mt rainer
dog or tree?
forest creatures
view from mt constitution, orcas island
me
waiting for the ferry
Tag Archive for 'life'
I heart John Stewart.
(I especially liked the baseball scene.)
From a recent hike to Lake Lillian.
I never actually made it to the lake, which I guess isn’t that uncommon. There was snow at the ridge, and I ended up losing the trail. (Made more exciting by the fact that the mosquitos attacked every time I stopped to look for it.) But the surrounds were beautiful. I think it may be one of my favorite hikes.
About a year ago, the New Yorker wrote an article on Robert Lang and his crazy mad origami skills. I thought it was super cool, and wrote about it. Here’s a newer piece that he’s done (yes, it’s one piece of paper):
In the latest TED talk, Robert Lang goes into more technical detail on how his origami designs are actually created. (I watched this on my new black, 16 GB, super sexy iPhone while working out. It rocked.) The geek in me was intrigued.
One of the other talks I watched was by Benjamin Zander, on music and passion. He speaks about the world’s approach classical music and the power of inspiring. It’s also definitely worth a watch.
My mom just sent me the trailer for the next Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It looks REALLY good.
It’s directed by David Yates, the same director of the last movie. Also, from his IMDB profile, it looks like they are making the final book in to TWO movies…
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is supposed to release “sometime this year” according to the trailer… and 21 November 2008 according to IMDB.
… credit card, that is.
Just noticed that flickr has partnered with CapitolOne. You can now put your own photos from flickr on your credit card.
It’s a pretty genius idea - one of the reasons I like my current credit card is that it has a picture of Stanford on it. And whenever I use it, it reminds me of my college days, friends I made there, experiences I had, etc. The warm fuzzy usually only lasts about 2 seconds, but I like it enough that it’s a disincentive to change credit card companies.
Anyways, smart marketing move. Nice one, Flickr & Capitol One!
I just read a fascinating article in the New Yorker: “First Impressions: What does the world’s oldest art say about us?” by Judith Thurman.
Here’s an excerpt from the first paragraph:
…After a visit to Lascaux [a cave in the South of France] …, which was discovered in 1940, Picasso reportedly said to his guide, “They’ve invented everything.” What those first artists invented was a language of signs for which there will never be a Rosetta stone; perspective, a technique that was not rediscovered until the Athenian Golden Age; and a bestiary of such vitality and finesse that, by the flicker of torchlight, the animals seem to surge from the walls, and move across them like figures in a magic lantern show (in that sense, the artists invented animation). They also thought up … scaffolds to reach high places; the principles of stencilling and Pointillism; powdered colors, brushes, and stumping cloths; and, more to the point of Picasso’s insight, the very concept of an image. A true artist reimagines that concept with every blank canvas—but not from a void.
And I’m back. And totally jetlagged.
Spain was great - a fabulous country. I will definitely go back again.
Also, it turns out that "vacation" vacations do have some nice perks over "adventure" vacations:
- Being able to brush your teeth without worrying about getting sick.
- Being able to eat fruit from street vendors without worrying about getting sick.
- Knowing that you’re not totally screwed if you lose your passport.
- Not stressing about safety when calling a cab.
- Western toilets.
Oh, and amazing wine and cheese. Though, the exchange rate is rather killer.
Next trip? I’m thinking back to south america - but who knows. 
Pictures coming soon.
Me, in front of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. Taken an hour before sunset with the help of a park bench.
The last stop in my trip to Spain was Bilbao. The city in recent years has become an international destination with the building of the Guggenheim. The building, designed by Frank Gehry, is shaped like a “ship” with fish-like titanium scales. I loved how it caught the colors of the city at different times of day.
The collection housed inside of the Guggenheim was much smaller than I expected. The temporary Munoz exhibit was very good, and my appreciation for Richard Serra grew after seeing his permanent pieces. But overall, the building itself much overshadowed the art inside.
the guggenheim from across the river
the “fish scales” texture
my rocky run
spider
organic lines of the building
water fun
blue is blue
twilight
a little bit of vegas
at night
reflections
dancing
San Sebastian is an absolutely gorgeous beach town. Unfortunately, it got hit with a case of “seattle weather” while I was there…. so there wasn’t a lot of frolicking on the sand. Fortunately, Spain summer sales started that Monday - so I ended up being pretty productive anyways.
looking down at san sebastian
relaxing with sangria & new yorker
window dressings
seaside
soccer on the beach
merry-go-rounds
beach
can you hear me now?
twilight near the beach