Marching for Aquamarine

(Get it? Because one of my paint chips is March Aquamarine? Yes, I know- I’m the wittiest person alive.)

2:42- I start my walk at the lobby of the DePaul Center. That resume meeting was very informative. The crosswalk out here always takes forever. It looks like one at home, on the corner of California and Alaska. Now that I think about it, that’s kind of what Seattle is.

I’m not too worried about matching this reddish one, but “March Aquamarine” has me stumped. Everything out here today is grey.

2:44- A school bus passes by that says “ALLTOWN” in all caps. I pass by a short, frail-looking woman wearing the most badass coat I’ve ever seen. It’s got intense rolled up sleeves and shoulder pads to make a quarterback weep. She may not be taller than I am physically, but that coat makes her have a presence much larger than her body. I hope I’m that cool when I’m older.

2:46- Jackson and Dearborn has the remains of a farmer’s market. It ends at 2, but I was at the Career Center. Dang it, maybe I’ll stop by next week. My roommate wants some plants for our bookshelves.

A woman wearing those cut-out turtlenecks (where there’s a strip in front that looks like a choker), a pale blue trench coat, and some metallic flats is talking to her much more demurely dressed friend:

“-I know! The worst part is that the next morning, I walked into a-”

A what??? A WHAT???I want to know so badly. But nothing she’s wearing matches my paint chips, so I keep walking.

2:48- I turn on Clark to bet back on Jackson. There’s nothing in the financial district that’s March Aquamarine.

2:49- Some men with a camera crew just walked by in high-vis jackets. There’s a Paper Source. I could go in, but that’s cheating.

2:52- Clark and Monroe is an intersection of Not Quites.

2:53- The woman with the black backpack goes into the Harris Trust and Savings Bank. Still no March Aquamarine.

2:58- Washington and LaSalle. This might be a fruitless endeavor. I just saw a woman with a minion polaroid camera. This amount of character saturation is ridiculous. Still no M.A.

2:59- Some girls walked by. At what point are you wearing more hole than jean?

3:04- Washington and Wells. I’m going into this CVS.

The wine got pretty close, but still not quite. Damn.

They’re playing Piano Man. A black woman in a navy blue polo is pushing around a tiny red vacuum cleaner. It’s strangely warm in here.

3:05- I leave without buying anything and decide to head home. It’s getting chilly out. A balding man crossing the street kicks an empty plastic cup, and the noise it makes skitters above the drone of the El, construction, and voices surrounding me.

3:09- I walk onto the platform and there is a MAN wearing this EXACT COLOR. It takes a bit of courage, but I’m desperate:

“Excuse me.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m doing homework and have to match paint colors, and I think you’re wearing this exact one. Can I take a picture?”

“Sure!”

“What’s your name?”

“Steve.”

“Oh! My dad’s name is Steve! My name is Amy, it’s nice to meet you.”

Steve has a very firm, dry handshake.

“Thank you so much.”

“No problem- glad I could help.”

• What is a map? How do Krygier & Wood define a map? How is a map related to the world it depicts? Why do we make maps?

According to Google Definitions, a map is a, “Diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features.” Krygier and Wood define a map as, “a proposition in graphic form” that are used to affirm objects in space. A map is related to the world it depicts because it is a visual representation of some aspect of it. Most maps are quite literal, because that way they have a practical use to the average person. But as shown in the reading, they can also be abstract- a map showing different types of sidewalk graffiti, or one that looks closer to a word cloud showing the colors of the autumn leaves in a neighborhood. Although these artistic maps are a good way to make people see communities in a different perspective, the reason we make maps is first and foremost for navigation. Maps provide a common point of reference when asking for directions and orienting yourself in a new space.