Handball

Got inspired walking back from Pratt. Well, half inspired by the kids playing handball, and half inspired by that great Ben Shahn painting.

SUPERVILLAINS!!!

The supervillains are here!! All (or most) of your favorites. This painting was fun. Villains rule. My favorites: MODOK, Electro, and the Blob. Honorable mention: Arnim Zola.

Joe Wilson

I couldn't help myself with this one. I was abhorred by Wilson's outburst, and amazed that the response to the discussion is whether the statement of "You lie!" held some sort of racial undercurrent. I for one have a hard time believing this would ever happen with a white president (to my knowledge it hasn't). Even the context of the outburst also was right after the President's statement about not giving health coverage to undocumented immigrants. He wasn't moved to rage during all of the other things he disagreed with, only after this specific statement. I'm just going to call it like I see it: Joe Wilson, I believe you have revealed yourself to be a racist, no matter what you say or even think about your own ideas and preferences.

Duhram Bulls!

Got to spend a night at the Durham Bull swanky new park downtown while I was housesitting for my brother. Had a great time! Bulls pulled out a come from behind win, had good beer, and almost got tatooed by a rocket foul ball!

Las Vegas Weekly

One of three images for Ryan Olbrysh at Las Vegas Weekly.

This American Life Sighting . . .

While we were headed upstate last week, Michelle and I stopped at the Plattekill rest stop to eat some road food, which turned out to be the infamous Roy Rogers, along with it's Fixins Bar. Generally I abhor the idea the of a "Fixin's Bar" but we were feeling frisky, and starved to the point of Fixin's. As we sat there, Michelle said,"Is that who I think it is?". I turned to look at a nerdy, but kinda hip dressed guy and thought it must be someone from Pratt. . . some other teacher, or former student. I turned back around thinking no, but then I heard the voice, a birdy thin but emotive voice. And realized it was Ira Glass. I am nerdy enough to consider myself a total NPR Dweeb, and in fact got jumped a year or two ago wearing my pledge drive t-shirt. Whether this was the cause of the beating I will never know, but suffice to say, I was a little blown away by the celebrity sighting. Whenever we see the overblown, fat, Wal-mart saturated world outside the city, we always say one thing - with both love and disdain - "America." And there we were. America. And there was Ira Glass, right where he's supposed to be. So it was fun to hear the episode which was out last week, all taking place at the rest stop.

As for the picture (by Nancy Updike), I took particular notice of these as well. Never drink from anything bigger than a cat and shaped like a bar-bell.

Experiment 5

Experiment 4

Experiment 3

Quality Squad

After a wonderful birthday-day where we went to the planetarium (last year was the aquarium!) and saw the space show and looked at sweet rocks, and moon photos, we spent a great night on the roof of our friends' apartment and ate burgers and drank beers. They even put up a tarp which allowed us to stay up there in the rain, which was great - made for more of a campfire atmosphere. Anywho, on Saturday, it was beautiful out, but we stayed in to enjoy a day home with the discovery channel, bad movies, and sketchbooks in an apartment that finally stopped roasting. It was amazing.