I’m a great fan of anachronisms: I was once told, in a science fiction writing workshop that environmental anachronisms within a story are to be avoided, unless they are specific components of the plot. In short, when writing science fiction, always be sure that you do your homework. I think of anachronisms on a daily basis: things that don’t fit…things that shouldn fit, and when I have my camera with me, I try to capture such things, or at least work on creating them. Such is the case with Roosevelt Universeity on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue. I’d posted a shot of it last week, and as I looked through my files, I saw this image (taken on the same day.) In a strangely anachronistic sense, Roosevelt University has not changed significantly in a year: when the Renderosity Photo Ninjas met in Chicago, most of the downtown area was littered with posters and advertisements declaring “What Matters” and it was unclear as to whether those words were intended as a statement or a question. Now, nearly a year later, those same advertisements are still all over the downtown area. It’s as if time has not passed; as if the Renderosity Ninjas are drinking coffee at Artists’ Café; it’s a good feeling. As I walked with Corey through the downtown core of Chicago (last Saturday) I spied Roosevelt University, and one of those “What Matters” poster things just under the brass sign declaring the school’s identity. I loved the architecture, the mood of the building, and even the rarity of so few people walking in front of the place. I snapped a number of pictures, and in looking at them, I decided that things weren’t anachronistic enough. As I was thinking (also) of the movie version of William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch, I saw Judy Davis and Peter Weller in my mind’s eye, and I heard Judy Davis (playing the role of Joan Lee) declaring: “It’s a Kafka high…It makes you feel like a bug.” This declaration came immediately after Bill Lee discovered her addiction to a dubious yellow insecticide used in the vermin extermination business. It doesn’t take much to get me to thinking about Kafka, and well…a Kafka high is something that I’m infinitely familiar with…not from bug powder, but from nearly 2 years in Prague, inhaling whatever spores happen to be native to that city! Thoughts of a Kafka high echoed through my brain as I cropped this photo. I’d intended to leave it unmodified, but my postwork-finger was twitchy, and before I knew it, an anachronism had cropped up in a perfectly normal architectural picture. Funny how that happens! What Kafka has to do with Roosevelt University, I don’t know…but I’m sure there is a story in there somewhere. As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week.