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Here are some recent plates from concerts and events. I wasn’t aware of the subtleties of cheap paper plates, and look forward to returning those with better-formed rims.

We occasionally host house concerts here. To avoid our neighbors being troubled by strangers knocking on their door, I post a sign on ours. We had plenty of paper plates for the

accompanying pot-luck dinner, so they made perfect signs. At first just typographic, at one point I started drawing a little cartoon of the band. They became pretty popular, often taken by musicians as souvenirs, before I started documenting them. Here’s a sampling:

I took a brief field trip to W. 29th Street recently. Officially, it was to ask the Art Director’s Club if their library might be interested in my father-in-law’s huge collection of excellent old annuals and design

books, from the twenties through the seventies. Sadly, they didn’t give a damn—only digital matters now. But the trip was worthwhile, in that I discovered other interesting things. Not the least of which is a surreal world populated by manikins, who are so well-organized they have a president.

Once again, taking a break from the keyboard I roamed the Upper West Side. Here’s some of the local eye candy I found. The graffiti may not be as sophisticated as what you see in Soho, but we

still have some worthy efforts up here. Additionally, the handy iPhone helped capture some appealing logos on a moving van and a shop window.

Taking breaks from life at the computer recently I found some more interesting art walking with my iPhone.

It was a bad carpet day. Visiting the future home of my down-sizing in-laws, I just had to document it. Über-gifted, artist/designer Bill Backalenick no doubt will make their apartment tasteful and serene.

But underfoot in the public areas, at every turn, lies a new visual assault. Sadly, these little snapshots don’t convey vastness; the acreage alone is staggering. Future toxic effects on the well-being of the 92 year old and his wife are inestimable..

Breaking away from my computer I sometimes take long walks. My handy iPhone helps document unusual sights and interesting details so I can share them with others. Here’s a backlog from

Fall 2011 through Spring 2012, including a few non-neighborhood shots.

Last May and June, in the pedestrian lane on the East Drive of Central Park I discovered a series of chalk pictograms. Evidently drawn by a guy named James De La Vega, they would disappear and

reappear, day-in and day-out. Convinced I’d discovered a new, rare phenomenon I began documenting them. It turns out James De La Vega’s been refining both his graffiti and his bigger-than-life persona for years. In any event, the chalk speaks for itself, and I still look for his work in the park. Thanks De La Vega!