May 31, 2005
Silhouette Squarehead
My squarehead silhouetted behind a block of semi-transparent concrete on display in the Liquid Stone exhibit at the National Building Museum. We visited the museum last weekend with Washburn of This Dark Qualm. He's an endlessly entertaining fellow and we hope he returns soon!
May 30, 2005
Pixelated Eagle
An eagle badge on the floor of the National Building Museum. This is made of tile with the image printed on the tiles somehow. It caught my attention because it looks so much like the super-pixelated graphics we used to print out in the 1980s on Imagewriters controlled by Apple IIe computers. If you ever used something like Print Shop in the 1980s, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Anyway, Happy Memorial Day, everyone.
May 29, 2005
National Building Museum
Inside the central hall of the National Building Museum. I highly recommend the Liquid Stone exhibit. Who knew concrete could be almost transparent?
May 28, 2005
May 27, 2005
Storm Troopers, Dude!
Storm troopers guarding the line to see “Revenge of the Sith” recently at the Uptown in Cleveland Park. I believe they were paid to be there by some kind of promotional thing where you could enter a contest to win Star Wars replicas like a complete Darth Vader outfit or something. All I could think was: What could I get for something like that on ebay? I am clearly not a big enough fan.
May 26, 2005
Pig Can't Buy Us Love
The tail of a pink pig on the corner of Wisconsin and Western Ave. NW. (I think.) This is up at the Friendship Heights metro stop where I had to go shopping last weekend for “work clothes.” I don't understand these piggies, but they're popping up all over the place. They seem to be connected w/DC public schools somehow. I guess someone decided we just couldn't go a whole summer w/out some kind of giant painted animal decorating our streets. That's fine with me; I think they're fun.
May 25, 2005
Tulip's Revenge
A beautiful multi-color tulip from a couple of weeks ago. These are basically gone around here, but it was pretty at the time and it's been so gray and rainy around here recently I thought we could use the color. Oh, and also I have a bunch of better other, more recent photos on the camera but I don't have time to download them at the moment. I'm still catching up with these 10 hour days...
May 24, 2005
Smooshtri-Grain
Close-up of a smashed strawberry Nutri-Grain bar. This little snack rattled around my book bag for most of the semester until it was smashed flatter than most pancakes. I was just going to throw it away but I was curious what it would look like after being repeatedly smashed by Hart and Wechslers for a couple of months. I thought it looked kind of cool in its shiny little tunnel.
Yeah, I do need to get out more.
May 23, 2005
Old Technology
Branding badges on the aged computers I use at work. These badges make me think these computers are about 3-4 years old or more. Can anyone remember when the Pentium III or Windows 98 were things Intel and Microsoft were bragging about? The machines work remarkably well despite their age, but the tiny and extremely crappy monitors (shown at right) are no fun to deal with. Also no fun to deal with is the fact that the computers are administratively locked down to within an inch of their lives, which means no Firefox for me. ;-(
May 22, 2005
Tossed Tassel
A discarded or lost graduation tassel on the brick sidewalk in Old Town Alexandria. Was this tossed intentionally in some graduate's fit of pique, or was it tragically lost by some graduate who will forever mourn its disappearance? Such are the mysteries of life around graduation time...
May 21, 2005
Not Biking to Work Day
My view from the train in the rain on Bike to Work Day. I tried to muster the enthusiasm to ride in the rain yesterday morning, but I just couldn't do it. It was freaking pouring! And it was cold, to boot, and I don't really have anything like proper rain gear for those conditions, so I just rode the train. It made me sad, though. It's hard enough to get people to consider biking to work w/out having the one special day set aside for that purpose be a day of pouring rain. How many potential bike commuters woke up yesterday morning thinking they'd try this biking thing, then looked outside and said “See, that's why I don't bike to work!”?
May 20, 2005
May 19, 2005
Green Cream
Oreos with green filling. These actually make good post-barbecue deserts, even though there is something just wrong about eating green-colored lard-based products.
May 18, 2005
Grill Season
A chicken breast sizzles on the grill. Our landlords have been on vacation for the last little bit so that means we get to use their grill on the back deck. I've taken advantage of it by grilling just about every night for the last week. Slightly blackened meat = yum.
In other news, how did I post a photo every day last summer when I was working full time with a one-hour commute each way? Where the heck did I find the time?
May 17, 2005
Classic Convertible
An older beetle all tricked out in the parking lot. When I lived in California several years ago I'd see old Beetles all the time. In fact, I think I was living there when the new Beetle first came to market. Since then, and since moving east it seems more and more unusual to see an older Beetle, and especially one that's in such great shape. This one looked like it had just driven off the new car lot sometime in the last few weeks. Super nice.
May 16, 2005
Colored Glass
Colored glass art at Glenn Echo Park's glass studio. In addition to the carousel, yurts, and puppet company, the park has this glass studio with a good sized workshop in the back and a small display space in the front. There are some excellent pieces on display (I really liked this one, for example)—all for sale. Something to keep in mind the next time you'd like to give someone a unique and beautiful gift. I noticed some neat little sushi sets (small plates w/chopsticks) for around $40.
May 15, 2005
Baseball Storm
Rain falls in sheets at RFK Stadium. This was the scene last night at the Nats v. Cubs game at around 8 p.m. The game was supposed to start at 7:05 but didn't really get underway until nearly 10 p.m. because of the storm. I didn't mind too much because the storm itself was so spectacular from the stands. We were in the nosebleed “cheap” seats which turned out to be perfect for the storm because we were under the top overhang and stayed dry except for the times that gusts blew the rain horizontally in at us. Check out the report of the storm at CapitalWeather.com for more on what an awesome show we had. I kept thinking to myself that it was like being on a soundstage where someone was simulating a storm—the rain was that torrential, the lightning that bright, and the thunder that loud, as if it was all being put on just for our pleasure in the stadium. Of course, it was also a little cold so it wasn't all pleasure. As soon as the wind died down I felt the temperature rise at least 10 degrees.
This was my first ever pro sporting event and while the storm was impressive, watching baseball from the nosebleed seats after 10 p.m. wasn't really so great. Judging by this one visit to the ball park, I would have to say that the most ardent fans of the sport are also ardent fans of beer, yelling loudly, and trying to start fights. Oh, and they pay dearly for all of this—beer is $6/bottle and peanuts are $4! I'm thinking they price the peanuts at $4 in the hopes that most people will just pay $5 and let the seller keep the change. I wonder how well that works out.
May 14, 2005
Hobbit House
The metalsmith's yurt at Glen Echo Park. If you click the pic at right and squint you can read some more info about the yurts, or you could just go here. I'm very intrigued about these buildings—especially the use of dirt and plants on the roof for insulation. Talk about getting a structure to blend in with its surroundings.
Is it just me, or does this look a lot like the home you'd expect Bilbo Baggins to live in?
May 13, 2005
Carousel Clown
A jester smiles down on the watching crowds from the top of the Glen Echo Park carousel.
May 12, 2005
Echo Deco Peel
Paint peeling off a decorative touch on an old building at Glen Echo Park. L. and I had never been there but I recently heard a radio spot about The Puppet Co. and its production of Alice In Wonderland. It sounded worth checking out, so that's what we did last weekend. The show was very well done; the puppets were incredible and they've added some neat effects to make the story even more believable. It's definitely geared toward children, but since Alice is a story that works on many levels, it's still worth the price of admission even if you don't have kids. But beware: If you go without kids you might get stopped at the door by someone asking what the heck you're doing there. I just said we heard about it on the radio and it sounded fun. Adults can like puppet,s too, can't they?
Glen Echo Park itself is pretty cool. I took many more pics of the carousel and the yurts. For more about the park check out the NPS extended info page and Glen Echo Park.org.
May 11, 2005
Iris
One of a bunch of bright irises blooming in our landlord's garden. I know flowers are about the easiest shots to take b/c your subject just sits there posing perfectly for you, but I don't care. I love the colors and vividness of these and many other flower shots.
May 10, 2005
Fado Pub Quiz
The top of the scoreboard at the Fado pub quiz last night. If you look really close and squint and use your imagination, you can see that the fourth-listed team is “Pray on, Moron!” That was us. But more important: We came in third! I've played trivia at Fado a few times and usually my team has been competing for last place, not first. Admittedly, turnout last night was pretty light, but hey, we'll take what we can get. And what we got were two t-shirts (the pic at right is of the back of one of the shirts) and a $10 gift certificate. Kewl.
My hat's off to B. who pulled out Nastassja Kinski as the correct answer for some obscure question involving the musical “Cats.” Also to R. for knowing that the only country with a monochromatic flag is Libya, and to M. for figuring out that in literature the lover of “Something Mellors” (Oliver? William?) was Lady Chatterly.
Oh, for those who are not familiar: A number of bars have some sort of trivia game to bring in more traffic on nights that are usually slow (like Mondays). At Fado, you form a team and try to pick some sort of interesting and funny name—they give a prize for the “best” name, where “best” is defined by the whim of the person running the game. The “host” has a microphone and calls out questions (10 questions/round, 7 rounds), teams write down answers, scorecards get totaled, and the winner gets a prize. Meanwhile, the bar sells lots of food and drink to the people playing trivia. So it's fun and everyone wins.
May 09, 2005
No Dog Pooping
Another graphic message for dog owners in the DC metro area. This one was augmented by text (at right), in case you didn't fully understand the message from the picture alone. In fact, there were two of these text signs—one on either end of the flower bed in question, with the graphic in the middle. This gardner is pretty serious about communicating the no pooping message. I still prefer this more angular version of these signs, but I get the idea, either way.
May 08, 2005
Life Is Ephemeral
A sticker pasted on a street sign along Columbia Ave. NW. Note the bottom right corner says “BORF.” I don't know what this BORF thing is, but it sure knows how to get attention.
Oh, Happy Mother's Day! Please do not look up any big words today!
May 07, 2005
Doormat
A GW law professor's doormat sitting in the hall outside his office. (Thumbnail at right shows the same thing w/a little more context.) I think this might be the best doormat I've ever seen! I mean, “come back with a warrant” is basically the default—cops are never supposed to enter a “home” (interpreted broadly at times, such as if you rent a hotel room in your name that is your “home” while you're there) w/out a warrant or special circumstance, but still, it's a great message for them and a reminder to you if you open your door and see cops there that you should make them get a warrant.
An office is not a home for these purposes, and I doubt this professor has the right to require a warrant before allowing the police to enter his office, but they probably would need a warrant to search it. Of course, someone at GW may be able to give consent to search which would overrule any of the professor's objections, but I'm not sure about that.
I'm not a lawyer, you know. ;-)
May 06, 2005
Not Enough Shelves
One of the overloaded bookshelves in our apartment. We have two bookshelves that look about like this, and then four others that are about half as high, but just as full. Our friends try to tell us that we have too many books (especially when they help us move!), but we prefer to think that we simply don't have enough shelves. I mean, really, is it possible to have too many books?
May 05, 2005
OhFiveOhFiveOhFive
A crazy solarized hand to celebrate this odd calendar day. Happy 05-05-05. See you next year on 06-06-06!
May 04, 2005
Training Togs
The running shoes I bought the other day to train for the Marine Corps Marathon with the Aids Marathon Training Program. So far I have run about 10 miles in these shoes and they feel pretty good. If they have another 500 miles or so in them, I'll be set, but I won't be too surprised if I have to get another pair before the marathon in October.
But the shoes and the running are actually the easy part. The hard part is raising the $1700 required to participate in the program! If you'd like to help out, all proceeds go to help the clients at the Whitman-Walker Clinic here in D.C. Donate today!
May 03, 2005
Buds
A flowering tree preparing to bloom several weeks ago. I was busy through the flowering season so, despite my cherry blossom pics, I feel almost like I blinked and I missed it. The best I could do was try to track the development of a tree in the park where I walk the dog, so I just updated my flickr page with a set of pictures that sort of trace the spring blooming of one tree over about five weeks (plus a few other nearby trees thrown in at the end).
May 02, 2005
New Nickel
The new nickel faces down the old. The honest truth is I just haven't taken any good pics in quite a while. I really hope that changes soon, really.
May 01, 2005
Footprint
The water outline of my foot. I made this impression by stepping in water then stepping on the paper bag as recommended by many different running sources. The goal is to determine the shape of your foot so you can then get a running shoe that fits well and won't cause injuries. It seems that my foot is mostly neutral but I tend to pronate just a little when I run, so I need a cushioning shoe with a semi-curved last and just a little stability.
I guess. I'm not sure actually. I just went to Metro Run & Walk and they took over from there. They first had me take off my shoes and run about 20 feet to see how my feet were hitting the ground. Then they started bringing out shoes. I'd try them on, run a little, and they'd go “hmm” and bring more shoes. I probably tried on at least a dozen pairs of Asics, Saucony, Mizuno, Brooks, Nike, New Balance, and Addidas, and I ended up with a pair of New Balance—the M765, which has apparently been discontinued but is a lot like the M766. They were totally not the shoes I would have chosen on my own, but nice Mr. Shoe Man seemed to think they were what I needed and they felt good on my feet, so we'll see if they can carry me through, oh, a few hundred miles in the next few months.
What have I gotten myself into?