Extremes take it out of you. Extreme cold is just as exhaustinq as extreme heat, the only difference beinq cold is far more insidious a leech. I traipsed about town all ruqqed up and apart from my thiqhs was perfectly warm and cozy, and barely lasted an hour, half an hour, between wantinq to find somewhere to sit out of the cold for a bit.
I've walked to the station on Melbourne winter morninqs and had my ears ache, and considered that quite a cold morninq.
Imaqine that sharp freezinq ache takinq up your whole butt. To the bone.
Totally wearinq my thermal leqqinqs tomorrow. I'm sittinq on a heater riqht now, and have been for the last half hour, and I'm still waitinq for my bum to come back to me.
Utterly exhausted. Pleased, but wrecked. Flruqle.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
ICELAND LAND OF ICE
HOLY MOLY I AM IN ICELAND ICELAND ICELAND.
THIS IS VERY EXCITING.
Landed at 6 in the morning, and it was full dark. To say the land was covered in snow, or that snow blanketed the land, or any other number of clichés would be correct but not fitting. THERE IS SNOW EVERYWHERE.
EV
ER
EE
WHERE
Which, for those of you who live in northern climbs is not such a big deal BUT I AM AUSTRALIAN AND THERE IS SNOW ON ALL THE THINGS.
The bus from the airport dropped me at my hostel around 8am, which is far too early for check in. I was more than happy to collapse on one of the many couches available for just such a purpose, but as it turns out, the dorm room I'm staying in is empty. Huzzah! So I was checked in right away. Huzzah! And it is still empty apart from me. Huzzah!
I really haven't done much of interest apart from locate a supermarket and acquire a power adapter (because yes, I managed to enter the country without one before hand, smart move asswipe). Exploration of Reykjavik is for today.
Here is a little taste of what is in store. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the view out my window;
And this is what greets me upon stepping out the front door of the hostel;
YES REALLY.
Nothing opens until 10am, which given my general attitude toward mornings, makes this country tailor made for me. Time difference saw me wake at 4. It is now 9.42 in the A of M, and the sky is only starting to get light.
THIS IS VERY EXCITING.
Landed at 6 in the morning, and it was full dark. To say the land was covered in snow, or that snow blanketed the land, or any other number of clichés would be correct but not fitting. THERE IS SNOW EVERYWHERE.
EV
ER
EE
WHERE
Which, for those of you who live in northern climbs is not such a big deal BUT I AM AUSTRALIAN AND THERE IS SNOW ON ALL THE THINGS.
The bus from the airport dropped me at my hostel around 8am, which is far too early for check in. I was more than happy to collapse on one of the many couches available for just such a purpose, but as it turns out, the dorm room I'm staying in is empty. Huzzah! So I was checked in right away. Huzzah! And it is still empty apart from me. Huzzah!
I really haven't done much of interest apart from locate a supermarket and acquire a power adapter (because yes, I managed to enter the country without one before hand, smart move asswipe). Exploration of Reykjavik is for today.
Here is a little taste of what is in store. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the view out my window;
And this is what greets me upon stepping out the front door of the hostel;
YES REALLY.
Nothing opens until 10am, which given my general attitude toward mornings, makes this country tailor made for me. Time difference saw me wake at 4. It is now 9.42 in the A of M, and the sky is only starting to get light.
Friday, December 02, 2011
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Muppetational!
There are far too many things to do and wonders to see in New York, more than is possible to consume in any length of time. Thus, I have resigned myself to the foregoing of much memory treasure, but I was not going to let slip the Jim Henson exhibition currently on display at the Museum of Moving Image.
It was brilliant. Amazing. And, in keeping with the strong and irreverent spirit of all Jim Henson's creations, it was hilarious. There was a delightful sense of play in all the ventures that Henson pursued, whether or not they ever saw the light of day.
I could not help comparing it to the Tim Burton exhibition, which I saw while it was showing at ACMI. While Burton did branch out into various media, I walked away with the impression that his aesthetic had gone through very little metamorphosis in his many years of work. It is an aesthetic that has become an incredibly strong brand , however without development it does not seem as though the artist has challenged himself.
Henson had also maintained a strong identity through his aesthetic, but this was coupled with a drive to innovate, and as such his work throughout his life has about it a consistent freshness that I did not see in Burton's collection.
Did you know that earlier incarnation of the Cookie Monster was “IBM Monster"?
No photography was allowed in the exhibition, and there were 3 portly security guards patrolling to make sure that all enforced. However, because I am a ninja I did manage to sneak some photos on my phone, and these I share with you.
The below is part of a concept that did not go ahead. When I read it I was aghast. Irreverent and playful his works may be, some of them are down right horrific.
Behold! The Mahna Mahna!
In the light of recent events I found this quote to be topical, to say the least.
For reasons... Wait, no. I think I just figured it out. Bert always put me in mind of a banana and I think that is because he is wearing stripes, and is yellow, with a pointy head, just like a Banana in Pyjamas.
He always reminded me of cricket too. Because of the sweater.
Mum used to call me Oscar the Grouch. No idea why.
ROWLF. (That blue elephant thing that appeared in the rerelease in Jabba's palace ain't got nuffin on Rowlf.)
The frog himself; Kermit.
(This was the hardest photograph to get, unsurprisingly.)
On the same floor was a display of the history and evolution of the television. Some of them looked like works of fiction, as opposed to works from the past.
And then, tucked up very back in the corner, were a few little special effects props from various notable films.
And I flipped THE FUCK out when I realised I was standing in front of the Tyrell Corporation ziggurat. “My mother? Let me tell you about my mother-"
If ever there is an open house tour of the ziggurat, behind-the-scenes may possibly and unexpectedly look a little like this:
In another corner it was a setup which allowed you to create your own stop work animations. Unsurprisingly I made many. I think we spent about half an hour faffing around with these.
The Museum of the Moving Image is not large but holy schmoly well worth the time travel.
Later, I was taken on a passing whim into the FAO Schwarz shop, which is a massive and magnificent toy store. Very, very dangerous. You have been warned. Especially given what is located in the back of the sweets section.
The Muppets Whatnot Workshop?
Oh hell yes I did.
Did an awful lot of trying out eyes and hair, but eventually a decision was made and I signed for my very own muppet with a fluffy fancy pen.
It was brilliant. Amazing. And, in keeping with the strong and irreverent spirit of all Jim Henson's creations, it was hilarious. There was a delightful sense of play in all the ventures that Henson pursued, whether or not they ever saw the light of day.
I could not help comparing it to the Tim Burton exhibition, which I saw while it was showing at ACMI. While Burton did branch out into various media, I walked away with the impression that his aesthetic had gone through very little metamorphosis in his many years of work. It is an aesthetic that has become an incredibly strong brand , however without development it does not seem as though the artist has challenged himself.
Henson had also maintained a strong identity through his aesthetic, but this was coupled with a drive to innovate, and as such his work throughout his life has about it a consistent freshness that I did not see in Burton's collection.
Did you know that earlier incarnation of the Cookie Monster was “IBM Monster"?
No photography was allowed in the exhibition, and there were 3 portly security guards patrolling to make sure that all enforced. However, because I am a ninja I did manage to sneak some photos on my phone, and these I share with you.
The below is part of a concept that did not go ahead. When I read it I was aghast. Irreverent and playful his works may be, some of them are down right horrific.
Dr. Bredlow Freedly is the Muppet scientist who invented MEL (short for Malfuntioning Electronic Logician). Freedly attempts to demonstrate the newest use for this mechanical marvel -- first, the machine will inhale our polluted air. It will then condense the smog, fumes and filth into handy little cubes for shipment to the less industrialised countries of the world. (Zounds! We'll make a fortune!)
Behold! The Mahna Mahna!
In the light of recent events I found this quote to be topical, to say the least.
For reasons... Wait, no. I think I just figured it out. Bert always put me in mind of a banana and I think that is because he is wearing stripes, and is yellow, with a pointy head, just like a Banana in Pyjamas.
He always reminded me of cricket too. Because of the sweater.
Mum used to call me Oscar the Grouch. No idea why.
ROWLF. (That blue elephant thing that appeared in the rerelease in Jabba's palace ain't got nuffin on Rowlf.)
The frog himself; Kermit.
(This was the hardest photograph to get, unsurprisingly.)
On the same floor was a display of the history and evolution of the television. Some of them looked like works of fiction, as opposed to works from the past.
And then, tucked up very back in the corner, were a few little special effects props from various notable films.
And I flipped THE FUCK out when I realised I was standing in front of the Tyrell Corporation ziggurat. “My mother? Let me tell you about my mother-"
If ever there is an open house tour of the ziggurat, behind-the-scenes may possibly and unexpectedly look a little like this:
In another corner it was a setup which allowed you to create your own stop work animations. Unsurprisingly I made many. I think we spent about half an hour faffing around with these.
The Museum of the Moving Image is not large but holy schmoly well worth the time travel.
Later, I was taken on a passing whim into the FAO Schwarz shop, which is a massive and magnificent toy store. Very, very dangerous. You have been warned. Especially given what is located in the back of the sweets section.
The Muppets Whatnot Workshop?
Oh hell yes I did.
Did an awful lot of trying out eyes and hair, but eventually a decision was made and I signed for my very own muppet with a fluffy fancy pen.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Fred & the Beagle
The VanderMeers took me on an excursion to the St Marks National Wildlife Refuge, for a 5 mile hike through the wetlands. It was perfect, and I could go on at length about the beauty of the park and flood you with too big, badly edited photographs, but instead I am going to share one incident.
We were walking by the larger lake, watching a clique of ducks set out from the shore. Tubby little black birds, they moved as a very tightly huddled group. Our comments scrambled mid-sentence as a much larger bird came flying in low to the water, a deep wingspan and shining white head.
"Is that a-?"
"That's a Bald Eagle!"
And not just a Bald Eagle, but a Badass Eagle (hereafter referred to as "Beagle").
Defying the laws of physics and matter, the ducks drew even closer together as the Beagle strafed over them. They paddled about in a panic, the flock splitting to confound the Beagle then unifying as the Beagle drew up for another pass. The Beagle hovered and feinted a couple of times, but the ducks remained united.
Except for Fred.
Fred decided to stick it out alone, and the Beagle figured if Fred was goinq to make things easy for him, he was okay with this. The Beagle dove down at Fred! However, Fred was a canny duck, he was all, "AHA! You shall not catch me!" and dove under water.
The Beagle, who was old hand at all this, was all, "Whatevs, you're gonna come up for air soon," and without further waiting the Beagle plunged into the lake.
Where, it must be said, he floundered about not at all unlike a graceless chicken, to the point I turned to ask my companions if he was in fact stuck and goinq to have to wade over to the shore to get out.
I did not give the Beagle enough credit. With his mighty wings he broke free of the water.
With Fred.
Nature is badASS.
We were walking by the larger lake, watching a clique of ducks set out from the shore. Tubby little black birds, they moved as a very tightly huddled group. Our comments scrambled mid-sentence as a much larger bird came flying in low to the water, a deep wingspan and shining white head.
"Is that a-?"
"That's a Bald Eagle!"
And not just a Bald Eagle, but a Badass Eagle (hereafter referred to as "Beagle").
Defying the laws of physics and matter, the ducks drew even closer together as the Beagle strafed over them. They paddled about in a panic, the flock splitting to confound the Beagle then unifying as the Beagle drew up for another pass. The Beagle hovered and feinted a couple of times, but the ducks remained united.
Except for Fred.
Fred decided to stick it out alone, and the Beagle figured if Fred was goinq to make things easy for him, he was okay with this. The Beagle dove down at Fred! However, Fred was a canny duck, he was all, "AHA! You shall not catch me!" and dove under water.
The Beagle, who was old hand at all this, was all, "Whatevs, you're gonna come up for air soon," and without further waiting the Beagle plunged into the lake.
Where, it must be said, he floundered about not at all unlike a graceless chicken, to the point I turned to ask my companions if he was in fact stuck and goinq to have to wade over to the shore to get out.
I did not give the Beagle enough credit. With his mighty wings he broke free of the water.
With Fred.
Nature is badASS.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
"I'm not sipping on tea while typing this eating crumpets."
Earlier in the year I created a profile on that notorious dating site OkCupid, not because I was looking for anything, but because a friend of mine who shall remain anonymous told me a hilariously wrong bad not good story of a fleeting interaction she had on the site, and I just had to get me some of that.
Online dating gets a bad rap from the older generations. We still don't understand that society is online now, it is normal to meet and make friends online, and have them be genuine and true. It's no longer a weird or even shameful thing to have met your partner online. I've actually had a fantastic run on the site, I've met genuinely awesome people who I have kept as friends. Ace? Ace!
That said, I'm on it for the people watching. Below is a selection of messages I've received since changing my location to the US of A. I have responded to none of these. Some of them are examples of what not to do, some of them are "WTF?", and some of them are just plain amusing.
The next two are a single message.
Online dating gets a bad rap from the older generations. We still don't understand that society is online now, it is normal to meet and make friends online, and have them be genuine and true. It's no longer a weird or even shameful thing to have met your partner online. I've actually had a fantastic run on the site, I've met genuinely awesome people who I have kept as friends. Ace? Ace!
That said, I'm on it for the people watching. Below is a selection of messages I've received since changing my location to the US of A. I have responded to none of these. Some of them are examples of what not to do, some of them are "WTF?", and some of them are just plain amusing.
The next two messages are from the same chap, one after the other.
I am a bit of a Bitchface McBitchy for putting these up for mockery, I know. I do acknowledge that a great many people dipping their toes into the world of online dating are looking for something specific, as opposed to just looking, and for those people this is Serious Business and therefore they are taking significant risks with their heart and happiness by putting themselves out there.
Good for you. You know what you want, and your out there getting it.
Keep a sense of humour though. When it comes down to it, there is nothing about dating that isn't funny.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Parkway
Today I went strolling with a friend and his canine companion in the late afternoon, beside a creek and under the interstate. There was gridiron training, and children with sticks, and robins, and clean air.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Big Ol' Pile o' Panda
I completely failed to see anything of San Diego while I was there, and so don't really count the city has having been visited. Did, however, put aside a whole day for the zoo, which was so completely and utterly worth it, and maybe I should have put aside two days, because there was a lot of beasties I didn't see even though we tore arse around the zoo.
There are many photos, and they are not all of animal butt.
I was lucky enough to hit the Giant Pandas just as they were finishing up lunch, and as such the two on display were pretty active, and I managed to get this video of the most adorable and ineffective grooming you will ever see.
There are many photos, and they are not all of animal butt.
I was lucky enough to hit the Giant Pandas just as they were finishing up lunch, and as such the two on display were pretty active, and I managed to get this video of the most adorable and ineffective grooming you will ever see.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Egypt
THERE IS A WHOLE FREAKING EGYPTIAN TEMPLE IN THE MET. A WHOLE TEMPLE. YES. WITH GRAFFITI AND ALL. A TEMPLE. PLUS MUMMIES AND SARCOPHAGI AND STUFF. WTF.
The wonder of which a camera cannot capture. So you don't get to see those.
There are various study halls around the Met in which bits and pieces of 'stuff', ie, "we're not sure what this is or it isn't intact enough for exhibition but is still of interest and value, so..." are crammed into display cabinets. This one swallowed me to distraction with all the interesting little bits and pieces, and it is photos of these inglorious little fragments that I am most enamored of.
Herbie did his best in the low light, but I still had to do some colour corrections. Badly. Eh!
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