Birds!

Woke up this morning to discover my first Baltimore Oriole! A magnificent bird, and a real treat to finally see one here in Takoma Park. As a child, I would see them all of the time at my grandmother's home in Flintstone. She had an enormous weeping willow in her back yard and the orioles would build their hammock-like nests in the long swaying branches. The oriole was joined by many of the usual denizens of my backyard, Gold Finches, Catbirds, Carolina Wrens and Cardinals.

An hour later, I glanced out of front window to find a pair of Purple Finches perched on the powerline over my driveway. I can't remember the last time I saw a purple finch in my yard! What's next? A California Condor? One can always hope!

228 Reasons To Be Proud!

As the month of Gay Pride slips away with all of the hoopla surrounding the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots this year, I've been thinking a lot again about the idea of pride. It's always been an odd fit in my mind. How can anyone be proud of an attribute that is not within their control? I'm finally understanding that its not the attribute that solicites pride.

Therefore, it's not pride in the attribute, but in the community that shares that attribute. A feeling of pride by association with those who share that attribute and in my opinion, too little has been done to emphasis the accomplishments of our forebearers. And thus I offer this post.

Again, as we bid good-bye to the 40th anniversary month of Gay Pride and the Stonewall Riots in NYC, I have compiled a list of just some of the Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual People who make me PROUD to be a member of the Tribe! 228 very excellent reason so far as I can see.

1) BERNICE ABBOTT (1898-1991, African American Photographer)
2) ROBERTA ACHTENBERG (1950- American Politician)
3) JANE ADDAMS (1860-1935, American Educator, Nobel prize winner)
4) CLAY AIKEN (1978- American singer)
5) ALVIN AILEY (1931-1989, African American Dancer Choreographer)
6) EDWARD ALBEE (1928- American Playwright)
7) CHAD ALLEN (1974- American Actor)
8) PEDRO ALMODÓVAR (1949- Spanish Filmaker)
9) JOHN AMAECHI (1970- English Athlete, NBA Basketball Player)
10) GREGG ARAKI (1959- Japanese-American Filmaker)
11) RENALDO ARENAS (1943-1990, Cuban Writer)
12) W. H. AUDEN (1907-1973, English Poet)
13) JOSEPHINE BAKER (1906-1975, African American Singer/Dancer)
14) JAMES BALDWIN (1924-1987, African American Writer)
15) TAMMY BALDWIN (1962- American Politician)
16) SAMUEL BARBER (1910-1981, American Classical Music Composer)
17) LANCE BASS (1979- American Singer)
18) AMANDA BEARSE (1958- American Actor)
19) SIMONE de BEAUVOIR (1908-1986, French Philosopher, Writer)
20) LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918-1990, American Classical Composer/Conductor)
21) ELIZABETH BISHOP (1911-1979 American Poet)
22) ROSA BONHEUR (1822-1899, French Painter/Sculptor)
23) JOHN BOSWELL (1947-1994, American Historian)
24) KARIN BOYE (1900-1941, Swedish Poet/Writer)
25) BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976, English Classical Music Composer)
26) RUPERT BROOKE (1887-1915, English Poet)
27) RAYMOND BURR (1917-1993, Canadian Actor)
28) LORD BYRON (1788-1824, English Poet)
29) PAUL CADMUS (1904-1999, American Artist)
30) JOHN CAGE (1912-1992, American Classical Music Composer)
31) MARGARETHE CAMMERMEYER (1942- American Soldier)
32) TRUMAN CAPOTE (1924-1984, American Writer)
33) WILLA CATHER (1873-1947, American Writer)
34) CONSTANTINE P. CAVAFY (1863-1933, Greek Poet)
35) RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN (1934- American Actor)
36) OTIS CHARLES (1926- American Episcopal Bishop)
37) MARGARET CHO (1969- Korean-American Comedian)
38) VAN CLIBURN (1935- American Pianist)
39) MONTGOMERY CLIFT (1920-1966, American Actor)
40) JAMES COCO (1930-1987, American Actor)
41) JEAN COCTEAU (1889-1963, French Writer/Artist/Filmaker)
42) AARON COPLAND (1900-1990, American Classical Music Composer)
43) JOHN CORIGLIANO (1938- American Classical Music Composer)
44) HART CRANE (1899-1932, American Poet)
45) QUENTIN CRISP (1908-1999, English Writer)
46) WILSON CRUZ (1973- American Actor)
47) COUNTEE CULLEN (1903-1946, African American Poet)
48) ALAN CUMMING (1965- Scottish Actor)
49) MERCE CUNNINGHAM (1919- American Choreographer)
50) MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM (1952- American Writer)
51) JOHN CURRY (1949-1994, English Figure Skater)
52) JAMES DEAN (1931-1955, American Actor)
53) ELLEN DeGENERES (1958- American Actor/Comedian)
54) Charles Demuth (1883-1935, American Artist)
55) SERGEI DIAGHILEV (1872-1929, Russian Ballet Producer)
56) MARLENE DIETRICH (1901-1992, German Actor/Singer)
57) ANI DiFRANCO (1970- American Singer)
58) MARK DOTY (1953- American Poet)
59) MARTIN DUBERMAN (1932- American Historian)
60) ISADORA DUNCAN (1887-1927, American Dancer)
61) MELISSA ETHERIDGE (1961- American Singer)
62) RUPERT EVERETT (1959- English Actor)
63) EDWARD FIELD (1924- American Poet)
64) HARVEY FIERSTEIN (1954- American Actor/Playwright)
65) LESLIE FISH (1947- American Anarchist/Writer/Singer)
66) E. M. FORSTER (1879-1970, English Writer)
67) JODIE FOSTER (1962- American Actor)
68) MICHEL FOUCAULT (1926-1984, French Philosopher)
69) BARNEY FRANK (1940- American Politician)
70) STEPHEN FRY (1957- English Actor)
71) RUDY GALINDO (1969- American Figure Skater)
72) FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA (1898-1936, Spanish Poet)
73) WILL GEER (1902-1978, American Actor)
74) DAVID GEFFEN (1943- American Business Executive)
75) JEAN GENET (1910-1986, French Playwright/Writer)
76) ANDRÉ GIDE (French Writer/Nobel Prize Winner)
77) JOHN GIELGUD (1904-2000, English Actor)
78) SARA GILBERT (1975- American Actor)
79) ALLEN GINSBERG (1926-1997, American Poet)
80) ALLAN GURGANUS (1947- American Writer)
81) MARILYN HACKER (1942- American Poet)
82) LORRAINE HANSBERRY (1930-1965, African American Playwright)
83) E. LYNN HARRIS (1955- African American Writer)
84) NEAL PATRICK HARRIS (1973- American Actor)
85) LORENZ HART (1895-1943, American Musical Theater Composer)
86) MARSDEN HARTLEY (1877-1943 American Artist)
87) DARREN HAYES (1972- Australian Singer)
88) TODD HAYNES (1961- American Filmaker)
89) ESSEX HEMPHILL (1957-1995, African American Poet
90) JERRY HERMAN (1933- American Musical Theater Composer)
91) DAVID HOCKNEY (1937- English Artist)
92) ANDREW HOLLERAN (1944- American Writer)
93) JAMES HORMEL (1933- American Ambassador: Luxembourg 1999-2000)
94) VLADIMIR HOROWITZ (1902-1989, Russian Pianist)
95) A. E. HOUSMAN (1859-1939, English Poet)
96) ROCK HUDSON (1925-1985, American Actor)
97) LANGSTON HUGHES (1902-1967, African American Poet)
98) JANIS IAN (1951- American Singer)
99) JOHN INMAN (1935-2007, English Actor)
100) Sir DEREK JACOBI (1938- English Actor)
101) CHEYENNE JACKSON (1975- American Actor)
102) DEREK JARMAN (1942-1994, English Filmaker)
103) Sir ELTON JOHN (1947- English Singer/Composer)
104) PHILIP JOHNSON (1906-2005, American Architect)
105) BARBARA JORDAN (1936-1996, African American Politician)
106) LESLIE JORDAN (1955- American Actor)
107) MYCHAL F. JUDGE (1933-2001, American Priest)
108) JOSHUA KADISON (1963- American Singer)
109) FRIDA KAHLO (1907-1954, Mexican Artist)
110) MOISÉS KAUFMAN (1963- Venezuelan Playwright)
111) ALFRED KINSEY (1894-1956, American Biologist/Sexual Researcher)
112) DAVID KOPAY (1942- American Professional Football Athlete)
113) LARRY KRAMER (1935- American Writer/Political Activist)
114) TONY KUSHNER ( 1956- American Playwright)
115) NANCY KULP (1921-1991, American Actor)
116) ADAM LAMBERT (1982- American Singer)
117) NATHAN LANE (1956- American Actor)
118) K. D. LANG (1961- Canadian Singer)
119) YVES SAINT LAURENT (1936-2008, French Fashion Designer)
120) MARK LEDUC (1964- Canadian Boxer Athlete)
121) ANNIE LEIBOVITZ (1949- American Photographer)
122) LEONARDO da VINCI (1452-1519, Italian Artist/Sculptor/Inventor)
123) ANDRE LOURDE (1934-1992, American Poet)
124) GREG LOUGANIS (1960- Philippino-American Diver/Olympic Gold Medalist)
125) PAUL LYNDE (1926-1982, American Actor/Comedian)
126) RACHEL MADDOW (1973- American TV/Radio Commentator/Host)
127) RICKY MARTIN (1971- Puerto Rican Singer)
128) JOHNNY MATHIS (1935- American Singer)
129) J. D. McCLATCHY (1945- American Poet/Writer)
130) KELLY McGILLIS (1957- American Actor)
131) CLAUDE McKAY (1889-1948, Jamaican Writer)
132) IAN McKELLEN (1939- English Actor)
133) TERRANCE McNALLY (1939- American Playwright)
134) CARMEN McREA (1920-1994, American Singer)
135) GIAN CARLO MENOTTI (1911-2007, Italian-American Classical Music Composer)
136) FREDDY MERCURY (1946-1991, English Singer)
137) GEORGE MICHAEL (1963- English Singer)
138) MICHAELANGELO (1475-1564, Italian Sculptor/Painter)
139) HARVEY MILK (1930-1978, American Politician)
140) SAL MINEO (1939-1976, American Actor)
141) ISAAC MIZRAHI (1961- American Fashion Designer)
142) MEGAN MULLALLY (1958- American Actor)
143) JIM NABORS (1930- American Actor/Singer)
144) KATHY NAJIMY (1957- American Actor/Comedian/Voice Artist)
145) MARTINA NAVRATILOVA (1956- Czech Tennis Player/Athlete)
146) ADI NES (1966- Israeli Photographer)
147) CYNTHIA NIXON (1966- American Actor)
148) HENRI NOUWEN (1932-1996, Dutch Theologian/Writer)
149) RUDOLF NUREYEV (1938-1993, Russian Classical Dancer)
150) DIANA NYAD (1949- American Swimmer Athlete)
151) ROSIE O’DONNELL (1962- American Comedian/Actor)
152) FRANK O’HARA (1926-1966, American Poet)
153) MARY OLIVER (1935- American Poet)
154) KANAKO OTSUJI (1974- Japanese Politician)
155) WILFRED OWEN (1893-1918, English Poet)
156) PIER PAOLO PASOLINI (192-1975, Italian Filmaker)
157) TROY D. PERRY (1940- American Clergyperson)
158) CARL PHILLIPS (1959- African American Writer/Poet)
159) DAVID HYDE PIERCE (1959- American Actor)
160) COLE PORTER (1891-1964, American Composer)
161) MA RAINEY (1882-1939, African American Singer)
162) ANTHONY RAPP (1971- American Singer/Actor)
163) AMY RAY (1964- American Singer)
164) ROBERT REED (1932-1992, American Actor)
165) CHARLES NELSON REILLY (1931-2007, American Actor)
166) ADRIENNE RICH (1929- American Poet)
167) ARTHUR RIMBAUD (1854-1891, French Poet)
168) JEROME ROBBINS (1918-1998, American Choreographer)
169) GENE ROBINSON (1947- American Episcopal Bishop)
170) CESAR ROMERO (1907-1994, Cuban Actor)
171) NED ROREM (1923- American Classical Music Composer)
172) KAY RYAN (1945- American Poet--16th Poet Laureat of the United States)
173) EMILY SALIERS (1963- American Singer)
174) SIEGFRIED SASSOON (1887-1967, English Writer/Poet)
175) MAY SARTON (1912-1995, American Poet)
176) DAN SAVAGE (1964- American Syndicated-Sex Advise Columnist)
177) JAMES SCHUYLER (1923-1991, American Poet)
178) ERNESTO SCORSONE (1952- American Politician)
179) DAVID SEDARIS (1956- American Writer/Humorist)
180) PARVEZ SHARMA (1964- Indian Filmaker)
181) MATTHEW SHEPHERD (1976-1998, American Martyr)
182) RANDY SHILTZ (1951-1994, American Writer)
183) STEPHEN SONDHEIM (1930- American Playwright/Composer)
184) SUSAN SONTAG (1933-2004, American Writer)
185) SAM SPARROW (1982- Australian Singer)
186) STEPHEN SPINELLA (1956- American Actor)
187) GERTRUDE STEIN (1874-1946, American Writer)
188) MICHAEL STIPE (1960- American Singer)
189) BILLY STRAYHORN (1915-1967, African American Composer)
190) KEITH STRICKLAND (1953- American Singer)
191) GERRY STUDDS (1937-2006, American Politician)
192) MAY SWENSON (1913-1989, American Poet)
193) WANDA SYKES (1964- African American Actor/Comedian)
194) GEORGE TAKEI (1937- Japanese American Actor)
195) PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893, Russian Classical Music Composer)
196) SCOTT THOMPSON (1959- Canadian Actor/Comedian)
197) VIRGIL THOMSON (1896-1989, American Classical Music Composer)
198) WOLFGANG TILLMANS (1968- German Photographer)
199) LILY TOMLIN (1939- American Comedian/Actor)
200) JIM TOY (1930- American GLBT Rights Activist)
201) HENRY SCOTT TUKE (1858-1929, English Artist)
202) URVASHI VAID (1958- Indian American Lawyer/Human Rigths Activist)
203) GUS VAN SANT (1952- American Filmaker)
204) CARL VAN VECHTEN (1880-1964, African American Photographer)
205) ELIHU VEDDER (1836-1923, American Artist)
206) PAUL VERLAINE (1844-1896, French Poet)
207) GIANNI VERSACE (1946-1997, Italian Fashion Designer)
208) GORE VIDAL (1925- American Writer)
209) WILHELM VON GLOEDEN (1856-1931, German Photographer)
210) TOM WADDELL (1937-1987, American Athlete, Founder of the Gay Games)
211) RUFUS WAINWRIGHT (1972- Canadian Singer)
212) ALICE WALKER (1944- African American Writer/Poet)
213) ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987, American Artist)
214) JOHN WATERS (1946- American Filmaker)
215) SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER (1961- American Comedian)
216) EDMUND WHITE (1940- American Writer)
217) MEL WHITE (1940- American Clergyperson)
218) WALT WHITMAN (1819-1892, American Poet)
219) OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900, Irish Playwright)
220) THORNTON WILDER (1897-1975, American Playwright)
221) TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (1911-1983, American Playwright)
222) RICKY WILSON (1953-1985, American Musician)
223) PAUL WINFIELD (1939-2004, African American Actor)
224) B. D. WONG (1960- Chinese American Actor)
225) NOBUKO YOSHIYA (1914-1973, Japanese Writer)
226) PEDRO ZAMORA (1972-1994, Cuban-American AIDS Activist)
227) FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI (1923- Italian Filmaker)
228) DAN ZHOU (1974- Chinese Civil Rights Lawyer)

The Bugr qekr

Back in summer of 1994, I orchestrated a move from central Kentucky to the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. The impetus was my budding love affair with my ex-, and the move required me securing employment. The short of it is that I was hired by Montgomery Public Schools to teach 4th grade.

I was hired after the start of the school year to fill a position that was just allotted to a school to alleviate over-crowding and so my homeroom was created out of the 3 existing homerooms. I ended up with a class of 23 (15 boys --12 of which were headed to a career involving reform school at some point, and 8 girls -- another 3 of which where clear candidates for some future episode of "cellblock H")!

Among this motley crew was T. He was boy with tremendous social intelligence, a gift that he used without the benefit of any discernable moral compass. I am not a professional with the credentials to certify anyone as being "pathological" in anything, but the word was bandied about freely regarding T. by those with classier degrees than I.

And so today, when I stumbled upon "The Bugr qekr" a flip book that he made in art, a book that quickly ended up in my "June Box" because of its deleterious effects on the social fabric of my classroom when it first debuted back in the spring of 1994, I was much more nostalgic in my recollections of T.'s tenure in my class.

In reflecting upon him (I still can see his impish smile clearly in my mind’s eye) I hope that he's landed gently somewhere and found a place in this life where his talents and manias can contribute to the common good. And in any event, marvel with me at his superb narrative, riveting plot twists, and profound sense of the needs and desires of the common man: I give you with tongue firmly planted in my cheek, "The Bugr qekr".

Fresh Fruits

Went to the local farmer's market this morning and got some real tomatoes and peaches! With apologies to Luis Meléndez.......

Art I'm Seeing #39

Also up now at the National Gallery of Art is a relatively small show with a powerful impact. "Luis Meléndez: Master of the Spanish Still Life" features 31 works, 30 still lifes and his iconic self-portrait. Not-with-standing the fact that my friend and neighbor Cathy has spent the better part of the past two years conserving works and co-authoring the catelogue, it's a take your breath away exhibition. Meléndez' technical expertise creates canvas after canvas so beautiful, so realistic that you can almost smell the freshly baked bread and taste the lushly rendered fruit and vegetables. The tragedy for the 18th century artist was that he was never appointed to the courtly positions he spent his life pursuing in vain. The glory is how he therefore took common objects and the lowest form of genre painting in the esteem of those around him, and elevated them to a regal stature. The show's at the National Gallery of Art on the Mall in the east building through August 23rd, it's a must see for the summer.

Today's Sermon #16

THE CHARIOT

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then ‘t is centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity.

~ Emily Dickinson
1830 - 1886

Power to the GLBT People!

So we march...and it's a generous leeway. This will either be a huge protest or a huge celebration. The ball is in Barack's court. No matter, I'll be there to witness it.

NGA Face Lift? -- or Fall!

Speaking of the National Gallery of Art, the poor I. M. Pei east building has a problem. It seems the huge slabs of marble covering its exterior are susceptible to falling off!--no, this is not part of an episode of "Life After People" on the History Channel. And according to the NGA, it's a repair job that will be possible thanks to stimulus money from the Federal government. So how does one enter the building in the meantime? Through these reinforced plywood tunnels, of course. Having been inside one, I'm not entirely certain that they would prevent a ton slab of marble plummeting at an on point angle from denting my brain, but then again, not having them there wouldn't have stopped me from entering the museum, either!

Art I'm Seeing #38

Judith Leyster was one of the rarest of birds in the 1600’s, a woman who was an artist. One of only two women to be admitted into the painter's guild in Haarlem during the seventeenth century, she must have been an amazing presence in her own right. Choosing for subjects the lives of the dubious; musicians, gamblers, "idlers" who forsook conventional discipline and morality for the merry life, didn't aid her in attaining a respectable status in the Dutch art world of the northern Renaissance. My overall complaint about her as an artist is her failure to command the human form. Often her subjects leave you feeling that something about their body is out of proportion or angled in such a way that indicates a dislocated joint or broken bone: middle school-esque in its competence. But what she lacks in anatomical accuracy, she makes up for in the simple joy of her subjects.

To celebrate her 400th birthday, the National Gallery of Art is hosting an intimate focus show of her paintings in their Dutch Cabinet galleries in the west building. You also get to see works by her husband, Jan Miense Molenaer, and her possible mentor, Frans Hals. Her oeuvre is relatively small to begin with, so anytime a dozen of her paintings are assembled in one place, it's worth the visit.

Furthermore, I commend to your attention the wonderful article in next week's issue of The New Yorker by Peter Schjeldahl, "A Woman's Work: The Brief Career of Judith Leyster." It provides excellent background information.

2009 Folklife Festival on the Mall

This year's folklife festival on the Mall in Washington, D.C. is faithfully another trio. The most traditional presentation is for the culture of Wales. Lots of exhibits depicting crafts, industry, lore, flora, flauna, of this oppressed nation within the United Kingdom. No aspect of this tyranny is present.

The other two foci are Latin American music and African American oration. Both are extremely low impact upon the mall, viewer passive, and cheep, common, and insignificant in the pantheon of folklife venues. I lunched at one of the Latin American food tents, and the food was disgusting. It was cooked so long before I got it, that it was inedible.

It's the most uninteresting, non-interactive, lame year of concepts for this "festival" in my 15 years of attending.

What I'm Watching #201

Went to see "Up" today. I have to tell you that when I first heard about this film and the basic concept behind it, I was having a hard time imagining how it was going to work. Thank goodness, figuring out how to make this one work wasn't up to me! "Up" in a word is AWESOME! It's one of the most beautiful stories ever turned into a pixar movie. Funny, scary, tense, tender, it's runs the gammit, and Ed Asner's voice for Carl was a brilliant choice. If you haven't seen it yet, by all means go out there and do it, before it leaves the big screen.

2 Views from the Mall

Was down on the Mall on Wednesday, and got these two shots of the Smithsonian Exhibition Hall, also known as the Smithsonian Castle. Built out of red limstone quarried in northern Montgomery county the grounds feature some of the most beautiful gardens in DC.

Silver Spring Mural 01

A new mural has just been painted on the side of the little Kefa Cafe on Bonifant Street. The cafe features organic coffee and a gallery "7:10" which bills itself as "an organic artspace exhibiting an evolving mix of contemporary, outsider, visionary, and world cultural artwork." The mural compliments the theme perfectly.

On an accompanying placard the story of the mural reads: "the Global Refugee Mural by Joel Bergner © 2009 creative director Tom Block This mural tells the story of 3 refugees who live here in Maryland, who were interviewed for this project. Georges, a former mayor of his city in eastern Congo (DRC), fled with his family when the war came to his region. Mai, from Myanmar (aka Burma) was unable to return to her country due to religious persecution by the government. Taameem, from southern Iraq, fled after her brother was murdered by local militia members and she was targeted as well. Funded by the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Partnership with the International Rescue Committee's refugee resettlement center in Silver Spring." A further reference is made to the artist's work @ www.joelsmurals.com

It's beautiful, check it out.

OMG!

Michael Jackson is dead and I'm for the briefest of moments 15 again. I'm at Band Camp somewhere in central Michigan in a room full of my high school classmates and someone suddenly bursts through the door of the room and shouts, "Elvis is dead!" The air ceases to move until someone cries.

Shack it off!

I'm 25 again. It's a winter morning, I'm drinking coffee alone at my kitchen table and planning to call my mom: it's her birthday. I'm home cause my county has called a snow day and now the sun is out when I hear on the radio that something has happened to the crew of the Challenger...I turn on my TV...soon I'm the one crying.

Shack it off....

I'm 48, just 2 year younger than him.

Michael Jackson is dead. DEAD. Like what the fuck? I'm barely absorbing the death of Farrah Fawcett, and now this? At least she had a reason. What was his? An all consuming hatred for himself and desire to be someone else until the bleaching off of his skin left his flesh and heart so exposed to life that all that was left to him was death?

Hamlet slide down and make room for Michael. Marilyn, can you get him a glass of cool water?

The Murals on University Boulevard

Skirting the northern edge of Takoma Park, not far from my home are a series of 5 little two story circa World War II apartments Each unit was originally designed with 4 apartments. Today they've been converted into offices and small businesses for the most part. They feature services by and for the Latino community in the area, and three of them where painted with these beautiful murals last summer. The bottom image is a law office and you can see kids playing futbol on a plain surrounded by mountains. I've seen these places in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The middle is a Chiropractor's office and features people in a park with a waterfall. The artist adeptly carries the railing of the wheelchair ramp into a bridge crossing the stream. And further he places a person on the opposite wall so that her image appears from this angle to be ascending the ramp--so clever. The top image is an underwater setting of a Caribbean coral reef.

Y todos eras muy bonitas!

What I'm Watching #200

"No Regret" is a Korean film about two men in love. One, an easy-going orphan who has come to the big city to make his fortune. The other the son of a corporate mogul who's life is a duplicitous lie as he seeks to both please his parents and his desires. The story is passionate and a little melodramatic with an ending that had me sitting on the edge of my seat and shouting at the Widescreen! No shit. See this one if you can.

What I'm Listening To #54

I've really been enjoying contemporary R & B and Hip Hop more and more...a reverting to my Motown roots, no doubt. And this group, "Outkast" a.k.a. "OKB", out of eastern Georgia has some really great music. Their song "Hey Ya" is both joyous and heart lifting!

Sunday Funnies #25

twittershitsonIran, originally uploaded by Randuwa.

If only the harsh reality behind this cartoon were actually funny.....

What I'm Watching #199

monstersvsaliens, originally uploaded by Randuwa.

Went to see Monsters Vs. Aliens today up in Baltimore. It was all right. It had its moments. It also had its annoyances, not the least of which was the main character, Susan, a.k.a. Giganticus. She was wholly underdeveloped to the point of engendering zero on the empathy meter. Hard to really get into a movie when you find yourself wondering who to root for let alone why you should be on anyone's side: although, Bob the blob was compelling, at times--and had most of the funny lines! I didn't see it in 3D, and perhaps that technical distraction would have left me feeling better about this one....

Pandora

pandora, originally uploaded by Randuwa.

Stumbled across this today, and checked it out. So far, it's fabulous.

In a nutshell, you type in the name of a favorite group, and it creates a random playlist for you to listen to featuring the group and similar sounding artists. Por exemplo, I typed in "Blick Eyed Peas" and then got a playlist with them, House of Pain, Nelly Furtado, Kanye West, etc. You have the option to remove any song from the playlist you don't like.

You get one shot without obligation that will last about an hour, and then you're asked to register. It is free, and once registered, it saves your playlist as your station. You can create as many stations as you like to acess whenever you're using your computer. I like it! A box worth opening!

www.pandora.com