Archive for December, 2006

• 12.30.06 "2006, Some Things that Stand Out" is posted in Reflections

If you’re reading this, I hope you’ll follow suit. What are ten (or so) things that stand out from the year? Maybe they were a good memory, maybe a painful one…but they either define or are symbolic of a big part of 2006 for you. Anyhow, to keep myself out of trouble I’m not going to put much detail into these or to rank them–that just wouldn’t be fair for the people involved. So here goes:

Personal:

• Before Sunset
• Birthday
• Black Shoes with Blue Suits
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Dragon Roll
• Fall Out Boy
• Green Bathroom
• Lauren Russell
• Money in the Bank
• Virginia Beach

Business:

• Accounting Class
• Excel Training for Accountants
• Graphic Design
• RSS
• Tom Collins
• Yelling Incident

Sorry not to have much more detail to offer you. But I’ll buy dinner for anyone who knows me well enough to explain the significance of more than half of these. Anyhow, it’s worthwhile to come up with a list–so do it!

• 12.28.06 "Photographs, and the recent lack thereof" is posted in Reflections

It’s both interesting and sad how many photos I haven’t taken in the last couple years. This week in St. Michael’s I had my camera in tote the whole time, but didn’t snap a single shot. Much of the weather and scenery were beautiful. So why?

A photo is one view of a memory. I don’t believe it captures it, just that it offers a vantage point, one that doesn’t age and transmogrify like our mental memories do. And for some reason for me lately, most of the times when a camera has been handy I just didn’t feel that vantage point was worth holding onto. And I can’t tell if that’s a matter of circumstance, opinion, or just plain a depressing thought. (though, as a side, I still write just as much)

For those not familiar with my initial foray into photography, it all began with Emily. We dated for a long time (in high school) and all I have to look back upon it is her high school photograph. When I realized that, I vowed to hold onto more images of the people and parts of life that mattered most. That translated into thousands of photographs from relationships, family, dancing, traveling, and pets. And in the process I just fell in love with photography. One of the books that had a big effect on this was David Finn’s How to Look at Everything; by always carrying a camera I was seeing so much more with not only my lens but my eyes. (more…)

• 12.4.06 "I’m so sorry I only found out now about Ed Tyler" is posted in Reflections

In reading the Post today I was excited to see an article featuring a work of Ed Tyler, a former dance instructor of mine and friend. After taking two courses with him, Improvisation and Partnering Methods, our paths crossed many times at the Perk…and we even served jury duty together. Then this month it had struck me as odd that there were more downloads of his picture than any other pages on my website. But now I’m not happy to learn why:

Tyler, 42, died an apparent suicide on Nov. 8, while this work was still in rehearsal. His death shocked the dance community — Tyler was a respected local choreographer but was especially beloved as a teacher (he had taught at Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and the University of Maryland, among other institutions) and a mentor to many local dancers.

Ed was one of the most talented dancers, gifted instructors, and compassionate humans I’ve known. I’ve studied with many dance instructors, and Ed had a uniquely intuitive way of approaching motion–he was able to help novices explore the intricacies of connection…and to bring to life the movements of experienced dancers. He didn’t just offer an art form as an addition to our daily activities, he explained how to find and express art within our activities. That may sound cliche, but his was the only dance course where I enjoyed the homework activities and readings as much as the movement in class. There was just so much to learn and it was more than simply dance.

I’m so sad to hear this horrible news. It’s a loss to so many people. But he’ll be not only remembered by those he knew…he’ll be expressed in the way we live our lives–through our connection, our presence, and our deeper understanding of the world. I’m so lucky to have worked closely with Ed–and I wish I didn’t have to wait for news like this to write about him. Rest in peace, Ed Tyler.