Saturday Snapshots {December 5, 2009}

“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ~ Steve Jobs

{What a rare gem of an image this photo is! Not only for the immensely elegant woman in her shimmery black cocktail gown and floral boutonnière, but perhaps even more for the fact that we’re privy to the amazing wall of family photos behind her beautifully coiffed head. In capturing a “modern” moment in 1957, the photographer inadvertently enshrined the images in the background forever in time, allowing them to possibly live on longer than they would have if this photo was never snapped.}



{Four youngsters appear to be having oodles of fun (especially the fellow on the left) as they pose behind a mock jail cell door in this terrific snapshot that hails from Dallas, Texas (or at least that’s what the sign on the “door” would have us believe). Don’t you just love that both of the gals are sporting cowboy boots?}



{A young woman (who I can’t help but think bears a slight resemblance to the actress Jessica Biel), clad in wide leg trousers, tenderly holds a baby chimpanzee in this adorable photo. Nothing in the way of background information is provided, but (going mainly off of her wavy hairstyle) I’d place this shot to be from the 30s.}



{There is something really endearing about this 1950s photo, which initially appears to just be of a group of travelers chucking snowballs around. Peer closer though and you’ll notice that none of them seem to be dressed for the winter weather they’re surrounded by, in fact the lady in the dark skirt has sandals on! This led me to believe these folks were out-of-towners en route to (or from) someplace considerably warmer. Perhaps they’d only experienced snow a few times and wanted to get in a realy good snowball fight before returning to their much warmer home state.}



{A strikingly handsome young man peers out across the decades at us from this portrait shot, no doubt making nearly as many of our modern day pulses race as he did with those of the ladies of his day! :D}



{Two people, a married couple I’d venture to guess, stand in front of their rather charming – if somewhat unique looking – little home with its quaint pair of roof top peaks, the partial sign of what appears to be a mechanics garage and a barbers’ shop visible in the far right hand side of this undated shot. There’s something very sweet about the “twin theme” to this photo, from the young couple to the double roof points to the wooden deck chair built for two, nearly everything about this photo seems to reinforcing a message of dual unity.}



{Don’t you just adore this shot of these four gals (and their dance instructor) who are rehearsing for their parts in a performance called Bloomer Girl. You can practically hear the instructor, “Legs back and out, girls, back and to the side, anddddd arms extended in front, anddddd out, there we go!”.}



{Numerous scenes are going on in this bustling San Francisco shot, from the street cars to the people crossing the road in either direction. The element of this image that I like the most however, is the blonde woman in the pale pink dress hopping down off of the street car on the left, something about her frilly dress makes me think this could have been a shot from a movie or musical production, though it was indeed a travel snap taken during the 1950s.}



{This group of young Dutch female factory workers were clearly on good terms with heights, as they chose to sit and stand atop a roof for this portrait, perhaps snapped on their brief lunch break one day, that was captured sometime during the 1940s.}



{Entwined in a passionate kiss this darling young couple seems oblivious to the camera lens staring at them as they lock lips. The intensity of this shot paired with their surroundings (and their smart clothing) makes me wonder if this pair had just tied the knot at city hall?}

{All images above are from Flickr. To learn more about a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective Flickr page.}


This morning my husband – who is a rather large fan of (sometimes wildly implausible) hypothetical questions – asked me what I’d do if I was suddenly transported back 1980. I quite enjoy a good “what if” myself (especially if it relates to historical matters), too, and sprung at the chance to answer. My reply consisted of three main parts: I’d buy as much Apple and Microsoft stock as possible, try to prevent John Lennon’s assassination, and go visit my husband when he was but a wee little newborn.

I think it’s both fun and fascinating to suddenly ponder what you’d do (assuming you could “do anything”) in a given year. Those three points are just what popped into my head instantly, if I give that particular moment in time more consideration many other events that I’d like to witness, partake in, or try to prevent from occurring certainly come to mind.

From my reply sprung a brief conversation about Apple computers (not that such topics are uncommon in these parts, my husband works in the IT field and is a devoted Mac lover) and the man who has spearheaded that company (albeit on and off) for three decades: Steve Jobs.

Whether you love, loath or are indifferent to Jobs’ approach to business, there’s little denying he is a very bright and very innovative man who will forever be remembered as one of the key computer technology zeitgeists of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Thus when I went hunting for this week’s quote, turning to Jobs for inspiration seemed like a natural choice.

There is a stark truth to the words above, for throughout all of history there truly have been times when it was those who seemed odd, eccentric, out of place, or quite simply crazy that managed to shape and change the world, for better, for worse, for whatever tomorrow held in store. Here's to all the round pegs in square holes - and those who dare to live outside of the the box all together.