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  I will be the first to admit that Hurricane Katrina never peaked much interest in me. Whether I didn’t understand what had actually happened, or whether I sought ignorance I cannot say. Last night, however, Thomas Neff, introduced me to this devastating disaster. Neff opened his presentation by defining his role as a photographer. He described himself as a photographic documentologist capturing history in the making.

       A couple of years ago, there was a fire in my apartment building. One neighbor’s failure to properly put out his cigarette burned down three adjacent apartments, one of which was my friends. In recalling the story of how his father had discovered his apartment was on fire, my friend related that there had only been enough time to grab some photographs. Of all the jewelry, clothing and decorations, why were his photographs more important? This brings me back to the discussion of the eidos of photography, which Barthes describes as death.

On Thursday night, I had the pleasure of viewing a presentation by Thomas Neff consisting of photographs he took of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. We all have heard of the tragedy, but it is an entirely different experience to see it right in front of you, uncensored and without someone sugar-coating it. It's unlike the news, which is a series of cold hard facts. It's more bare than that. It makes you feel, rather than just know. By being a photographer, Neff opened a window into these people's lives.

 I had to go to the apple store on 5th avenue this week to buy my mom a birthday present. I had never been there before, so I was nervous that i wouldn't be able to find it. When I finally got out of the subway, stubbed my toe on a door so hard that it started gushing blood, and walked the few blocks to the store, I amost started laughing at myself out of the perposterousness that i woudnt be able to find it. There is no way that anyone wouldn't be able to find this particular Apple store.