NOBELITY

I'd wanted to see this movie since I first heard about it back in March. After confirming with someone who'd seen it that it was suitable viewing for kids, Christian and I headed out tonight to be inspired.

Filmmaker, Turk Pipkin, was present to introduce the movie and for Q&A at the end. Quite a guy, quite an honor, quite an experience. For anyone who has kids, or for anyone who cares about how we leave this world for the next generation, this film is packed with warnings but also inspiration and optimism from eight Nobel Prize winners:
* the late Rick Smalley - Energy. Rice Professor; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; developer of nano technology, an alternative energy; visionary of seas of nuclear panels throughout many of the world's deserts
* Harold Varmus - Disease. Nobel Prize for Medicine; developer of cancer fighting technology
* Jody Williams - War/Peace. Nobel Peace Prize; founder of the ICBL International Campaign to Ban Landmines
* Ahmed Zewail - Religion/Peace. Nobel Prize for Chemistry; self professed Egyptian, Middle Easterner, Mediterranean, European, African, American, with no internal identity crisis
* Wangari Maathai - Poverty. Nobel Peace Prize; initiated the Green Belt Movement in Africa
* the late Sir Joseph Rotblat - Peace. Nobel Peace Prize; one of the original developers of the nuclear bomb, and the longest surviving member of the original signatories of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto, an anti-nuclear policy
* Amartya Sen - Poverty. Nobel Prize for Economics
* Desmond Tutu - Peace. Nobel Prize for Peace; idealist

The credits rolled to Willy Nelson's rendition of Rainbow Connection, which was the perfect conclusion

Eye wear

Here I am proudly adorning my new visual protection: eye certainly appreciate it, but where are the mouth piece and oxygen tank? Also note the t-shirt. I won! I won! My business card was pulled at the movie screening and I won a cool KPFT t-shirt. Jealous?

So, you may see me wearing the PEACE t-shirt, I mean, come on, we all want peace in the world, of course. But, FACT: it was recently established that I am a realist. I think I only just realized this (can you be a realist if you don't realize you are one?), and no matter how many times I hear the anti-war argument, how many times Sir Baltog tells me that if only "the top-five" would set an example and get rid of their nuclear weapons the world would be a safer place, I just don't get it. And yes, Archbishop Tutu, the world would be a better place if we all just loved each other, and you're right, God loves us all, black, white, gay, straight, Christian or Muslim, and so we should just build some bridges and all get along. Well, try telling that to ABL. See if he's willing to get out his little nails and hammer. See if North Korea or Pakistan will be influenced when they hold all the cards. It's that simple is it? Apparently, if you're an idealist...

If you need to laugh I would recommend watching Failure to Launch. The bird-resuscitation scene is hilarious.

HMNS

Ultimate Florescent Frumpy Frog; I don't think that's its official name, but it gives you the general idea
















Christian looking slightly more cheerful than Frumpy Frog and oh so proud of his new friend, alas, it was a short-lived relationship

Oh, what to do

For some reason I'm compelled to blog today. I think it might have something to do with the pent-up frustrations of an unproductive day at work. First thing this morning it was announced that Monday, being the 3rd, would be given as a bonus day off in addition to the 4th. Can you imagine? No strings attached... You would think I would be whooping and cheering, but all I could think was what the heck am I going to do for four days straight? Lauren is in England, Christian will be with his dad, or so I assumed (I should have learned by now never to assume anything), I don't have any plans worthy of fireworks or grilled hotdogs, so what to do? Hmm. Flashbacks of my highly successful trip to D.C. danced in front of my eyes. Due to the generosity of Hotel Anica, I calculate the whole four days cost me not much more than $300. Could I manage a repeat performance? After spending most of the day jumping from google to travelocity and everywhere in between, I determined that a) all the "great deals" for flight/hotel packages are really just hooks to suck you further into the website, and b) the cool b&b's and dude ranches are all booked up for the weekend. So, after the internet burst my bubble and then I found out that Christian may very well be back on Sunday, I am issuing this to-do list with the promise that I will try my hardest to do everything on it over my four-day weekend:

1) finish painting the trim in the living room (painter's tape has been up since Christmas day, that's how long I've been meaning to get around to it...)
2) clean the inside and outside of my car (not so hard)
3) get said car long overdue oil change (hope they're open over the holidays)
4) edge front yard (I have to do this with my eyes closed as I can't find an appropriate pair of safety glasses - ouch)
5) find some cheap, but classy looking, large tubs to repot my passion flower and mystery plant which are rapidly outgrowing their containers
6) budget allowing, remove that stubby ever-green shrub in my front yard, weed, buy and install weed-eliminating fabric, and plant some kind of native grasses (this is mighty adventurous and I can't promise to actually do it, so maybe we should just pretend it's not on the list...)
7) sort through closets and find all the clothes that are still in good condition but I won't wear again and take them to the consignment store (I'm sure there is a small fortune to be made from this endeavor so it's worth the effort)
8) if I make the small fortune from said endeavor, I shall see if Chris is available to chop off my hair (it's almost as overdue as the oil-change)
9) spend some time researching State Governor candidates as I don't have a clue and November will be here before we know it
10) spend some more time researching Vernon Robinson, who is running for Congress in North Carolina; why do I care? Because one day I hope to see him running for the position of our first African American president. Two words: Personal Responsibility
11) post reviews on the blog for A Trip to the Stars (which I actually saw on the shelf at Barnes and Noble last week!) and Voodoo River (scroll all the way down from this link to see Robert Crais' own blog comments: cool!): After signing up for Kat-with-a-K's summer book club, I need to abide by the rules. Which also means finishing Lincoln: the Untold and starting Shaman

I feel cleansed. Thank you.

The big flood of June 19th 2006 - It'll go down in history

My back yard flooded; what's new? 6" around the side of the hot tub.










The Barker Cypress reservoir was high; the flood gates were closed and the bayou looked thankful. You can usually walk across this park.

It's not a secret anymore...

Over 10,000 Houstonians (and a few non-natives, I'm sure) turned out for the opening of the Sabine to Bagby Promenade.
















Fireworks bloomed as the blue lights were officially turned on for the first time. The lights, designed by artist Stephen Korns and international lighting firm L'Observatoire, are a permanent installation that will coordinate color changes with the phases of the moon.










Food and drink was aplenty (even if the lines were long, eh hum), music played, men on stilts, well, walked on stilts, and fire-eaters ate, erm, fire...










The floating cinema played some strange artsy movies, and even the downtown workers got in on the fun (picture workaholic lawyer on 18th floor at desk w/flashlight).

Thanks to Anne and the crew at BBP for all their hard work! The secret's out, but that's okay. There are other places...

Industrious Clock

This is cool. Freaky but cool.

http://yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html

Is it dangerous to enhale helium?

I like this article. I'd once heard that inhaling helium will tighten, therefore shorten, your vocal cords which could then cause them to snap. That's why I'd always cringe when watching someone do it; but now I know that's not true. Enjoy!

http://www.slate.com/id/2143631/?GT1=8295

Wednesday; time to go home...

We got out of the apartment early to catch one last breakfast at The Diner: oatmeal, fruit cup and chamomile tea for me, the best oatmeal in town...


Had to capture a couple of 18th St. images before leaving including the famous Madam's Organ Bar and a local hookah store...


After seeing the Cathedral from a distance for the last four nights we thought it was time for a more intimate visit. According to our tour guide, Keith, The Washington National Cathedral is one of the 5 largest Cathedrals in the world. He pointed out the many intended imperfections in the Gothic architectural design; the purpose being that only God can achieve perfection and to acquire perfect symmetry in design would be to imply that the designer were as perfect as God himself.


The stained glass window on the left was designed to represent man's orbit in space and landing on the moon. The small circle in the center of the upper red sphere is an actual embedded piece of moon rock; the only piece in the country not housed in a government building under lock-and-key.


After the Cathedral we headed to the airport, stopping off on the way at the Arboretum to visit the collections that were closed on Monday.





The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum contained not only some beautiful bonsai, but also these Chinese Scholar Rocks which were most interesting...

Allow me to indulge...

Various Moore sightings around the District. I apologize in advance to anyone not interested...


Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece, 1976-1978


Two-Piece Reclining Figure: Points, 1969-1970


Three-Piece Reclining Figure No. 2: Bridge Prop, 1963


Seated Woman, 1956-1957


Draped Reclining Figure, 1952-1953


King and Queen, 1952-1953. And before you ask, yes, it's condensation!


Working Model for "Three-Way Piece No. 3: Vertebrae", 1968


Carving, 1935


Interior-Exterior Reclining Figure, 1951

Tuesday...

I started the day by taking two wrong connections on the METRO on my way to Arlington. No big deal, I managed to work out where I had gone wrong and felt all the more confident that I now understood the system...


The sign above asks you to show dignity and respect while in the cemetery. Unfortunately many of the visitors seemed to have overlooked this request. It was, however, the only place in DC to find a quiet corner to reflect and give personal thanks to all those who lay at rest.


The Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.


More than 300,000 people, including over 3,800 former slaves, are buried within the 200-acres of grounds at Arlington National Cemetery. Funerals average at 28 per day. Space is estimated to run out in 2030.


The grave site of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis burns an eternal flame.


A few METRO stops later, the US Botanic Gardens with the Capitol in the background


Garden Primeval, a reconstructed Jurassic landscape and examples of the world deserts


This reminded me of Whoopie Goldberg for some reason. And these orchids reminded me of my bud, Kathy...


The outside of the National Museum of the American Indian is as fascinating as the inside. Some of the traditional Native features include: Grandfather rocks; Cardinal Direction Markers; 150 species of indigenous plants; 25 native tree species; wild rice and marsh marigolds; black-eyed Susan and sunflowers; crops of corn, beans, squash and tobacco.


Examples of Native canoes.


The Hirshhorn Musuem and Sculpture Garden which included many Moore's (see posting above), and several Alexander Calder's including The Horse, above, a cousin of The Crab in the Cullen Sculpture Garden in Houston and several mobiles like the great one recently admired by moi et mon ami in the Menil. Check out the cool floor by Jim Lambie.


Lauren's favorite, Roy Lichtenstein


On the trek to Georgetown we stopped by to perch on Einstein's lap. The 21-foot, 7,000 pound bronze statue by Robert Berks sits overlooking a celestial map that depicts the heavens as they were the day the statue was unveiled on 4/22/79, which just happened to be Earth Day.


Before our foot-tour of Georgetown we stopped at the Kennedy Center to enjoy the amazing Matt Savage Trio (below), led by 14-year old Matt Savage who not only plays the heck out of the piano but writes all of the material the jazz band perform.


The scandalous Watergate Building.


View of the Potomac looking towards Georgetown from JFK Center and the Georgetown Waterfront.


We finished off our day with a walk around quaint Georgetown and a leisurely stroll home...