Art
why Philadelphia is the best
Nobody cares about you
Why do we give dogs treats?
Overexpose to create ethereal aesthetics
Photograph the pure light that emanates through the tunnels of City Hall throughout the different times of day change of seasons, etc. No people. Just pure light early morning? 
Why speak when you have photography?
Because in order to create light, first there had to be a word.
Words create meaning.
Photographs create form.
Both bring the invisible into the visible
art done well reflects aretē — the excellence of the human spirit expressed through form.
Love and zest for life
Enthusiasm, possessed by a God 
Lotus flower fighting for light in darkness in the murky swamp
Upside down lotus pose in yoga class
Shavasana pose- can’t help but smile every time
The smile is a deep sense of knowing
God is hugging me
The present is the ultimate gift

Rejoice for we arrived at the truth
Blossom
Faith
Fate
Destiny
Transcendence
Bubona- Roman goddess of oxen and cattle (bos- bovis – ox or cow)
Pecunia – money (Roman godess of money)
Pecūnia comes from pecus, meaning cattle or livestock.
Felicity
“Felicitas”, who was a Roman goddess and personification of good fortune, happiness, and success.
Felicitas literally means luck, happiness, prosperity, or blessedness.
Roman coins often featured her image, symbolizing peace and good fortune under imperial rule
She’s usually depicted holding a caduceus or cornucopia, representing commerce and abundance.
Oceanus – titan of the ocean born of Uranus (sky) and Gaia (earth)
Theres a sculpture of Oceanus at the Travi fountain. I remember being a 10 year old boy throwing coins into the fountain. The fountain has been flowing for centuries
Humans are like fountains or wells
A good well is connected to the source
It’s difficult to connect a well to the source- lots of time and labor and digging
The source is god
Once connected to the source it is always flowing with abundance. The cup is full and needs nothing from anybody but just embodies pure unconditional love and joy
Eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία) – Flourishing / Blessed Happiness
It means a life well-lived, deep fulfillment, and human flourishing, not just momentary joy.
Etymology: eu- (good) + daimōn (spirit or divine power) → “having a good guiding spirit.”
Eudaimonia is often translated as “happiness,” but it’s more like “blessedness” or “a life of virtue in alignment with one’s highest nature.
The connection between eudaimonia and felicity is both philosophical and linguistic — a bridge between Greek thought and Roman values, and ultimately, to our modern understanding of happiness.
It’s not about pleasure or emotion, but about living virtuously, fulfilling your potential, and aligning with reason and moral excellence.
Eudaimonia is the ultimate goal of life for Aristotle — achieved not by luck or wealth, but by cultivating virtue (aretē) and living rationally over a lifetime.
Key Difference:
• Eudaimonia is earned through ethical living and virtue.
• Felicitas is often granted by external powers — divine favor, fortune, or societal success.
In Summary:
- Eudaimonia (Greek):
- Flourishing through virtue
- Lifelong fulfillment
- Philosophical ideal
- Requires effort and reason
- Felicitas (Latin):
- Happiness through good fortune
- Instant or public prosperity
- Deified abstraction
- May come by divine favor
Crucible
The word “crucible” comes from the Late Latin word crucibulum, which referred to a night lamp or a melting pot for metals.
Here’s the breakdown:
• Latin crux = “cross” – possibly influencing the term metaphorically, as the crucible is a place of severe trial, like the cross was for suffering.
• Crucibulum → a type of vessel used to melt or refine metals by fire.
• Entered Middle English from Old French or directly from Medieval Latin, retaining the sense of a container used for heating substances to high temperatures.
Modern meanings:
1. A heat-resistant container for melting substances.
2. A severe test or trial — metaphorically, a place or situation in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.
In a figurative sense, a “crucible” is where something is tested, refined, or transformed under pressure or adversity — like the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, where characters are tested in the “heat” of hysteria and accusation.
Digging a well to reach the source
Light emerging from tunnels
Art expressing aretē
Eudaimonia as earned through virtue
A fountain flowing endlessly once connected
Art is the crucible where light, struggle, and spirit are fused into form.