30 Incredible Abstract Satellite Images of Earth
"At ground level, one can only imagine the sheer beauty of mountain ranges, deserts and deltas seen high up from NASA’s satellites. One can imagine - yes - however, they wouldn’t be quite prepared for the fact that from 400 miles away, the earth transforms into abstract art. The global landscape is impressionist, cubist and pointillist. Mother Nature is an abstract artist."
The Subtle Art of [Photoshop] Decapitation
If you're like me and have already started thinking about your Christmas cards, this photoshop tutorial may come in handy: How to decapitate yourself (or anyone else) using Photoshop. Be a hit at parties! Entertain your friends! Decapitate the people you loathe!
The "Mojave Experiment"
"We've secretly replaced these people's Windows Vista with Folgers Crystals, and the coffee actually works better as an operating system than the years-in-development software that Microsoft created! Who knew?" In all seriousness, this is one of the single lamest marketing ploys I've ever seen, so of course I had to share.
"Religion is Poetry"
I'm not sure how much I agree with James Carse's point here; if pressed I'd probably say I buy a "soft" reading of it, but it did give me a lot to think about, and I plan to read his book once I've whittled down my reading list a bit.
When we were in Breckenridge, we found this shop that was nothing, basically, but wigs and hats. And since I don’t really have anything deeply reflective to write about today, I thought I’d share with you something I don’t share enough: my own willingness to completely embarass myself ad the people I love. It does deserve noting here that I didn’t remember to white balance until halfway through taking all of these. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:
We went to Casa Bonita yesterday. For the uninitiated, or those who haven’t seen that episode of South Park,it’s like the Mexican version of Chuck-E-Cheese, on steroids: awful food, but people in gorilla suits jumping off of cliffs, a really shitty arcade with decades-old video games, puppet shows, and hordes of awful children running around like little hellions. It’s wonderful.
It’s completely quiet here right now. My dad, who hadn’t been feeling well enough to join us, decided yesterday that he’d go ahead and drive up. He arrived this afternoon, and now he, my mom and John have all gone back to a lake high in the mountains to catch some more fish. Brian zonked out shortly before they left, so I told everyone to go on, we’ll stay here. Sam is sniffing around in the backyard; he’s completely delirious with all the new adventures. Today Brian and I hiked up the big hill behind the cabin, taking Sam along with us for the longest walk he’s been on since we adopted him.
Things are perfect. I’ve finished my first book and am almost completely done with The Complete Persepolis,which you must read, if you haven’t. (I haven’t seen the movie but would now like to). Sometimes the best thing about a vacation is the time you get to spend being totally quiet. This is one of those times.
When you work in education you have a sort of skewed view of summer. While we’ve only just seen the final threats of frost, the academic year is almost over, and with that annual transition comes a bit more freedom and relaxation. True, I will continue to work 40 hours a week through the summer, but things will be relaxed and free for the immediately forseeable future, and I’m beginning to make summer plans. These include a week at a cabin in Dillon, Colorado with my family, a couple days off after Oklahoma City Pride in which I’m going to see the B-52’s, Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho and Joan Jett on the True Colors Tour in Oklahoma City, and, this next project.
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Great Oklahoma Road Trip 2008.
I was thinking last week about setting some new goals for myself for the summer, and the very first thing I came up with was to go see at least 5 places in Oklahoma that I’ve never seen. The image above, for example, is in Major County’s Glass Mountain area, a place I’ve only heard about in passing, but - look how beautiful it is! As much as I love my state, there are a ton of places in it I haven’t seen - some I’m sure that I don’t even know exist.
So, this summer I’m going to take 5 trips around the state to places I have yet to go. The old holdouts - Meers, the Wichita Mountains, Red Rock Canyon - they’re all great, and I’d love to see them, but I want to find some new places, some new day trips. I WISH I could go ahead and get a one of these:
But I can’t afford it as yet, and anyway, Calvin can ponk around the state for a summer, his moon roof open and the speakers blaring. (Unless some lovely benefactor wants to buy it for me, or if I get a wild hair, sell Calvin, and buy the Vespa anyway).
Anyway, here’s the challenge for you guys: I need suggestions. I have an Oklahoma travel guide, an agritourism map and some friends who know this state more intricately than me, but still. Suggest away! I’m eager to explore Oklahoma, and I’m eager to bring you guys along with me, even if it’s just in blog form.
This is a photograph of me in St. Stephen’s Green over 9 years ago, in March 1999. Has it been that long since I first set foot in Ireland? Apparently it has. I’m thinking about it because last night Brian and I sat up with two of our best friends and plotted a trip for summer 2009 that would have us going back there, as well as to Prague and Venice. Concrete-ish plans were made, which is exciting, though nothing is by any means final. Still and all, it’s exciting to think that one day I’ll come back and stand in this same spot again, though with much better hair and less-baggy clothes.
Friday afternoon I left work early, ran home to finish packing and was on the road by 5:30. For the first time in six days I was going to see Brian, and I was sort of panicked to get there as quickly as possible.
The drive from Oklahoma City to Dallas is remarkably easy and fun, and this time of year it’s especially beautiful on the plains, as the winter wheat is coming in and turning everything a really vibrant green. I had the music on loud and made excellent time. I spent the last hour of the trip talking to Woody on the phone; it was perfect.
Arrived at the Belmont, greeted Brian with affection enough to kill a normal human being, and then we decided to mix Buffalo Trace with Coke - who knew? - and then go out. We spent a few hours at J.R.’s talking up some very nice fellow Okies and doing a bit of really quality people-watching, our wit assisted by various and sundry libations and also by Mary J. Blige.
Saturday was surprisingly consequence-free, as we had no hangovers and enjoyed a brunch of chorizo tacos at Cafe Brazil before taking off for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Mockingbird Station was packed, and it took us almost half an hour to find a parking space, but the parade was fantastic. My camera went dead halfway through it and I was tired by the end, so we decided to escape the post-parade traffic and go in search of food.
We got back over to the Dallas Observer After-Party just in time to get in the beer line, which is where we were when Ghostland Observatory hit the stage. It was a fantastic show, but I came to the awful realization that Dallas is, in fact, America’s preppiest city. The realization first started when, as we were standing in line and watching Ghostland take the stage, people kept asking, "Now, who’s this band? When’s Ghostland Observatory coming on?"
Okay, now - I’m not hardcore by any means; a reasonable case could be made for labeling me a "poseur," but the fact is that when I go to see a band in concert I try to find out a little about them beforehand. In this case, Ghostland has been one of my favorite new-to-me acts since Jonathan demanded, on this very website, that I get into them. And get into them I did - muchly. I love them rather rabidly. Turned out most of the people at their show only had a passing familiarity, which I suppose is fine - hopefully they went home more appreciative.
But the preppiness - OH MY GOD THE PREPPINESS. I saw more Ralph Lauren clothes in that place than you find in most Dillard’s stores. People were dressed like they were on a freaking yacht rather than at a rock concert. Is this the new thing? Is preppy back? Pleated shorts, God help me. One guy had on pleated shorts and a PASTEL YELLOW SWEATER. Seersucker, and golf visors and loafers without socks and sweaters tied around shoulders - it really did look like a Young Republicans convention and not a rock show. I need someone to reassure me that these were just a bunch of rich, white-bread SMU kids and that they’re not indicative of some national trend somewhere. Because - dear lord. Seersucker?
Whatever, fine. Ghostland played an awesome show to a so-so crowd, and I realized, for the millionth time, that drinking beer in the sun does, in fact, screw with your body a little. At any rate, I got a few cool clips of the concert:
Oh, and yes, I KNOW that clip is very very blue - I forgot to white balance my camera before taking it. Please don’t leave comments telling me how to do this BECAUSE I KNOW ALREADY.
Afterward we headed back to the hotel, planning to change and then hit the English Beat show at the Grenada Theater. But - sun and beer - I was tired and really just wanted to order some room service and chill, and, it being our vacation and us being adults, that’s exactly what we did. We skipped the show altogether, despite the fact that I’ve been dying to see the English Beat live since high school. It just felt like the right, relaxing thing to do.
Yesterday was an orgy of shopping - West Elm, Urban Outfitters, Crate & Barrel, because, after all, WE ARE WHITE PEOPLE, AND WE ARE RIDICULOUS. We hit IKEA last, where we somehow ended up with a new bed, new dresser and a whole bunch of various and sundry crap which I’ll be glad to photograph for you once it’s all assembled. We felt pretty sick on the drive home, and while I’m feeling better now, Brian took today off work.
I don’t speak for him on this, but as far as I’m concerned, some major stomach discomfort is worth every second of this weekend - it was exactly what I needed.
So, this weekend is already going to be hella-awesome. Brian’s been gone on business since last Saturday night, and now he’s in Dallas. I’m driving down tonight and we’re staying at the Belmont; awesome. Last time we stayed there was during our vacation last year. I plan on ordering blackberry mojitos from room service, lounging by the pool in the expected record high temperatures, and doing a fair bit of shopping at West Elm, Restoration Hardware, IKEA.
I plan on hitting S4 and JR’s for drinks and dancing. I plan on shaking my ass at the English Beat show on Saturday night.
I’m in some kind of nirvana from which I don’t plan to emerge, possibly ever. At least not until Monday, and considering that next week is Spring Break and my workplace will be uber-relaxed, I might stay in this euphoric state for well over a week.
One’s more expensive than the other, but possibly more fun. The latter, however, involves the possibility that I might be able to talk a certain pair of ska-loving Texans to come visit DFW for a weekend (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE).
There are two times of year that I generally hate. One is late summer, near the end of August and the beginning of September, when the summer’s been going on too long and you’re just staring at your sweaters and jeans, begging for an Arctic blast to come so you can dig them from the closet once more.
The other time of year that I find myself, um, just a little cranky is now-ish. Late winter. It’s been going on for too long, and I think we’re all beginning to believe that this is the year that it just stays cold and that nothing ever warms up or gets better. In late winter, it’s malaise.
Brian’s been feeling it too, and we need to get out of this town, out of our lives for awhile. A trip to Vegas would be nice - I’ve been pricing deals at Worry Free Vacations and Orbitz and found one in particular that was incredibly tempting, as it offered a weekend staying at the Wynn, and another which had a room at the Venetian.
But to be honest, at this point I’d take a weekend in Dallas or Austin, anywhere where it’s marginally warmer and sunnier than here, where I can pretend my e-mail is broken and where I can just relax and be for awhile, where I can have a few drinks, take some photos, maybe play a slot or two. We did Vegas about this time last year and it was completely restorative and lovely, despite my initial reservations about going someplace so touristy. Seriously, we’re going nuts here; it’s time to pull out the big guns. Suggestions?
