Portraits

“For I do not exist: there exist but the thousands of mirrors that reflect me. With every acquaintance I make, the population of phantoms resembling me increases. Somewhere they live, somewhere they multiply. I alone do not exist.” ― Vladimir Nabokov

“I don't suppose you have many friends. Neither do I. I don't trust people who say they have a lot of friends. It's a sure sign that they don't really know anyone.” ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón

La vie commence à cinquante ans, c'est vrai; à ceci près qu'elle se termine à quarante. ― Michel Houellebecq Life begins at fifty, that’s true, inasmuch as it ends at forty. La vida empieza a los cincuenta años, es cierto; con la salvedad de que termina a los cuarenta. Late night ruminations after a long writing session.

“Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” ― Leo Durocher Baseball fans at a minor league baseball game in southern Oregon.

“That man, especially when he slept, when his features were motionless, showed me my own face, my mask...” ― Vladimir Nabokov “We are all born mad. Some remain so.” ― Samuel Beckett Taking a photo of a reflection of a photo of the photographer.

“Every man carries with him through life a mirror, as unique and impossible to get rid of as his shadow.” ― W.H. Auden The photographer reflected in a mirror which is reflecting the mirror image of himself in his camera's screen.

“Don't you know that a midnight hour comes when everyone has to take off his mask? Do you think life always lets itself be trifled with? Do you think you can sneak off a little before midnight to escape this?” ― Søren Kierkegaard A visiting friend, wearing her "Wolverine" hoodie.

“He keeps getting older while I'm not paying attention.” ― Maggie Stiefvater An iPhone photo of my eldest brother Lito, along with an Instax instant photos of him, in the same frame = brother x brothe = brother squared

“I have learned that to be with those I like is enough” ― Walt Whitman An iPhone photo of an Instax instant photo of my older brother Rick, and another, older photo, of our mother.

“In perpetuum, frater, ave atque vale. (Forever and ever, brother, hail and farewell.)” ― Catullus An iPhone photograph of my older brother Rick, covering his face to duplicate what he was doing in the tiny Instax instant photo which I had taken of him, earlier.

“When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'.” ― Groucho Marx My friend Bob Thomas, hangin' at the local coffee shop in Talent, Oregon.

“Chairs are useful” ― Stephen Moffat Opal sitting in her Big Girl chair at the table.

"We will have rings and things and fine array." (William Shakespeare) My friend D.H. showing me his rings.

“Some of the worst mistakes in my life were haircuts” ― Jim Morrison "What game? What precisely is the nature of my game?" ― Reynolds Woodcock (from the movie "Phantom Thread") My friend Chase Danielle who is a brilliant barber gave me a shortish haircut; but now that it is growing out, it's starting to look a little like Reynolds Woodcock's, in the movie 'Phantom Thread'. Which is not a bad thing.