Actually, it is about 70 degrees in Boston this morning. Some warm, wet wind from a more favorable climate is blowing down our aged streets. Somewhere, a queen is weeping, somewhere, a king..... wait, I'm getting all mixed up here. I was going to try for a more professional sounding blog this month and I've already ruined it.
Maybe I should post a picture, but nothing is grabbing at me this morning. I'm wondering about the value of old books. They serve as an insight into the past, but they aren't entirely reliable because they represent a narrow point of view. I should spend some time considering nostalgia and architecture, especially since it is a topic that is so close to home. The United States uses nostalgia more deviously than any other nation. We have alternative histories like any culture, but we also have the ability to create future states, particularly in architecture, that are branded as "classic" or "timeless." We undertake this delusional task with such enthusiasm that it distinguishes us from the rest of the world. The Chinese employ different methods in that they have no reluctance in copying other styles, but I sense that their actions are less naive and more deliberate. Then again, I can't speak for all Chinese--they are as fraudulent as any human group that seeks to forge an identity based on a common narrative.
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