von Goethe, ich liebe dich

Even Rumi struggles to resonate with me more than this.

Perfectly captures the dichotomy of sensing loved ones in beautiful moments, and simultaneously wishing they were seeing it with me.

Nähe des Geliebten                                Nearness of the
                                                                Beloved One

Ich denke dein,     wenn mir der Sonne schimmer	I think of you,     when I see the sun's shimmer
Vom Meere strahlt;	Gleaming from the sea.
Ich denke dein,     wenn sich des Mondes Flimmer	I think of you,     when the moon's glimmer
In Quellen malt.	Is reflected in the springs.
Ich sehe dich,     wenn auf dem fernen Wege	I see you,     when on the distant road
Der Staub sich hebt,	The dust rises,
In tiefer Nacht,     wenn auf dem schmalen Stege	In deep night,     when on the narrow bridge
Der Wandrer bebt.	The traveler trembles.
Ich höre dich,     wenn dort mit dumpfem Rauschen	I hear you,     when with a dull roar
Die Welle steigt.	The wave surges.
Im stillen Haine geh' ich oft zu lauschen,	In the quiet grove I often go to listen
Wenn alles schweigt.	When all is silent.
Ich bin bei dir,     du seist auch noch so ferne,	I am with you,     however far away you may be,
Du bist mir nah!	You are next to me!
Die Sonne sinkt,     bald leuchten mir die Sterne.	The sun is setting,     soon the stars will shine upon me.
O wärst du da!	If only you were here!
J.W. von Goethe	Translation by Hyde Flippo

que chevere

I love my friends neither with

my heart nor with my mind.

Just in case heart might stop, Mind can forget.

I love them with my soul.

Soul never stops or forget...

Rumi

 

...by far the quote that best captures the love I have for the friends on our trip to Colombia.

What an amazing, beautiful group.

 

 

 

back in the saddle

...only, this time, it's a totally new saddle. Travel & architecture have always been my favorite subjects, but a series of unfortunate events several years ago scared me off it almost entirely.

An insatiable need for visual creative expression finally bubbled over, and was closely followed by purchasing a new SLR and an incredibly talented friend suggesting that we shoot together.

His favorite genre: street photography. Enter the new saddle.

Serendipitous, really, as by nature I'm incurably shy. I jumped on the offer and, as I suspected it would, it pushed me beyond the borders of my comfort zone. It was fully engaging, intense, and nerve-wracking. And I LOVED it. My friend was amazing, divulging pointers and tricks, which photographers usually guard like a mother lion.

Don't worry - I'm not kidding myself that there is a massive amount of room for improvement. I already compiled a lengthy list of self-critique points. But it's my first effort, and I know it's a decent one. 

A few from my first day on the street:

 

© Melissa Higgins 2012. All rights reserved.

casanova

This guy is hysterical.

Once she says "yes" - a couple tried and true, successful tactics to guarantee date #2:

(1) Snap covert photos of the girl while you're on your date

(2) Discuss your recent divorce for at least 1/3 of dinner

(3) Tell her repeatedly to YouTube you

(4) Full disclosure of baby momma drama