Something needs to change. I am killing myself trying to post something every day, so I’m going to try every other day for a while.

In your service, I did a quick search on “web page update notifications”. Chrome has one. RSS feeds are still a thing: NetNewsWire is free for Mac. You can find ways to be alerted, if you’re interested. Or just check manually. I’m not going to install a push notification plugin on the site, because I’m afraid the “free” means that they will eat your data. I’ll research one day. . .

Moving on. . . Monday was Saint Stephen’s day, a day that Italians traditionally take for a “passeggiata ai presepi“, or a stroll to the many Catholic churches’ nativity scenes. I took off on my bike playing Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, from the speaker in my backpack, and as I rounded a corner alley in Trastevere blaring “Wonderwall”, I stumbled upon Simone posting his graffiti poetry. He was delighted by the synchronicity of the song – as was I – and between singing the verses Sopravoce! Fortissimo! Loudly!, encouraged me to take photos of his latest installation. What a treat. I’ve loved his guerilla poetry postings for a long time. This one reads:

It made suffering worthwhile,
he turned it into poetry
Drying the tears
on a handkerchief
don’t throw them away!

It only occurs to me now that I should have done a quick video interview with him. Note to self: create a YouTube account. And don’t throw those tears away.

I know nothing of John Martyn. I heard this on an Apple Music station for Talvin Singh and it seemed to fit. I don’t know. Another reason these postings take more time – I have to collect strong material. Or not. We’ll see.

One note, a confession. I normally don’t take photos of people who are in trouble, but a confluence of events that are impossible to explain now compelled me to snap this one. He initially fussed at me for taking his photo “without permission”, but then, when he saw I was friendly and open to deleting it, he posed for me. He was innocent and delighted, and positively radiated love. It was another magical encounter that left me with a sack full of things to contemplate.

I know I should take photos of beautiful Roman scenery, but I can’t seem to pull myself away from the beautiful human face.