Thursday, July 31, 2008

OMG!!

Saw this on Yahoo!

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Manitoba - Passengers aboard a Canadian bus fled in horror as a fellow traveler viciously attacked his seat mate, repeatedly stabbing him and then severing his head, witnesses said.

Police said a 40-year-old man was arrested after the grisly attack late Wednesday night aboard a Greyhound bus en route from Edmonton, Alberta, to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The suspect was captured as he tried to escape from the bus early Thursday about three hours after the violence, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Steve Colwell told reporters.

Authorities declined to provide details beyond that the victim had been stabbed. They said a motive hadn't been determined and refused to identify the suspect or the victim.

But passenger Garnet Caton said the victim, who appeared to be about 19, was sleeping with headphones on when his seat mate suddenly began stabbing him as the bus traveled a desolate stretch of the TransCanada Highway, a dozen miles from Portage La Prairie.

Caton, sitting just one seat in front of the two men, said he heard no exchanges between them prior to the violence.

"We heard this bloodcurdling scream and turned around, and the guy was standing up, stabbing this guy repeatedly," Caton said from a hotel in Brandon, Manitoba, where he and other horrified passengers were taken.

Caton said the driver stopped the bus when he became aware of the attack and passengers scrambled off. A short while later, Caton said he re-boarded along with the bus driver and a trucker who had stopped to see what was happening.

He said the suspect had the victim on the floor of the bus and "was cutting his head off" with a large hunting knife.

"When he was attacking him, he was calm," said Caton. "There was no rage or, or anything. He was just like a robot stabbing the guy."

The attacker turned toward them and the three men quickly left the bus, blocking the door as the attacker slashed at them through an opening. The three secured the door to prevent the man's escape. Caton said the driver disabled the vehicle after the attacker tried to drive it away.

As the three guarded the door with a crow bar and a hammer, the attacker went back to the body and calmly came to the front of the bus to show off the head.

Cody Olmstead, another passenger, said the man "dropped the head and went back and started cutting the body." Olmstead said the man later use the head to taunt police.

By midday Thursday, the bus was still parked at the side of the highway, surrounded by squad cars as white-suited investigators examined the vehicle and ground nearby.

Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said there had been 37 passengers aboard, many watching a movie when the violence erupted. She called the attack tragic but isolated.

"You're sitting there enjoying your trip and then all of a sudden somebody gets stabbed. I imagine it would be pretty traumatic," Colwell said.

He said the actions of truck driver, bus driver and Caton probably prevented anyone else from being hurt. They "were very brave."

The victim had been on the bus since Edmonton. Caton said the attacker boarded the bus in Brandon, Manitoba, about 80 miles west of Portage La Prairie.

The suspect had been on the bus about an hour and initially did not sit near the victim, Caton said. But changed seats after a rest stop.

"This particular incident, as horrific as it is, is obviously extremely rare," said Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day. He did not provide any details, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.

OMG!!

Saw this on Yahoo!

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Manitoba - Passengers aboard a Canadian bus fled in horror as a fellow traveler viciously attacked his seat mate, repeatedly stabbing him and then severing his head, witnesses said.

Police said a 40-year-old man was arrested after the grisly attack late Wednesday night aboard a Greyhound bus en route from Edmonton, Alberta, to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The suspect was captured as he tried to escape from the bus early Thursday about three hours after the violence, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Steve Colwell told reporters.

Authorities declined to provide details beyond that the victim had been stabbed. They said a motive hadn't been determined and refused to identify the suspect or the victim.

But passenger Garnet Caton said the victim, who appeared to be about 19, was sleeping with headphones on when his seat mate suddenly began stabbing him as the bus traveled a desolate stretch of the TransCanada Highway, a dozen miles from Portage La Prairie.

Caton, sitting just one seat in front of the two men, said he heard no exchanges between them prior to the violence.

"We heard this bloodcurdling scream and turned around, and the guy was standing up, stabbing this guy repeatedly," Caton said from a hotel in Brandon, Manitoba, where he and other horrified passengers were taken.

Caton said the driver stopped the bus when he became aware of the attack and passengers scrambled off. A short while later, Caton said he re-boarded along with the bus driver and a trucker who had stopped to see what was happening.

He said the suspect had the victim on the floor of the bus and "was cutting his head off" with a large hunting knife.

"When he was attacking him, he was calm," said Caton. "There was no rage or, or anything. He was just like a robot stabbing the guy."

The attacker turned toward them and the three men quickly left the bus, blocking the door as the attacker slashed at them through an opening. The three secured the door to prevent the man's escape. Caton said the driver disabled the vehicle after the attacker tried to drive it away.

As the three guarded the door with a crow bar and a hammer, the attacker went back to the body and calmly came to the front of the bus to show off the head.

Cody Olmstead, another passenger, said the man "dropped the head and went back and started cutting the body." Olmstead said the man later use the head to taunt police.

By midday Thursday, the bus was still parked at the side of the highway, surrounded by squad cars as white-suited investigators examined the vehicle and ground nearby.

Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said there had been 37 passengers aboard, many watching a movie when the violence erupted. She called the attack tragic but isolated.

"You're sitting there enjoying your trip and then all of a sudden somebody gets stabbed. I imagine it would be pretty traumatic," Colwell said.

He said the actions of truck driver, bus driver and Caton probably prevented anyone else from being hurt. They "were very brave."

The victim had been on the bus since Edmonton. Caton said the attacker boarded the bus in Brandon, Manitoba, about 80 miles west of Portage La Prairie.

The suspect had been on the bus about an hour and initially did not sit near the victim, Caton said. But changed seats after a rest stop.

"This particular incident, as horrific as it is, is obviously extremely rare," said Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day. He did not provide any details, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.

OMG!!

Saw this on Yahoo!

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Manitoba - Passengers aboard a Canadian bus fled in horror as a fellow traveler viciously attacked his seat mate, repeatedly stabbing him and then severing his head, witnesses said.

Police said a 40-year-old man was arrested after the grisly attack late Wednesday night aboard a Greyhound bus en route from Edmonton, Alberta, to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The suspect was captured as he tried to escape from the bus early Thursday about three hours after the violence, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Steve Colwell told reporters.

Authorities declined to provide details beyond that the victim had been stabbed. They said a motive hadn't been determined and refused to identify the suspect or the victim.

But passenger Garnet Caton said the victim, who appeared to be about 19, was sleeping with headphones on when his seat mate suddenly began stabbing him as the bus traveled a desolate stretch of the TransCanada Highway, a dozen miles from Portage La Prairie.

Caton, sitting just one seat in front of the two men, said he heard no exchanges between them prior to the violence.

"We heard this bloodcurdling scream and turned around, and the guy was standing up, stabbing this guy repeatedly," Caton said from a hotel in Brandon, Manitoba, where he and other horrified passengers were taken.

Caton said the driver stopped the bus when he became aware of the attack and passengers scrambled off. A short while later, Caton said he re-boarded along with the bus driver and a trucker who had stopped to see what was happening.

He said the suspect had the victim on the floor of the bus and "was cutting his head off" with a large hunting knife.

"When he was attacking him, he was calm," said Caton. "There was no rage or, or anything. He was just like a robot stabbing the guy."

The attacker turned toward them and the three men quickly left the bus, blocking the door as the attacker slashed at them through an opening. The three secured the door to prevent the man's escape. Caton said the driver disabled the vehicle after the attacker tried to drive it away.

As the three guarded the door with a crow bar and a hammer, the attacker went back to the body and calmly came to the front of the bus to show off the head.

Cody Olmstead, another passenger, said the man "dropped the head and went back and started cutting the body." Olmstead said the man later use the head to taunt police.

By midday Thursday, the bus was still parked at the side of the highway, surrounded by squad cars as white-suited investigators examined the vehicle and ground nearby.

Greyhound spokeswoman Abby Wambaugh said there had been 37 passengers aboard, many watching a movie when the violence erupted. She called the attack tragic but isolated.

"You're sitting there enjoying your trip and then all of a sudden somebody gets stabbed. I imagine it would be pretty traumatic," Colwell said.

He said the actions of truck driver, bus driver and Caton probably prevented anyone else from being hurt. They "were very brave."

The victim had been on the bus since Edmonton. Caton said the attacker boarded the bus in Brandon, Manitoba, about 80 miles west of Portage La Prairie.

The suspect had been on the bus about an hour and initially did not sit near the victim, Caton said. But changed seats after a rest stop.

"This particular incident, as horrific as it is, is obviously extremely rare," said Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day. He did not provide any details, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.

Disneyland

Today we took Harry’s family to Disneyland. We arrived about 10.30 am. The first thing we did was ride the Jungle Cruise. Leonhard really enjoy this, next was the Tarzan Treehouse, that was a lot of fun but Leonhard didn’t like the animal sounds, as he thought they were real. We then checked out Tom Sawyer’s island (or whatever new name it has) that was a lot of fun though Harry’s nephew didn’t like the dark caves and after going through one of them decided it was safer not to do it again. From there we went to Splash Mountain. There was a long waited for this ride… about an hour but it really took about 80 minutes. Harry’s mom stayed behind as she didn’t want to stand with us in line for so long and she didn’t want to ride any of the more “wild” rides. I guess it had been a while since I had road that ride, as I didn’t remember getting soooo wet on it. Everyone got soaked but everyone seemed to really enjoy it including Leonhard. Next we went over to Big Thunder, but it was closed. We moved on to the Matterhorn and the Finding Nemo’s Submarine ride, but the lines were too long for Harry’s sisters taste so Harry and I decided to grabbed a bite to eat, while the rest of his family took the Train ride around the entire park. While eating we got to watch the new Jedi Academy Training show…that was a lot of fun

After lunch we met up again and rode Autotopia and Leonhard really loved that ride. After that we tried Space mountain, but after we stood in line for about 20 minutes, we were told that they had issues with the ride and was going to be shut down until further notice. So we walked over to FantasyLand and one ride caught Leonhard’s eye.. it was the Circus Train, Harry’s family rode that while Harry and I sat down and relaxed. After they train ride, while heading over to Toontown, the Parade started and Harry’s family decided to watch the Parade instead. His nephew really loved the parade, which was cool since he had never seen a Disney movie and didn’t really know the characters. We decided to ride Big Thunder since it was working again. So we left Harry’s mom and nephew with another ride on the circus train ride and Bernd, Gerda, Harry and I went over to Big Thunder. We had the fast pass so it only took about 15 minutes to get on the ride and everyone really enjoyed it. Everyone was tired but Gerda wanted to take Leonhard on one last ride, the Storybook boat ride. We headed over to Downtown Disney to grab a bite to eat and then we headed back home... all in all it was a really great day. It’s not how I would have spent the day at Disneyland but when you have a five-year-old you tend to change you plans. It was still a lot of fun on the ride we were able to get on.

Cy Twombly at the Corcoran


Artist Jay Rolfe saw this Cy Twombly painting at the Corcoran's exhibit "American Evolution." By the time this was painted in 1968, Twombly had been living permanently in Rome, Italy for a number of years. This painting, "Synopsis of a Battle," is typical of many famous Twombly paintings. It is painted like a blackboard and then drawn or written on with paint, crayon, or pencil as if it were chalk. What's the point? Who knows. But they sell for a lot of money.

This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Sailing the Pacific


Around 10 am Harry’s family picked us up at our place and we drove down to my Mom’s in Newport Beach. She and my step dad Chuck were taking us out for a sailing trip. We got to my Mom’s around noon and a 1/2-hour later we made our way slowly out of the harbor. We sailed for about an hour and a half, Bernd enjoyed doing all the boat duties, it’s always fun bringing along guests as it means I don’t have to do the work myself. Bernd even drove the boat for a while. As we headed back in we stopped by the seal “hotel” as they call it. It’s a buoy at the entrance of the harbor where a lot of seals sunbathe… Harry’s family really enjoyed that part. We got back to my Mom’s and they made us some burgers and fish on the BBQ. Everyone enjoyed lunch. Harry’s nephew Leonhard likes to pretend fish and I knew Chuck had real fishing poles so I went and got one. Leonhard’s eyes lighten up instantly. He was so excited to really fish. After a few attempts we finally go the pole set up right and he started to fish. You would never think a five year old would be so quiet and still for so long. He fished for hours but in the end didn’t get a bit.. but he seemed to have fun just the same. My mom told Chuck that they should give Leonhard the fishing pole he had been using (it was brand new) and they did. Harry’s family seemed genuinely shocked and very appreciative of the gesture. Leonhard LOVED it and even said Thank you to Chuck in English (which is a big deal). After that we drove back home and called it a night. Another fun day with Harry’s family.

Gene Davis "Black Popcorn"


Gene Davis was a Washington DC painter who died in 1985 and was known for his colorful striped paintings. This example was at the recent "American Evolution" exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery. Davis painted "Black Popcorn" in 1965. The Phillips Collection, also in Washington DC, has a number of colorful Davis striped canvases.

This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Fishes, Sharks and Earthquakes.. oh my!!!

Today we picked up Harry’s Tux at the The Men’s Warehouse and it fits perfectly...whoo hooo. Around 11:30 am we gave Bernd a buzz to let him know we were ready to be picked up, as we had planned to go to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. We left our place around 11:30 am and got to Long Beach around 1:00 pm. We started to walk through the exhibits, Harry’s nephew, Leonhard, was really excited and seemed to have a lot of fun. Harry’s sister and I took tons of pictures while Harry took about 1 hour of video.

We were about half way through the entire exhibit when my Dad called, he had asked if we felt the earthquake, supposedly we had a 5.4 earthquake at Chino Hills at about 11:42 am. Of course we did not feel it as we were driving but it was a pretty bad shake… the worse since the Northridge quake 14 years ago. Several other people from around the US gave me a call to make sure we were okay also.

We continued through the exhibits and got to see the feeding of sharks, sea lions and sea otters. This part Leonhard really enjoyed. Around 5.00 pm we were done with all the exhibits and decided to head back home. I’m really amazed at Leonhard’s endurance while walking through all the exhibits.

We got home by 6:30 pm and Bernd and I picked up some fast food from Taco Bell, which Harry’s family had never eaten. We hung out in our backyard for a couple of hours and spent some quality time together.

Later that night when we watched the News it seemed that the quake had been felt widely in the San Fernando Valley and even in Canoga Park, what is only a couple of blocks away. Then Harry noticed that our Serenity / Firefly pictures were out of alignment, so we checked the rest of the house. Turns out that in my toy room some books and the Enterprise D model tipped over, the Voyager model fell from the shelf and a bunch of loose action figures either tipped over or fell of the shelf. Other than that nothing really happened at our place. All in all another fun day though I’m a bit tired from all the touristy things, but it’s fun hosting out of town guests.

Kenneth Nolan at "American Evolution"


At the Corcoran Gallery's "American Evolution" exhibit, artist Jay Rolfe saw Kenneth Nolan's "Brown Stretched" painted in 1966. It's a large diamond shaped canvas with 4 color bands on it. It is a so-called non-objective painting, which means that it doesn't mean anything, it's just there and you can think what you want. Rolfe likes the shape. The pattern and colors don't excite him.

Kenneth Nolan's "Brown Stretched" is the photo of the day.

This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Poor Daisy

Today we noticed that Daisy was really lethargic and not moving. We investigated and noticed that she had blisters on her paws. During the hike yesterday we walked out on this large cement slab and noticed that she was bouncing back and fourth on her paws so we moved her to a dirt area but I guess it was to late. I felt horrible and so guilty. Not only because of her paws being burnt but yesterday she was taking extra long breaks and stopping a lot but we keep making her move on. Her paw blisters didn’t require a vet visit but she needed to be carried out to the back yard to go to the bathroom and she didn’t move much today.

A Relaxing Day

Well, today Harry’s family came over to our place around 10:30 am. We had planned a low key day, so we hung out at our place. Later we headed over to the Topanga Canyon Shopping Mall and spent time shopping at Target. After Target we headed over to the Northridge Shopping Mall, where Bernd stopped by at the Apple store as he was looking for a 3G iPhone and a new iPod. After that we took a stroll through the Mall, it was fun to see Harry’s Mom so amazed by the variety of shops and store. After that we tried to get some lunch a Panda Express, but turns out that all the meals without meat are prepared with animal byproducts so Harry’s Sister and Mom as vegetarians and really didn’t appreciate that fact. We finally found a food place that worked out for all of us, California Chicken Cafe. After having lunch Harry’s family dropped us off at our place, and we decided to meet again 1 1/2 hours later for some quality time at our place. We spent a couple of fun and quality hours together, we even tried to test out Leonhards new Remote Air Plane, that Bernd bought for him at Target, but the wind gusts really didn’t allow for that. Later that evening the wind died down and we managed to make a few flight attempts in the front of our house. After the ‘Flying Adventure’ we had a BBQ Dinner in our backyard and everyone really enjoyed the food a lot. Harry’s mom has corn on the cob for the very first time in her 70 years. She loved it… all in all it was a really nice and relaxing day.

Cecilia Beaux


Cecilia Beaux was a Philadelphia artist who painted marvelous portraits. Artist Jay Rolfe has seen many in museums, especially the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. This one was in the "American Evolution" exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery. It was painted in 1921 and is titled "Sita and Sarita." The cat and the sitter's playful hand add life to Beaux' technical mastery.

This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Moonrise, Misty River, Boots

When I first started painting last year, my medium of choice was acrylic. I loved the ability to use lots of paint and get texture with huge dollops of paint on the surfaces of my paintings. I gradually learnt to temper my enthusiasm and to moderate my painting techniques.
And then I decided to do watercolours. I have always loved watercolour work and decided to try my hand at it. The first results were the little pics of the archway, harbour and window box, plus the two just posted. The seascape of the moonlight (3rd pic) is possibly the very first watercolour I did. I then discovered oils and that certainly took up my time and effort just learning to deal with the medium.


My efforts with watercolour went by the wayside. Until this year when I scratched through my watercolour box and decided to try my hand again. The two pics at the top are the result. The boots are Margie Johnson's, as part of a still life, and the water one comes from a pic from a magazine.

Peony Posy, French Village


Whilst doing an early spring clean of my painting/ sewing/ beading room, I came across these two little watercolours that I had done at the same time as the Harbour, archway and window box, so I thought I'd put them up as well.

Makoto

So yes, if you haven't heard already, Makoto was at the top of Zagat's "best food" list. If you're confused, read here and here and here and here for background on Makoto and its recent honors. We have a lot of places on our list, but jumped Makoto to the front and made a reservation just 24-hours in advance to see what all the fuss was about.

The first course was composed of a bunch of little vegetable dishes and a soup. Cool edamame still in the pod, miso stems that were previously marinated in soy (but were not swimming in it), deep fried eggplant (not battered with anything!), and a teensy glass of room temperature potato miso soup with roast beef in it. The soup was definitely a flavor surprise, and I think I would want a whole bowl of it if it was steaming.

Second was steamed chicken in ginger sauce and a pleasant but forgettable noodle salad with diced cucumbers and red pepper.

Third course was sashimi--Spanish mackerel, tuna, and red snapper

Fourth, fried soft shell crab, the outside made of rice cracker. When life (or a restaurant) gives me lemons, I squeeze them over my food. And it definitely enhanced this dish.

Fifth (and this is subject to disagreement because I can't figure out exactly where this was and don't agree with J's assessment) we had avocado with a spicy miso sauce. The colors were lovely, the avocado was perfect in creamy-smooth-"good fat"-ness, and I definitely wanted more.

Sixth we had a tiny piece of salmon with a lemon sauce, topped with what I think was a mushroom on top.

Seventh was the sushi course, and I loved that the wasabi was built in. Being pretty uncultured in sushi, I hadn't ever ever had nigiri--just maki. I knew about the bamboo rolling mats, the rice, the seaweed, etc, but otherwise was in the sushi dark. Now I have seen the light!

Eighth was yakimono, and we had a choice of 4 dishes. I picked the yellowtail ("lightly flavored with soy sauce") while J picked--no surprises here--the tenderloin beef steak. The yellowtail was on the bone, and looked like something pulled off the grill at an upscale barbecue. It was tasty, but the bone beefed up its size and left me without too much fish. Yes, I had a 10 course meal and am complaining it WASN'T ENOUGH FOOD, but that's because I'm a very hungry person. I think J liked his steak, but I'm sure he fancied the sauce by the way he licked the plate. It was gingery, and I would have done the same.

Ninth was soba, our other "choose your own adventure" and J and I picked wild vegetable and grated yam. I really liked the soba course, the noodles were real buckwheat soba noodles, so far away from the ones in the $5 bowl from Whole Foods to which I add 1.5 cups of water and microwave for 2-3 minutes. At first I was all, this isn't so "yammy," where are the yams? They were the white grated stuff in my soup, I realized. As I drank up toward the end I was surprised how unintrusive the yam flavor was--I guess I'd been having second thoughts, thoughts rife with images of candied yams and marshmallows dipped in chicken soup.

Lastly we had bowls of lemon ice and a very earthy green tea. We enjoyed SECONDS on the tea, because we are a pair of wild kids who know how to lay a night on the town to rest.

We had a very unique experience at Makoto. We wore slippers, I nervously put my purse in the containment box that was my hard wooden seat (Ahh! No access to tissues!), and had a really enjoyable and exciting meal. The food was interesting and very pleasant, but nothing made me say "Whoa, what is this?! It's amazing! I want more now and when I leave I'm going to dream of this for weeks!" Then again, I'm not particularly well-versed in Japanese cuisine. I know I liked what I ate and that the place is an experience. Instead of dinner and a show, your dinner IS the show. The service is excellent--attentive and full of much-needed explanations, and you'll always be informed how you should eat each course (as in, "you can pick up the soup and drink it" instead of allowing you to fumble awkwardly, trying not to embarass yourself because you ARE the youngest people in the room and OMG I'm not sure what that thing on the top right corner is...but I'm gonna eat it). Enter with an open mind is alls I'm sayin.

And ladies, FYI, everyone says "wear clean socks" to Makoto, but girls don't usually WEAR socks when dressed up, and the folks at Makoto provide black peds for all. No need to bring your own socks (don't worry, I quickly tucked them into my purse as soon as I spotted the peds).

Makoto
4822 Macarthur Blvd NW
Metro: Ehh, drive.
Makoto on Urbanspoon

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Job Update...

...it's going well and I think this week we will mutually decide if it's a good fit for both of us. Until then so sorry I haven't blogged! I totally have been so busy with work I have nothing else to talk about! Ok, let's talk eye candy...not much, I don't leave my desk much. I know there has to be some fine ass thugs on the line but I rarely go out there. So until I take a moment and go see what's available in the plant, let's just look at this. ;) peace




Job Update...

...it's going well and I think this week we will mutually decide if it's a good fit for both of us. Until then so sorry I haven't blogged! I totally have been so busy with work I have nothing else to talk about! Ok, let's talk eye candy...not much, I don't leave my desk much. I know there has to be some fine ass thugs on the line but I rarely go out there. So until I take a moment and go see what's available in the plant, let's just look at this. ;) peace




Job Update...

...it's going well and I think this week we will mutually decide if it's a good fit for both of us. Until then so sorry I haven't blogged! I totally have been so busy with work I have nothing else to talk about! Ok, let's talk eye candy...not much, I don't leave my desk much. I know there has to be some fine ass thugs on the line but I rarely go out there. So until I take a moment and go see what's available in the plant, let's just look at this. ;) peace




Hiking

Today we picked up Harry’s family around 10 am and went out to Griffith Park. Harry’s family are outdoor type of people, we also decided to take Daisy along as it was a great opportunity for her to go for a really long walk and to get to know Harry’s family better. About 2 hours later we ended our hike up at up on top of Mt. Hollywood, the view was really great, considering the air quality, we had a really good view of the Hollywood Sign. Harry’s 5 year old nephew did really well on the hiking up to Mt. Hollywood. Harry’s family really enjoyed the long hiking trip, his Mom was really amazed by the beauty of the park and she really loved the view from the top, as you can see the Valley, Los Angeles, Hollywood and the Hollywood Sign. One thing we should have done different, we should have started earlier, it was quite a hot day, the temperature was in the mid 90’s and the humidity was about 30%. While we were spending quality time at the top, we saw helicopters hover over an area of Griffith Park by the LA Zoo, when then saw smoke. There was a wild fire in the park, it didn’t appear to be that big and it was far enough away, so when we were hiking down we got a better look. Harry’s family where kind of excited as in Austria, SoCal is known for its wildfires and here they had it happening right in front of them. But as the wildfire started to flare up more we decided to head back down and 1 1/2 hours later we ended up at the car. During our way down Daisy got really tired and needed way more rest stops than the previous times on this same hike. We contributed that mostly to the heat and humidity. During the hike Harry’s nephew, Leonhard, managed to pet Daisy several times, which is quite amazing, considering the experiences we have with our dog and kids. Guess we gave her enough time to get used to his family and by taking a long hike together she has accepted them as part of the pack and therefore they’re all okay.

Due to the wildfire we couldn’t take the same road back to the hotel and had to make a little detour... We then dropped my family off at the hotel to freshen up and rest a little. About 1 1/2 hours later we picked them up and headed over to our place for a pasta dinner. And believe it or not Daisy let everyone pet her and she got lots of attention especially from Harry’s nephew... all in all it was really fun day.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Beach

Today was Harry's family's first day in LA, so we picked them up around 10 am at the hotel and then we drove over to our house and gave them a tour of our place. They really liked our place and of course my toy room really impressed them. To Harry's mom it looked more like a museum than a toy room. LOL We weren't sure how Daisy would react to them, but it went very well... she was a little frightened and unsure at first, but settled down very quickly.After the house tour we gave Harry's nephew a haircut and now he has a nice crew-cut, after that we decided to take them to the beach. We took them via Kanan Canyon to El Matador Beach, a very secluded beach with some amazing landscape, they loved it as this was their first time in SoCal. Plus this beach is very beautiful. We spent about four or five hours at the beach and we all had a really great time. Leonhard, Harry's nephew really enjoyed himself. Of course we all got a little of a sunburn. We then took them back via Topanga Canyon... after we all had taken a shower... we took them out for dinner to Outback Steakhouse... and dinner was awesome... all in all it was a really great first day and everyone had a great time...

Friday, July 25, 2008

Harry's Family Arrives in LA

After driving back from Comic Con in San Diego I picked up Harry then a rental van and drove to LAX to pick up Harry's family. We got there about 10 minutes before the landed. We found out where they would be walking out of and waited. Of course Harry was excited as he hadn't seen his family in over four and a half years. I was nervous because this was the first time I was meeting anyone from his family. We waited and waited what seemed hours but it was only about 15 minutes and we got a call from Bernd (Harry's sister's fiancee) called up and told us they got off the plane and was walking to baggage area where we were waiting. They walked down and Harry and I approached. He first hugged his sister and I shock Bernd's hand. Then Harry's mom got a hold of him and wasn't going to let go. She cried and he cried, she held his face as if she couldn't beleive she was actually holding him.. it was such a sweet moment. I then greeted his mom Zita and sister. We picked up there luggage and then headed back to the hotel.

After several hours in traffic we finally got them to there hotel and checked them in. We then went out to dinner and introduced them to El Torrito.

We dropped them off at their hotel and made plans for tomorrow.

Comic Con Day Two


Today I had only a few hours to spend at Comic Con before I had to head back home to pick up Harry so we could go to the airport to pick up his family. I spent most of my time on the dealers floor taking pictures of people in costumes. I spent most of my time at the Star Trek/Paramount section. They had these cards that you had to scratch and you were given a job. You had to build a crew of eight. If you did you build a team you all got these really cool Star Trek bags and your name went into a drawing for a laptop computer. Even thought my comic con 2008 was short it was alot of fun and I look forward to next years.

Chairman "Mao" at the Corcoran


This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

This is the last weekend for this exhibit "American Evolution" at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, "Mao" by Andy Warhol is the second image, along with Gilbert Stuart's "George Washington" to greet the visitor at the entrance to the "American Evolution" exhibit which artist Jay Rolfe recently viewed at the Corcoran Gallery. Here is the Corcoran Gallery's image of that painting. It makes for a very interesting juxtaposition with "George Washington." "Mao" is much more colorful, larger, and depicts a world leader from another country and culture rather than from our country.

This week in my life

I have all kinds of fun things to blog about today. First, I'm a finalist in the Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Awards. Yay for me!

Second, I did another race. Here's a pic (I'm #522):


Third, I'm giving a workshop on bringing your story to life via collages. For all you SPECIALISTS fans out there, here's the one I did (zoom in and see if you can make out your fav character):


And lastly, NATIVE TONGUE comes out in exactly 6 days!

Endo Sushi


(Yeah, we're sorry we didn't take a picture until we ate almost all the food...it seems we just couldn't wait.)

Endo Sushi is a welcome addition to the greater Clarendon area. I say "greater" because I often forget there's a Clarendon beyond the namesake Boulevard and Wilson, neglecting Washington Boulevard altogether. Maybe if Sawatdee didn't make that Sala Thai so utterly disposable I'd have noticed neighbor Endo Sushi earlier.

I'm not going to pretend that I know a lot about sushi. Besides more obvious egregious errors like funky smell or taste, I can't tell you who has the "freshest" sushi around or whose technique is superior, blah blah blah.

What I do know is that a cup of miso soup and a plate of sushi is often the perfect answer for the inquisitive yet indecisive summer diner. Light enough to save room for dessert, leftovers make a great light lunch the next day, and lastly, maybe most importantly, using chop sticks puts me in a good mood. Sigh, I'm so sophisticated.

If you can allow yourself a wee bit of fried, the veggie tempura appetizer was nice to share. Instantly save calories by allowing your companion to eat most of it, but don't miss the sweet potato. Simplicity being our thing, J got the Combination Roll and I got the Spicy Combination Roll - they were about $10 and $14 respectively. The combos included a little simple salad with the usual ginger-y dressing, a cup of very tasty miso soup, and 18 (!) pieces of sushi. I had 6 of each--spicy tuna, spicy salmon, and spicy Californias. I think J's were tuna, California, and cucumber, but I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong.

Endo wasn't reinventing the wheel, but the place is clean and modern inside and offers an opportunity to be very full (with leftovers) for a reasonable price. It isn't loud inside and service is quick. The appetizer, combinations (2), and two Sapporos totaled ~$42. If you did takeout and skipped the beer and appetizer you'd pretty much be us last Valentine's Day - full wallet and full belly of sushi, enjoyed in the comfort of your own home.

Endo Sushi (Site under construction)
3000 N Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA
703-243-7799 (Why not? The web site doesn't really work yet and I insist you order some takeout) [Editor's note:  I'm seeing this post 1.5 yrs later and the site still doesn't have much on it.]
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Endo Sushi on Urbanspoon

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Our First Wedding Present


Today while at Comic Con I was talking to Harry at home and he said we got our first wedding present. It was from his Sister Gerda and it was the fire pit that we really wanted. Whoo hooo.

Comic Con 2008 Day One

Today I got up super early and left the house at 7am so I could get to San Diego by 9:30, that's when the first day of the San Diego Comic Con started. Everything seemed okay but then I hit traffic and for the next five hours traffic crawled. What should have taken 2 1/2 hours took 6 1/2 hours. I had missed the two panels I really wanted to do that day (Doctor Who and Torchwood). Also since Harry's family is coming in tomorrow night this was going to be my only full day at the con.

I finally got there and decided that I was not going to do any panels and just walk around the dealers room which is alot of fun. The day started off horrible but ended on a high note.. it was alot of fun.

Gilbert Stuart's "George Washington"


Artist Jay Rolfe learned that Gilbert Stuart's Anthenaeum portrait of George Washington, the one you always see, was so popular that many people wanted to buy a copy. So Gilbert Stuart made a number of what he called "plurality" paintings, his copies which were almost identical. Many museums have one, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Corcoran Gallery has two.

In the "American Evolution" exhibit, the older George Washington portrait, painted in 1796-1803 was juxtaposed with Andy Warhol's painting of "Mao" who was the leader of the most populous country in the world. They were right next to each other as the introductory paintings to the whole exhibit. You can see what they looked like next to each other by scrolling back to the post on this blog for July 19, 2008.

Today's photo of the day is the 1803 "plurality" version of Gilbert Stuart's "George Washington." It was painted 170 years before Andy Warhol's "Mao."

This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Vacation Time

Today is my last day of work for a few weeks. Since Harry's family is coming this Friday and our wedding is next Saturday I asked for a few weeks offs to enjoy this time. I am actually looking forward to the time off. Work has been really stressful and busy the past few months and I need a few weeks away from the craziness. I don't go back until August 11th.

John Singer Sargent


Artist Jay Rolfe saw a beautiful, and very large, in fact life-size, portrait by John Singer Sargent of "Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherford White (Mrs. Henry White)" painted in 1883 at the "American Evolution" exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC. It is today's photo of the day.

The exhibit closes after this Sunday July 27, 2008, so if you are interested in the exhibit, this is the last few days.

This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Reliable Source

A reliable source informed me that she and a friend felt sick after eating at Zengo recently. She did some digging, and a handful of other friends reported similar occurrences--first they ate at Zengo, where they enjoyed delicious food, and then they went home and had a bellyache. I wonder how good the food was--was it worth it?

Zengo
781 7th St NW
Metro: Yellow/Red/Green Lines to Gallery Place/Chinatown

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Curse of the Bayou...New Review

"The third time really is the charm for author Mary Cunningham, as her latest installment in the Cynthia’s Attic series is the best of the trio. While books one and two are delightfully entertaining, within a few pages of book three, it is apparent that the writer has grown right a long side her two main characters. Blending parallel universes with very real human issues while allowing the reader to suspend the need for reason is a huge undertaking, and one that Cunningham has met and far exceeded with Curse of the Bayou."

To read the entire review click here
RJ's Cafe: 3rs Reading Den

Colorful pirates, SuRana--a shape-shifting puma, and an old Cajun guide named Mud Bug join Cynthia and Gus as they explore…

CURSE OF THE BAYOU


ISBN: 978-1-59080-575-6
Quake, a division of Echelon Press, LLC


from the acclaimed author of
THE MAGIC MEDALLION
Best Books 2006 National Book Award Finalist
And
THE MISSING LOCKET

The latest quest for the adventurous, twelve-year-old best friends finds them in a Louisiana bayou. There, they search for answers in the disappearance of Cynthia's great-grandfather, Beau Connor, who was on his way down the Mississippi River to sell a flatboat full of produce.

With the help of a magic trunk in Cynthia's attic, this time-traveling duo venture back to 1914 New Orleans. The warm welcome and advice from old friend, Gabriella, is small comfort when Mud Bug warns them to stay away from Buzzard Jack LaBuse, the meanest, orneriest pirate this side of the Mississippi, his gang of misfits, Snags, Darby, and Salty Sam, their thieving parrot mascot.

A trip to the Connor's Southern Indiana farm reveals a strange connection between Beau and Buzzard Jack, and a family curse that might be responsible for Cynthia's great-grandfather's disappearance. Returning to New Orleans, a harrowing ride on a roller coaster sends them farther back in time to 1844, straight into the clutches of the evil pirate, fighting for their lives. A mysterious treasure and heart-stopping adventure lead to a final confrontation in the girls' mission to save Great Granddaddy Beau.




Making Centerpieces

We finally got our final pieces for the centerpieces. We now could actually start building them. The first few were our test centerpieces and turned out pretty good but once we got it down the other six turned out great. We decided to go with a small round vase. We filled it with some sort of candle making wax stuff that was clear. We then put Star Trek micro machines in them along with my favorite flower, Sunflowers and one candle in the middle. We think they turned out quite nice.

Ellsworth Kelly "Yellow With Red Triangle"


This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Artist Jay Rolfe viewed Ellsworth Kelly's "Yellow With Red Triangle" at the Corcoran Gallery recently. It was painted in 1973. This photo, from the Corcoran's website, has the red a little too orange. It was definitely an orange red, but there was more red in it than shows in the Corcoran's image. Jay Rolfe's photo taken in the gallery which had a yellow-beige wall, shows a little more of the red.

For my Son 18"x24"


It's my son, Howard's, birthday tomorrow and this is the 'gift' I will be taking to the family when I make my way over to Sweden in February next year. I really enjoyed painting my grandson and thanks to Margie Johnson for her guidance.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Streak

So last night I check into my room and turn on the TV while I put my clothes away and settle in for the week. I turned it to PBS and I saw that this program was on called The Streak, it was about high school wrestlers who hadn't lost a match for like over 400 times...the streak has went on for years. I got so engrossed in it, then the streak ended and it was so hard to watch because these kids were so hurt by it, the first team to end the streak since the 70's...it was heartbreaking. I can only imagine how they felt, that sense of failure...but I give it to them...they did their best. If you can check it out on PBS, it's quite heartwarming and humbling. I found this link when the streak ended. If you can catch it on PBS you can see how they cried and were oh so hurt, but they did redeem themselves later. A new streak so to speak ;) peace

The Streak

So last night I check into my room and turn on the TV while I put my clothes away and settle in for the week. I turned it to PBS and I saw that this program was on called The Streak, it was about high school wrestlers who hadn't lost a match for like over 400 times...the streak has went on for years. I got so engrossed in it, then the streak ended and it was so hard to watch because these kids were so hurt by it, the first team to end the streak since the 70's...it was heartbreaking. I can only imagine how they felt, that sense of failure...but I give it to them...they did their best. If you can check it out on PBS, it's quite heartwarming and humbling. I found this link when the streak ended. If you can catch it on PBS you can see how they cried and were oh so hurt, but they did redeem themselves later. A new streak so to speak ;) peace

The Streak

So last night I check into my room and turn on the TV while I put my clothes away and settle in for the week. I turned it to PBS and I saw that this program was on called The Streak, it was about high school wrestlers who hadn't lost a match for like over 400 times...the streak has went on for years. I got so engrossed in it, then the streak ended and it was so hard to watch because these kids were so hurt by it, the first team to end the streak since the 70's...it was heartbreaking. I can only imagine how they felt, that sense of failure...but I give it to them...they did their best. If you can check it out on PBS, it's quite heartwarming and humbling. I found this link when the streak ended. If you can catch it on PBS you can see how they cried and were oh so hurt, but they did redeem themselves later. A new streak so to speak ;) peace

Richard Diebenkorn "Ocean Park #83"


Artist Jay Rolfe saw several of Richard Diebenkorn's Ocean Park series of over 140 paintings while in Washington DC. This example, at the Corcoran Gallery, is "Ocean Park #83" painted in 1975. The first image is from the Corcoran's website. The second image is a photo Rolfe took. He thinks this painting looks better framed and on a wall with the floor visible.

This is the latest step of artist Jay Rolfe on his Journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You may view some of Jay Rolfe's signature style, his innovative Pop Art 3-D paintings, on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.


Liberty Tavern...again

Yes, I have tried some new places. No, I can't tell you about them today. We must revisit the Lib Tav, because we just can't stay away. This is just your monthly (or so) reminder that Liberty Tavern is still consistently yummy, unlike some other less acceptable places in the neighborhood

Among other things, J had some crabcake sliders that were cute AND tasty.


I REALLY enjoyed what I billed as "the greenest salad ever." J hesitantly tried it and insisted that he "never knew green could taste this good." I believe it had pistachios, asparagus, chevre, green goddess dressing, and maybe more. What was on it isn't that important; it's not even available anymore, thanks to an ever-changing seasonal menu (that currently includes JOHNNY CAKES!!!!!). What's important is that it was awesome, and as per usual (save the dilemma of Sunday's buffet brunch), Lib Tav has some satisfied (and frequent) customers.


Liberty Tavern
3195 Wilson Blvd
Metro: Orange Line to Clarendon

Liberty Tavern on Urbanspoon