Summer, Travel, & Super Powers

"Summertime and the livin' is easy."

Time to slow down,  soak in the sun,  relax with a few good books,  refresh, re-inspire, have fun, and let your imagination run free.

Summer in Parts: Imagination

"Beam me up Scotty."

As a kid I was lazy, and often imagined having the ability to move from place to place effortlessly and instantaneously... like getting from home to school and back without ever walking the walk. No heavy books to carry in my arms or tired feet dragging through the streets. Instead, in the blink of an eye...

I'd be simultaneously relocated!

Years later, I learned there was a name for my imagined ability, which I saw demonstrated on the television program, 'Star Trek'. The characters on the show, Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu, 'Bones', Scotty, Uhura and Chekov used this technology to travel in nano seconds from planet to planet and back to the mother ship, 'The USS Enterprise'.

The word for this instant mobility was 'Teleportation'.

Back then, my fantasy travels were limited to what I knew... a few blocks here, a few neighborhoods there. As an adult, with horizons broadened, the power to teleport long distances could be even more useful and thrilling.

One day I could visit 'The Queen' and Big Ben, another the Eiffel Tower, and a few days later, dine on calamari in Venice, all without ever having to pack and carry luggage, wait in airports, spend hours on planes, and stay in strange hotels. Magically, I'd be able to take off on a whim and just as quickly, return to the comforts of home whenever I wished.

I could explore places like the Pompidou, have lunch at Alcazar, known as AZ, 'beam' myself home for a nap, and head back to Paris for an evening stroll along the Seine. This would be the perfect starting point for such a stroll.

Here's an outside view of The Pompidou.

Michael and I never got inside to view the collection even though we tried on two separate occasions. Each time we arrived at the museum, we were told it would be closing in just minutes. How did we manage or mismanage that ...twice?

Paris, so much to see, so little time to see it.

Another time, we walked the streets of the city all day and into the wee hours of the next morning, only to learn the Metro had stopped running. We were forced to walk miles and miles back to our hotel, The Francois 1er, in the Champs Elysees, to discover the doors locked! Who locks a hotel... and in 'The City of Lights'???

Ahhhh... the adventures, surprises, and joys of travel. I've touched on so little, barely mentioning London, my favorite, or the list of places I've only dreamed of but would love to see, like...Brussels, Barcelona and Bangkok just to mention a few of the B's.

Logically, I should probably start with the A's, and when in Asia, I'd like to teleport to Tokyo to spend time with Japanese artist Natsumi Hayashi. She seems like an interesting person and her photographs are truly amazing! She too has special powers, only her power of levitation is real and she uses it to float without any tricks or fancy software like Photoshop.

See for yourself.

Here are a few links you might find interesting:

More on Yowayowa Camera Woman Diary...artist Natsumi Hayashi here.

And for levitation in the news, see "The Ascent' here.

For fun, create your own Super Hero character here.

Here's a sample of mine... Mz. Tela Portaysha.

Her pigtails represent a youthful spirit, the blonde hair, a change from reality, giving the saying 'blondes have more fun' a whirl. The clothes and sneakers are practical and comfortable with the insignia of an eye to see all things near, far and invisible. The swirling aura acts as a field of protection when teleporting,  along with the umbrella, which combats the elements, pokes at evil things like mosquitoes, and when opened, instantly brings her (me) back home... safe and sound.

Questions:

If you could have any Super Power, what would it be and why?

What are you imagining for this summer?

May all your travels, real and imagined, be good ones :)

The 'Universe', Synchronicity & Doors

I love it when the 'Universe' speaks to me.

Sometimes the interactions seem playful; at other times they come when I need reaffirmation, a good idea, or a sense of comfort.

I'm not speaking of religion but of synchronicity, a term first coined by psychologist Carl Jung when referring to those quirky, odd connections or coincidences of events, which seem magically related.

I had several such moments a few days ago.

One happened while I was washing dishes. My mind wandered and I became aware of my worrying, that I've been doing it a lot lately and for quite some time. When did I become such a worrier? I never used to be this way and then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a fortune cookie still sitting in its plastic wrapper sitting on the counter inches from me.

Ummm... cookie.

I never pass on a cookie even when I know this one's bland taste isn't exactly going to make my day. So I dried my hands, tore the wrapper, cracked open the cookie, ate it, and read the message written especially for me.

"Your blessing is no more than being safe and sound for a whole lifetime."

A whole lifetime, safe and sound, Thank you 'Universe' :)

Now, I just need to come up with an idea for this post. I'm clueless. Ideas don't usually hit until it's 'crunch time' which is right about now. All I keep getting is this tune playing over and over in my head... the one by The Rolling Stones called "Paint It Black"... the part that goes..."I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors anymore I want them to turn black." Is this the 'Universe's' way of offering help? An idea for a post about doors?... or the color black?...surely not The Rolling Stones.

I do remember coming to Philadelphia to attend art school and how intrigued I was by the doors of the city. Many were old with character, some ornate, others playful with unexpected colors, not the generic type I was used to while growing up, the new, brown, plain wooden doors. In fact, the first roll of film I ever took with my Yashica camera was of doors... 36 shots, just doors! Hmmm... I'm starting to like this door idea.

Later, while straightening up the desktop on my computer, I came across a folder marked 'images'. I had forgotten these by Korean artist Choi jeong-Hwa of an installation he had done back in 2009. I first saw them at Colossal Art & Design. The project was called 1,000 Doors!

And then there's this one discarded at curbside as trash. It wasn't there earlier when I started a walk through my neighborhood while talking to my mother on my cell phone about today's post.

"Doors, how interesting," she said and added "I've always liked doorknobs." Apparently, mom has a small collection of these knobs purchased at flea markets when she lived on Long Island, NY. I probably wasn't living at home at the time because I don't remember any flea markets or having seen these bits of hardware. What interests her most about the objects is that they have a history and she likes imagining the lives of the people who touched them. They're kept somewhere in her studio in Florida, where she now lives. Curious!

Having finished my walk and talk with mom, I'm now inside the house ready to flake. Time for a round of Ball Lines, a computer game I play daily for enjoyment and relaxation. Usually, in the upper right hand corner of the screen, there are these annoying little pop up ads often of animated characters introducing new games to play. I try to ignore them, but today I noticed the images were missing, nothing was flashing, and in its place were these words:

"You're trapped in a room with two doors: one guarded by a male platypus, the other by a giant anteater, which door do you try to escape through?" What???

So now the 'Universe' wants to play. I'm game. I chose the door with the giant anteater. I figured...I'm not an ant so this shouldn't be a problem. WRONG! Did you know the anteater has claws capable of killing a human in one swipe!? Or that the platypus gives off a poison that is very painful but won't kill you? Important info if you find yourself with two doors, an anteater and a male platypus.

When Michael got home after working at the building (see About Me and Here and Next), I told him all about my day... the worry and the fortune cookie, the 1,000 door project, the door in the street, mom and doorknobs, and the two door riddle on the computer. He smiled knowing how special these synchronistic moments can be.

He also solved the mystery of when my worrying first began... "Six years ago", he said. It was when the 'Stutz' building we lived and worked in for so many years was sold for development and we were left scrambling for a new place to live and work.

Open, closed, slammed, ajar. I wonder what the 'Universe' would say about cutting down good solid doors into small pieces and taking them with you?

These are 'souvenirs' we took with us when we left our 'Stutz' building in 2006.

And here are some links that might be of interest:

Remember the television show 'Lets Make a Deal' where contestants are shown three doors, one door often containing a car, the other two, goats? The question was always the same... do you keep your door or trade it for another? Quick answer...always trade. See why here or test it out for yourself here.

More on artist Choi jeong-Hwa's work shown here and here.

And for fun, the Ball Lines game here.

Questions:

When was the last time one door closed for you and another opened?

Has the 'Universe' spoken to you lately? What synchronistic events happened?

Do you have a door that you love? Send a picture.

Pay attention... the 'Universe' may be talking to you.