I am not calling this "Artoo goes postal"

As you've probably heard (because the media was all over this), last month the United States Postal Service put out special mailboxes decorated to look like R2-D2 to promote an upcoming set of Star Wars stamps (in honor of the 30th anniversary of A New Hope).

Here you go:





With downtown L.A. in the background (and the sun hidden behind the office building where I work).


















With the Disney Concert Hall in the background.















With the Museum of Contemporary Art in the background.






I found this bit on the Star Wars site where if you click on the "Artoo Spotters" link it shows a slideshow of 170 photos of R2D2 mailboxes (generally with people standing next to them, in various shades of fanaticism--this is my favorite) from around the country. However, amongst those 170 pics there is not a single one of what I've photographed above.

In this flickr group of photos of the boxes, out of 149 shots, there's only one of the unit outside the Disney Concert Hall above. (Do the hardcore fans have some aversion to downtown L.A.?)

For those who may be trying to find the locations in my photos above: it's the northwest corner of the intersection of 2nd St. and Grand Ave. in Los Angeles. Yes, all three shots are of the same box, just from three different angles.

Eh, I'm sure you didn't fall for my Jedi mind tricks. (Aah! So close to making it through this post without a groan-inducing Star Wars reference!)

No Anthony

Under the (4th St.) bridge downtown...


And for those who prefer a bit more conventional orientation...

Bubble, bubble, toil and... tar

One of the smaller tar pits at the La Brea Tar Pits. Yes, the methane still bubbles up from underground.

No smoking while looking at this post, please.

'Buddhist Style'

Empty box seen on the sidewalk of Yucca St., one block north of Hollywood Blvd.

Nowhere near a restaurant.

Blinded by the hidden light

In the Project Room of the Pasadena Museum of California Art...






Dan Goods' The Hidden Light.


A projector casts this strange green, noisy light on to the wall. Above my girlfriend blocks part of the scene with the round disc.

Below I stand by the projector and cast a large silhouette of my hand on to the wall. But what's that in the palm of my hand's shadow? (Go ahead. Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

A projected movie of the planets is also cast on the wall, but it is obscured by the green light until the viewer blocks part of the latter.

Santa Anita

A tale of the day these shots were taken can be read here. There's a lot of words, but there are pictures not included here.

Palm in the fog

Photo taken outside the building where I live, taken about two hours ago.

Hollywood's not out of touch with the US

Looking down at the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. and Orange Ave.

Under the underground

Another triptych of photos from a Metro train station. That's right. I took pictures in a public place, which, in this era, is an act of rebellion.

Or it's just a way to capture some interesting angles in a way that's no threat to anyone. It's so difficult to distinguish those nowadays.

(Not that you'd really know this was in a train station unless I told you.)

Enjoy. Until "the man" shuts me down.





(Attention FBI: It just looks like that's an arriving train coming into the third shot. Because it is. But let's not dwell on that.)

Here's looking at you

I trust I don't got some 'splainin to do about whose eye this is.

I will reveal this tribute is painted on a wall at Universal Studios.

Waaaa!