You may eat cake
It seems fitting that the first new wallpaper of the year should be an image from the past. It was my birthday three years ago, a humble affair, a small group of friends and good cheer. One notable extravagance was the cake. It was expensive and exquisite, conceived and executed by a person with a special appreciation for chocolate. An artist, to be sure. It must’ve had at least 8 layers ranging in density from mousse to fudge. The chocolate flowers that covered the top were so delicate, the mere warmth of your breath would melt them. It was a masterpiece more ephemeral even than an ice sculpture or a castle made of sand. It inspired in all of us a reverential urgency to consume it as quickly and as completely as we could. We did. But I escaped its delirious influence momentarily as I was eating my slice. I realized with a deep pang of loss that I had not taken a picture of the cake as it looked when it first came out of its box. That opportunity was gone forever. But I set down my plate on the table and captured the image above, just as it is. The room was dimly lit, but I refrained from firing the flash. Instead, I drew from my pocket a nifty little halogen wand that a friend had just given me. I’d been fucking around with it all night, taking unusual pictures by its unusual light.
Cloud Jet over Berkeley
This one’s from the Through a Window in Berkeley collection. It merits special attention for the uncannily jet-plane-shaped cloud, visible between the power lines.
Cloud Jet over Berkeley | Through a Window in Berkeley | Berkeley Skies, April 2003
