the days fly by.
the seasons change.
the calendar flips.
and i’ve been living—
in the real world?
not really. my own world.
and i’ve learned things—
important stuff mixed
with superfluous bits.
this is life. this is
25 and such.
Friendship.
we humans need food, water, shelter; these are basic needs.
therefore, friendship is unnecessary. like art or philosophy.
and appetizers for the table.
a friend in this life is rare and beautiful. a relationship to cherish, to cultivate.
there is the mundane friendship: a road trip full of questions and music and bad advice. a small kitchen, a wooden cutting board full of cheese and a table covered with plates of carbonara — mediocre to taste, yet so fun to create. a garage and a refrigerator and an L-shaped couch made for lounging and bantering about things that do not matter in the most serious way possible while clicking buttons in a vain attempt win the fake game being played upon the flat screen tv a few feet away. a sand volleyball court that is just an excuse for a group chat. dinner on a tuesday, lunch on a thursday, beers on a saturday.
and there is the grand friendship: a golden palace at three am in a different country. bar hopping on a monday in the city of boot scoot and boogie. eating a homecooked meal at a family home upon a hill, overlooking a spread of green and blue: a memory imprinted forevermore upon my sense of self. a twenty year tradition of celebration with the same people, in both december and most definitely april. a small town in northern italy that somehow becomes home for a short period of time. writing something together that is appreciated by others, for some reason. showing up on the worst days, being there on the best days, someway, somehow.
but then there is the life-giving, the formative, the moments where a friendship built on the mundane and grand is distilled into a look from across the room — a look nobody else could decipher. or perhaps these experiences are cashed in all at once for a single conversation, giving hard advice or requesting help. but mostly, it is in the moments that are sometimes taken for granted — where neither expects something of the other except an attuned presence. this is time spent beyond the masks of everyday life. of complete truth and no pretense. when the facade drops, the shoulders melt, and you face each other as honest humans, a little broken, a little confused, but mostly just glad to be here, happier for the seconds/minutes/hours shared, confident that there is one other person on earth that understands.
The Illusion of Choice
say yes. do the thing. drive fast, faster, fastest. run further, harder. cast your net wider, deeper. dream big, bigger, biggest. there is only this life. grand should be the gestures. wild should be the dreams. inspired should be your existence. risk everything. hold nothing back. full throttle, forward, no looking back.
say no. time is valuable. choose wisely, wiser, wisest. protect yourself, others. be wary of risk, chance. think hard, harder, hardest. there is only this life. careful should be the actions. realistic should be the pursuits. practical should be your existence. chance nothing. create safety nets. slowly, forward, always looking back.
the choice is yours.
i know how i want to live.
IS THE WORLD ENDING???????
is the world ending? deadpool and wolverine says yes. history says that this is but a lull in the creative industry.
is the world ending? the near assisination of a presidential candidate says yes. history says assasinations are par for the course for election cycles.
is the world ending? the japanese carry trade says yes. history says that this is but a bust that will lead into a boom cycle.
is the world ending? all of my social feeds say yes. history says the internet is but a tool in its infancy, and that humanity will harness it for the greater good.
is the world ending? my girlfriend literally applying to go to mars says yes. history says that expansion is normal — why should an expansion to space be seen as a bad thing?
is the world ending? israel and palestine say yes. history says that war and dispute and terrible things happen and yet humanity still goes on.
is the world ending? the increasing speed at which ai is becoming reality says yes. history says that humans have done a pretty good job at controlling new technologies.
is the world ending? money is being printed at a faster rate than ever before. history says that currencies rise and fall, but humanity continues.
is the world ending? yes, of course the world is ending. just look at society.
is the world ending? no, of course the world isn’t ending. just look at history.
if you’ve made it this far, thanks. or perhaps you’re welcome. i hope you enjoyed this. or at least didn’t hate it. i wanted to take a second to point out that all photography here was shot and curated by emma except for the title graphic, which was lovingly created by me, kram. emma will likely think that such a choice ruins the entire aesthetic of the entire piece. to this point, i have no refutation outside of the fact that i think everything in life is only improved when batman gets involved. until next time,
— kram.