November retrospective

OMG! Only one more month left! So exciting!

I started this project because I thought it would help me improve my photography, but what I've learned is that there can be too much of a good thing. It's not going to help me improve if I can barely be bothered to take a photo. However, I haven't yet cheated once. Every photo was taken on each successive day. I may not be able to maintain diets or strict work hours, but I will see this project through if it kills me. And it just may. (Fortunately, from 12/22 to 12/30 I'll be in California, so the last week should be enjoyable for real.)

334/365: ConEd command center

This morning, there was a fire in a manhole on my block. I guess they're still not sure what caused it. They've been working around the clock to fix it.

333/365: Some beerveza with your fog?

332/365: Bourbon St--classy as ever

The French Quarter was not affected by the storm. Still, the area seems eerily depopulated. I'm not sure if that's because it's not tourism season right now, or because the tourists just never really ever came back. The daquiri and hurricane joints seemed pretty sad.

331/365: New and improved 17th Street Canal

After Hurricane Katrina, the Army Corps of Engineers finally installed a floodgate system at the 17th St canal. Before, none of this machinery was there—you could see straight from here to Lake Ponchartrain. This picture was taken while on a tour sponsored by the Army Corps of Engineers of a few of the canals and the 9th Ward. While we were driven through the 9th Ward, we weren't really allowed to get off the bus to see any of it close up. I was able to take a few pictures from the bus, but the photos don't capture the creepiness of the area. We were told that before the storm, the blocks of streets in the 9th Ward were packed with houses—one right next to the other with little space in between. Now, after many houses were demolished and the debris was removed, it looks like a series of desolate empty lots. I would never presume to know what they should do with that area, but given how sparsely populated it is now, it seems like turning it into wetlands wouldn't be such a bad idea.

330/365: Well, I did it for the money

329/365: Caramels de pinya

Papabubble, a candy store from Barcelona, recently opened in New York. Their thing is that they make all of their own hard candy right in the store. Usually when you go in, they're doing their thing on the tables in front of everyone, but when we got there, the candymakers were on break.

The sign on the outside of the store says "PAPABUBBLE caramels artesans", which is Catalan for "handmade hard candies". As we were deciding which kind to buy (we got cherry), this guy walked in and asked one of the employees whether all of the candy was made out of caramel. I can see why it would be confusing.

328/365: Holiday rush

327/365: The workroom, 2007

326/365: Untitled

I've never been unable to come up with a title, but all of the ideas that came to me for this picture of my niece were too cliche to actually use.

This photo was taken with a Sony A100 dSLR with an ancient Minolta 50mm f/1.4 lens.

325/365: Pickled beets for Thanksgiving

324/365: Soft like fur

323/365: The rain was hours ago

322/365: Infinity

Boy, that didn't take long. This was already picked up by Gothamist today.

321/365: Brunch in New York

My table, as a scene for brunch, may look familiar.

320/365: Spotlight

319/365: The last fruit share

I like apples, but I'm kind of tired of getting 2 bags like this every week. But I'm also sure I'll be sad that today's the last farm share delivery.

318/365: They started in the center

317/365: Air America Lives!

316/365: Rawr

315/365: Stagehands strike

314/365: It's a little late for this

313/365: Not for much longer

I stare at this tree out of my classroom window when I'm teaching. I'll be sad when it's gone.

312/365: Vitamins should come from FOOD

311/365: Yuppie is so passe

310/365: My guilty pleasure

309/365: You can take it with you

308/365: Go Bobby!

I'm slowly trying to do the things that all New Yorkers' should experience. So today I went to Brooklyn to cheer on some of the New York City Marathon runners.

Here are a few more on Flickr.

307/365: Panda head dude

At the Step It Up rally in Washington Square Park.

306/365: I was tricked

I saw the pigeon try to eat one of these peppers, and he seemed none too pleased.

305/365: Melilla

When I first lived in Spain, carrying around 25 pesetas was practical, like if I needed to make a phone call. Now, it's a happy souvenir. (And yes, I love my giant keychain that I can clip to myself.)