Notes in the wake of a brief LJ hiatus
Haven't posted in a couple of days. A lot has been going on at Chez scarlettina externally, far more internally, some of which won't get written about. But here's the stuff I do want to write about.
"The Last Polar Bear" at the Burke Museum
The Burke--the natural history museum on the UW campus--has mounted a photography exhibit called "The Last Polar Bear," photographs by Steve Kazlowski. I was turned on to this guy's work by oldmangumpus. Kazlowski, whose photography is featured for sale at Science Faction, shoots in the artic. This exhibit features photographs of polar bears and other wildlife in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and talks about climate change and about its effects on animal and human populations in and around the region. The photography is just stunning, the story quite compelling. The exhibit really ought to be mandatory for politicians, lobbyists, educators -- well, frankly, everyone. It's just remarkable.
Puyallup Fair
I attended the Puyallup Fair on Friday with brumbjorn and selinker. I haven't been to the fair in years. We saw more breeds of rabbits than I was even aware existed. We saw many breeds of cattle. We saw enormous stock horses, tiny ponies and miniature horses. We saw runner ducks and turkeys and peacocks. We enjoyed the grange exhibits and saw pumpkins so big that forklifts were required to move them (see pic). We cruised the huckster halls (boy, it's amazing the crap people sell for a living) and the home arts hall (quilting, canning and baking). I pretty thoroughly cruised the fine art and photography exhibits. Some of the photography was terrific. The "fine art" was . . . just fine, I suppose. I wasn't exceptionally moved by much of anything I saw. And we marveled at the hobby halls. The collections on display there were reassuring to me. My collecting mania seems far more benign when put in context of the extensive collections I saw at the fair, like M&M memorabilia, Buffy memorabilia, John Wayne souvenirs, and so on. The most impressive collections on display were the Academy Awards ephemera (tickets, porgram books, autographed glossies and such) and the antique clocks. Myself, I'll be back at the fair on September 20, because I'll be sitting at the coin collector's table for 3 hours on behalf of the Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association. Looks like it could be fun. Anyone wanna go to the show with me that day? I'll be leaving early so I can enjoy the fair a little before I do my table time in the afternoon.
Penny smashers, unite!
I've been organizing a get-together for local penny smashers, and yesterday was our meet-up. Five of us met at Woodland Park Zoo for lunch and for trading. The original idea was to use one of the picnic areas at the zoo. It turned out to have been reserved for some corporate event, and we had to relocate to the Food Pavillion. The turn-out wasn't as large as I'd anticipated. Unfortunately, sara_ramirez_1 found her way to the wrong zoo--you were missed, girl! A couple of other folks had to cancel on account of health or work issues. Still, the gathering was pleasant. Those who showed got to trade coins (I came home with a tidy haul) and got to know each other a little better. It was a nice couple of hours.
Politics, briefly
I haven't been upset by this or anything, but I've been wondering why Barack Obama hasn't been slamming back harder at the Republicans. Perusing the NY Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer today, I've realized why. He doesn't have to. The news media are beginning to do their jobs. I'm seeing headlines like "Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes", "McCain Barbs Stirring Outcry as Distortions", and "Forum sells 'Obama Waffles' with racial stereotypes", among others. Now, of course, the Right probably sees these as Liberal Media Outlets, but I know that Republicans and Independents read these news sources. Some of the message has got to be getting through. Something's not right over there in Red Land.
Current events: A dangerous game
And speaking of the Northwest press, I'm really not sure how to feel about this story. I think the reporter did an excellent job of telling it without taking one side or another. Part of me sympathizes with the story's subject. Another part of me--and I don't know if it's the rules-abiding gamer but it very well might be--feels like there was some very basic stupidity exercised by every party involved.
Just for fun A
jaylake and other friends who travel: This one's for you.
Just for fun B
Stolen wholesale from redaxe:In a victory for both Canadian prog rock and awesomely clever puns, VH1 Classic will ring in Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) with “Rush Hashanah”. The channel will air 24 hours of Rush on September 29th. The marathon will feature two of the band’s concert films, Rush In Rio and R30, plus music videos from the band’s past and present.
Random note
I can't help it. I need another bookcase. Off I go to the Fremont Sunday Market to see if someone's got something I can afford and that will work in my home.
Lastly . . . sympathies
My heart goes out to JoT and his daughter for their loss. Peace and love to you both. My thoughts are with you.
"The Last Polar Bear" at the Burke Museum
The Burke--the natural history museum on the UW campus--has mounted a photography exhibit called "The Last Polar Bear," photographs by Steve Kazlowski. I was turned on to this guy's work by oldmangumpus. Kazlowski, whose photography is featured for sale at Science Faction, shoots in the artic. This exhibit features photographs of polar bears and other wildlife in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and talks about climate change and about its effects on animal and human populations in and around the region. The photography is just stunning, the story quite compelling. The exhibit really ought to be mandatory for politicians, lobbyists, educators -- well, frankly, everyone. It's just remarkable.
Puyallup Fair
I attended the Puyallup Fair on Friday with brumbjorn and selinker. I haven't been to the fair in years. We saw more breeds of rabbits than I was even aware existed. We saw many breeds of cattle. We saw enormous stock horses, tiny ponies and miniature horses. We saw runner ducks and turkeys and peacocks. We enjoyed the grange exhibits and saw pumpkins so big that forklifts were required to move them (see pic). We cruised the huckster halls (boy, it's amazing the crap people sell for a living) and the home arts hall (quilting, canning and baking). I pretty thoroughly cruised the fine art and photography exhibits. Some of the photography was terrific. The "fine art" was . . . just fine, I suppose. I wasn't exceptionally moved by much of anything I saw. And we marveled at the hobby halls. The collections on display there were reassuring to me. My collecting mania seems far more benign when put in context of the extensive collections I saw at the fair, like M&M memorabilia, Buffy memorabilia, John Wayne souvenirs, and so on. The most impressive collections on display were the Academy Awards ephemera (tickets, porgram books, autographed glossies and such) and the antique clocks. Myself, I'll be back at the fair on September 20, because I'll be sitting at the coin collector's table for 3 hours on behalf of the Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association. Looks like it could be fun. Anyone wanna go to the show with me that day? I'll be leaving early so I can enjoy the fair a little before I do my table time in the afternoon.
Penny smashers, unite!
I've been organizing a get-together for local penny smashers, and yesterday was our meet-up. Five of us met at Woodland Park Zoo for lunch and for trading. The original idea was to use one of the picnic areas at the zoo. It turned out to have been reserved for some corporate event, and we had to relocate to the Food Pavillion. The turn-out wasn't as large as I'd anticipated. Unfortunately, sara_ramirez_1 found her way to the wrong zoo--you were missed, girl! A couple of other folks had to cancel on account of health or work issues. Still, the gathering was pleasant. Those who showed got to trade coins (I came home with a tidy haul) and got to know each other a little better. It was a nice couple of hours.
Politics, briefly
I haven't been upset by this or anything, but I've been wondering why Barack Obama hasn't been slamming back harder at the Republicans. Perusing the NY Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer today, I've realized why. He doesn't have to. The news media are beginning to do their jobs. I'm seeing headlines like "Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes", "McCain Barbs Stirring Outcry as Distortions", and "Forum sells 'Obama Waffles' with racial stereotypes", among others. Now, of course, the Right probably sees these as Liberal Media Outlets, but I know that Republicans and Independents read these news sources. Some of the message has got to be getting through. Something's not right over there in Red Land.
Current events: A dangerous game
And speaking of the Northwest press, I'm really not sure how to feel about this story. I think the reporter did an excellent job of telling it without taking one side or another. Part of me sympathizes with the story's subject. Another part of me--and I don't know if it's the rules-abiding gamer but it very well might be--feels like there was some very basic stupidity exercised by every party involved.
Just for fun A
jaylake and other friends who travel: This one's for you.
Just for fun B
Stolen wholesale from redaxe:In a victory for both Canadian prog rock and awesomely clever puns, VH1 Classic will ring in Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) with “Rush Hashanah”. The channel will air 24 hours of Rush on September 29th. The marathon will feature two of the band’s concert films, Rush In Rio and R30, plus music videos from the band’s past and present.
Random note
I can't help it. I need another bookcase. Off I go to the Fremont Sunday Market to see if someone's got something I can afford and that will work in my home.
Lastly . . . sympathies
My heart goes out to JoT and his daughter for their loss. Peace and love to you both. My thoughts are with you.