Something in the neighborhood of twenty years ago, I was in my high school Independent Study in Art class, and my teacher started talking about this con man called Christo, who would wrap things in fabric and call them art.
Years later, I’m reading about a horrible accident that happened today in 1991:
33-year-old insurance agent Lori Keevil-Matthews visits an outdoor art project installed by Christo. 1,760 yellow umbrellas were scattered along the ridge line of the Tejon Pass, near Interstate 5 in Southern California. Then a freak 40 mph gust suddenly picks up a 485-pound umbrella, slamming the spectator against a boulder. She dies on the scene.
I decide to go check out what this Christo is all about, and presto, I find his website, replete with a gallery of some of his work. I start to look at this stuff, and suddenly it hits me – I like it. It’s not a painting, or a sculpture, or anything like that. It’s more than that. It’s of a scale that most people wouldn’t attempt, and is executed with a certain sense of style that really takes one’s breath away. I can almost imagine going to see one of these projects, perhaps on a day that’s not windy, and taking in the sheer breadth and scope of what Christo and Jeanne-Claude are able to accomplish.
So, after years of thinking that this man was the con artist of the art world, I must now change my opinion and declare that I believe him to be a man who has crafted some very beautiful landscapes, which is something he should be darn proud of.
I’m not sure what to say, except that this website heralds the apocalypse. Start stocking your pantries now. Get ready for the roving bands of mutants. Society is going to fall.
You may not believe this, but I think Paranormal Urination would be an awesome super power. Imagine that you’re called to stop a bank robbery in progress. The villain, resplendent in striking color-coordinated spandex, would sneer at you and say, "Do you think you can stop me, pipsqueak?" Suddenly, he’d start peeing himself. That would distract him long enough for you to knock him over, take his super-weapon, and save the day.
If this Rosemary Hunter person turns out to be genuine, she should become a crime fighter.
I’ve been wanting to change the look of this site for a while, so rather than get off my butt and code a theme from scratch, I installed and configured Release Candidate 2 of K2, a new theme for WordPress. It’s a very versatile theme, and let me do a lot of customization (adding the picture I took when Daniele went on our first photo safari through Los Alamos and the Jemez as a header, for instance). I’m likin’ the way it came out.
There may be some links that don’t work like they used to, so if you find one, let me know.
Here’s a route that Daniele and I have used a few times for exercise. It’s a really pretty ride, down along the bosque. As long as you travel when it’s not too hot, you’ll have a really nice ride.
Over the labor day weekend, we drove out to California during an unusually horrible heatwave to spend some time visiting with our friends, the Bramhalls. During our visit, in addition to sweating, we had the opportunity to ride our bikes along the Pacific Coast Highway, which was an absolutely wonderful experience.
You can see our route on the map below. We started in Carlsbad, rode about ten miles south along the coast, then turned around and came back. I’m hoping that we’ll have the opportunity to do more rides like this in the future.
I decided, nearly a year ago, that I was going to start using an Apple Macintosh computer as my primary computer at work so that I would have an unbiased perspective and broaden my horizons to include a new platform.
After several months of use, I can now say—with authority—that “it just works” is a load of crap.
On April 9, 2007, Amie and Jason tied the knot in a beautiful (impromptu!) wedding. It was one of the happiest, most fun weddings I’ve ever witnessed!!
Andy performed the ceremony, and I still giggle like a dirty minded 5th grade boy when I say, “Andy married his sister!”
Something in the neighborhood of twenty years ago, I was in my high school Independent Study in Art class, and my teacher started talking about this con man called Christo, who would wrap things in fabric and call them art.
