leafing through david alpert's photo albums, i was reminded anew what life is really about -- beauty. i can talk and talk all i want, but if a picture is worth a thousand words than an experience must be worth a million. in ten years or even ten days, i probably won't remember any of the words of today, but i'll remember hiking around tilden near sunset, with the majestic eucalyptus trees with the improbable aspect ratio, and the colors and hills and the little bunny rabbit.

it's sort of strange how, in looking at pictures -- and i am not talking about anyone in particular, not even you -- one forgets all of people's bad qualities. i look at smiling people and i forget how annoying some of them are, how bland some of them are, and how bad some of them smell. (no one in particular! i promise.) i wonder why this is -- why pictures seem to abstract all of the good qualities of someone without calling up any of the bad qualities.

it's not just people, either. there are some pictures of me playing settlers there, and i remember how happy i am playing settlers without remembering some of the frustrating and boring games that i've played. (admittedly, i am usually happy playing settlers [of catan], which is the best game i have ever played.) and so on. nothing seems combative; nothing seems obstinate. everything is free-flowing; heck, even the pictures of new york make me remember the good things about new york, and certainly when i think of the city i am usually overwhelmed by the negative stuff.

good night, all. don't forget to look around each and every day of your life.

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