When I was a little kid I always thought that I would one day wake up and be able to fly. It was just a superpower I always wanted to have. Sure, we have airplanes, but they fly so high you can barely see anything. That’s why after I grew up I was happy to discover that I could in fact fly and see the world from above – and last week I got to.
So drones were always cool but I never realized how cool. Last weekend I got to fly above Ann Arbor, I had to get an FAA LAANC authorization for it and fly in a specific zone, it was also very windy and not so colorful anymore. However, we got some pretty nice photos and I thought it would be nice to post something different. I really like the patterns that the landscape and different man-made objects create.
And that’s us!
So, technically the photos aren’t even mine, they are Steven the Drone’s .
Partial credit to Linus Hoeller who brought Steven the Drone and put enough faith in me to let me use it.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments!
My Instagram: @akilian.jpg (I promise to post more soon)
Linus’ Instagram: @linus_at (check it out he has more cool drone photos)
Hey guys!
The weather here in Ann Arbor is insane. I have lived in Michigan my entire life and every year I forget how fast the weather can change. One day it’s scorching hot and the next it is snowing! This week I wanted to talk about the weather we are all currently enduring. If anyone is wondering what I draw these images on I use my iPad with procreate. (Unfortunately a paid program but if anyone wants a recommendation for some free programs I have some!) I went to a football game for the first time in college and of course, it snowed! I thought I could handle it with four layers, but I get cold so fast. I was freezing. What I wouldn’t give to move somewhere warm. I hope everyone is getting excited about the upcoming Thanksgiving break. I plan to post over Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks. See you next week!
This week’s Tolaroids take a political turn. I went to the rally on Saturday, 5th November, freshly press-accredited and not knowing what to expect: I’ve been to a few protests, but not yet a political rally in the US.
I can’t even vote here but I still remember the chills I got when various speakers took the stage of the Rackham building to address problems that make the everyday lives of millions of Americans much harder than they should be. Senator Bernie Sanders along with many other interesting speakers addressed the need for nationalized healthcare, free public education, reproductive rights and body autonomy, problems of climate change, widespread sexism and institutional racism, as well as criticized some behaviors and opinions of the running Republicans while bringing back some infamous moments of Donald Trump’s presidency. Sanders was firm and straightforward, it really felt like he was talking to normal people who are leading normal lives, and the diverse crowd that showed up pushing the capacity of the auditorium proves that. That night addressed many problems that simple elections won’t immediately fix – but it’s a start, a step forward to building a safer, more inclusive, and better future for everyone in the United States.
“We have to build an economy that works for all and not just a few” B. Sanders.
My personal favorite photo, Bernie waiting in the shadowy doorway just two seconds before he enters the stage. He is focused but looks tired, which are probably the effects of touring while endorsing various democratic candidates in the last days.
Branden Snyder,
Executive Director of Detroit Action
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, the president of NextGen America
Antonio Arellano, Vice President of Communications
MoveOn Campaign Director, Mia Senechal
Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, the president of NextGen America
UN-PAC
MoveOn Executive Director, Rahna Epting
Audience members stand up for Bernie Sanders as he talks about fixing what’s broken in American political system
Bernie really seems to have an idea of how to fix what’s broken in the American political system, and as an outsider who has a comparison to my country’s broken system, I consider his arguments extremely valuable. It’s hard to say it about a politician, but even someone who doesn’t agree with his views can have a feeling that he is one of the most “real” politicians, not blind-sided by a two-party race, but rather focused on how to actually progress. During the rally, he says:
“I’m not here to tell you, not for a second, that I think the Democratic Party is doing anywhere near what it should be doing. But it is absolutely imperative that, up and down the line, we defeat right-wing Republicans and we elect Democrats.”
It’s not about the two colors, it’s about who can provide everyone with a better future.
I hope you guys went out there and voted, for yourself, for your family, for your state, and for all the rest of us who also can’t vote but who are affected by all this political mess.
Any questions/comments/concerns, you know where to find me
–Tola
PS. Special credits for Linus Hoeller and his Lightroom
This week I wanted to bring back the squirrels since you all liked them so much the first week! I personally don’t like football very much but I know a lot of people do! It is exciting that we’ve won last weekend. I saw a photo of a squirrel eating a candy bar on the Diag on Snapchat and I thought it was pretty funny. I love the cute little culture we have around the squirrels on campus. I really like drawing with this like cute shading style I have been doing for these posts. If you have anything that you see or experience on campus or around Ann Arbor comment below or get ahold of me! I’d love to include your ideas in my posts.
Hal had to attend to some business in Ann Arbor, so he made the trip over the weekend! He hasn’t been on campus since last January. When he got there, he was shocked by how quiet it was… Maybe it’s the pandemic, maybe it’s because it was a cold Saturday morning in the midst finals season. Whatever the reason, the lack of activity took Hal by surprise.
It seems like a lot of little things have shifted over the past year. It makes sense that campus activity patterns would change like anything else. Still, Hal and I both look forward to the day when north campus, the diag, and the UMMA can be full of people again.
If this is your first time here, welcome! Hal is a graduating senior at U-M, and he’s been studying from home all year. We post updates on Tuesdays, but if you’re itching for more content, check out the backlog on the Study Hal tag!
I recently started a minicourse on the rhetoric of Instagram–yup, you read that right. Our first assignments were to read Annie Dillard’s Seeing and take three photos of things we’ve never seen before. Dillard describes a special type of observation as “a letting go. When I see this way I sway transfixed and emptied.” She speaks of dark and light, blindness, nature, and expectations. I wanted to take her perspective as I sought out compositions around me. Although I have walked up and down Liberty Street downtown hundreds of times, I tried to “let go” and open up my mind to details I had never noticed nor appreciated–like the fairy door at the bottom of the Michigan Theater, or the intricacies of Graffiti Alley. Below are a couple of black and white images I snapped.
