today is my birthday. resolutions for the coming year have been made, and i'm stalking the new year with a purpose and appetite for meaningful photographs.

dea and i went, yesterday, into the city to see a couple shows- her gift to me. living in Alaska, i'm hamstringed by viewing work only online. i've been opened up to startling photography the last couple of years, and i am indebted to many great photographers simply by viewing their work. monitors, however, have their limitations (to put it mildly) and the opportunity to see work in person is spectacular...

I've spoken about Brian Ulrich here on a couple of occasions. i was eager to see his work on a wall for the first time- he did not disappoint. each image of "Thrift" i had seen before, but you can't be prepared for the impact of the vastness of this show. i felt as if i could step up and crawl into this mound of sneakers and hide. i can still smell the mothballs.

MoCP was a bittersweet visit. An-My Le's "Small Wars" show, and book, were exceptional. i was disappointed to see, however, that Larry Sulton and Misty Keasler shows will open on the 19th.

also, i'm pleased to announce that my mother is a bona fide online deal hound. she found a signed, first edition, copy of Stranger Passing for under $10 for my birthday.

lastly, when dea and i were at Mayo last week we walked by 'flower' images of Lee Friedlander a dozen times a day.