touching andy goldsworthy's hands

We stopped in front of the "egg" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, trying to decide what to do with the thirty or so minutes that I had to kill before heading inside Sherwood Auditorium and getting myself ready for our spring concert.

I looked at the egg again, a cairn actually, like I had looked at it many times before. Every time I see it, I feel the need to touch it. So this time I touched it again, like I had touched it many times before. I like to think that I am making a connection to the object's creator by doing so.

I'm not satisfied with just looking or taking photographs. I have to touch. I'm surprised I haven't gotten in trouble yet, walking through galleries, castles, temples, and cathedrals in Europe and Asia, running my fingers along walls and furniture, sometimes even crouching to feel the floor.

It's because of people like me that they put ropes around paintings and sculptures.

I should be glad I don't have the same compulsion to smell. Or taste.

earth day 2009

I did a few small things for Earth Day 2009:

 

1.  Took a short shower.  Less than 5 minutes.

2.  Kept the bathroom light off during my shower.  The morning sunlight was bright enough.

3.  Turned the faucet off while brushing my teeth.  And while shaving.

4.  Dumped the old coffee grounds in one of the flower pots.

5.  Used my own refillable water bottle instead of buying bottled water.

6.  Drove to work at a consistent 65 miles per hour.

7.  Turned off the computer monitor at work whenever I wasn't using it, instead of leaving it on for hours at a time.

8.  Used my notebook instead of a post-it-note for my self-reminders.

9.  Used my own coffee mug at work instead of a styrofoam cup.

10.  Used a vinegar/water/lavender concoction to clean my kitchen surfaces, instead of a chemical-based cleaner.

 

Small stuff, really, but can you imagine the difference it could make if everyone did the same thing for the rest of the year?

judging a book by the cover

Susan Boyle walked onto the stage and people started laughing at her. Really laughing at her. She was awkward, wore a frumpy dress, and was not pretty. And then she sang.

Click here to watch her performance.

A wonderful reminder that we shouldn't be hasty with our judgement and that there is something precious in every one of us.

the sierras

We just left the "ghost town" at Randsburg and are going north on highway 395 into Owens Valley. We're probably less than 2 hours away from Lone Pine. The sun is low on the horizon and is starting to dip behind the Sierra mountains.

This is my first time seeing the eastern face of the Sierras, and it is definitely more magnificent than the west side. We're not even at Lone Pine yet, but this already makes the trip worth it.

on the road to manzanar

A friend of mine who lives in Lone Pine came to town a few days ago for a conference. Since Lone Pine is less than 10 miles south of Manzanar, their visit once again sparked our desire to go and see it. So now we're on I-15 driving north. The current joke: "We're driving a lot of miles to see a lot of nothing."




It's going to be worth it.

taking shelter

What does one do when it rains during a hike? Take shelter under an oak tree.

sophie tucker

[BBC] "A pet dog which was washed overboard and believed drowned has been found four months later - as a castaway on a remote Australian island.

Sophie Tucker - named after the famous US entertainer - vanished as Jan and Dave Griffith sailed through stormy waters off Queensland last November.

But unknown to her grieving owners, the plucky dog survived a long swim across shark-infested waters to an island.There she lived on a diet of baby goats until being found by visiting rangers.The Griffiths were amazed to hear of the discovery and have now been reunited with their pet."

Read the complete BBC story.

wandering all over the city

After I caught up with the bill-filing at home this morning, I thought it might be a good idea to reward myself for my focus and determination. So Marilyn and I drove across town to this place called Lefty's, a small Chicago-style pizza joint on 30th. I don't know how Chicago-style pizza is different from New York-style (attitude, maybe?), but I think their pizza is the best I've ever had. Ever. Really.

We then decided to walk off all the calories we engorged (two big slices of deep-pan pizza for each, hello), we went to Balboa Park. There was nowhere to park as some big science event was going on. We should have walked from Lefty's instead of driving. Idea nixed.

So we decided to head over to Mission Bay to watch the remainder of this year's San Diego Crew Classic. The lesson I got out of this was never to rely on my memory, since we ended up looking for the regatta on the wrong side of the bay. Couldn't find it.

Fortunately, Henry called. Since they live only a few miles uphill from the bay, we ended up at their doorstep and spent the rest of the afternoon on wine, cheese, and great chit-chat.

It's interesting how things fall into place after being swirled around.