Another Time.

I was not the only person who wanted to get their picture taken with the famous Wall Street 'Charging Bull.' The scrum of tourists didn't let up at any time during the morning that I was in the area.

A Metaphor for Something.

With a bit of extra time before my train left, I spent an hour on a misty Sunday morning wandering around the Financial District and Battery Park in New York City.

I headed south to see if I could catch a glimpse of the State of Liberty through the light rain, but was instead treated to the sight of two statues. Now, we all know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, but did you know that when you speak to her she responds in a man's voice. In Spanish.

I'm sure that a Spanish speaking Statue of Liberty wrapping an American flag around an Asian tourist is a metaphor for something, but I don't really know what.

After the Invasion.

The last time I saw streets this empty I was living on a little island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The monthly fuel tanker had broken down (or skipped us or didn't pay the monthly bribe or who really knows what happened) and the island very quickly ran out of gasoline.

Within about a week, the road (singular) was almost completely devoid of cars. The local government was able to find enough fuel to run the island's one school bus, and this was used as a makeshift commuter shuttle for all of the government employees.

But the rest of the road was empty. This meant that I could finally ride my bike down the middle of the street, weaving back and forth without a care. On occasion we work ourselves up into questions about a post-oil future, but I'll say that for a few weeks it was quite nice.

Capitol Hill wasn't having a fuel shortage this morning, but several blocks were closed off to traffic for a 10k run. I wasn't officially registered for the run, but I was able to take advantage of the empty streets while I was out jogging on my own. And once again, running down the middle of normally busy streets held a certain charm.

Oh My!

Okay, okay. Everybody just calm down. There's nothing to get excited about 'round here.

Curios.

One of our gracious hosts for the weekend described the Museum of Jurassic Technology as, "Quirky beyond..." and then her voice just kind of trailed off. And that's probably one of the better descriptions out there.

Inside the museum itself (which, naturally, is housed inside a random old house in Culver City about 2 blocks from a giant movie studio) one can watch a short film that explains the origins of the museum. According to the film, the museum is essentially a shared relation to both the modern museums of today, and also carnival sideshows.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology traces its lineage from the collections of relics held in European churches throughout the middle ages to the quiet reading rooms of learned men who would sit, surrounded by their collection of curios while waiting for inspiration from the muses. Thus the root of the word Museum.

Or maybe it's all just a hoax. Or a collection of odds and ends left in a set of deteriorating shadow boxes and dioramas.

I have a suspicion that it is more than a hoax, but it can be hard to explain how a dimly lit collection of impressionist portraits of dogs from the Russian Space Program qualify as the trigger for inspiration from the muses. Or maybe it's not difficult at all.

The Chairman.

The man responsible for the death of 40 - 70 million people? Or a hip reference for an organic "peasant style" Chinese food restaurant on Melrose?

Converged.

I would really love to have seen the business plan these guys presented for a loan.

"Well you see, we're proposing a business that, are you ready for this, provides, are you ready, Thought Convergence!"

"That's right! Our business will Converge Thoughts! Together! All in one place!"

"And we're gonna call it, are your ready? Thought Convergence!"

"Now where do we sign for that check?"

And then.

And then? Well, one can hardly visit the desert outside of LA without a trip into LA too. To some living out east, California (and Los Angeles in particular) can seem another world.

For instance: what does it mean to be California Casual? Fine Wines and French Fries might be a good start.

Right 'round.

Just back from a very nice, but much too brief, visit to Palm Springs. A bit of wind, but otherwise the skies were clear and the windmills were spinning.

The windmill is, I suppose, a rather ancient technology (Wiki says the first ones were built in the year 1 AD), but every time I see a giant field of rotating blades powering unseen generators, the whole tableau seems very futuristic.

Tradition!

Ah DC, just like downplaying the murder rate (we're only number 7 in the nation!) and gentrification (housing prices are UP), the first snow of spring is a regular tradition. A few pictures from around the neighborhood before today's high of 44 melted last night's dusting.

Produce.

In the produce section at Safeway, filling a bag with broccoli. An older guy is next to me filling up a bag with green beans:

"Oh, no no. Broccoli is not for me. None of that cauliflower either. Nuh uh. I'll stick with these here long beans."

Gotta Hand it to 'em.

Good to know that the Arlington Fire Dept. has a sense of humor (and bear drawing skills). I guess a lot of guys were kicking the flush handle?

Still Fresh.

I inherited from my mom a tendency to take pictures of flowers, either growing wild or simply part of a bouquet on the table.

There's probably an obnoxious comment to be made about globalization and the ability to have fresh flowers in DC while there's still snow in the street, but I'll just appreciate these for what they are for now.

Up Again.

Just couldn't resist another beautiful sunrise photo. Makes the morning a lot more bearable.

More Language.

Today in class I learned:

Una persona sin alfabeta; an illiterate person.  But more literally a person without alphabet.  It sounds so much more sad that way.