Buildings and Trees

In NY, at the beginning of May, something challenges the glass and steel...

Brutalism

In Washington DC, Brutalism is king. The buildings that major state departments call it home, have been put up in the '50s in what I guessed had been an endeavor to institute sobriety/puissance in the ongoing head to head feud with then USSR. Please ignore the lady in photo 6; the plan was buildings only. In May, the very beginning, 2012.

voting for commies

Wanna know some story from the past?

Let me tell you, Indomitable West, how voting was in Communism.

First, it was really, really simple, and I remembered this when my mom took me in the voting booth to be with her. I was little and far below the wooden counter, but she, my sweet date, showed me the pencil (take a wild guess why pencil) and piece of paper with only two names on it. 

(Did I mention this was in Eastern Romania somewhere in the mid 80’s with hints on the near collapse but doubts it could happen - they still looked strong, the commies, still gaining weight eating by western standards.)  

She even said to me it was going to be quick because it was truly useless to vote since the chosen one was in fact picked by the commie heads and the vote was purely symbolic. 

For the record, in 1948 when Russians took over the Eastern Europe, the communist party participated - for show only - in the election that followed along with the democratic parties to see who wins. It was revealed in 1989 that the Liberal Party won with 98%, so only 2% were commies, but the Russians switched the numbers and made the Communists win the show and change the history. 

Back to voting, and so being useless, people - on the risk of being beaten, jailed, which actually never happened in the lack of iphones and cameras to preserve every move - wrote or drew various things ranging from their wishes to their disgusts. A few I heard: We want blue jeans, Fuck you, Open the borders, Bring us Dallas (the TV series), Free porn etc. etc. 

In our booth mom said, not quite serious, to look around, meaning other than at her and at what she would write/draw. I was surrounded by thick ivory draperies that killed the views, so I tried to guess who she voted for, who in fact she crossed over with the pencil - that's how you had to vote. It looked to me that she did more than a straight line over some name, she did a circle, am sure now, possibly with three lines inside the circle, one cutting it in two and two little arms from the center pointed down. A drawn curse? Nah, she wasn't that vicious, she had class, she read Emile Zola and liked Gregory Peck and Errol Flynn, so take another wild guess about her vote. 

Back out, alone dad had beed quicker and waited with a grin on his face, then came closer to mom's ear and seconds later she became laughing copiously. I looked around and saw many other couples laughing and their little children puzzled like me. Do you think people are the same happy when they vote these days?

Women's day today.

Take your woman out, boy, treat her nice, let her have driving license, go to movie alone, have a job, dress with miniskirt, and trust me, when she'll be happy, you'll harvest that big time.