London Transport's new bicycle safety campaign
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
As seen in back (and front) yards
In the last month we've been spending a lot of time outside and working in the yard. And in that time we've seen a number of weird and unexpected things in the back and front yards of our home. First and foremost is April, the homeless woman who we helped out with a sandwich and is now determined to pick our weeds or sweep our steps in exchange for another meal. All the while telling us how the sod we moved from the back yard to the front looks like crap. Not really the way to win favor with someone, but then again, I have been suspect of her social skills since I first saw her (talking to herself).
The news of the back yard is mixed. There is progress with the garden we are trying to create and, like April and her story, some of the things we've uncovered in the backyard are a bit discouraging. (no, I'm not talking about Che) Since we moved in we've been finding trash strewn about in the back, we think thrown into our yard from the house behind us. I have been meaning to take pictures of some of the stuff to document the whole thing, but once you get in cleanup mode the last thing you wanna do is break for the camera. For me there are few things as disappointing as feeling like your property has been violated. When Lauren had her bike stolen I was pissed for along time. You lose your trust in every stranger on the street and how can you walk around in public when you feel like that? When we got in a car accident it was different because the guy was there, held accountable, and we were made 'whole.' If my dog (or someone else's) steps on a nail in the yard or eats some chemical that a neighbor dumped over the fence and into my yard what recourse can I take? In the backyard, every time I pick up a spring or an empty spray paint can or a piece of old drywall I feel helpless and used.
Until now I have only had to pick up and thing or two at a time, while cutting the grass for example. However, on Sundays, Jorge and I usually take a stab at cleaning up our very own Superfund site. A couple weeks ago we were finishing up a weekend of backyard work when I tugged on a piece of red plastic in the back corner of the yard to find a whole bag of old drywall attached to it. We got the shovel out and started our own remediation on the Vargo Brownfield. Two trashbags, several Colt45 cans, some tools, and plastic cover to an air conditioner later we retired for the night. Since then I have started removing shovels full of dirt - and often laden with broken glass - from the top layer and throwing them into empty soil bags. Then I throw the whole bag away. It really is like a remediation operation. Soon we'll bring in Georgia red clay and 'cap' the whole thing.
But all the work is not without progress. The raised beds are in and herbs have already been planted. We need more soil to fill up the rest before planting other seeds. Also, the weather keeps shifting on us. So while we planted some seeds in the 70 degree sun of the weekend, the low last night was 20 and we may have lost them all. To create the beds we took up soil from two spots in the back and transplanted them into the front. It looks really weird (like crap according to April) but we think it's taking hold (and I doubt she could do better). We even bought some bulbs and other plants to put around the foundation of the house.
And that brings me to the front. On Sunday (Easter, one of the few days of the year that hardware stores will close) we were winding down the day by preparing the ground for some foundation plants. I was using the fork to break up the hard ground when up sprang an increasingly scarce commodity 'round our parts: water. I had hit and cracked the main water line into our house. Now we know that the line carrying all our water into our house is plastic and only buried about 3 inches below the surface. We got the water turned off thanks to a neighbor with a key, dug out the area surrounding the break and patched it yesterday. But the cold weather continues to compound our problems. We were afraid it might freeze last night but we made it through. Now were just waiting to see if it leaks again and then we'll cover it completely.
That's not even the strangest thing to be seen in our front yard. Lauren and Jorge came home one night to find a hawk on the front porch. A hawk that they walked right past and into the house. The thing didn't even move! Yes, every day is another, even more strange, non-stop roller coaster thrill ride of domestic excitement at our house.
The news of the back yard is mixed. There is progress with the garden we are trying to create and, like April and her story, some of the things we've uncovered in the backyard are a bit discouraging. (no, I'm not talking about Che) Since we moved in we've been finding trash strewn about in the back, we think thrown into our yard from the house behind us. I have been meaning to take pictures of some of the stuff to document the whole thing, but once you get in cleanup mode the last thing you wanna do is break for the camera. For me there are few things as disappointing as feeling like your property has been violated. When Lauren had her bike stolen I was pissed for along time. You lose your trust in every stranger on the street and how can you walk around in public when you feel like that? When we got in a car accident it was different because the guy was there, held accountable, and we were made 'whole.' If my dog (or someone else's) steps on a nail in the yard or eats some chemical that a neighbor dumped over the fence and into my yard what recourse can I take? In the backyard, every time I pick up a spring or an empty spray paint can or a piece of old drywall I feel helpless and used.
Until now I have only had to pick up and thing or two at a time, while cutting the grass for example. However, on Sundays, Jorge and I usually take a stab at cleaning up our very own Superfund site. A couple weeks ago we were finishing up a weekend of backyard work when I tugged on a piece of red plastic in the back corner of the yard to find a whole bag of old drywall attached to it. We got the shovel out and started our own remediation on the Vargo Brownfield. Two trashbags, several Colt45 cans, some tools, and plastic cover to an air conditioner later we retired for the night. Since then I have started removing shovels full of dirt - and often laden with broken glass - from the top layer and throwing them into empty soil bags. Then I throw the whole bag away. It really is like a remediation operation. Soon we'll bring in Georgia red clay and 'cap' the whole thing. 
But all the work is not without progress. The raised beds are in and herbs have already been planted. We need more soil to fill up the rest before planting other seeds. Also, the weather keeps shifting on us. So while we planted some seeds in the 70 degree sun of the weekend, the low last night was 20 and we may have lost them all. To create the beds we took up soil from two spots in the back and transplanted them into the front. It looks really weird (like crap according to April) but we think it's taking hold (and I doubt she could do better). We even bought some bulbs and other plants to put around the foundation of the house. And that brings me to the front. On Sunday (Easter, one of the few days of the year that hardware stores will close) we were winding down the day by preparing the ground for some foundation plants. I was using the fork to break up the hard ground when up sprang an increasingly scarce commodity 'round our parts: water. I had hit and cracked the main water line into our house. Now we know that the line carrying all our water into our house is plastic and only buried about 3 inches below the surface. We got the water turned off thanks to a neighbor with a key, dug out the area surrounding the break and patched it yesterday. But the cold weather continues to compound our problems. We were afraid it might freeze last night but we made it through. Now were just waiting to see if it leaks again and then we'll cover it completely.
That's not even the strangest thing to be seen in our front yard. Lauren and Jorge came home one night to find a hawk on the front porch. A hawk that they walked right past and into the house. The thing didn't even move! Yes, every day is another, even more strange, non-stop roller coaster thrill ride of domestic excitement at our house.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter
I came across this on aurgasm last week, just in time for Easter. There are also metal versions of it and I'm not sure if it's a music video for the Nathan Larson track or if he just put a score to it. With this music though, it's hard not to watch and think about love. I wonder also what the objects in the back signify.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Art of Work
Emory has an ongoing exhibition of political cartoons going on around campus that includes visits from some of the artists. Jorge and I were at the library when one such event happened to be taking place. Below are a few of the environmental cartoons. Like The New Yorker I welcome your comments to see who can give these the best titles/captions.
Emory's Cartooning for Peace series
Emory's Cartooning for Peace series
Friday, March 07, 2008
NY Phil in Pyongyang
Thursday nights at 9PM on WABE Atlanta you can hear broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic recent performances. Next week, on the 13th, they will be broadcasting the orchestra's performance from Pyongyang, North Korea.
When I first heard that the NYPhil would be going to North Korea I didn't believe or understand it, but I think it is a great cultural exchange even if it is with one of the most tyrannical dictators in the world. The executive director of the orchestra said "This journey is a manifestation of the power of music to unite people." I'm not sure we're united but it is a nice gesture in bridging the gap between a country whose affairs we want to have a lot to do with. I was also surprised that the trip got the approval of the US State Department.
Also I found out that this was not the first such attempt to use music to make peace/improve relations. In 1999, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra made a trip to Havana to give the first performance of a US orchestra on the island since the trade embargo began 37 years prior. If anyone can find a version of this or even a bill of what was performed send it along. In the meantime, check out the Pyongyang performance and let's hope for the best.
Real Audio of performance
When I first heard that the NYPhil would be going to North Korea I didn't believe or understand it, but I think it is a great cultural exchange even if it is with one of the most tyrannical dictators in the world. The executive director of the orchestra said "This journey is a manifestation of the power of music to unite people." I'm not sure we're united but it is a nice gesture in bridging the gap between a country whose affairs we want to have a lot to do with. I was also surprised that the trip got the approval of the US State Department.
Also I found out that this was not the first such attempt to use music to make peace/improve relations. In 1999, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra made a trip to Havana to give the first performance of a US orchestra on the island since the trade embargo began 37 years prior. If anyone can find a version of this or even a bill of what was performed send it along. In the meantime, check out the Pyongyang performance and let's hope for the best.
Real Audio of performance
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