I Like What I Like

I had another session in physical therapy today for the teetering tottering wobbly knee. The quads are still squishy as my bright young physical therapist noted, but never fear, we'll get them whipped back into proper shape in no time. I can still fell bone-on-bone when I hit one of the tears in the cartilage, but at least it's a dull pain now, not like somebody jabbed an ice pick into my knee and started to root around. After an hour of PT and an ice pack cool-down, I walked out in remarkably good shape and reasonable spirits. My knee felt like it hadn't felt since I can remember; like normal, with no pain or other reminders. It just felt good. That was 4:30pm.

As I came out I saw the setting sun shining on the tennis courts of RDV. And like yesterday a moon hung above the whole scene. I walked around a bit and tripped a few exposures with the E-P2 and the 20mm. Then I settled into the Prius and headed home.

I knew my good feelings were too good to be true. Around 7pm my knee started pounding like a son-of-a-gun, and I started walking around like a sailor with two peg legs. Yep, my right knee has grown jealous of all the attention my left has been getting, so it started to compete for my attention too. I still had more writing to do on a project (I worked at home today so I could suffer productively in silence), and I had other little chores like cooking supper, walking the Labs, and getting the trash and recyclables ready for tomorrow's pickup.

While I was sitting and suffering, I pulled the few exposures I'd picked up during the day off the E-P2 and started to dink around with them. In my new state of mind I took one of the RDV tennis court exposures, cropped it square, processed it in Silver Efex Pro, darkened it (Low Key 1), and cast it in an evil red tone (Copper Toner 18 if you must ask). It changed from being somewhat bright and nondescript to looking like a modern day correctional facility, empty, devoid of real humanity, complete with chain link fences, lights, and a typical attempt at modern institutional architecture off to the left.

And I like the way it turned out. You may not, but I don't do my art just to make you happy and feel good.

I'm not the most cheerful soul these days, what with all I've read about SOPA and PIPA and the signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2012 (NDAA) with section 1031, indefinite detention without trial, and section 1032, requirement for military custody, which together affirms the President's write to detain anyone around the world, including in this country, any person or persons essentially deemed a terrorist, without any due process whatsoever, for an indefinite period of time. What's chilling about 1032 is that it allows the military to hold U.S. citizens indefinitely without access to legal counsel.

Obama threatened to veto the NDAA if those sections were included, but he managed to find enough wiggle room so that he signed it anyway. And to think I voted for him, believed what he said, in 2008.

Welcome to the next way station on the road to hell...

Video: Cops Arrest Activist For Yelling About NDAA In Grand Central