The photography workshop has been such a delightful experience, I want to sit down and write about it all properly but I have a 5.30am appointment tomorrow...
So many stories to tell, so many superb people met, so many photographs ... it's almost overwhelming but my usb modem isn't coping tonight and I really must sleep so ... buona notte from me here in this city I love so well.
I received this email from my website people the other day and it impressed me so much that I want to share some of it.
Anthony, from Squarespace, wrote: A little over a week ago, I sent out one of the most difficult emails that Squarespace has ever delivered to our customers.
Peer1, our data center in downtown Manhattan, was so severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy that it suffered a total loss of power despite multiple levels of redundant systems. At the time, there was no resolution in sight. Our backup fuel reserves and building infrastructure had been destroyed by Sandy's storm surge, which flooded many buildings downtown. As you may be aware, this was a historic and unprecedented storm for the entire tri-state region, bringing about the largest storm-related power outage ever in Con Edison's history.
I am proud to announce that throughout this event, Squarespace customers experienced absolutely no downtime related to the power outage. This is an amazing outcome considering the extraordinary circumstances we faced last week. What remains is an incredible story.
For those of you that haven't been following our updates, employees from Squarespace, Fog Creek, and Peer1 manually carried fuel up 17 flights of stairs for three days to save our generator while an interim fuel supply and pump could be installed...
We now have a working pump system delivering fuel to the roof generator, more than enough fuel on site, and a redundant street-level generator connected and tested as of last night. These systems will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Our building has still not been able to connect to Manhattan's power grid, as the building's two sub-basements were submerged in 30 feet of water that took four days to pump out. We will continue to post updates on status.squarespace.com as we resume normal operations.
Of course, such heroics should not be necessary to keep operations running smoothly. We initiated a plan to build a geographically redundant operation this past summer and expect to have it online in early 2013. This gives us the ability to route around areas affected by natural disasters much more effectively.
Whenever I return to Genova, I remember ... that I'm walking along roads that have been here forever. It makes me almost sure that ghosts surely walk next to me as I wander.
Tonight I couldn't resist and wandered out with the tripod. There was the image below, with life carrying on through my time-lapse, creating something that almost captures this feeling I have about walking next to the ancients when I'm here.
I listen to life out there on the streets, generations of people in this place of complicated history and excellent stories.
Back in Genova ... and loving it.
When you race out after breakfast to photograph the rubbish bags in an area not your own ... for that blogpost you wrote elsewhere.
And on the way home, after rubbish bag photography where you bluffed that yes, I'm meant to be doing this, you are picked up by a Jehovah's Witness doing her work. (I mistook her for a friendly Belgian out there on the suburban streets, between the supermarket and home.)
And unable to be rude, you obediently give her your home address, so she can come check whether you read that religious tract she just gave you.
Then you have that hour long appointment with a woman so wise that she makes you smile ... work on photographs, put the laundry through and vacuum.
You open the stunningly excellent carrot and cardamom bio soup you picked up from the supermarket because a truly generous yoga instructor is calling by, just to show you that you can do yoga without your injured neck popping out and all over the place.
And you talk photography with her because she wants to learn the how of it and you love sharing what you know.
Well ... it's been a day like that so far. The photograph ... the street I wandered home along earlier this morning.
I'm in Genova soon, then off to New Zealand. It's all starting to feel real.
It's a long weekend here in Belgium. It's All Saints Day today(an official public holiday), then tomorrow is All Souls Day (an unofficial holiday but some people, like Gert, have a bridging day)
The bridging day phenomena is explained most precisely on wiki: 'when a lone holiday occurs on a Tuesday or a Thursday, the gap between that day and the weekend may also be designated as a holiday, or set to be a movable or floating holiday, or indeed work/school may be avoided by consensus unofficially. This is typically referred to by a phrase involving "bridge" in most languages.'
It's November 1 and it's overcast and raining. Just 9 celsius and well ... it feels like autumn.
Anyway, a beautiful memory from a long-ago home in New Zealand, with my much-loved ancient dog walking towards me on the veranda.
