A Distanced Land

 Thom gets his haircut in the Sunset area.  It's a real barbershop.  You know, the legit kind with long blades for shaving and a twirly red and white striped pole outside the door.  It's always busy and full of guys on their phones waiting for their monthly cut.  It's masculine in every way, full of boxing memorabilia, ESPN blasting on a flat screen TV and nudie mags stacked by the waiting area.  Needless to say, it isn't an appropriate place for a girl to hang out and wait for her boyfriend to get his hair cut.

But the other day I went out and joined Thom to get his haircut, already knowing that I'd be avoiding the barbershop.  Instead, I found a local bookstore.  The Great Overland Book Company.  It's a wonderful shop full of priceless 1st editions and signed books.  There are rare sets of series and books that aren't published anymore.  I ended up finding John Pfahl's photography book, A Distanced Land and bought it for $16.00.  Bargain.

Pfahl was born in New York and I have always admired his work since I had first seen it at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York.  I later realized that he attended and taught at my undergraduate college, the Rochester Institute of Technology.  His works are typically local and inspiring.  He plays around a lot with space and dimension.  He makes a power plant look beautiful.

The book and prints are exceptional, especially the paper.  You can check out an artists work online as many times and as high a quality as you want but nothing will ever beat the feel and quality of a print or book in front of you.  It's like comparing fast food to a homemade meal.