happy (belated) fourth!

i woke up the morning with a little back pain. search me! sitting around waiting for it to subside gives me a good excuse to post some fireworks pictures i took!

it's been a sort of standard couple of weeks around here: nothing too crazy going on. class, homework, running errands and trying to get some sleep! this weekend, of course, was the fourth of july!

school was closed on the third for the holiday. why? dunno, but i'm not one to complain! thanks to that nice day off, i bummed around the apartment updating my sketchbook, then went to see the fireworks downtown. yep--chicago does fireworks on the third of july? again, search me. i didn't have a great spot, but here are a few shots:





on the fourth i met a few friends of a friend and visited the taste of chicago, and then went with them to their place in the suburbs for a cookout and playing. it was a sweet evening and i met so many friendly faces! i wish i had a proper chance to say goodbye to everyone, as after the fireworks we had to race to get to my train on time. such is life! we had a great view of fireworks that night, and i came away with some (i think) really cool shots. they even warranted titles!

fan dancer


snap, crackle, pop


mother and daughter


helix


galaxy


flowers


palm trees



as much as i love fireworks, something about the tradition leaves me with a strange flavor in my mouth. i am thankful for what it symbolizes, but man, could the ceremony itself be more unnerving? whenever i find myself amidst of the kind of crowd that shows up for community firework displays, i can't help but think of every disaster movie i've seen or some kind of revolutionary coup where everyone leaves their home and takes to the streets out of fear or revolt. the moving crowd took over the street in the city on the third--and it becomes all the more clear how much power a crowd has and how much one person is at their mercy. groupthink, as it were. but then, in some abstracted way, that's what democracy is: when mob rule puts on a suit.

this week: really and truly getting into gear for my finals. it's hard to believe they're coming so quickly, but i'm excited for what they'll turn out to be!