Photos Between Saturday Work and Thunderstorm
Saturday was hot and polluted. I had until 2 before I had to meet people for work, so J. and I went out for breakfast and biked around for a while exploring the construction in our neighborhood. It was a morning of delicious beverages: iced tea, coffee, milk tea, pineapple shake, ice water. Construction workers were out in full force like always, digging up roads, hauling bricks, pouring concrete, digging pits, refinishing buildings. The whole city was like a disturbed anthill swarming with ants trying to repair it.
I made it to the coffee shop just as the thunderstorms began. Outside, the sky fell. Inside, me and two coworkers struggled to think of new TV scripts while not being distracted by an amateur photography class that was shooting every little detail in the cramped establishment.
Workers heroically erect a lamp post.
Scooping up the street.
Subway construction.
Man takes a break in the shade near the subway construction.
Worker’s shed.
Pipe and hydrant.
Gate to a utility building.
Scraps of weathered wood make fine edging.
Lady waits for dog to pee on pole.
Workers standing on blocks.
Construction gate.
Old foundation piles beyond the gate.
Scaffolding and green mesh cover an entire high rise.
The bricks have broken free from a hole in the wall.
Pipes and dusty road.
Garish sign.
Water bottles along a busted up road.
The blue shell wall.
Man with pipe. Man with open door on scooter, oblivious.
Moving day.
Moving day.
Bank truck on overpass.
Exposed pink wall of dismantled building.
You pay for the orange wall view.
There’s a hole in the wall where the men can see it all.
Another moving day.
Kitten of the park watches the grass intently.
Orthodox church.
Rust colored windows, decorate columns.
A pile of concrete sacks.
J. studying.
Blood from a mosquito that got under the sheets and bit us until I squished it.
Working at the crowded Cottage Cafe during a thunderstorm.
Markings on the wall.
J. and the patterned wallpaper of Wagas.
A Wagas salad.
Chicken pesto.
Night begins to fall over this horribly polluted city.
When all else failed, the Saturday bike ride around town got me in better spirits. I stunk like a devil yesterday. Three sweaty bike rides and drying cycles made for a crusty and sharp outfit. Sunday will be busy and disorganized, but I’ll try to make the most of it before heading into work.
3 Comments
Hey Jason,
Thanks for the kind words. I’m fond of that photo too. Hope you have fun in Guilin and Yangshuo. I’m hoping to be in Tokyo for the October holiday.
I’ll go check out your sites now.
September 4th, 2009 at 9:43 pmThat first picture is an almost exact match for the picture of the Iwo Jima flag raising ( e.g., http://www.iwojima.com/raising/raisingb.htm ). Even the angle of the pole is the same. Nice job with it!
September 10th, 2009 at 7:21 am
that picture of the guys erecting the light post is amazing! looks like it would be in the times accompanied by some kind of story about shanghai and its industrialization or people power or something along those lines. Wish i found your blog earlier. i found it while searching for yangshuo and guilin because I’m going next week finally. Been living in Beijing for the last year, moving to Tokyo in a few weeks so this is my last trip inside China, I see you’re an artist, me too
September 3rd, 2009 at 11:05 pmhttp://www.misadventuresofjason.blogspot.com
i should have gone with wordpress, but i think both are blocked now anyway.