a peek inside the fishbowl

I was at the office the other day when someone asked me about my Daily Lunches project. I found myself babbling, trying to explain its end and I realized I haven’t thought or written anything about it.

In June 2012 I started taking photos of my lunch every day, no matter what. I took photos at home, at work, at conferences, on holiday, in meetings, with friends and family, in restaurants, at hot dog stands, parking lots, you name it.

Some photos were pretty, and some were not. Some meals were yummy, and some were not. Some had recipes attached to them; many were just things I threw together. But they all meant something.

Although some people probably saw this project as proof of modern narcissism or a project that is too boring to contemplate, I saw it as an art project that I lived every day. I didn’t, however, pretend that this was some high-level, magazine-worthy food photography. It was what it was… just plain real. My goal was to show a tiny sliver of a person’s life, of my life, and I think I did that. I look at the collection of photos now and I wonder what they reveal about me.

What does people’s choice of food reveal about themselves?  This was something I touched upon in original post on the topic, but it touched a nerve for some. No one likes to be judged, that’s for sure, but honestly, I think if you ate ravioli out of a can for lunch every day there has to be a reason behind it. It may not be fair to guess what it is, but there has to be one. Right?

Related to this: I love to look at photo essays of what people eat around the world, don’t you? Here’s one from Time magazine. What do those photos say about the people who eat those meals? Is it fair to draw some conclusions?

I quit my Daily Lunches project on December 31, 2016. I was having a low moment – and it’s hard to be creative during times like those – and I just realized it’s done. I was done.

Strangely, I miss my daily lunches. I can’t pinpoint exactly why. I looked at the collection while I was writing this and realized I’d documented a lot of stuff there, beyond the bare bones of what I ate for lunch that day: what I was doing, where I went, who was with me, what I like to eat. Maybe it’s only relevant to me, though. I am ok with that.

I am feeling a bit down the end of this project at the moment. I suppose this up/down/done cycle is a lot like what I went through with Artist Trading Cards. I was crazy about making and trading them for years… until I wasn’t. I once tried forcing a return, but it felt wrong. I missed making those tiny little pieces of art, planning them, trading them, waiting for the mailman to come. That period was incredibly creative, satisfying, and fun. I felt RICH. My cup overfloweth. But, but, but, it couldn’t last. I have learned that it’s ok when creative projects come to their natural end. But it still makes me feel lonesome, even abandoned, in a way. You know what I mean? It’s as if someone closed a window in front of me and said: Sorry, you can’t look out that window anymore. Your time here, with this view, is over. There is a sense of sadness and yearning. I want to look out that window! I will miss the view! What I need to do, obviously, is find a new window. The question is, what will I see when I find it?

Raising the Instagram and Snapchat Generation.

My latest column @FastCompany https://t.co/kFSQWDsoAx

— Ben Bajarin (@BenBajarin) March 31, 2017

• Russell Smith: Fearless Girl, Charging Bull and the problems of public art, theglobeandmail.com
• German Kindergartens Ban Toys to Prevent Drug Abuse, theatlantic.com
• Moral Foundations Theory and a Better Way to Argue About Politics, theatlantic.com
• When columnists go rogue, theatlantic.com
• What Catherine Leroy Saw in Vietnam, nytimes.com
• I studied how journalists used Twitter for two years. Here’s what I learned, poynter.org

To review: every other Tuesday is my day off and I’m trying to use this time to recharge my batteries. No work, no meetings, minimal errands. IT IS BRAIN-CLEARING DAY. In my previous “Andrea’s Tuesdays” excursion I discovered that I don’t like swimming anymore.

I was going to post this on Tuesday evening but life intervened. Let’s just say that it involved an 8-hour visit to emergency (youngest daughter did something to her knee, all is well now) and some poking and prodding at the doctor’s (for myself, that is) and now, as I sit here, drinking my hot tea with lemon and honey, I realize I haven’t slept well, eaten very well, or exercised all week and am really feeling it: mentally, and physically. Blarg.

Let’s just say that this particular Tuesday which I am writing about had a less than ideal beginning. Despite my resolution not to work, I worked. I had an interview scheduled for an article I’m working on, which is why I found myself on the other end of the city that morning and doing a whole lot of rushing around before I was fully awake and prepared to do so.

When the interview was done I hopped on the Queensway and made my way downtown. My destination: the Library and Archives building. As a book and history nerd I was pretty excited about this visit. Even though I’ve been living in Ottawa for over 25 years (!) I have never actually been inside. Well, I was quite pleased with myself because I was Going To Change Things.

I parked the car, fed the meter, and walked ten minutes through the dreary drizzle. May I say, for the record, that this is my least favourite time of year? I wish spring would HURRY UP ALREADY. The lack of green is killing me.

Behold, Ottawa The Grey. (That’s the Library and Archives building, by the way):

The saving grace is that one of my favourite scupltures is located here:

Did you know this sculpture is called The Secret Bench of Knowledge? You can read a bit more about it on Wikipedia.

As I mentioned, I had no idea what was waiting for me behind those doors. I did know that there were exhibitions here every once in awhile, but that was it.

The exhibition that is currently on display at the Library and Archives is about (drum roll please)…. libraries. The exhibit’s official title is Icons of Knowledge: Architecture and Symbolism in National Libraries. There were photos of international libraries, large wall hangings, and small scale models as well:

The public only has access to the first floor, anything after that requires registration and a special pass. In hindsight, I regret that I didn’t register because then I could have poked around the reference room on the second floor. (Take a look at the LAC website for a bit more info about what’s there.) There is an overwhelming amount of information at this place. This short YouTube video will give you a better idea of what kind of things go on here.

Anyway, yes, I kind of blew it by not exploring a little further. My exploration took exactly 10 minutes. Maybe it was hunger that was clouding my judgment? I walked back to the car, which I had parked near the graffiti wall:

I turned on the car, warmed my hands, and suddenly found myself heading west for Ikea.

Sidebar: I had promised myself that I wouldn’t use my Tuesdays off to shop for fun, but I was hungry and the Very Idea of Ikea’s salad and salmon plate was making me drool. (BEST DILL SAUCE, EVER.) So that’s what I got:

That pear cider? It’s excellent.

After lunch, I curled up in a cushy couch with a coffee in a different part of the Ikea cafeteria and ate cookies while I read the news. It was probably the best part of my day. It was perfectly blissful, minus the part about the woman who sat near me for awhile and watched videos on her phone… without headphones. (Who does this?!)

Once I was fuelled up I explored the store. I bought some new drinking glasses and a few little things to brighten up the home office. I picked up groceries on the way home (will there EVER be a Tuesday without a stop at the grocery store?) and came home just in time to start dinner.

Looking back, I’d say this particular Tuesday was a mixed bag, but not entirely wasted.