MEZZALUNA.ME

central park during winter, new york, n.d.

2016 is almost over. the conversation around the coffee machine in my office these days has really evolved into the talking about each year seems to go by faster as we get older. psychologists have put some interesting theories, but i have always assumed that it’s because when you’re young everything is new, so you experience it like the first time, because it is. over time, those experiences pile up and become the routine, so you don’t acknowledge them much. eventually, they just…pass you by.

that’s how my year 2016 seemed like. so short, it flew by. i put money down on a new condo. major construction delay. six months, still not in. one delay has screwed up my whole year plans. all i have been doing is waiting......waiting some more......and more......waiting. waiting is boring. one time, i caught myself trying to press the microwave buttons to the tune of the mario theme song because i was so bored.

no best-of this year since i haven’t posted much (so sorry about that). buuut! here’s my most popular posts of all time, if anyone’s interested. (click photo for link.) also, previously 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010. THANK YOU to each and every one of you for sticking around and supporting me. hope you have a wonderful time whenever, wherever, and however you will be celebrating. whatever happened is over. time to make new experiences!

see you in 2017. :)

montmartre district, paris, 1950s

© willy ronis

montmartre, paris, june 1960 [original]

brooklyn bridge in rainy weather, 1927 [historical publications: “reflets photographiques.” Vu 1, no. 2 (march 1928): 49 (as untitled photograph); roh, franz and jan tschichold. foto-auge: 76 fotos der zeit, pl. 36 (as brooklynbrücke bei regenwetter―le pont de brooklyn par temps de pluie―brooklyn bridge in rainy weather). stuttgart: akademischer verlag dr. fritz wedekind & co., 1929.]

pedestrians hurry past a subway entrance on a rainy winter day, new york, early 1910s

@ alvin langdon coburn/ george eastman museum

sailing of the cristoforo colombo, genoa, 1959 [original]

© stefano robino, from eyes wide open! 100 years of leica photography

two young german-jewish refugees looking through portholes aboard the hamburg-amerika (sometimes also hamburg-amerikanische packetfahrt-actien-gesellschaft: HAPAG, hamburg-america, hamburg-american, or hamburg) liner ‘st. louis’ on arrival at antwerp after being refused entry to cuba and miami prior to the start of wwii, june 17, 1939 [original]

© gerry cranham

untitled, 1946 [original]

© willy ronis

» view similar photos | more from this photographer

» note from mezzaluna: dedicated to a stray kitten i found who died from cat flu today

i found him in my condo parking lot walking around bumping into things. there had to be something wrong with him so i decided to check him out. he was only a few months old and really underweight that he could hardly walk or stand upright. his eyes were red, swollen, and watery. and then he sneezed on me and when he did it was really wet. i gave him milk, but he could barely swallow. it was already getting dark when i found him, so i decided to take him to the local vet tomorrow afternoon, figured he'd be ok.

he wasn’t. turned out the vet said that he had a cat flu, secondary infection, which means the cat cannot deal with it. there are currently no drugs that can specifically kill the viruses, but most cats can recover. unfortunately, very young (or very old) and immunosuppressed cats who develop secondary infections are more likely to die. in this little guy’s case, he wasn’t going to live more than 4 days, give or take 1 day.

i knew it was too late, but i never give up. i wanted to give him a chance to survive. so i asked the vet to do everything he could to help the cat recover from this or, at least, feel better. he then went in the back to clean the cat’s eyes and give him the vaccine that might be useful in treating and fighting off the disease.

“i haven’t filled in the registered name of the cat. does he have a name yet?” the vet asked as i stood up to leave.

“errr... no, he doesn’t. i was terribly worried about him that i forgot to...”

“i understand,” the vet smiled, “as of this moment his name is Stray.”

i nodded and smiled back. “miracles do happen. i’ll come up with another name if he survives. maybe Lucky.”

Stray died 3 days later (aug 3, 2016) on the white blanket while i was at work. i was prepared for things to not work out, still hit me hard. the only thing that brings me comfort is knowing that he's no longer in pain.

goodbye, Stray. you’re in a better place now.

sondersdorf, alsace, france, 1945 [original]

© robert doisneau

untitled (from the cycle pure of sight, no year) [original]

swiss writer georges borgeaud's studio, france, 1954 [original]

© willy ronis

gordes, france, 1958 [original]

© willy ronis, from les chats de willy ronis

untitled (paris, 1954) [original]

showering leaflets on rue henri-monnier, 9th arrondissement, paris, 1944 [original]

© robert doisneau, from doisneau paris