Michael's Blog

Most of my reflections this semester have focused on landscapes, terrain, weather, and other natural elements. This week, however, I was drawn to another part of nature: observing the interactions among the living creatures that share our world. It began with greeting the two small, scaly lizards that spend their afternoons sunbathing on my front porch. I typically say goodbye to them on my way to class, and when I return, I find them fixated side by side on the warm concrete. I wonder if they are friends. Siblings, maybe? How do they communicate? Do they crack jokes, discuss the state of their world, or simply sit in silence together? My reptilian neighbors go unnoticed by most, blending in perfectly with their surroundings. I can’t help but wonder: is that a blessing or a curse? Do they want to be seen? At my girlfriend’s house, which I visited over Spring Break, animals are impossible to miss. Her family hosts several dogs, four horses, a couple of cats, and a seemingly endless numb...

Abruptly, I set out to capture  the sunset . Despite the  distraction of an exciting  college basketball game  on the living room television ,  t he   sky   outside demanded attention.   Streaks of vibrant orange  and  soft  pink  dissolved  into  thick  clouds , c reating one of  the most vivid sunset s  I have seen in some time.  The bold color s  melting into deep,  puffy  cloud  formations  reminded me  of the  Romantic  paintings we admired in our  recent  in-class  activit y . As I  stood there, my gaze fixed  on  the heavens , I  almost  began to  see the sky as a  canva s  and the  clouds  as  brushstrokes .  “Sublime” is how the presenting group defined it .   This sunset was a perfect example.   A lthough, as  mentioned,  I had to “capture”  it . ...