"Someone left the cake out in the rain I don't think that I can take it 'Cause it took so long To bake it And I'll never have that recipe again -- oh no!" MacArthur Park Richard Harris [performer]
Jimmy Webb [lyrics] 1968
That last "oh no!" isn't my comment,...they ARE the lyrics! At the time, it sure was one heck of a sturm und drang song. The Wikipedia entry is interesting and made me give it a bit more thought. I think it may well have been one of the few daringly sentimental songs in a time quickly turning to drugs, sex, and rock and roll. Curiously, it had the legs to weather the transition into Disco. Donna Summer's cover was at least as well received as the Richard Harris version!
But the inspiration for remembering these lyrics wasn't sentimental. No, it is the weather. The once lovely fluffy three-layer-snow-cake turned to slush. The triple ice layers also turned my usual 8-minute walk 'round half the park into 20-minutes of mincing old-lady, nose-down high stepping over lumpen ice blobs. Nevertheless, it was quite a good time, people hello-ing each other and wise-cracking about how nice it was outside. While park-walker chit chat isn't atypical here, there was more of it than usual, and for that I give thanks.
Here is a little "photovideo" I made of the snow-cake.
Merry Christmas to all!
Click for .wmv file [Windows Media]
Monday, March 31, 2008
:: Copper and Gold
A beggar called out for alms as Alexander and his companion walked by. Alexander tossed a few (gold) coins to the beggar. His companion asked, Why did you give him so much? A copper would have been more than enough! Alexander replied, Copper coins suit the beggar's needs; gold coins suit the King's giving.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
:: He's Alive!
Hallelujah Jesus is alive Death has lost its victory And the grave has been denied Jesus lives forever He's alive! He's alive!
He's the alpha and omega The first and last is He The curse of sin is broken And we have perfect liberty The Lamb of God is risen He's alive, He's alive!
There has always been a particular fascination on my part with medieval illuminated manuscripts. They are the Kodachrome 64 of their day: brilliant saturated color, lovely to behold. This exhibition at La Biblioteque Nationale de France (BNF, French National Library) is one of the very best I've encountered. With many images, delightfully displayed with even a few audio presentations, it can enthrall for hours. There is an English language site, but I discovered it is not as extensive as the French site. If you can decipher French, it is well worth the small effort. Besides, you'll get some practice!
A corrollary site is Le Livre de Chasse, the Book of the Hunt. Click on "l'image", then on "le mouvement" on the left side menu to view a compositional analysis of the painting. Perhaps it is because I studied physics and not art that I find it so educational. I think painters, and photographers, develop a natural eye for capturing motion within the still frame that is their art. The analyst here does a marvelous job of exposing the geometry and movement underlying the composition. The image below is a snip of the spiral elements within the painting. To the right are the various other elements used to convey the idea of motion.
"Author Frederick Highland beautifully evokes an era where a thousand dark stories inhabit the furtive back streets of this city, a metropolis of memory, of ancient gates and monuments, tombs and catacombs. The novel is indeed a kaleidoscope of images of this ancient capital, from the squalid tenements of the living crowded precariously against sumptuous memorials "to the dead vying for a little light and space." " -- Michael Leonard, writing for CurledUp.com
As designer and curator of Frederick Highland's websites, my bias is purely situational. OK, so I'm a huge fan! Admittedly, that's one reason I enjoy creating his websites!
Through the vehicle of a murder mystery, Frederick explores the complex puzzle that is the Middle East, along the way shedding light on the rich tapestry of culture and history of this ancient land. Get a taste through the many articles at his site, and should you be looking for a good winter's eve read, just go buy the book!
Usagi is the the Japanese version of the ageless and universal rabbit, who makes his playful-- and ever sacrificial-- appearance all world mythologies. The lastest discovery is Stan Sakai's modern version: Usagi Yojimbo. Stan's Usagi is a cross between comic, manga, and classic woodcut print. His rendition is true to the timeless usagi spirit. Usagi is full of himself, testing the boundaries of his own skills to the limit, usually to meet with comic defeat and a realization of his meagre self in the vast cosmos of life. This flash comic strip story is a good introduction to Stan Sakai's art and story: A Lesson in Courtesy.
I had some of this today-- taro bubble tea! This picture is from flickr and it captures the experience perfectly: even for an adult, the size is ginormous, and you feel like a kid drinking (eating?) it!
The straw is also ginormous, it seemed nearly 1/2-inch wide so the tapioca pearls (those wee black balls on the bottom) can get dragged up. As Henry, Jenny's son, said, it's cool when you get a train of tapiocas going! My taro flavor "tea" was a bright purple and went to a pale lavender as the ice melted and diluted the drink.
My other birthday wish was some pho to go with it, which I could have got but decided instead, once again, to go with Henry's idea: the No. 32, vermicelli with grilled pork, grilled shrimp, and eggrolls. Golly, what a great combo.
If you're ever in Downtown Seattle, try "Little Vietnamese Restaurant", kitty corner from the big Macy's. Delicious food, great prices, and bubble tea!
A great day all around: friends, adventure, and food!
To my family and friends old and new Thank you for being my friend in a year of such great and wonderful changes, for believing in me, and most of all, for being YOU!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
:: amg is flickr'ing
I've long posted images from one of my favorite community photography sites, flickr, and I've finally posted my own photographs. Stop by anytime to see what my part of the Northwest looks like.
This is John of the Hermitage Pantry, purveyors of excellent jams and dressings. John, along with his wife Candace, not only cooks up the batches of sweets, but also designs the beautiful labels. I took home the "St. Florians Fire Berry", a delicious blend of summer berries spiced with pepper. St. Florian is the patron saint of Fire Fighters, whose mettle has been more than tested and proven to be strong during the recent bout of fires in Southern California.
Caveman has finally upgraded the trading cave!! Check it out, his publicists have created an interactive Flash presentation of an "Open House" party he recently held. Click on the doors, TV (DirecTV, of course, with click throughs to caveman's prior television appearances), boom box, bookcase, book pages, fridge... caveman's email (on the PC) is even available to read!
Let me tell you, I'm afraid for myself, very frightened. Let's face it, is this the way you want to spend 15 minutes of your LIFE? I suppose I've done more ridiculous things, but in feeble defense of myself, some of the stuff is pretty funny. Like the recipe for Roast Duck with Mango Salsa, from the cookbook on the kitchen table. The recipe looks good, but what makes it funny is the reminder of the snub caveman took at the fancy restaurant. Oh, forget it...you had to be there! But hey, the tunes from their playlist are pretty good.
Well, make up your own mind, but aside from that adorable little Gecko, these caveman rock!
from the notes: "If the passion and resurrection seem surprising as topics for a longer jazz work, Oscar Peterson with his "Easter Suite" appears in a long line of other jazz greats, who at least in their later works created religiously inspired works."
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Luke 23:44-46
sturman: Раменские жилые дома The Painted Houses of Ramenskoye. I have no idea what the Cyrillic says, but the images do the best job of making a statement. Thanks to Gerard, the Presurfer, for discovering this treasure!
one fiction, by Felix Jung, a Tandy computer rendering in ASCII green text and synthesized voice.
You must also try Felix Jung's various other works, linked along the bottom of the frame. I was brought here by Felix's quirky interactive, discourse on Pi and totally enjoyed Round. I love when sound, words, and imagination all come together!
typo_illus_01, or Typographic Illustration, dances a livey path of illustration, letters painting a swath across the screen capturing the spirit of the background music. Simply delightful!
So, you think you *like* geometry, eh? Planarity tests not only your spatial intelligence quotient, but even more deviously, will push your addiction quotient to the limit. I love it! And virt, when someone finds my web-covered dessicated skeleton, Level 10 tangle flickering on the PC in front of me, you have only yourself to blame!
PS: If you have to stop to eat, or sleep, or tear your hair out, use the || (Pause) icon so that your score isn't trashed :))
$42 bux for portaspeakers, well, why not? I remember making batteries from used Polaroid packs, never thought of selling them as kitsch. The human skin stuff-- even if "syntetic" is just plain YECH, truly gross and disturbing in a perverted way, don't even want to know why someone would make it or put it on a list of any sort. The Radio Toaster appeals, but no AM? How elitist, how does one listen to right wing wackos, Art Bell, and baseball without AM! My favorite item: bottle cap tripod, truly cool, sooo light weight and portable compared to any mini-tripod.
:: on Saturday, 1 April: Lunar Occulation of the Pleiades
Or, in other words, a Lunar Eclipse of the "Seven Sisters". What should make this particlarly lovely is the moon will be in its thin crescent phase, cradling the night sky. From SpaceWeather.com:
"The eclipse (or 'occultation') will be visible from eastern and central parts of North America. Start looking as soon as the sun sets. The slender crescent moon will pop out of the western twilight next to or among the stars of the Pleiades.
The event lasts nearly three hours from about 6:30 pm until 9:30 pm EST. During that time the Moon will move through the cluster, hiding one star after another, and revealing them again in due course.
Hidekazu Ishino captures eternal Spring in Plum Blossoms with One Hundred Poems cards.
Read more about the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu here, with parallel English translation and woodblock accompaniments.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
:: Cute Bunnies
Awww, gimme a break! I LOVE bunnies and while to some insensitive knuckle-draggers it may be overload, for me, Cute Overload: Bunnies is a must see. You can even vote for the cutest pictures (on the left).
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
:: NPR : Babies' Cells Linger, May Protect Mothers
"Some scientists have proposed that when a woman has a baby, she gets not just a son or a daughter, but a gift of cells that stays behind and protects her for the rest of her life."
I find this story remarkable on so many levels, but perhaps today more so because my mother has lost her son. There will be many reasons cited for this extraordinary fact of science, but one that comes to my mind might explain the nuturing side of motherhood. Life is so mysterious to me, the drive for life so profound, and present in all beings until their last breath. Mothers can take particular solace that their children still dwell within them, not only in spirit but in fact.
Friday, January 27, 2006
:: God Speed, Little Brother
I am happy to have been a fellow traveler with you on this mysterious voyage that is life, to have shared our parents, to have seen your first steps, and to have known you and seen you find your self.
God speed, little brother, and know you are never alone.
3D audio recording system ... invented, developed and patented by Mister Umberto Gabriele Maggi, musical technician (former Nomadi base player) and developer of a variety of other sound technologies.
In the ’80s Maggi opened a small sound research center at the Umbi studios in Modena, where he worked together with his brother Maurizio Maggi (famous sound engineer) and other sound technicians. In 1983, after a period of experiments, Maggi and his crew were able to create the first working “holophone”, a special microphone able to capture 3D sound in all its dimensions and surroundings, over - under -behind.
Alas, their site has only ringtone samples. For the full effect, put on headphones and listen to this sample-- "audio so real, it's scary", found on digg. The 3onWeb.com intro-page riff (click on "Entra nel sito" is also very cool.
soundeffects.com has a few kiitchy samples (the Listen Now link), a kind of way-back-machine trip to the early quadrophonic sound effects (on vinyl).
Click on the image to view a page with the fully linkable "Word Colors" images.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
:: Photoblogs: Hidekazu Ishino
Perhaps you noticed the slide-show links from my favorite flickr collections, on the right-side column. Today's addition is rhodium, the screen name of Hidekazu Ishino, a professional photographer of "classic" Japanese themes, with a style that is meticulous, graceful, and brilliant. He also has a photo-blog. If you are using Firefox, the googlebar extension allows a right-click translate option for the page, which makes for some humorous reading. However, the images speak for themselves.
image: Hidekazu Ishino
Monday, December 26, 2005
:: Best Wishes to All, Always
Train yourself in doing good that lasts and brings happiness. Cultivate generosity, the life of peace, and a mind of boundless love.
This is too important (and DDuatta's vid too good) to mix the two posts.
There's something appealing to me about Asian pop music. I no sooner wished someone would make a video of the Peanuts Mothra song, than I found the next best thing, a clip of their plaintive and loving request for help. Here is a clip of the Faeries singing the Mothra song on a Mothra page.
Mothra oh Mothra Hear our call for you to save us over time, over sea like a wave you come our guardian angel Mothra oh Mothra the people have forgotten kindness their spirits fall to ruin we shall pray for the people as we sing this song of love
The English translation is from kenforce.com's "Mosura" page, where you can read the Japanese lyrics along with info on the Peanuts.
There's something appealing to me about Asian pop music. In the DDuatta link above, the manic music-- I don't understand any of the lyrics (hee hee)-- is a great companion to the manic inter-species romance, so clever and funny. Especially for me as I think of cats as short eared bunnies.
Click for .wmv file [Windows Media]
