On Looking

Read about a book today that I can't wait to read, about a woman in New York, who wanted to see her urban environment better, so got 11 experts to walk round her block with her, including her toddler, her dog, and a blind person. For me, Blip is so much about exactly this - seeing better. Here is what she says:

I would find myself at once alarmed, delighted, and humbled at the limitations of my ordinary looking. My consolation is that this deficiency of mine is quite human. We see, but we do not see: we use our eyes, but our gaze is glancing, frivolously considering its object. We see the signs, but not their meanings. We are not blinded, but we have blinders.

(The book is On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes, Alexandra Horowitz.)

This is a detail of our garden table while the refreshing rain was falling on it today.

And now we are off to watch Brazil... have decided I can bear it - if they win, I want to see; if they lose, well at least they have a good reason. And I like it that we have to be sociable and watch with others (we don't have a tele).