I got an email with this blog attached.
It is about someone who visited LA from somewhere else
I fell in love with the pictures of ordinary places that never seemed anything but "normal" background to me. It woke me up!

http://urbanpaperar ts.blogspot. com/2008/ 08/sunday- sweet-sunday- in-valley- aug-10.html


I was so taken with the whole thing, I ended up emailing him to let him knw how much his work had affected me. Here are my thoughts.

Since I lived in the San Fernando Valley for so long I was very taken with this whole blog.
It amazed me to look at all the pictures of places that were so familiar to me...since you see something often , it seems commonplace and not worth noticing. These pictures were by someone who had never seen them before and was impressed with them. WOW! back to the idea of 'seeing things differently!" What is in front of us that we don't notice? Don't admire? how much are we missing?
I am astonished!
I am not a photographer, ( would love to learn)... although I do have one o those cheap digital things......I hardly ever think about taking pictures of anything. And surely I don't know anything about photoshop or paint to play with the pictures after taking hem.
This whole thing interests me. I am upset with myself that I have missed so much...what am I missing now? I am so stuck at being mad at being in this desolate place that I"M NOT SEEING the beauty? .......elihgowihroawihrglakurjhgawkjhf ,,,,yea that's how I feel right now!
I see the strange shaped dead or dying Joshua trees and think, oh that would make a good picture...oh but I am in a hurry, I need to get to LA or home or somewhere other than in the NOW! I see the rock formations and think...oh... that would make a great series of pictures....but I don't stop...keep going....run run run... to blahville.
Patterns? Probably there are toms of them around, but I am not seeing them.
This whole thing is making me cry.
What else am I missing? what else am I not seeing?
what else is passing me by?

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