For Free!

One reason I'm really excited about living in DC is having all of the wonderful Smithsonian museums to visit. I can't wait to go to the National Gallery of Art. While I was checking out the current exhibits I discovered this FREE seven part video podcast called The Empire of the Eye: The Magic of Illusion. It illuminates the Old Master's manipulation of perspective and illusion. Those Renaissance artists could create the space of heaven on a ten foot ceiling or collapse a grand cathedral's space into a tiny room through tricks of the eye. Fascinating stuff and it's all free!

How did I miss these?

So right now I'm reading The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie. It's an interesting story but it makes me feel like I have a really pathetic vocabulary. Rushdie casually uses all the words I saw once on the SAT, guessed at using latin roots and never encountered again. Here are three that had me reaching for the dictionary. There were a lot more, I just happen to remember these most recent ones. Is it just me? Can anyone else use any of these words in a sentence? I'd love to see some examples :)

Sycophant - A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people

Matriculate - To be registered or admitted into a group

Recusant - dissenter; a nonconformist

Making Friends

I was feeling a little lonely last night so I did what lonely people do and walked down to the book store. There I was surrounded by other lonely people buying books to keep them company while the less hygenic, more permanent patrons read comics they hadn't bought while eating junk food.
I bought a day planner and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle since I have to give back the library copy I'm currently reading. I know I could wait to try to check it out at the library up in Alexandria but it's a new book so I'd have to be on the waiting list forever. I want to know what happens NOW. I'm really enjoying this story.


On the way to check out I glimpsed the little book, Sock and Glove. All the designs look super simple and very cute and I was very tempted to buy it. Then I decided I rather recommend it to the crafty people in my life and hope that they will go pick up this book, make the incredibly cute creatures and then let me buy one from them. But if none of you volunteer I might attempt to make one myself. I'd love to have a way to handle Aaron's burgeoning supply of lonely socks.

Where in the World?

People keep congratulating us on our move, which is very nice, but a little premature. Up to today I've been hanging out in C-ville, wrapping up some work while Aaron and Battle enjoy the luxury of furniture in our new Alexandria apartment. (We rented a truck and moved all the big stuff about two weeks ago.)

Back at the ranch, I have been sleeping in our gutted apartment, on an air mattress that stays inflated about 5 hours if you don't touch it and around 1-3 hours if you attempt physical contact. I've developed a pretty good routine of waking up every few hours to pump in some more air. There's nothing like a little mid-night exercise to keep the forearms strong. It's almost like camping, it makes you really appreciate the arrival of morning. All that's missing is gorgeous natural surroundings. Good thing I have a good imagination.

Anyway, all that will soon come to an end as TODAY I plan to fold up my sad little plastic bed and join the masses in NOVA.

Happy Birthday Katy!!

Happy Birthday Katy!!! Katy is traveling to S.C. for her birthday today because her brother is returning home from his mission to Brazil tomorrow. Since we've been together, we've been apart for almost half of Katy's birthdays which is kind of sad, especially because birthdays are a big deal in Katy's family. I am happy though to use this occasion to mark another wonderful year with Katy. Things seem to keep getting better, year after year. Katy is one of the most beautiful, interesting, intelligent, and remarkable people I know. Her passion for life and learning constantly inspire me. It is a thrill to be around her. She has so many wonderful gifts and talents. I particularly love how giving and caring she is toward others. She is thoughtful and kind and wonderful. So, even though we're apart today, Happy Birthday Katy! I can't wait until you move up to Alexandria next week.

Love,

Aaron

Stimulated Greed

Aaron and I just received our stimulus check in the mail. Yeah, I know, like a month after everyone else. Which means all our prudent plans on using it for our move or apartment deposit didn't really work out.
So now we're left with this temptingly large sum of seemingly available cash. I want to buy this toliet I saw on the wonderful blog Aquarium Lore. SO cool. I will do my best to make sure it is American made.
There are a few more things that I can am coveting:
Some really nice watercolor brushes and paper
A fish tank of neon tetras
A constellation night light
Audubon stuffed birds that make the accurate song when squeezed
Schleich dinosaur and animal figures. (The prehistoric mammals are pretty cool too)
Some nice prints from the National gallery
An Art class from the torpedo factory
A bike for Aaron so he can come ride with me
A bike upgrade for me
A flip
Some Ikea rugs to protect our dangerously white carpet in our new apartment
A pair of shoes (okay I really do need those)
A few good books including one of local DC day hikes.
And the taxidermied squirrel business card holder being sold at the local antique store
So there's my current American capitalist dream.
Any other suggestions?

Diamonds in the Rough

At my work while looking through the vast storage banks of long forgotten and under appreciated images, I come upon some real diamonds in the rough. Here are some I have recently enjoyed.

"Traveller Attacked by Dragon in the Swiss Alps" - Steve says the dragon looks remarkably similar to Battle

"Beaver Hunting"

"John Smith Taking a Prisoner" - Looks like it's not going so well for John

Donkey by Samuel Palmer

Boys Are Twice As Nice As Sugar and Spice

I remember distinctly the last time I was in a family of more boys than girls. I was four years old, riding in the back of our brown Datsun hatchback with my parents, my sister Marie and my brother Dan, then a newborn. I proudly proclaimed that our family was great because we had more boys than girls. Little did I realize the tragedy of Grecian proportions that was about to befall me. We're talking hubris, catharsis, and poetic justice. In the fall of 84, Jenny was born. In summer of 86, Celeste came along. And then, in rapid sucession, Michelle, Melinda, and Heather. Five straight sisters!! My dream of a male-dominated domicile faded forever. My brother Joel then came along in 1995 and provided a brief hope--only eight girls to five boys--but that was short lived. Sarah and Trina were born in 1997 and 2000. Eight sisters all together. I was completely outnumbered.

Since then I've learned the joy and some of the pain of a female dominated family. It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be at four years old. I love my sisters. And I would have been thrilled to have a girl. I still want to have some girls in our family, mainly because I think Katy is so remarkable I think that there should be more women like her. So, yeah, lessons learned. Still, I think a little balance between the numbers of boys and girls is nice if you can get it. To that end, you won't catch me tempting fate by by saying that a family with more boys than girls is better, or vice versa. But when it comes time to vote on the Netflix queue, I hope that the little guy is on my side. I have seen a lot of nature films lately.

~Aaron

Surprise!

Aaron and I found out Friday that we are expecting a healthy baby boy. So I can look forward to the new experience of living in a family with more boys than girls. Should be interesting.

War and Peace Promo

The verrrrry loooonnnnggg trailer for the 2007 miniseries.

The Book Is Always Better

So the book is always better than the movie but since I finished War and Peace, I've decided to see just how much worse the film adaptions can be. From the 1956 trailer, the many War and Peace movies look so bad they're good. Being alone I control the queue so I think the next week or two I will be on a War and Peace binge. I also can't wait to rewatch Love and Death.

Thanks to Youtube, I found out there is a 2007 miniseries adaption, 395 minutes long, that looks pretty awesome. But it was only released in Europe. Netflix doesn't have it. Amazon doesn't sell it. Most of the youtube videos are in French. These I watch and pretend I am being productive by exposing myself to another language but I really only understand if they say Escusez moi or Je suis ... but nothing after the Je suis. I just know they are something. But Pierre looks a lot like Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords which is pretty entertaining.

So if you happen to be in Europe and want to pick up the miniseries for me I'll reimburse you and you can be my favorite person for the month.

Slurpee Day

Just a friendly reminder that since today is 7/11, it's FREE slurpee day!

Aaron's Favorite Blog

Aaron emailed this blog to me. He said it's his new favorite. I looked at it and it left me ... uh, speechless. There's no way I can even try to compete with what she's got going on.

Mark Your Calendars!

Mark your calendars people! The tenth annual Ohio Pawpaw festival is happening September 13th at Lake Snowden near Albany, Ohio. (Which really isn't near anything except an old Amish guy who likes to sit in front of his cabin and nod at the cars that drive by.) That's what Norma and I found out a year ago. But it's great fun. Lots of pawpaw food, history, music, art, enthusiasm and some good camping. I'm going. You should come too. You can learn more on the official website here.

Kid in the Candy Shop

I learned that our new apartment is less than a mile away (.21) from The Torpedo Factory. The Torpedo Factory used to make bombs, but it was redesigned into an art center. There's studio space, galleries, and LOTS and LOTS of art classes. The classes are taught by the reputable Art League so they'll have instructors who actually know what they're doing. I've been looking through the catalog and I feel like a kid in a candy shop! Intaglio, Painting, Pastels, Figure Drawing, Printing, Pottery, I can't decide! You can see all the classes here. I think I'll sign myself up for one for my birthday.

The talent that is Bear Grylls

I was just excited to learn that I can get the whole season of Man vs Wild on Netflix!! Now if I could only get my mail back! (Aaron stole the netflix movies by requesting a forward/hold on the mail which has made me very very angry. He's currently doing penance and will continue to do penance until my mail is restored.)
Anyway, I really love watching Man vs. Wild. If you haven't seen the show, it's hilarious. I think it's designed to kill anyone willing to follow its "survival" advice. Bear Grylls, the host, gives advice like, when lost in the Sahara you can suck water from a dead camel's rancid stomach. What a Great idea!
The show has other perks. Bear Grylls tends to wander through remarkably beautiful places which makes for good viewing. But his REAL skill is his uncanny ability to find some excuse to take off his shirt. I think he does it at least once every episode, even the episode in the Arctic Circle. He's that good.

The Effects of Canada

In honor of yesterday being Canada Day, I thought I'd post this picture. I believe it is a good illustration of the effects Canada has an organism. You can see the non-Canadian marmot is a self-satisfied, plump, happy little fellow. Sadly, his Quebec cousin has the haunted gaze and hunch-backed pose produced from surviving a Canadian winter. For more Canada Day fun, you can take this Canada Quiz created by real live Canadians.