Daniel Greene

Tag: photos

  • Is This Extra Extra Lettuce?

    I’d like a vote: is this what you would call extra extra lettuce on a BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich?

    I call it barely enough lettuce for a regular BLT. The first time I ordered one of these from the cafe in my office building, they served it with one thin piece of green leaf lettuce. So the second time I asked for “extra lettuce” and I got two thin leaves of green lettuce. The third time, I asked if they had any iceberg lettuce to make the sandwich wetter. They said no, so I asked for “extra extra” lettuce, and I got this: two or three leaves of thin green lettuce.

    And don’t give me any guff about being a Jew and eating bacon and kvetching about the lack of lettuce when I said I’d try to complain less. 😉 This isn’t complaining, it’s critiquing. I’m a food critic now; haven’t you heard? Of course I’m grateful to have food to eat (God knows we live in a world in which people starve to death), but I still have my wishes, and I wish for a moist BLT with lots of lettuce. Yeah! =)

  • Families Can Be Together Forever

    This is dedicated to a colleague’s son who died suddenly last week at the age of 4. I attended his funeral at a Mormon church yesterday. The first order of service was singing a hymn called “Families Can Be Together Forever” whose lyrics resonated with me, a gay Jewish man:

    “I have a family here on earth.
    They are so good to me.
    I want to share my life with them
    Through all eternity.
    Families can be together forever
    Though Heavenly Father’s plan.
    I always want to be with my own family
    And the Lord has shown me how I can.”

    (Words: Ruth Muir Gardner, Music: Vanja Y. Watkins)

    It is interesting that I heard this song the day after watching the movie Juno and being struck by a line spoken by Ellen Page’s character: (more…)

  • Counting the Omer, Growing the Beard…

    …maybe. I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking and feeling about a lot of things, really– too much to tell you.

    But what is the omer? The omer is a period of counting that is a mitzvah or “commandment” in the Jewish Bible. Jews are supposed to count the days from Pesach to Shavuot to mark the journey from Exodus (freedom from bondage) to Mount Sinai (communally experiencing the presence of God in a deep and miraculous way and receiving the Torah). It is traditionally a period of semi-mourning, reflection, and, among other things, not shaving or getting a haircut.

    To tell the truth, I have never counted the days between Pesach and Shavuot; in fact, now I would have to think… ah, yes, today is the ninth day of Omer. But something the rabbi said, half in jest, about having “rabbinical permission to grow a beard over the next seven weeks” got me to thinking not only about growing a beard, but also about how I might seize upon an opportunity to have a religious experience. Or at least enhance the spirituality of my life for a while.

    I’m at the point where I hate my beard. It itches, and I think it makes me look old, mean, and ugly. I took this photo now in case I can’t stand it anymore and I shave it all off. But maybe I’m also taking this photo as a way of reflecting more deeply on having some patience with this process.

    It is difficult to sit with that which itches at one and makes one feel old, mean, and ugly. Like my kvetching. I complain. I do it several times a day, often without even thinking. Sometimes my first words in the morning are a form of complaint. This is something I would like to tackle during the next six weeks.

    Even if I don’t keep the beard.

  • Happy Birthday, Andy!



    Happy Birthday, Andy!
    Originally uploaded by Daniel Greene.

    These tulips were a gift to our neighbor Elva, and she shared some with my partner Andy. It seemed a fitting tribute to take a photo of these handsome flowers lit so warmly by our dining room table light with our purple accent wall behind them. These flowers enrich our home. Andy enriches my life and the lives of those around him. Here’s to you, Sweetheart, and many happy returns!

  • You’ve Been Served – Version 2

    This is a revision of the original. I tried to bring out the shadows well enough to make everything more visible and compelling. I think it is more iconic and compelling, especially at small sizes.