Friday, March 17, 2006

Miscellaneous Drivel

It's Friday night. Jim is on a plane right now headed for Beijing. He's going to be there for two weeks! He's never been out of the USA before. This is going to be an experience for him. He has to go straighten out their China division.

Greg got accepted to University of Texas - Austin after all! He got two letters last week. One from the University saying he'd been accepted, and one from the UT College of Fine Arts saying he'd been accepted. That is amazing! But the boy is going to turn them down. He still wants to go to Texas Tech. He really likes the professors in the music department there, he has lots of friends going there (including someone he already plans to room with) and he just doesn't want to go to UT! So instead of being 20 minutes away in Austin (which is a very cool city), he will be 7 hours away in Lubbock, (which is, well, it's Lubbock. A city in the middle of nowhere actually.) He definitely has to make his own choice. And I guess he is going to go to Lubbock. The fact that UT accepted him is really good because it is a difficult school to get into unless you are top 10% of your class. I guess he gets bragging rights now. Got accepted at UT and turned them down. Then again...... he hasn't done it yet. Maybe he'll change his mind before the deadline? Not bloody likely.

So what to write about tonight? I think I'll share some internet stuff with ya'll.





Sidewalk Chalk Guy paints these incredible pictures on sidewalks. I can only imagine walking along and suddenly finding yourself in the middle of one of these masterpieces! The artist is Kurt Wenner and he has even been documented at Snopes. I wondered why someone would create something so beautiful, something that obviously takes up so much time, and yet it's so temporary. So I went to his website and browsed through the Q&A section. Here is what he says:

Q: How long does it take?

A: I paint somewhere between two and six square yards a day. The complexity of the design and the quality of the pavement determine how much I am able to accomplish.

Q: Are you disappointed when it washes away?

A: I am always aware of the impermanence of street painting. Wind, sun, dirt, and rain constantly remind me as I work of the very fleeting nature of this type of painting. All day long, as I'm creating a new part of the picture, I can see the finished parts already fading. It's a challenge to retouch the picture and keep it fresh for spectators. I'm not disappointed when the painting washes away because street painting is performance art, it's very much like attending a symphony. When the music ends everyone leaves with a memory of the music. My work is the same except one is left with a visual impression. And much like musical recording helps preserve a moment, I photograph my paintings when they're finished.





Random Dumb Blog Quiz


What kind of candy are you?



discover what candy you are @ quiz me


Just remember, I already told you it was dumb!





My Guilty Pleasure

Okay, I have a confession to make. I watch American Idol. I like American Idol. It's all my kids' fault! They always watched it, and I kind of half-paid attention to it. But last year, I really enjoyed it. This year, I can't miss it. It's the only thing on TV that: 1) I know when it's on, and 2) If I can't be here to watch it, I'll tape it. I'm pathetic. Especially since my kids don't watch it anymore because Greg is too busy, and Chris is too cool for it. So I don't even have an excuse for watching it anymore!

I don't vote though. I have to draw the line somewhere! But I want Chris, Taylor, and Katherine to make it to the end. Definitely my favorites. Videos of the performances this week available at this site.

Best place to talk about the show (and other stuff) is American Idol Conspiracy.





Well, I guess that's enough for tonight.... see ya later.