Your Tax Dollars At Work

Aaron and I had a fun weekend together. We added it up and on Saturday, between my class and work and his work, we managed to spend a whole 6 conscious hours together.

As part of those six hours we visited the National Gallery of Art for the George De Forest Brush show. Brush was an American painter trained in the French academy. He returned from France and spent some time living in Wyoming and Montana with the Arapahoe, Shoshone and Crow. He eventually left the West, returned to NY city to set up a studio. His work has almost never left the hands of private collectors and this was the first public show. Brush was suspicious of the modernization and its production of mass produced, cheap goods which he worried was destructive to the environment and art. Most of his paintings contain messages about conservation and preservation. The National Gallery has set up a really good website for the show so you can see most of the work here.

Brag

I just have to brag about this. I rode my bike down to the art store to buy some supplies yesterday. When I came out of the store, I found that it had started to drizzle AND the new pallet I bought was about 3 inches too long to fit in my bag. So I strapped on my helmet and peddled back in the rain, one handed!! I held my pallet in one hand, steered with my other hand while carrying my heavy shoulder bag. The rain became heavier and the wind was gusting but I kept my balance. I was so proud!! Take that stupid pregnancy books that say you should stop riding your bike at 3 months!

Swallow Mobile

I really want to get this mobile "for the baby" which means for me. Having a baby is like getting an imaginary friend who can make demands. You can say things like "I'm fine with either car seat but the baby would like..." It's a cheap trick and I try to avoid using it but I might not be able to resist for such a cool mobile. I love, I mean the baby loves swallows! And aren't they the perfect color for a newborn's inept eyes?

Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall

Aaron's been telling me all week that he had a surprise for me on Wednesday. I told him I was 50% excited about it. That dropped to about 30% when he told me it was right by the White House and there were no animals involved (I was imagining a really awkward work party) then 10% after he told me it was a fund raising dinner for McCain. By yesterday afternoon I was feeling under the weather and ready to call off the whole date. But Aaron seemed so eager about the whole thing that I decided I would be a good sport and swallow whatever Republican event he was dragging me to.

Lucky for me, Aaron is much more fun than I give him credit for and he surprised me with Ben Folds tickets at the DAR Constitution Hall! It was a really fun show. Ben Folds is just as crazy as ever and the show really rocked. Almost all the material was new, which was cool, and the old stuff he played was just perfect. I was really glad I had a seat but there were several songs that made me sad we weren't on a dance floor.



As a bonus I REALLY liked the opener, Missy Higgins. You can check her out here.

Kentucky Fried Chicken! Winged Fighters!

A couple nights ago I woke bolt upright at 3 AM. I tried counting sheep, I stretched out, I drank some warm milk, I read for a while but I couldn't feel the least bit sleepy. Around 4:30 I asked Aaron if he would keep me company. (It was a Saturday morning.) He rolled over and mumbled an agreement. I asked him to tell me a story thinking that might help me get back to sleep.

He started out "Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Katy." Aaron paused, mumbled then said "and she had to go to war. There was a war and she had to fight but that was okay because she was really strong and the German troops were coming down but that's what being an athlete is. Mumble mumble. Kentucky Fried Chicken! Winged Fighters!" And then he was out again. I think it's the best story he's ever told.

Song of the Lark

A day or so ago I started rereading one of my favorite books, The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather. Last night I read the following:

"Only, if you want a big thing, you've got to have nerve enough to cut out all that's easy, everything to be had cheap."

It was a good reminder for me. Guess I should stop watching those Star Trek reruns...

You know your kid is a nerd when...

John Steinbeck


Theodore Roethke - I love his angry face!


George Orwell


TS Elliott


Richard Hugo

You know your kid is a nerd when he starts making great 20th century literary figures from legos. But aren't they awesome! I stumbled upon them when I was looking up a Theodore Roethke poem and had to share. I think Orwell is dead on. You can see more of this guys work (including the Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch done completely in legos) here.

Cross Country Drives

visited 35 states (70%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

I've been to 70% of the US. Looking at this map really makes me want to jump in the car and take a trip to Maine. I don't think I have any plans this weekend...

Dog World

Lately I've been thinking I would like to get a dog. I want a dog not really for the dog itself but because getting a dog would mean I would HAVE to go outside every day. I would HAVE to take leisurely strolls around my neighborhood. I would HAVE to let my dog play in the park while I socialize with my dog owning neighbors. Right now I just sit at my "office" window and watch jealously as all the dog owners enjoy the neighborhood.

But we're not getting a dog anytime soon. Not in our small, five room apartment. The baby is sleeping in a closet when he comes so I really can't justify another addition. And when I get a dog I want to get a real dog, not one of those little yappy rats people call dogs. I want a strong dog like a German Shepherd or Golden Retriever.

But seeing people with their dogs, even if I can't have one, is still one of my favorite things. Walking in the park I'm amazed at how many people bear an uncanny resemblance to their pet. They're usually about the same weight, about the same price (rich people have expensive dogs), and similar personality.

I did a little google research and found out my observation seems to be correct, scientifically. Michael Roy and Nicholas Christenfeld of UC-SD did a study and found when people were shown digital photos of dog owners and given a choice of one of two dogs - they matched the correct pair 64 per cent of the time when the dog was a pure breed. People buying pure breeds can get exactly the look they want and consequently select dogs that resemble themselves. You can read the study here.

Anyway, since I don't have a dog I have to take my walks alone. I did briefly consider trying to use Battle. He has a leash, but every time we but him on it he lays down as soon as he realizes he's tethered or he hyperventilates. I really hope that isn't a reflection of my personality.

The Guns of August

I just started listening to The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman and I am really enjoying it. I picked it up after learning that the book was one of JFK's favorites and deeply influential in his attitude towards war (or preventing war) with the Soviets. He read it on the eve of the Cuban Missile crisis and encouraged the members of his cabinet to read it as well.

It's a fascinating read with so many bizarre and larger than life characters that I keep thinking that they have to be made up. There are some amazing lines to enjoy too. Here are a few that made me stop working to jot them down:

What made the Schlieffen plan ... was the body of accumulated egotism which suckled the German people and created a Nation fed on the desperate delusion of the will that deems itself absolute.

All of Prussia hatched from a cannon ball. - Napoleon III

Kaiser Wilhelm speaking of Czar Nicholas:
"He is only fit to live in a country house and grow turnips!"

These are really just the tip of the iceberg. It's fascinating to see how societies can plunge themselves into mass destruction and suffering through mere expectation.

The Republican Convention

Last week Aaron and I watched the Republican Convention. It was interesting.

My favorite part of the convention: When Sarah Palin's youngest daughter got to hold Trig the baby. While the rest of the family was busy watching their Mom's speech, Piper dutifully licked her hand and began to smooth Trig's hair to his scalp with her spit. In a few minutes Trig's hair was darkly plastered to his skull with out a single fly away. It was hilarious and I am so sad that no one seemed to get a good picture of it.

Second to that was probably McCain himself. I still think he's the best of the lot of them and I am SOOO happy he won the nomination.

My least favorite part of the convention: When the whole crowd began chanting "Drill, Baby, Drill! Drill, Baby, Drill!" and holding up signs that said Drill Now!! and We've Got Lots! It gave me the shivers. Big Oil doesn't have the Republican party in their back pocket...

And secondly if I have to hear the story about Cindy McCain adopting Bridget one more time I will go insane. I think it is a really admirable and impressive thing she did but for the Reps to keep harping on it cheapens it into some bizarre political move. I rather hear some more war stories from McCain even if I already hear those every night at dinner from Aaron. (Want to know the specifics about McCain's injuries? Ask me, I know them allllll.)

The Killa from Wasilla: Sarah Palin Shoots Puppies.

Don't get me wrong. I am more than impressed with Sarah Palin. She seems like an exceptional republican politician. I admire her professional abilities and straight forward attitude. I think it's awesome to have such a powerful woman running for office. I really think it's clear she sticks to her ideals. That doesn't mean I agree with her ideals but she's clearly principled.

That said, her stances on the environment terrify me.

Here's an AP article that sums up her 20 months of experience in regards to the environment: Environmentalists Can't Corral Palin

Some highlights:

-Palin sued Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, arguing that the Bush administration didn't use the best science in concluding that without further protection, the polar bear faces eventual extinction because of disappearing sea ice as the result of global warming.
"Palin's administration relied in part on research from scientists funded by the oil industry to fight against the polar bear's listing, arguing that the impact of global warming on the bear 20 years from now can't be predicted. But e-mails obtained by a University of Alaska professor show that the state's marine mammal experts supported the federal government's conclusions on the bear."

Palin doubts any correlation between human activity and global warming. (Um.. McCain, could you talk to her?)

Palin's administration disputes conclusions by the federal National Marine Fisheries Service and its science advisers that the beluga whale population is in critical danger. The state argues that 2007 data shows the whale rebounding.

Palin opposed a state ballot initiative to increase protection of salmon streams from mining operations. It was defeated.

Palin defended Alaska's right to shoot down wolves from the air to boost caribou and moose herds for hunters.

The order resulted in the controversial shooting this summer of 14 one-month-old wolf pups taken from dens on a remote peninsula 800 miles southwest of Anchorage — an act that environmentalists claim was illegal.

Wow-she kills puppies? I guess I understand her RNC joke that the only difference between a hockey mom and a bull dog is the lipstick. I am afraid.

The Quest For Egg Salad

I was searching on Netflix for a PBS show I like called The Egg. Turns out they didn't have it so Netflix suggested I might like this movie instead:



The Quest for Egg Salad - 2 stars

Writer, producer and director Chris Seaver turns on his ghastly and wacky charm once more in this fantastical movie about no less than the quest for egg salad. Balfazar (Jesse Green) is on a mission to look for dangerous edibles, which Bonejack the wizard seems to think will be used as a weapon in Central Earth. Will Balfazar and his friends pull off their mission before destruction reigns supreme? The film co-stars the iconic Tina Krause.

I feel confused and a little insulted at being suggested such a movie.And yet oddly curious....

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Yesterday was Aaron's birthday. It was a lot of fun. He took the day off, only checking his blackberry a few dozen times instead of the regular hundred. Aaron's a smart guy. He's taken the tactic of working a job that regularly keeps him away more than 12 hours each day causing his mere presence to be a treat. Getting the whole day together felt really luxurious. Aaron assured me he was having a good time but I think I enjoyed myself just as much. We hung out and mainly just worked on the apartment. In the afternoon we enjoyed a walk through Dike's Marsh where we spotted Ospreys, a humming bird, some double breasted cormorants, a water snake, some egrets and herons and a lot of other really beautiful plants and animals. I didn't touch a computer the whole day which felt amazing! It was wonderful to have so much quality time together.

Now that I'm back online I thought I'd post a belated birthday list of reasons I love Aaron. Mainly because I really love him but also because his sister Michelle sent him one yesterday and I figure it's bad news to get beat out by your husband's sister who lives half way across the country in shows of appreciation. So here are 29 reasons I love Aaron:

1. He's nice.

2. He's smart.

3. He's sweet.

4. He's curious and loves to learn about anything.

5. He's spontaneous and willing to try almost anything.

6. He's loyal.

7. He loves books.

8. He will listen to my 30 minute monologs on War and Peace or whatever else I happen to have just read or learned.

9. He loves being outdoors.

10. He'll do yoga with me even though it is in his words "fruity"

11. He'll even do my prenatal yoga DVD with me even though he's not pregnant and the background music is really weird.

12. He'll do lots of other things with me that I really love but only if I swear that I will NEVER EVER tell anyone because it would ruin his uber-manly republican reputation.

13. He appreciates good food and can make a lot of it himself. (Best crepe maker EVER)

14. He's supportive and encouraging.

15. He works incredibly hard.

16. He knows how to split wood.

17. He always has a sense of purpose.

18. He always leaves me the last bite of any treat even if I choose to leave that last bite for two weeks and it's tormenting him.

19. He's informed and fun to talk to about current events.

20. He's nice to family, both his and mine. And he's nice to Battle even though he maintains that Battle is not and never will be family.

21. He will watch my favorite TV shows with me even when I can tell he would really love to change the channel.

22. He takes out and sorts the recycling even when he thinks it's a lot of extra work.

23. He's always planning amazing trips to go on together: "And after we visit the forum, we'll walk over to this gelato place and then we'll go to the Museum because I know you'd really love seeing such and such etc. etc"

24. He'll take walks with me even though he doesn't like walks.

25. He's competitive and always gives a good fight whatever game we play.

26. He'll play scripture pictionary with me when I'm bored in church. His drawings are AMAZING.

27. He laughs at my jokes and has a very individual sense of humor.

28. He's cute.

29. He's my best friend.

I wish he was older so I could write more...