koen
may 26, 2002
i take for granted the greenery that we have available here in los angeles, compared to the other concrete jungles of america. especially during sunset, the colors of the fading sun give the trees and grass a certain peaceful hue. i was at the park on friday afternoon while k and our other friend were rollerblading. since i was trying to not re-injure my foot again, i opted to walk my dog and snap some photos of people and things at the park. in one corner of the park, little league baseball was taking place, in another, mothers and fathers hover protectively while their children played on the jungle gym. while me, the crazy girl at the park with a digital camera walks around preying on photographic opportunities. the lady in the above photo was there with her son. i wonder what goes through her mind as she's sitting there looking at the sunset. she probably wanted to go home and watch her chinese soaps or something.
i always find this sign to be pretty funny because the second sign on the right hand side shows "no skateboarding and no rollerblading" but hell, you see that bottom sign on the left hand side with the person leashing their dog? if people don't abide by that law, why can't i rollerblade here? kids are always riding their razor scooters, bikes and such here, so why can't rollerblading be allowed? it's not like i'm a fuckin menace to society. and what about folks who don't pick up after their dog's shit? isn't that against the law as well? if a cop asks me why i'm rollerblading here, i'll just present my dog shit argument.
you can't quite see the little league kids in the upper right hand corner of the photo but believe me, they are there. i try not to take photos of people straight outright because strangers are usually skeptical of people they don't know taking photos of their kids. besides, the last thing i need are irate parents pecking me to death. i'm always surprised when people leave their belongings unattended at the park. don't they know predators abound in all shapes and forms? man, i'm still trying to figure out how to prevent mail theft at home and i can't even begin to fathom leaving things unsupervised in a public place. what really sucks is when you're in hawaii or something and you want to take a dip in the water with your friends....together. but no, someone always has the be the security guard for your personal items. that probably explains why i fry myself to death on the beach when i'm alone since i can never leave my stuff lying there waiting to be stolen. i'm just a real untrusting mainlander. anyway, back to the photo above. looking at that baby carriage reminds me of how much shit you have to take out with you when you have a kid. someone should design a new carriage that has the storage capacity of a mack truck while mantaining the streamlined look of a porsche. i know, i'm not a parent and i don't know what the fuck i'm yapping about. hm, maybe that's why i'm not a parent. :p
it was really windy that late afternoon and i think i caught a chill because i was feeling rather achey yesterday. i was taking a break on the bench and hoisted my dog up on it with me. but she kept barking at the other dogs walking by, drawing attention to herself and me, as usual. i really like the photo above because of the sunlight filtering from the upper right hand corner, shining on her, like a little fluffy angel. :) yes, i do love my dog very much.
i like being at the park, or outdoors for that matter. i used to really despise summer because that meant it's a long way from my next birthday. and i used to really covet winter because i can wear such nice cuddly sweaters and long chic winter coats. but in recent years, i can't wait till warm weather arrives again. feeling the warm sun on my skin and the late summer night skies makes me feel healthier and mentally, it does something for my brain, making me think more positive and shit.
and they rode off into the sunset. giddyup. :p
ko-en means "park" in japanese.
