Why does this bus shelter exist in this pedestrian-only space? Is it for smoking??
Author Archives: Ross
Photo Challenge, Week 4: Smoke, Steam, Vapor
The intention behind this week’s challenge was to photograph long, swirling trails of smoke or steam. I…didn’t do that, and, instead, ended up with just a few photos that hew only very loosely to the theme. First, a close up of frost—which is kind of like vapor? right?—on a leaf in my yard. Next, a […]
Let your bike colors fly
I spent some time walking around Charlottesville taking pictures this weekend and came across these two colorful bike scenes. I’m trying to get better at seeing things.
Last week, I wrote about how gender-neutral “full-on, multi-stall, chat-at-the-sink bathrooms” make me feel anxious for irrational reasons. This week, I came across VCU’s gender-inclusive restroom map which has an important qualifier for the restrooms contained therein: single-stall! Way less anxiety for everyone. Tangential thought: As an official old person, I’m excited to be a […]
I got heated this morning during a conversation about how the bus company should focus on providing high-quality, fixed-route transit and not get distracted by whatever shiny new thing. In this specific case, I was ranting about autonomous vehicles, but it could be on-demand this or Uber/Lyft that, too. From Alon Levy at Pedestrian Observations: […]
From an opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal Constitution about a plan to massively invest in public transportation: To maximize a prosperous future that seems in the cards for this metro, we must be willing to dream and build aggressively toward it, we believe.
Photo challenge, Week 3: Square crop, centered subject
This isn’t Sam and Ross Like Things, so I‘m allowed to hedge: I don’t think I did my best work this week. I took plenty of pictures, which is part of the reason I’m doing his challenge, but most of them feel…boring? I didn’t spend enough time thinking through and looking for shots that would […]
I went to an event the other day at a space with gender-neutral bathrooms—not single-occupancy toilet rooms, but full-on, multi-stall, chat-at-the-sink bathrooms. I’m, like, a pretty progressive guy, but when Bathroom Break Time arrived I totally froze. I felt childish, because, intellectually, I know that peeing in the same room as a stranger of the […]
Photo challenge, Week 2: Guilty pleasures
I didn’t realize until late in the week that the Guily Pleasures theme could apply non-edible items—like Marvel’s Runaways, a show that is somehow simultaneously compelling and unremarkable. This means that we’re stuck with food and food-adjacent subject matter. This week: Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, Miller High Life, Tarrant’s (where […]
A campaign slogan I can get behind
Photo challenge, Week 1: Time
In 2018, as part of my annual goals, I decided to get a Fracture of my favorite photo taken each month. This was, in part, to encourage myself to take more photographs, and, in part, to get a bunch of cool pictures hanging next to my bed. It was definitely one of my more fun […]
No-school city exploration (and hot chocolate)
Pork butt carnitas recipe, courtesy of my good friend Jeremiah
My good friend Jeremiah, or more likely his wife and also my good friend Leah, gave me this recipe for carnitas made from a pork butt. It’s super cheap, super easy, and gives you the base protein for a week’s worth of meals: Carnitas 1 pork butt 3 cloves of garlic 2 cinnamon sticks Salt, […]
My other bus is a bike.