alice Cooper. Reeves's mother was working in Beirut when she met his father. Upon his parents’ split in 1966, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister Kim Reeves to Sydney, to New York and then to Toronto. As a child, he lived with various stepfathers, including stage and film director Paul Aaron. Keanu developed an ardor for hockey, though he would eventually turn to acting. At 15, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre. Reeves dropped out of high school when he was 17. His film debut was the Canadian feature One Step Away (Robert Fortier, 1985). After a part in the teen movie Youngblood (Peter Markle, 1986), starring Rob Lowe, he obtained a green card through stepfather Paul Aaron and moved to Los Angeles. After a few minor roles, he gained attention for his performance in the dark drama River's Edge (Tim Hunter, 1986), which depicted how a murder affected a group of adolescents. Reeves landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated period drama Dangerous Liaisons (Stephen Frears, 1988), starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. Reeves joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy Parenthood (1989), and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990). Unexpectedly successful was the wacky comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989) which followed two high school students (Reeves and Alex Winter) and their time-traveling high jinks. The success lead to a TV series and a sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (Pete Hewitt, 1991). From then on, audiences often confused Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart.
In the following years, Keanu Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma. He developed an eclectic film roster that included high-budget action films like the surf thriller Point Break (Kathryn Bigelow, 1991) for which he won MTV's ‘Most Desirable Male’ award in 1992, but also lower-budget art-house films. My Own Private Idaho (1991), directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring River Phoenix, chronicled the lives of two young hustlers living on the streets. In Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Reeves embodied the calm resolute lawyer Jonathan Harker who stumbles into the lair of Gary Oldman’s Count Dracula. In Europe, he played prince Siddharta who becomes the Buddha in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Italian-French-British drama Little Buddha (1993). His career reached a new high when he starred opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit action film Speed (Jan de Bont, 1994). It was followed by the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (Alfonso Arau, 1995) and the supernatural thriller Devil’s Advocate (Taylor Hackford, 1997), co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. At the close of the decade, Reeves starred in a Sci-fi film that would become a genre game changer, The Matrix (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999). Reeves played the prophetic figure Neo, slated to lead humanity to freedom from an all-consuming simulated world. Known for its innovative fight sequences, avant-garde special effects and gorgeous fashion, The Matrix was an international hit. Two sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) and The Matrix Revolutions (Andy and Lana Wachowski, 1999) followed and The Matrix Reloaded was even a bigger financial blockbuster than its predecessor.
Now a major, bonafide box office star, Keanu Reeves continued to work in different genres and both in bid-budget as in small independent films. He played an abusive man in the supernatural thriller The Gift (Sam Raimi, 2000), starring Cate Blanchett, a smitten doctor in the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give (Nancy Meyers, 2003) opposite Diane Keaton, and a Brit demon hunter in American-German occult detective action film Constantine (Francis Lawrence, 2005). His appearance in the animated science fiction thriller A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006), based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, received favourable reviews, and The Lake House (Alejandro Agresti, 2006) , his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, was a success at the box office. Reeves returned to Sci-fi as alien Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (Scott Derrickson, 2008), the remake of the 1951 classic. Then he played a supporting part in Rebecca Miller's The Private Life of Pippa Lee (2009), which starred Robin Wright and premiered at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. Reeves co-founded a production company, Company Films. The company helped produce Henry's Crime (Malcolm Venville, 2010), in which Reeves also starred. The actor made his directorial debut with the Chinese-American Martial arts film Man of Tai Chi (2013), partly inspired by the life of Reeves' friend, stuntman Tiger Chen. Martial arts–based themes continued in Reeves's next feature, 47 Ronin (Carl Rinsch, 2013), about a real-life group of masterless samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenged the death of their lord. Variety magazine listed 47 Ronin as one of "Hollywood's biggest box office bombs of 2013". Reeves returned as a retired hitman in the neo-noir action thriller John Wick (Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, 2014). The film opened to positive reviews and performed well at the box office. A sequel, titled John Wick: Chapter Two, is currently in production and is scheduled to be released in 2017. This year, he could be seen in the psychological horror film The Neon Demon is (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016) and the romantic horror-thriller Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016). Reeves’ artistic aspirations are not limited to film. In the early 1990s, he co-founded the grunge band Dogstar, which released two albums. He later played bass for a band called Becky. Reeves is also a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. After asking designer Gard Hollinger to create a custom-built bike for him, the two went into business together with the formation of Arch Motorcycle Company LLC in 2011. Reported to be one of the more generous actors in Hollywood, Reeves helped care for his sister during her lengthy battle with leukemia, and has supported such organizations as Stand Up To Cancer and PETA. In January 2000, Reeves's girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth eight months into her pregnancy to Ava Archer Syme-Reeves, who was stillborn. The strain put on their relationship by their grief resulted in Reeves and Syme's breakup several weeks later. In 2001, Syme died after a car accident.
Sources: Biography.com, Wikipedia and IMDb.
My series 'Don't Touch Your Face' came from a hunger to make portraits, but sequestered in my apartment during California's Safer At Home orders meant I would be the model. I made these photos to be a daily reminder to friends and family to be mindful of their actions, to show that we are all going through awkward changes in our routine, and hopefully bring a smile.
Thirteen Things
Since this year started I have:
1. Walked barefoot on a tropical beach on 1st January.
2. Been told 'welcome home' by the passport officer as I walked through the 'NZ Residents' line at Auckland airport, with no ticket back out of the country.
3. Been interviewed by The New York Times.
4. Had a photograph published in a book.
5. Discovered how much I miss the internet when I don't have it for a prolonged period and am thousands of miles away from almost everyone I know (and need the web for finding houses, etc).
6. Met up with my brother and sister-in-law after five years.
7. Paid (a lot of money) for a visit to the doctor - for the first time ever, apart from when I had food poisoning in India.
8. Sunbathed in the nude - now that I have a garden with private areas where I won't frighten or offend any one.
9. Joined a library - with no limits to how many books I could take out (just limits on how long I can keep them).
10. Posed naked for photographs on the beach/rock pools.
11. Went to the theatre with a (Meet Up) group of strangers (I usually go alone)
12. Sat in a spa pool under the stars.
13. Started to re-evaluate my life: where I'm at, where/who/what I want to be.
Of all the shots I took for this one, only the one with the top of my head cut off was otherwise 'good' (ie, not blurred, not with a hideous expression on my face). So I'm going to pretend that it is deliberate, an 'arty' statement of this list being 'off the top of my head' or maybe that I'm losing my head, or that I'm taking the lid off and looking inside.
The last time I played 'Thirteen Things was 30th December 2007 .
A year ago today I was able to eat again.