Sunday, February 27, 2011

Ordinary Beauty

 "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." Oscar Wilde

Overall, the month of March just isn't hugely exciting. This time of year I spend a good deal of time sitting in front of a computer in my cubicle. The weather outside remains cold and dreary. No major holidays, except St. Patty's, which doesn't do a whole lot for me. Summer vacations seem far away. Haven't seen my friends, family, the outdoors, or the gym as much as I would like. So it can be pretty easy to get into a rut of slumping it to and from the office every day in a haze of Starbucks lattes, excessive email checking, and deadline anxiety. But there is beauty in the every day, ordinary mechanics of life - if you take the time to look. Which, is what I was doing this week with  my camera. All the pictures below were taken either in my cubicle or in my apartment.















P.S. Wondering how I took all these neat-o shots? Using my iPhone and the Hipstamatic app and the Swanko app, my few favorite additions!



Saturday, February 12, 2011

Cairo

With all the recent upheaval and protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo, my mind has been on Egypt lately. I keep thinking back on my trip to Egypt in December of 2009 and all the amazing sights and sounds I experienced in my two and half weeks there. Some of my favorite pictures from Egypt are included below.

As we watch history happening, in this country with more history than any other, my wish for the citizens of Egypt is that they may gain their desired rights and freedoms with as little loss of life or injury as possible, and with no further destruction to any antiquities. Blessings and peace to the people of Egypt.

The Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo

The Pyramids of Giza

The Temple of Abu Simbel

The Obelisk of Queen Hatsepshut in Luxor Temple

The wall of cartouches (symbols of Egypt's Pharaohs) inside the Temple of Abydos

Engrave column head of the Goddess Hathor, the patron goddess of love and dance, in the Temple of Dendara