My personal photo starring my kitty.

We brought in a bunch of personal photos to class today to discuss. Samantha chose the photo for me to talk about, which prompted me to look back on to this moment, and especially think about how what has changed, and also what has stayed the same. This photo was taken when I just moved into my new house. The plants I planted outside hadn’t grown yet, my fern has now doubled in size, my tiny desk has been swallowed up by an excessively large desktop computer and has moved against another wall (damn sun glare). My cat, however, is still the same, seeking out a sunny spot wherever it may be found. Even though this photo captured a particular moment, I have experienced many moments like this one so I wasn’t able to remember what particular day I took this photo. Therefore I am not really as nostalgic as I would be for a different photo, because I know that I will still enjoy many moments like this to come.

We also watched a documentary about the photographer Platon, who has a very distinctive style of taking portraits.

There aren’t really any TV shows or movies that I revisit often, as I’m not a big re-watcher – I prefer to experience a new story. However, I revisit songs all the time because they have a powerful emotional impact on me. Sad songs would be my guilty pleasure, except I don’t feel guilty about it. For example, the song Ghost on the Shore by Lord Huron is a song I revisit all the time. I was first introduced to it by a guy I was dating when I was in high school, then it became a breakup song, later it became associated with a trip to Queensland and a particular friendship. It’s a song that keeps developing new meaning for me as time goes on.

Portraits of power: Obama as photographed by Platon. Sauce.