Grand-baby

Intimacy

I Love You in the Wintertime

Cookies

My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew came over to bake and decorate cookies with Brooke and I. Our artistry quickly went morose with the sad snowmen. But it went too far with the frowning Christmas trees. I really underestimated how disturbing that might be.

Brooke took the one of me and the little one on my lap. This is his first Christmas, but you can tell he wasn't happy with my decorating.

Navin Holiday Party

Sean tries to quiet the mutineers during the Yankee-liquor swap as people debate the rules. Brian pays no mind to the rules and simply enjoys his new bottle of "French Kiss".

Fountain Soda

Brooke's favorite way to drink Coke is from a fountain machine. Her second favorite consumption method is from a can. Her third, but last, choice is Coke from a 2-liter bottle poured into a cup.

While we were snowed in on Saturday Brooke walked to the store to pick up some things. On the way back I caught her drinking a fountain soda.

Storm

Deep Ellum

Ashley, Connie and I met at Deep Ellum on Thursday to recap the wedding season. Or, that was our excuse to drink during the day.

Bon Iver

Brooke and I treated ourselves to Bon Iver at the Wilbur Theater on Sunday.

Chris Buck

Great Chris Buck interview over at APE.

"One of the main things is that most people don’t make it quickly. They think that If you are meant to be successful in photography it should just take a few years and the obvious stories are about Irving Penn, or David LaChappelle. Larry Fink is a great example of the alternate narrative and one of the things I really admire about his career is that in a way his name became known to most people 30 years into his career and that’s kind of amazing. The young photographers tend to know about the people who made it in 5 years but that’s really, really unusual. If you go look at the top 100 photographers working today most of them made it in 10 to 15 years not in under 5. I think that’s really important to know. People get into it and in 3 years they’re like “I’m getting good feedback but I’m not getting a ton of work.” It took me 12 years before people started saying to me “wow, you’ve made it.”

Chris Farley, Elvis Costello, and Billy Bob Thornton by Chris Buck . . .

Tears On My Pillow

A little piece of me died last night.

The new owner of my first car came and took my freedom away. From here on out Brooke and I will be sharing a car. I know this is the best thing financially and environmentally. It will probably even improve my quality of life. Over the past few months I could feel myself becoming an aggressive Boston driver. I was the inconsiderate, opportunistic driver you cursed at. There will be less of that now I've traded my car in for a bus pass.

I've always lived simply. Never attached to possessions. But my 2005 Corolla CE was more of a memory box. I've spent so much of the past 3 years in it. Like that time when Brooke flew out to Michigan to meet me for the second time ever and then drive to Vermont with me. And remember that time a rock punctured the AC condenser the morning before my sister, brother-in-law and Brooke drove to North Carolina in the sweltering summer heat? And each time I moved, from Michigan to Vermont and Vermont to Boston, it told me what to keep and what to give away: if it didn't fit in the Corolla it stayed.

And the worst part is my betrayal. The car was kind of like my "Giving Tree". Two months before I quit my job to freelance I was hit from behind in a minor accident that was just severe enough to warrant a $1200 cosmetic repair. I kept the money and turned it into a camera. As my car suffered, I profited. As the Corolla did so much for me I would openly talk about how I dreamed of one day not owning a car. I would say these things as the car labored for over 78,000 miles with no complaints. No repairs. And now that I've had my way with it I let some stranger come and drive off with it. Now that it's all over it doesn't feel like I thought it would.

I have nothing else to say . . . I'm sorry.

Francis