Mt Rainer & Orcas Island
mt rainer dog or tree? forest creatures view from mt constitution, orcas island me waiting for the ferry
U.S. men win 4x100m free relay
I finally watched the 4x100m men’s race. It’s amazing. Jason Lezak start the final leg WAY behind, and just powers his way through to win it. BADASS, and just inspiring. Watch the video here! Read about it here. Coming from behind: Lezak on the left. Bernard, of the French team, on the right.
The Daily Show – “The News Better Run” Commercial
I heart John Stewart. (I especially liked the baseball scene.)
Lake Lillian
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.
Origami
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 …
Movie Trailer: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
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.
Design-Your-Own Plastic
… 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 …
Cave Art
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 …
Back From Spain
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 …
La Sagrada Familia
La Sagrada Familia is Gaudi‘s “masterpiece.” Construction on the temple began in 1882, and has been ongoing ever since. Gaudi died in 1926, and so several different architects have been tapped to flesh out the master’s design. It was especially interesting seeing the interior of the temple, which had progressed significantly since I was there 4 years ago. the famous shape of the la sagrada familia the soldiers were modeled after the shapes on the la pedrera’s roof parts of the passion facade sculpture of jesus ceiling of the temple an unfinished stairwell …