Wind.
So we flew up to NYC to see "The Gates"; lots of fun. You can say anything you'd like about it; "What is it?" "Is it art?" "You sure could build a nice hospital with $21 million!" "That's not saffron!"
What you can't say is that it didn't impact millions of people (and I'm not talking about how hard it was to get a taxi going down Central Park West.) We strolled through the park on Saturday, from 9:30 until 1:30, with 100's of thousands of people. It was amazing. The "saffron" with the grey trees and white snow was really something.
The people were something, as well. The good, the bad, and the Jersey.
Coming into the city from White Plains, the train was crowded, so S and I prepared to sit(unbuttoning coats, removing hats, etc.) on a 3 person seat next to the already ensconced woman by the window. As I sat, my hip bumped her purse, which was on the seat next to her, taking up part of the seat in which I clearly intended to sit.
"You suck", she said in her outside-her-head voice, as she grabbed the bag and protectively squished it into her lap. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" I said, then, in my inside-my-head voice thought, "ya know, that's right. I'm sorry you're mean. I'm sorry you have a mustache. I'm sorry you are reading 'Soap Opera Digest' and wearing 'Elvis' vanity license plate earrings. I'm sorry."
New York City
Times Square with Shawn
Times Square Lights
Saffron my ass...
Weekly rant...with numbers
More pics of the High Museum from last Friday night. Nothing much to rant about today. Not much sensational stuff going on, so business and international news trickled into my head. Some of it stuck. And got kinda chewed up.
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Home Depot 4th quarter earnings - $16.81 billion (1,890 stores)
Lowe's for the same quarter - $8.55 billion (1,087 stores)
Yikes! That's a lot of lightbulbs! I hear that HD plans to expand with 175 more stores in Canada and Mexico and with their first in China. (HD employs over 300,000 "associates". I'm not one of them.)
IMPERIALISM
Of course I cringe when I hear Bush pronounce "nuclear", but I also find it grating and belittling in this "we-are-going-to-war-whether-you-like-it-or-not" environment to hear him call Germany, France, and Belgium "our friends". And yesterday? When he said there were no plans to attack Iran, but all options "were on the table"; how did he think that was going to sound? It sounds to me like "we definitely/probably aren't going to attack Iran...tomorrow". (The White House budget includes $75 billion for the Pentagon. I'm not included in the budget.)
MARTHA
The domestic doyenne gets out of the big house next week; will her return be announced by changing the help column in MSLiving from "Ask the editors" back to "Ask Martha"? (Magazine circulation is 1.8 million copies. 1 is for me.)
WHOLE PAYCHECK
When is Trader Joe's coming to the ATL to give "Whole Foods" some competition? Until this great specialty food store opens locations south of Virginia, thank goodness for "Your Dekalb Farmer's Market"... (Whole Foods has 166 stores; YDFM has one. Last time I went to WH, I spent $35 on stinky cheese; the last time I went to YDFM, I spent $20 on an entire week's worth of groceries).
EVIL
Now the Pope is weighing in on gay marriage as the "ideology of evil", adding one more target to W's "Axis" that is ripe for attack after Iran and North Korea... (50% of my friends are "evil").
LOTTERY
Georgia has had a lottery since 1992. During it's first year of operation, $1.1 billion worth of tickets were sold. That's a per capita sales of $164.81! In it's first 11 years of operation, it sold $21 billion in tickets, or $3148 per person spending $5.50 per week on what dad likes to call "the stupid people tax". Where did this money come from? Where would it be today if not for this government-sponsored re-allocation of funds? Here's the part I love: Math. If someone were to put $5.50 into an account bearing 5% interest every week for 11 years, that $3146 deposited would have grown to $4192.
But I guess that wouldn't be any "fun". (In the past 13 years, I have spent $6 on lottery tickets as cop-out, quickie gifts.)
One inarguably positive consequence of the lottery is money for scholarships. "Since inception, more than $3 billion has been appropriated and distributed to more than 830,000 HOPE Scholarship recipients."
I just love the word appropriated - it's the same word they use in the Louvre and the British Museum when describing how a non-indigenous piece of art came to be at that institution during a period of colonialism or war; as in "Napoleon appropriated the Rosetta Stone". (Fittingly enough, the British, in turn, appropriated it from the French and it now lies in the British Museum.)
Monday's Storm
Scary, but pretty. My first attempt at photographing lightning. Didn't do anything the right way - didn't use bulb shutter or multiple exposure or anything; just shot...a lot. This was a nice display about 6:30 PM. By 8:30 it was raining and hailing like crazy, playing off the metal and glass surfaces on my building like a xylophone.
High Museum
We sketched and shot at the High Museum during Friday Jazz and the Romare Bearden exhibit.
I like sketching - once I accepted the fact that I'm terrible and I only do it to force myself to look at art in more detail and for a longer time. My sketches of detail from Romare's collages make his subjects look a little less like timeless portraits pieced together from contemporary materials and a little more like Mr. Picasso-head after a long night of drinking...
Desperate "Christians"
I really enjoyed last night's episode of "Desperate Housewives", a show I watch because of it's scandal factor. I know it's not "7th Heaven", that's why I watch. I was happily surprised that among the myriad (outrageous and fun!) storylines about murder, infanticide, adultery, and sado-masochism, there was one with which I could actually empathize (based on my own past experiences).
Two guys at a party, confused about their sexuality, actually showed each other affection!
Boy, did that get some folks in a tizzy! Check out this poster on the abc.com boards:
"I taped last night's episode, and I thank the Lord that I did. I was so appalled by the choice that the writers made to show two children engaging in a homosexual act that I reviewed the tape again and wrote down the name of the advertisers."
It makes me sad every time I'm reminded that people hate homos and are trying to edit them out of existence, but I can take some solace in noting that at the time I checked, 0% of the responses to that post agreed with her. Some even went so far as to note that the original "Christian" poster hadn't (to date) registered any objections to a woman having sex with an underage guy, to a man killing a woman, to premarital sex between a criminal and a divorced mom, to the suicide of the voice-over character or any other of the pretty clearly "oops- that-was-a-commandment-wasn't-it?" kind of stuff that is de rigeur on this show.
That's what makes it "Desperate"!
I still can't figure out why I, who am monogamous with someone I love, who volunteers in my community, who pays taxes and plants trees, who has made soup for the hungry and houses for the homeless, why am I less Christian that this blog-posting, TV-watching, letter-writing, censor-loving harpy?
Which of the 10 commandments states that I'm going to hell because I love a guy and she's going to heaven because she shops at Kohl's? Just for the record, I have no other god, I leave the "idol making" to Simon Cowell, I swear as little as possible, I hate working on Sunday, I think my parents are fabulous, I'm a vegetarian, "it" is only "adultery" because other people won't let me get married, and I don't steal/libel/covet nothing or nobody (except for this one pair of shoes at Banana Republic...and maybe Christian Bale...)
And by the way, the poster said she recorded the show and "thank the Lord that I did" why? Because Jesus made VCRs? That kinda made me smile...
Renting movies...
More from last month's ice storm...I thought of Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" as I walked by this spot in Midtown's Piedmont Park.
...and speaking of movies...
I was the hold-out in this country on Netflix. I know it's great. I know you can have "all the movies you want" for under $20/month. But I also know that a huge part of me is instant gratification-based; I couldn't just sit back and see what movies from my list might be available for the weekend. If I want to watch a movie, I want to watch that movie NOW and I'm going to go out and get THAT movie. Now.
With Netflix, if a movie is a really popular one, it might not be available for a while.
A certain movie rental chain fulfilled that immediate gratification need for me (being new to the blogverse, I don't want to step on any toes, so I'll just call the chain "FockFluster"). They had that "guaranteed" to be there slogan.
Well, now that "Lackluster" has decided to compete head-to-head with Netflix, they have have exchanged their "guaranteed to be" there ideology for a "no late fees" one. "Just turn it in whenever" they say.
So now at "Ballbuster", if a movie is a really popular one, it might not be available for while.
That happened to me this weekend while trying to rent "Ray". I went in on Sunday, no copies. The same on Monday and Tuesday. I even went so far as to wait outside the drop-off slot, asking people if they were returning a copy of it. No luck.
I asked the clerk if people had complained about movie availability since this policy change and he said "yes", but once people come in to get a movie, if their first choice isn't in, they just get their second choice. And "Flackmaster" gets their money either way.
Bummed, but not alone. "...eyed for antitrust." "...sued over late fees"
Wedding roses
Valentine's Day
We had a very nice Valentine's Day, thank you very much! I wasn't really inclined to mention it, but there are so many "I heart hate" blogs out there that I just had to add one tiny little positive one. We worked out together, cooked dinner together, did spa stuff together, watched a movie together - notice a pattern here? I've never been a super hyper Valentine's Day kind of guy; I just was very happy having a special yet "normal" evening together. No restaurants, no other people around. Just together.
Nice.
Bad, bad PBS
Here we go again. PBS is once again trying to show people that gays exist. The bad, bad homos on this bad, bad network are trying to show people that homosexuals can be...well just what are they trying to show people?
Read this cnn.com story...
'Buster' and the lesbians
...and then answer this for me; what exactly is so objectionable about 2 women making syrup? What is the "agenda" that homosexuals are "promoting"? If there is some sort of door-to-door fuller brush-type campaign, I need to know, because I'm behind on my knocking. But if that old geezer James Dobson thinks it's to turn "straights" into "gays", we desperately need to let him know that we are not recruiting for our team. I'll say it here - "James, WE DON'T WANT YOU!" No homo needs a toaster oven that badly.
No, really, just what the heck are we supposted to be promoting?
All I want is that no one hates me for who I am. Hate me for what I'm wearing, hate me for where I live, hate me for my church, hate me for my hair - that's okay, those are all choices I made. Just don't hate me for who I love.
And, by the way, with all the publicity this guy gets, who is doing the "promoting" here? "Focus on the Family"? Great! Start by taking your own advice: You don't like PBS; turn off the TV. You don't like abortions; don't have one (easy choice for someone who never had a uterus). You want to "protect marriage"; don't get a divorce. You don't like homos; don't get a haircut. Or buy flowers. Or clothes. Or go to the theater/symphony/movies. And you better be careful when selecting your cable repair guy. Or house painter. Or divorce attorney.
I'll tell you what; you just "focus" on your family and stop telling me who should be in mine.
MoMA December 2004
How fun and invasive is this photo? What are those 2 Park Avenue types talking about while so blithely ignoring the 3rd? I was actually paying attention when I composed this one - the line at midpoint, the diamond-shaped painting over the couple, the square Mondrian above headache girl. I just can't get the contrast right online (this one was easier to print to paper - it's scanned from a real, live negative!)
Chihuly details
The glass sculpture exhibit was a big hit last year; there are now just 2 sculptures that will remain in the garden (3, if you want to count the parking deck they want to build). I walked around one of them looking for distinctive shapes in the overall chaos.
Fallen Camellias
Beautiful blooms; especially for this time of year. I took several pictures of the blossoms nestled in among the green leaves, but I thought the pinks and whites were much more beautiful contrasting with the rich browns of the garden floor...
Atlanta Botanical Garden Cafe
None of these photos is much on its own, but viewed together, I really like the way the browns tie together and the way the matching colors bring out the lines in the photos.
Hothouse
ABG is currently having a colorful orchid and frog exhibit. Amphibian love - my only hint at Valentine's Day.
Construction reflection
These two buildings are at 14th and Peachtree in my 'hood in Midtown Atlanta. The one on the left has been there a few years; the one on the right, doing all the reflecting, is the new Symphony Tower - so called because it will block most of the view of the new Calatrava Symphony Center from Peachtree St. It's sort of in keeping with other naming traditions in Atlanta; like calling subdivision streets "oak" or "pine" in reference to what you can't see...
Go-go's, VD, 69, and more...
Hmmmm..."news"...
How did I miss the "Go-Go's" at their Earthlink Live concert here in Atlanta? I'm old; high school senior year in 1982 is bookmarked with the earth-shaking advents of Diet Coke, Chicken McNuggets, and the Go-Go's. I saw them in concert at Six Flags in the late 80's (until it started raining and lightning-ing and thundering at the outdoor arena and they stopped the concert for fear of dying or some such crap and John McLean and I ran over to the Carousel, the only "ride" under cover except for the bumper cars which I used to think sucked but totally don't think suck anymore especially since they were so much fun during my 40th birthday week, and played cowboys and indians). I never saw them again...did see John McLean again...and again...and again...I feel sorry for the Go-Go's...
Not what to do for V-day but how to do it? How am I going to work up enough enthusiasm post-pumpkin bday to do a big dinner for him or grow him an orchid or make chocolate truffles or sew my own crotchless panties? He deserves it all, but look where Martha ended up.
$69 million for Cobb County students' laptops. Is this a joke? A laptop for every student? "Books are heavy" Wah, wah, wah! Books don't need tech support. Books don't crash. Book don't need log-ins. You can't doodle on laptops. You can't highlight your favorite passages on laptops. You can't stand on a pile of laptops to reach into the back of your locker. It's exactly like when my dad came home with the first calculator in the 70's; "oh, boy, math will be a cinch." "Nope. You might be allowed to use it to check your answers, but this isn't for homework; this will not teach you math." How does a computer teach you anything (he furiously types on his keyboard...)?
The King Center debacle - yeah, what Cynthia Tucker said. The King family is so protective of the site that they wouldn't let the National Park Service run it, but they are "generous" enough to want us to pay for it now that they've allowed it to fall into disrepair? Dexter King gets "$188,000 a year as a board chairman and COO" and the King Center that he is responsible for it collapsing from neglect? Jeez, what would he have to do to get fired? Who is his boss? What would his daddy say?
Arthur Miller, "hailed as America's greatest living playwright", has died. I'm sad. Okay, I'm ready to move on. Who holds that title now? David Mamet? Edward Albee? Neil LaBute? What are the credentials (besides "living")? When does title transfer? "America's greatest living playwright is dead! Long live America's greatest living playwright!"
"NASA: 'o5 could be the warmest year on record" say global warming alarmists. "Historically, climatic temperatures have always been cyclical" say the global warming non-believers. "Less pollution is good, no matter why" says Jeff.
Wild, Wild East
GUNS AND RESTAURANTS What?!? Am I reading this correctly? We need this law so that people with concealed weapons permits will feel safer carrying their guns into restaurants? What about the rights of people who think handguns and highballs don't mix? I do NOT feel safer with guns around me; what about MY right to security? In college, I was in a fraternity. There was a brother there that kept a handgun. I wasn't against the handgun, just against the fact that the only time he ever brandished it was while intoxicated! Alcohol impairs judgment --> impaired judgment = bad choices --> people shouldn't be armed while making bad choices; especially the kind with repercussions that can't be undone. "Sorry" only works the day after a fist fight. I am so against this, but I can see a compromise. Allow restaurants to decide for themselves if they allow handguns inside. The 2nd Amendment doesn't state that everyone has to bear arms; restaurant owners should be given a choice. (If they can be procecuted for allowing someone to get drunk in their establishment, they should certainly worry what would happen if they allowed someone to get shot.) A restauranteur could opt to allow guns in his establishment and be compelled to post a sign to that effect; "Armed Diners Inside". That gives both the owners and the patrons a choice. They can be in a restaurant with their own kind of peace of mind; one that either includes or excludes armaments. That way I can choose to eat dinner with the likes of Gandhi and Martin Luther King or Bernie Goetz and John Hinckley. ---More food for thought--- "What if someone comes to Atlanta to stay at the Ritz-Carlton, and they have to walk a couple of blocks to a restaurant?" said state Rep. Bobby Franklin (R-Marietta). "They'd like to be able to carry that gun in downtown Atlanta at night. Right now, even if they have a permit and have passed the background checks, they can't." Gun control activists have attacked Franklin's proposal, which would apply to any restaurant that generates more than 50 percent of its income from food. ---Atlanta Journal Constitution "Two year-old shot in robbery attempt". "Man Shot To Death In Tacoma Restaurant" "Restaurant owner Troy Hackett shot dead" "Suspect in theft shot, killed by businessman"
As if the Atkins Diet wasn't enough reason to fear eating, now a Georgia state representative has introduced a new handgun bill to the state legislature that "would allow anyone with a concealed weapons permit to take a handgun inside most restaurants in Georgia." ---Atlanta Journal Constitution
"Boy, 16, Defending Mom Opens Fire On Dad".
"The Trial of John Hinckley"
Shy cowgirl
Very much liking the photo of my niece; very much liking that I worked with both b&w film and digital camera at the same event and got different results from the 2 different media
...bunny...throw pillow...bunny...throw pillow...
Outside the bunkhouse
The Kite Runner
Last night was my very first book club meeting.
I was unreservedly pleased about its existence, because it did "force" me to read a book that I otherwise would not have, but I wasn't as sure about actually talking to people about it.
I love sharing books, but as the meeting progressed, I realized that up until that point, "sharing" entailed only "have you read 'X'?" " Yup". "Didja like it?" "Yup".
Not much of a discussion.
Last night was great; I was really able to examine and recall much more about the book during the discussion than I did during its initial reading; it was like reading it twice. I hadn't discussed "themes" and "hubris" and "Edith Hamilton" since AP English.
Now I just need to find a "therapy club"; maybe then I'll discuss some of the personal issues that I've always kept inside...I was never able to take "AP Psychology"...
Ice Storm, February 2005
I live in a high-rise with the pool on the 7th floor; apparently much cooler and windier than down on the street level. There wasn't ice like this on anything down below...
Cloudland Canyon, November 2004
Shoot, shoot, always shoot.
We had planned this trip to far, far away northwest Georgia weeks in advance. It got postponed. It rained. I was tired. Wah, wah, wah. We went anyway.
It totally didn't suck.
The mist blocked the sunlight that I thought we needed and kept the brilliant foliage that I assumed wouldn't be there saturated with color.
Afternoon...21 minutes later...
So, that's that. I'm on the web.
Blogging. Self-blogulation. Blog, blog, blog.
Hmmm.
I don't feel any different.
I've felt for my whole life that people are constantly judging me; I can now know that for certain.
By the way, blog this babe...
ashleywebb.blogspot.com
...and while you're at it, while you have so little to do, check out some old photos of mine...
www.brilliantblackandwhite.com
Anything else you need me to tell you to do?
Don't fear the chicken
"That's" a chicken?
Cowboy Grant at the petting zoo
Early afternoon...the beginning of time
Just like that?
45 seconds later, I've got a "blogspot" on the web?
Hopefully, this will go much easier than opening a nice, crisp, white-paged journal which inevitably sits on my desk daring me to defile its virginal pages in direct disobedience to every teacher I've ever had from the 6th grade on...
Catalog - 2006
Cards - Spring 2006
Contest - Scrapbook 2006
Cards - Xmas 2006
Cards - Atlanta Signs 2006
Cards - Xmas 2005 A
Cards - Xmas 2005 B
