Sunday driver

I went on a wildflower photography junket this afternoon after attending the baccalaureate service for North Ruralville (where I taught two years ago). The wildflowers have taken over with abandon, and there were so many lovely ones to show you!



This is one of my favorites. It goes by "horsemint", "beebalm", and "lemonbalm" most often. The scientific name is Monarda citriodora and the plant contains Thymol (which apparently is used in some mouthwashes). I do know that it is very aromatic when crushed or brushed.





The prickly pear cacti are blooming right now, too.





The sunflowers were well over a foot taller than me!





The Indian Paintbrush is still blooming profusely.





The Butterfly Weed was literally covered with butterflies, including this Common Buckeye.





Prairie Verbena... lovely!


Check back here tomorrow for some more very interesting photos I took today.

A nice diversion for a Saturday

My pal Joy, who lives in Minnesota, was traveling to Texas for a reunion with some of her college buddies, but she also wanted to see me (yay!), so I got to pick her up at the airport and spend the afternoon with her. I needed to get something nice to wear to tomorrow's baccalaureate service, so we went shopping. I had never been to the Stonebriar Center Mall over in Frisco and wanted to see what the fuss was -- wow, it's nice!

We ate lunch at a little Japanese place and I had a lovely plate of sashimi... very delicate-tasting. I also had some hibachi scallops, which were perfectly done and not the least bit rubbery.



I realize that Texas RoadHouse is a national chain these days, but we wanted to make her husband jealous, so we stopped there and I set up the little gorillapod with the camera on the hood of my van.

Proof that squirrels are terrorists

Squirrel at Michigan cemetery wraps nest in Old Glory

The Times Herald reports that workers at the cemetery on Tuesday noticed several flags had been torn off their wooden staffs, which were still in the ground.

The mystery was solved in front of superintendent Ron Ceglarek's eyes. He watched a squirrel detach a flag stapled to a staff and carry it up a tree to the nest.

Wicked vermin. Hank Hill would never stand for this, and neither can I. I'm a little bit too far away to do anything about it at the moment, but you can rest assured that no skwerls within driving distance of me will desecrate my flag.

My little X-Man

When he gets out of the shower, Isaac likes to style his hair like Wolverine.

I'm especially fond of this photograph because it really seems to capture the soulfulness and unusual coloration of his eyes. He really has lovely, lovely eyes.

I'm not biased.

Aim for them, peeps -- aim for them!

Road closed after driver rolls over to avoid a squirrel

WALL — A 21-year-old Howell resident was uninjured Thursday when his pickup truck rolled on its side after he swerved to avoid a squirrel, Wall police said.

Efrain Morales was the sole occupant of his 202 Chevrolet pickup when he was traveling along Allenwood Lakewood Road toward Howell. When he swerved to avoid the squirrel, his truck struck a utility pole, snapping it in half.

You can save a lot of expense fixing (or even replacing) your vehicle and you can spare a lot of people the irritation (and perhaps even personal danger) of losing electrical power to their homes by AIMING for them instead of SWERVING from them.

When you swerve, the terizt skwerls win.

My favorite dress at the prom

There were loads of gorgeous prom dresses last weekend at the Ballyhoo 2009 Prom, but the one on the far left was my favorite:











Probably a product of my inherent love of color and sparkle, but J's dress was definitely my favorite one there that night. There were others that were also quite spectacular:



Her dress had some of the most intricate and beautiful beading I've ever seen. Most other folks felt hers was the winner of the evening, and I can see why they'd say that. It was a truly amazing dress.

I was also quite fond of the white one on the right:



She's one of my yearbook staffers, and when she walked up I thought she looked exactly like the sugary whipped cream on top of an ice-cream sundae. Delish!

Prom is always so fun. It's neat to see how the kids all look when they put a lot of fuss and bother into their appearance.

The real Artist is at work here in North Texas

Hot-pink four o'clocks... my favorite old-timey perennial. Not the showiest you'll have in your garden, but it holds such sweet memories for me of spending afternoons with my great-grandma in her garden. I was soooo surprised and pleased to find that this house had four o'clocks in the yard.






Wild carrot blossom. Yeah, it's a weed. Don't be hatin'. I think it's pretty.






Again with the common daylily... I don't care how common it is, it's still elegant and pretty. And each bloom only lasts a single, glorious day.

God's artwork stuns and amazes me daily.

Got squished yesterday

The lump is not cancer, which is exactly what I thought. Because I've lost so much weight recently, I can now feel all the little lumpy scar tissue masses and calcifications from when I had my breast reduction. Still, it was something that needed to get checked out, so I did. The tech at Solis Health in Denton was extremely kind and sweet, and even though she had to re-squish me about three more times in three different angles (the doc wanted to be certain), the process was not unpleasant.

A friend of the opposite gender relates that he is glad they don't screen for testicular cancer in the same manner they screen for breast cancer.

My baby

That's pure love and loyalty in those eyes, people. Pure love and loyalty.

Or perhaps just the undying hope that I'll share the bone from a pork steak with her.

Nah. It's love and loyalty.

The evolution of a garden, part the first

The cost of restoring the in-ground liner swimming pool in our backyard was prohibitive, both in the actual cost of the restoration AND in the cost to insure and maintain it. I wanted to keep it, but we just don't have the money. I also want a vegetable garden, and it just so happens that the pool is in the precise spot which would be perfect for a bright sunny garden. So we're having it filled in.






Notice Isaac on the far left... as any self-respecting little boy would, he wanted to be right in the thick of the action:















This stuff is hugely fascinating to him:



The dump-truck guy climbed into the uptilted truck to kick out the remaining bits of fill dirt, and I got him to smile and wave for me:


He and his dad are also probably going to be building us a new fence along the back and side of the house to replace the falling-down rotted mess that's currently there.

Tomorrow they'll finish with the fill dirt, then come in with real topsoil to finish it out. I'm already planning the garden: tomatoes, squash, green beans, blackberry vines along the back fence... it's all just so yummy I can't wait.

Uncommonly lovely

It's the common orange daylily, but there's nothing common about this kind of beauty, is there?

Terizt Skwerls are at it again

This time they're invading territory that's near and dear to my heart: Prince Edward Island, Canada.

Squirrel blamed for massive P.E.I. blackout

The fire at a substation outside Charlottetown that knocked out power to half of P.E.I. at the end of April was caused by a squirrel, says Maritime Electric. The squirrel got into the West Royalty substation and gnawed on some wires. The resulting fire eventually led to 55,000 customers being without power...

It's time for an eradication program. Acronym proposals for said program are currently being accepted. I mean bidness, peeps. Bidness.

Leapin' lizards ain't EVEN fast enough

I love to download free podcasts. My favorites include the Naked Scientists, Radio Derb, The Red Panda and Storynory... but there's another one that I never told you about before because I'm pretty sure that ninety-nine percent of my readers would have absolutely NO interest in it. It's a short-story podcast in the vein of Escape Pod (sci-fi short stories) called Pseudopod, and it's a vehicle for short-story horror.

Now before you recoil in -- wait for it -- horror, these are usually much more like the scary stories you used to sit around the campfire telling your little brother so he'd be awake all night long, quite often with a modern twist or an unusual hook. I do not go to horror movies, but I like the creep-factor involved in Pseudopod. Of course, now that I'm linking to it, the next Pseudopod will probably be some hideously gruesome blood-fest that completely contradicts what I've just told you. Hey, there IS an "Explicit" warning on the podcast. You've been warned. And I don't ever listen to it with the kids in the car, so don't worry about that. Heck, I don't even listen to Escape Pod with the kids in the car; there might be a swear word in a story or something. heh

On Pseudopod, the host (Alasdair Stuart) always prefaces each story with the phrase, "...because I have a story for you. And I promise you... it's true."

My beautiful sister just called me up and said, "I have a story for you." I immediately got a mental Pseudopod flash. "What is it?" I said. The tale that follows just might be straight out of Pseudopod... at least, for a mom.

She had just let the dogs out into the backyard and had raised the window blinds so Baby Ava (who's standing and cruising these days) could watch the dogs from inside the kitchen. Then she went to the sink (which is just a few feet from the window). Ava was quieter than usual, so she looked up and saw that she did not have the toy she'd been left with, but was chewing on something. She ran over to her. "What are you eating, Ava?" she demanded. Ava laughed out loud and promptly displayed the fresh pieces of a gecko she'd apparently just caught.

My sister is understandably horrified and was having occasional retch-fits in the retelling of the tale to me. My brother-in-law, ever practical, wondered what the day-care people are going to think tomorrow when they change her diaper and find the REST of the gecko.

Me? I'm darned impressed. Have you seen how fast those geckos can move? This kid's got superpowers, I tell you.

UPDATE: Okay, they found the other half of the gecko. Apparently when my sister had let the dogs out, it had been in the doorway and had met its unfortunate demise when the door was closed on him. Ava was just checking out the leftovers. The other half was on the other side of the door.

Heh... great comment: "Death of an (Insurance) Salesman" starring Ava... LOL!

Thank you

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, 1915

Cemetery near Omaha Beach, Normandy, France

Thank you.
I wish it could be enough, my thanks,
but I know it never could be.
I owe you.

Tea and photos

At the moment I'm enjoying a particularly lovely bit of sencha, or Japanese green tea, and processing the prom photos. This tea differs from the green tea I usually drink because the other kind is from China and is produced in a different method resulting in a different taste and aroma. The sencha is, for lack of a better descriptor, greener-tasting... literally more plant-like and natural. It's a nice change; I like both kinds very much, and it's fun to become more familiar with various teas and their individual characteristics.

I'm not even halfway done with the prom photos, but it's a task I enjoy, so it's not a problem. I think I know which dress was my favorite, but I still have to ask permission from the kids to post their photos. I could do it and blur their faces, but I don't want to -- they were so pretty.

Prom Night

Last night was the Ballyhoo Prom... I donned my Little Black Dress™ and toted the Nikon D80 up to the venue to consort with the Beautiful People. There were some VERY lovely dresses this year; I am still sorting through all three hundred plus photos and I will come to a conclusion as to whose dress was the winner this year. Then I will ask her permission to post it here.

Until yesterday, I actually didn't have a Little Black Dress™, but I went shopping with my mom and my girls to see if I could find an appropriate one that would work well in a variety of situations. I was tickled to find this one, which on first glance didn't seem like The One, but when I tried it on, it just worked. It actually hasn't got sleeves, but my upper arms are in a terrible state thanks to the weight loss, and I just don't have the heart to make people look at them, so I bought a little knit bolero to top it off. Mom gave me a pair of simple black pumps from her closet to finish the look, and I was all set.

I didn't stay for the duration of the event this year; last year I did, and I was pretty wiped out afterward. But this year I had already taken so many photos by ten-thirty, I decided that was enough and I could head home.

I sure hope all the kids have a safe night and don't end up in a wreck somewhere.

Quote of the day

A newspaper accepting government money to stay afloat is about as sensible as an unemployed American woman staving off homelessness by becoming a Saudi housewife.

Jennifer, Feral Genius

Wicked Cool Hubble Pictures

I'm fascinated, frankly, by what our astronauts have been able to accomplish during this Hubble repair mission. Wanna see some pics? Go here and be amazed.

Keep an eye on the kiddos...

Because you just never know what they're going to do while you're asleep:

Toddler buys real digger online

A New Zealand couple nearly found themselves in a financial hole when their three-year-old daughter bought an earthdigger in an internet auction.

Pipi had only been allowed to use the computer for the first time the week before - but is obviously a fast learner.

A good lesson in keeping your computer password-protected AND always logging off!

As an aside, perhaps "Pipi" is a normal-sounding name in NZ, but reading it to myself I'm reminded of something that happened on my recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery in DC. We got off the Metro and walked in to the cemetery; we wanted to make it in time for the final changing of the guard ceremony of the day. Cindy and I both really REALLY needed to go to the bathroom but were afraid we wouldn't have time because the line for the ladies' room was incredibly long and lined up outside the door. Ugh! So we went and lined up for bus fare to ride the shuttle over to the Tomb of the Unknowns.

As we approached the window, I caught sight of the clerk's name tag, which proudly announced her name to the world: Tee-Tee. I whispered this in Cindy's ear, feeling that she needed to know ahead of time so she didn't just burst into uncontrollable laughter when we got up to the window, thus causing both of us to actually Tee-Tee our britches.

Angles among us

Riding on the around-the-park train at Six Flags, I stuck my head out the side and snapped pictures... as I am typically wont to do. This is a barn facade, nothing particularly special about it, but I liked the way the odd angle worked in this photo.

Sometimes holding the camera at an angle gives a cheesy effect, but occasionally it's the right thing to do. I don't often use diagonally-oriented photos in the yearbook because they tend to be disorienting or just gratuitous -- nobody should have to look at a diagonal photo for no reason. There are a few, however, that turned out to be exactly right, and I've got nothing against a good diagonal photo.

Umm... it ain't just speed, dudes. I'm just sayin'.

Police launch I-35 enforcement campaign

The stretch of I-35E being targeted runs from Corinth north to the I-35 east-west split in Denton. It is a dangerous highway — 125 accidents happened along this section last June, July and August. Most crashes were the result of speeding, driver inattention and aggressive driving.

Hey, guys. I'd just like to mention that Denton's microscopic acceleration ramps MIGHT be part of the problem as well as speedy folks. I don't speed through Denton because it's just too dadgum dangerous. If you try to merge onto I-35 while you're in Denton, you're literally taking your life in your hands because the acceleration ramps (without exception, I've found) are about ten feet long. I wish I were exaggerating. Who can dash in between all the semis running sixty-five mph with no acceleration room to do so? I worry to death about my elderly grandparents when they come visit my parents and have to drive on the freeway in Denton.

Interstate 35 through Denton needs a complete overhaul, I'm not gonna lie. It'll probably be even more of a pain-in-the-arse than the interminable 75 project a few miles to the east of us. But it really really really needs to be done. Needed to be done ten years ago, actually. But better late than never.

Do it, guys. Just do it.

Again with the Superman thing...

Superman!, originally uploaded by gradualdazzle.

You may get the impression I got a thing for Superman. Well, I definitely had a thing for Chris Reeve's version of Superman... whadda hunk. Yeah, I think I might love Superman.

Any-hoo, whilst I was at Six Flags this past Monday, I found myself standing at one particular spot where I could see the tippy-top of the Superman ride (one of those tower thingys that has chairs on all the sides that shoots you straight up the tower and then lets you fall back down) right through the arch of the bungee-cord ride. I thought it was kind-of a neat visual effect, so I took the picture.

On a similar subject, a little while back I purchased the original movie score to Superman on iTunes. It is truly spectacular, I must say. During art projects at school I like to play music, and it's better if the music is inspiring but not distracting. I have found that movie scores, particularly instrumental stuff, fit that bill very nicely. And John Williams' work on the Superman movie was truly awesome, in the original and accurate sense of that word. I love listening to that soundtrack, even in the car by myself while I'm traveling somewhere.

Six Flags has a superhero theme to many of its rides, and a LooneyTunes theme to most of the other ones. My favorite ride at Six Flags currently is the Batman, which is one of the coasters that dangles you from above rather than strapping you into a seat. It definitely swirls you around at mind-numbing speeds, but does so in a way that does not then require you to visit your chiropractor afterward. I also rode the Titan, which is a Seriously Humongous Coaster that goes up so high I think I might've gotten a nosebleed at the top of that first hill. Dang, Gina. But I'd ride it again. Oh, yes, I would.

One of the very neatest things about my Six Flags experience this year is that I DID NOT FIND MYSELF GASPING FOR BREATH BECAUSE OF ALL THE WALKING. I am in terrific shape for maybe the first time in my adult life, and it makes the amusement park experience a really fun one, even for an old lady such as myself who refuses to ride things that spin or rock endlessly. I'm ready to go back, to be honest. Tomorrow, even. But then I'd miss work, and I don't wanna do that, because the yearbook MUST GET DONE.

Infrared Coagulation Day!

Or, in other words, the Day I Had a Red-Hot Poker Shoved Up My Arse... which, come to think of it, IN NO WAY DIFFERS FROM HOW I'M ALREADY FEELING ANYWAY... but at least now there's hope of improvement in the near future.

If this is more information than you EVER wanted to read about me, skip the rest of this post and go visit Instapundit or IMAO or somebody, k?

I visited a nice lady doctor in Dallas who only treats this one condition, with various forms of therapy depending upon the state of affliction. She also recommended a few things I had not thought of, but which in hindsight make a lot of sense.

First, she said No More Toilet Paper Ever, World Without End, Amen. Even when things improve, I can no longer use TP. Baby wipes. That's the only thing. TP is extremely irritating, particularly when a person "goes" as often as I do -- an unfortunate side effect of a biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch bariatric surgical procedure. And really, the *only* unfortunate side effect of the BPD/DS, because all the other side effects have been spectacular. Like losing a whole lot of weight, for starters. But I digress. No more TP. Seems reasonable.

Second, she wants me to consume some sort of product with probiotics in it, like Activia or one of the other kinds like that. She said that diarrhea is actually the number one cause of hemorrhoids, not constipation like you'd think. Activia might help restore some semblance of balance in my gut.

And third, the ever-popular Kegel exercises, for obvious reasons.

Finally, an Epsom salt soak in a scalding hot bathtub for 20-30 minutes, two or three times a day. Yay! I love soaking. Gives me a chance to read in peace and silence.

Okey dokey, I think I can handle those things.

She did actually do an infrared coagulation treatment on the most egregious, er, area. I go back in four weeks to get checked and see if things are sufficiently improved. At that time, she'll do another IRC if it's warranted.

Someone I love and respect greatly but who shall remain unnamed actually had hemorrhoid surgery a few years back and told me at that time NEVER EVER DO THAT because it was THE WORST THING EVER ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. I took that warning to heart because this person isn't the sort of person to be over-dramatic. Which is why I'm giving IRC a try. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it really works, because this misery is something I'd definitely wish upon Fidel Castro or Ahmadinejad or Kim Jong Il, but not someone I had even an iota of compassion for.

Pain

Pain, originally uploaded by gradualdazzle.

This is how I feel.

Not a Blackberry, a HACKberry!

Known by most in these parts as a "trash tree" because it tends to be short-lived and it is plagued with many pests, the humble hackberry is much maligned. My mom, however, has a soft spot in her heart for the hackberry -- she loves its bumpy skin, she says:



The trunk of a hackberry tree, as it ages, gets bumpier and bumpier. Compare it to the bark of an oak:



Very different.

Also in my yard is a fig tree, and the other day I noticed baby figs beginning to develop:



Yay! I love figs.



We have several flowerbeds full of this purplish groundcover.



And then I am delighted to announce the impending arrival of my four o'clocks! Hooray! They are my favorite old-timey flower because they remind me of my delightful great-grandmother who used to grow them in profusion around her house.

Thank you to Chickie who showed me some linky-love in her blog today... you mentioned my nature photos, but your columbines are splendid and I am jealous! I love columbines.

Colors and sparkles

Just a little color and sparkle to brighten your day. That's all. No more, no less.

Lawnmower Boy

Lawnmower Boy, originally uploaded by gradualdazzle.

This is what God made children for.

Yay! I made it!

I chose to drive my own vehicle down to Arlington instead of riding on the school bus with the senior class, since there was a very good possibility that I would need to leave and come home if my, er, condition warranted. I had been up numerous times during the night, and at three a.m. I had just given up and I went upstairs to sit in the bathtub again for a while. So it didn't look promising.

I was never really what I would call "comfortable," but until about five p.m. I was in a bearable state most of the time. Instead of drifting among all the different groups of students during the day, however, like last year, I spent the day with the other three teachers that went along as chaperones. They're my three best friends from work, so it was a natural thing, and the company was extremely pleasant all day long. And they were all just fine with riding the "big" rides like the Titan and the Batman (my favorite, the rollercoaster that dangles you from above rather than seating you). I would much rather ride the big rides than waste time on the dinky yuck rides that just spin you around and make you sick to your stomach. Plus, you have lots more to brag about when you're done.

At the very end of the day, while waiting around for all the groups to converge again, I became unbearably uncomfortable and excused myself to my vehicle to wait alone. I wanted to stay with them because they were going to be stopping for supper and I didn't want to miss it.

I had a wonderful day despite my physical discomfort, and I'm really glad I didn't decide to stay home.

Sunday

Grasshopper nymph, originally uploaded by gradualdazzle.

Very, very hard day today. Unspeakable, vile misery. There should be a law against some physical afflictions, really.

Spent a great deal of time sitting in a tub of scalding hot water. This helped, temporarily. I may do it again before I go to bed tonight.

Tomorrow is the senior trip to Six Flags, which I will be chaperoning. I sure hope I can live through it.

Sad news

The cardinal nest is empty. I suppose one of the vile neighborhood terizt cats must've gotten to them.

Abrams knocks one outta the park

My mom took all of us out tonight to see the new Star Trek movie, and just WOW! I loved it! I wasn't sure I would, but I did. Chris Pine as Kirk was quite convincing (and not too hard on the eyes, either), but Zachary Quinto's Spock was simply remarkable. He just nailed it head-on. I definitely would like to see that one again. And again. What a terrific romp.

Robot Voices

I've had this problem several times before, but the robot-voice synthesizer sounds effect is back again today. It happened once earlier this year too but I didn't blog about it then, for whatever reason.

There's a loud tinnitus-type roar, particularly when the TV or radio or music is playing -- as if there's an echo chamber where every tiny sound is amplified and run through a feedback loop. Sounds themselves are very metallic and robotic, like they're being fed through a synthesizer.

Tonight I'm supposed to attend a Pampered Chef party at the home of one of the church members. I'm needing a couple of PC items and had been wondering if there were any consultants in this area. PC consultants were practically ubiquitous in Iowa back when I lived there. Any-hoo, I also want to work a little harder at establishing relationships with the people at church. I've never really been good at that, and it usually takes me quite a while to get close to people (if I ever do). I'm good at the superficial stuff, but I'm pretty guarded and private and I withhold trust from pretty much everyone for a good while. I wasn't always like that, but I've been burned enough times to know better now. Besides, I can count on one hand the number of people I keep really close to my heart (apart from my children, of course), and I don't know that I really need any more than that.

I felt much better today than I did yesterday after the panic attack. I do NOT like panic attacks -- they are NOT FUN and I don't want another one EVER. Which, from what I understand from my research about them, is a typical response that occasionally goes awry resulting in agoraphobia (never leaving the house). I don't think that remaining in the house is going to be a response I have... running away/avoidance is a more typical response for me. But I am coping with the stress and I'm getting things done, much to my relief. It's going to happen, and this yearbook is going to be GOOD. Really, really good, even. I'm pretty proud of it. I think it's a big improvement over last year's.

Anxiety

Vent, originally uploaded by gradualdazzle.

This time of year is always particularly stressful and anxiety-ridden for me, since it's coming down to the wire for finishing up everything in the yearbook and cleaning out my classroom and wrapping up all the loose ends for the school year.

I've signed my contract for next year, so that's not really an issue for me. It's just that there's so much to do and I'm having a severe bout of brain fog that simply MUST clear off NOW so I can get something DONE and stop feeling so panicky.

Monday the senior class is taking a day trip to Six Flags, and I get to chaperone and take photos and generally enjoy myself. I'm looking forward to it, obviously, but a part of me is a little freaked at being away from my desk for a day because I won't be able to work on the yearbook. I am grateful, however, for a couple of my yearbook students who have really stepped up to the plate and are helping me tie up everything.

It will all be over in less than a month. Wheee!!

I can't wait for this fall!!

Kimbell director on "cloud nine" over Michelangelo painting

FORT WORTH - Michelangelo is famous for painting the ornate, delicate ceilings of the Sistine Chapel in Italy. There are only four stand-alone paintings by Michelangelo in the entire world; one of them has just landed at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

In international art circles, it’s a major coup.

Michelangelo paintings and sculptures just aren't sold. The last one may have changed hands back in the 18th century. That was the case until the Kimbell bought the "Torment of Saint Anthony" from an art dealer last week.

"You could not find a rarer object than a painting by Michelangelo," said Dr. Eric McCauley Lee, the artistic director for the Kimbell Art Museum. "It has a powerful aura."

It was painted in 1487 by Michelangelo at the age of 12 or 13.

"I would probably say it started his career," Dr. Lee said.

You BET I'm going to go see this one when it's put on display this fall. It's going to go visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC first for its big debut (dang, sure do wish I could go see it there).

Also on the schedule for fall is the next installment of Fringe. I watched the season finale last night and was hugely enthused to see Leonard Nimoy as William Bell. Also, the hints that Peter might actually have been brought over from an alternate reality... and the ultra-kewl shot at the very end implying that William Bell's office was in the World Trade Center towers in the alternate reality where they had not been destroyed... nicely done, Abrams.

But you're going to make me CRAZY waiting. That's probably the point.

Bright Eyes

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

The babies were all bright-eyed and fuzzy-faced today. I didn't see Mom this time, but diligent Dad was keeping a close eye on me from behind: