The Sublime Roundabout

HIM: (totally exhausted after a 15 hour day) I'm so tired. HER: I don't care. I don't want to hear about it. ~fin~

The modernist movement in architecture continues to be alive and well, partly because it is cheap, and partly because it fits so well within the depressing monotony of architecture that already exists. So when someone does something that is beautiful and (literally and figuratively) outside the box, it is refreshing and energizing... Even if it's just a proposal and unlikely to be built (see reasons above). Why give us one more of these: (The UN Building in New York - Le Corbusier (and others); 1952) When you could get something beautiful like this: (pics from:  http://www.6sqft.com/could-this-otherworldly-102-story-tower-covered-in-ornaments-be-coming-to-57th-street/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds ) I know, there's the undeniable feel of Gotham from Tim Burton.  Which, I really love, if I'm honest. Whenever I think of Gotham, this is what I think of, and although I love the reboot with Christian Bale (...

Why do we put birds in cages? They were meant to fly. We trap them behind bars of iron or brass or wood And deny them the very thing that makes them sing Why do we put birds in cages? They were meant to fly. Their wings cannot stretch And their feathers lie on the floor with their droppings Why do we put birds in cages? They were meant to fly. No matter how lovely the cage, how ornate or intricate It is still a prison. Why do we put birds in cages? They were meant to fly. We think it is for their good, their protection But really it is for our selfish desires You may think you know more than God, who gave them the ability to fly. But you do not. You're a warden.

I want to say that My emotions are like the ocean A sea of feelings Sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent Sometimes deep, other times shallow Sometimes warm, other times cold Or perhaps they're more like the animals that live In the ocean A crab here A whale there Dolphins swimming and leaping with joy Jellyfish pulsing along Like my heartbeat An ocean, teeming with life Or perhaps they're like the sky Vast and open Also full of life Birds of every variety The eagle, the hawk The ungainly snowy egret The tiny sparrow The swift swallow Butterflies and moths And in all of this You sail along the surface of the sea The surface Dipping an oar But safe in your boat Looking only at what is readily apparent And thinking you know it all And when my soul soars on eagle's wings Or when my feeling is like the dark vulture You are there with your feet on the ground Unmoved and unresponsive and unfeeling Because you dare not spread your own wings And...

This kind of thing makes me sick. My daughter. My mother. My sisters... No. It's not right. I'm glad these kinds of things are being talked about, because it needs to change. Now. And forever. Women are not objects. They are not commodities to be used and abused. Women are the greatest force for good in the world, the repository of culture and the emblem of the future. And to see women used like this, to sell things... Nope. Not right. I hope this video makes you as sick as it does me.

I wouldn't consider myself a foodie by any stretch. I like food - I like good food, that is - and I have a fairly choosy palate (I'm a supertaster  - or alternately this link here ). So, when I got my mission call to Korea (lo, these many years ago!) I was worried. I mean, really, really worried. There are some things I just don't care for. Here's a short list: 1. Fresh tomatoes. I can eat salsa, ketchup, marinara sauce, etc. But there's something about the texture of tomatoes that I just can't stand. 2. Pickles. Too sour. 3. Eggs. And this one may be the worst - the eggy texture and flavor causes an immediate and very extreme reaction. Please, don't serve me eggs. This does not apply to things with eggs in them, like cookies or cakes or some breads, although quiche and crepes and french toast are out. 4. Fish. Just don't love it. I do enjoy fish and chips (battered and fried/baked fish is OK) on occasion, and some very mild fish is OK as well (tuna...

I'm not sure we appreciate photography as much as we do other art forms. Part of this comes from the reality that surrounds and permeates a photograph - it's very, very real, and the photographer strives for clarity and crispness in the representations. Perhaps this is why black and white images continue to be relevant - they strip away extraneous information (color) and leave us with something that is at once familiar and also non-existent - for nothing exists in black and white. Nothing. I also think that pictures are becoming too common-place... Everyone has a camera in their pocket, and while that's a very democratic thing (everyone can express themselves in a picture easily and readily, and can find an audience for these images, which are casually taken and casually viewed, and perhaps just as casually forgotten) I think that we embrace that casual attitude, and it spills over to all aspects of the media, making it impotent. So I read this article this morning: h...

Apparently, 83% of folks miss at least one of the following questions: (1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? _____ cents (2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? _____ minutes (3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? _____ days 33% of folks got them all wrong. I'm interested in how you did. :) Elise and I took it and got all of them right; although, I don't know if it was intended to be a collaborative effort.

I don't think it comes as a surprise to anyone that I'm a bit of a political junkie. And this year's election cycle has got me grinning like an idiot. The thing I love about politics in the US is it's unpredictable regularity. Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, no? Hang with me.... For example, who would have thought that Hilary Clinton would find her campaign reeling from a couple of body blows? Sure, she "won" in Iowa, but for the money she'd spent and the time she'd used... You'd have thought that her margin would have been much greater than a fraction of a percent. So, yeah. Regular? Sure. Predictable? Not a chance. Next up, the whole Trump phenomenon. I hesitate using that word, because I don't want any positive association with his campaign. The man is a cartoon character (although recently he's toned down that aspect, becoming less aggressive and acceptable... relatively speaking, of course...) and he's not what America needs ...

Just came across this: http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/08/world/fresh-air-britain-china-bottles/index.html Now, I've been to England, and I'm not sure the air is any better there than anywhere else. Except China... The air there is pretty bad. But, selling air?!? That's genius. I've got a couple of bottles of Morgan's finest I can send over. For $115/20 oz bottle, I'll ship for free! Reminds me of this: (Doesn't the president of Spaceball remind you of Trump? Coincidence?!? I think NOT!) Of course, we went to the BYU are museum on Saturday and the air in Salt Lake/Utah counties wasn't much better. Maybe I ought to think about something like this. Maybe folks would like to have a whiff of Morgan Air... :)

I'm such a good writer I can't believe I'm not more widely read Maybe I'm just a poor marketer. :)

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He stands alone on the carpet Softer than anything he'd stood on for years Softer than the mine shafts he'd helped to dig Softer than the forests he'd helped to log Softer than the hospital wards where he'd fought for his life Life Such a fleeting thing He looks across the massive, heavy, gilded desk At the bureaucrat behind it The contrast could not be more stark Corpulent, comfortable, and panicked Versus thin, hungry, arrogant, and at peace All of the world on one hand Abject destitution on the other Threats, ineffective, fall on stone-hard heart Thrown back into the face of the bureaucrat Knowing, and stating in fact, that the bureaucrat needs the prisoner While the prisoner has no need of the bureaucrat Because it is the bureaucrat who is in bondage While the prisoner is free Free Free Free One can build the Empire State Building, discipline the entire Prussian Army, elevate the state hierarchy above the throne of the Almighty, but one ...