Island in the Net by Khürt Williams
Technology and Photography Musings. Established circa 2000.
Sigh. I’ve been in Philadelphia since 9:30 AM. My doctor appointments took longer than I expected. It's now 12:30 PM.
I’m hungry. It’s time to eat. I stopped in at Bareburger, ordered an Impossible Foods burger with organic cheddar cheese, caramelised onions, jalapenos pepper and a slice of tomato wrapped in collard greens. I washed it down with a Lionshead Deluxe Pilsner by The Lion Brewery and pulled out my iPhone to catch up on my RSS feeds.
I had an appointment at Wills Eye Institute this morning. The doctors did the usual eye tests, including testing for colour blindness, filed of vision, etc. They commented on how much better my eyes look. But I reminded them that they felt no better than before the treatments. They conceded that point but want me to look on the bright side (no pun intended). I just can't' right now.
Chronic diseases tend to sap the patients mental and physical energy. The steroids worsened the Type 1 diabetes, and it will take some time before my body adjusts back to before steroids. My hair fell out from the radiation. I don't recognise or like the face I see in the mirror. It will be months before I look like "me".
But even then, there is more work to be done. I am scheduled to meet with the orbital surgeon in September. We may have to plan for orbital surgery.
I want it all to be done. I feel like crying.
These doctor visits start at 8 AM, and often we are not done until close to lunchtime. Today we were done at 11 AM. Bhavna wanted something to drink, so we walked along Walnut Street at the Wawa. Two doors down are the SweetGreens, so we stopped in an bought a salad for lunch. I ate my Fish Taco salad in the car.
I brought my vintage Asahi Pentax Super Takumar 28mm f/3.5 M42 film lens with me. All of the images here were shot with this lens mounted to my Fuji X-T2. I am pleasantly surprised by how well the lens performed on the Fuji X-T2. Hopefully, without sounding self-aggrandising, I think I did an excellent job operating the fully manual lens.
I’ve noticed a few different double-deckers touring busses on our morning drive into Philadelphia for my radiation treatments.
I have been taking a photo each morning, each one from just outside the Bodine Center For Radiation Therapy on 11th Street. But those images didn’t show the hustle and bustle and morning life that was happening all around Philadelphia.
Serendipity caused this lively and representative scene to unfold before me. It’s one of my favourites from the last two weeks.
When I was about thirteen years old, my father took us on a family vacation to the UK. I don’t remember much about that trip. Some vague recollection of a visit to London Tower, Harrods, Marks & Spence, Trafalgar Square, and a trip to the countryside to visit the estate home of one of his banking clients1.
But I do remember those double-decker buses. It seemed like they were everywhere. And I do remember riding around London atop the bus. But I don't remember anything about what I saw.
