Winter Term, Wrapped
Winter term ended on a high note: strong work through weeks nine and ten, with the final stretch completed remotely while visiting friends in Madison, WI. Since every exam was a paper or take-home, I had the freedom to take my time and submit quality work without rushing back. That made the break feel closer to three weeks—a welcome chance to decompress and clear my head.
Music, Travel, and Reflection
I picked up the guitar again, hunting down an old Suzuki on Craigslist in Madison. It has a deep, resonant tone; there’s a slight buzz on the open G string (possibly in the tuner), but otherwise it plays beautifully. Running into Dirk’s Guitar Page was a pleasant trip down memory lane, as it holds the same pieces I played as a kid—Carcassi, Sor, Paganini. Progress is coming faster than I expected, though I’ve still got a long way to go.
A weeklong trip to Florida with Carrie, Justin, Jenny, and Bobby marked my first fully independent vacation. Days were filled with screaming through the Tower of Terror at Disney World, swimming and meeting new friends from Ohio State at the beach, and picking up tennis. I can’t say I regret much, except not reading more of Quantum State Diffusion.
I also attended my first church service in a while—communion at Unity Church, an open Christian community. Some of the bookstore offerings made me wince (crystal healing comes to mind), but much of the faith itself was beautiful. Their “Namaste”—“the spirit within me recognizes the spirit within you”—stands out. It’s a reminder that we all share something fundamental, regardless of character or actions. That raises questions about how separable humanity and character are, but perhaps that’s a topic for another time.
Back Behind the Lens
That trip brought me back to photography, and the recent batch of images reflects the shift. I’m still unsure about the new direction in color. Part of me worries the bold, abstract statements of the latest work overextend the original vision, though I’ve tried hard to stay true to the experience. A tour of the Wisconsin State Capitol with Justin was a highlight; the approach was simple—walking blind along the northwest corridor until the dome opened above. Looking up at the dome’s interior was overwhelming in both scale and dynamic range. The final shot uses a hard dark/light contrast to keep sunlight detail without noise off a handheld expose. Not perfect—the central ceiling came out nearly black from the lack of available light—but I got something.
Shots like In the Gallery on the Third Floor feel more natural, at ease with the vivid sunset hues for what they are. It’s likely the direction I'll lean into more from here on.
The new term is already two days old with a mountain of work in front of me. More to follow, I hope.
