I really do love this city

So apparently, DC has something called "Foto Week" where various photography exhibits are on display all around the city. I am evidently totally out of touch, because Christina had to alert me to such an event. Anyway, we went to one exhibit called "A Disenchanted Playroom" at the Goethe Institute. This German photographer basically sat kids in front of a TV, watching cartoons I think, and took pictures of their facial expressions as they watched. The result was 13 children, all with blank stares, just totally deadpan. It was a pretty interesting experiment, ending with 13 really kind of creepy photographs. I suppose the idea is to spark a discussion about what we're putting our kids through, and how desensitized the next generation is becoming. Pretty cool.

But the next exhibit was really awesome. It was at the 6th & I Synagogue - an exhibit called "Soul Cages" by Joshua Cogan. His background is in anthropology, and his work has obviously taken him to some really interesting places where he's been able to take some amazing photographs. His photos really capture moments and places, helping the viewer to feel like he or she has been there, too. And besides what his photos can teach you, they're beautiful specimens of color and composition. If I had an extra $400 lying around, I'd totally buy a framed print for my house. Here's an example of one - Masai women of Tanzania:



The exhibit also included photos taken in Ethiopia, India, Washington DC, and Jamaica. Check out more of his stuff at http://www.joshuacogan.com.

I really wish I had the time to hone my photography skills... Anyway, if you have time in what's left of this week, I highly suggest checking out an exhibit or two. See the events at http://www.fotoweek.org. Happy photo viewing!

What? TV doesn't dictate YOUR life?

I thought today was Saturday. Why? Because my TV turns on in the morning according to a set time, and always on NBC. So I wake up to The Today Show. Well, apparently the normal weekday cast (Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, and Ann Curry) are all on assignment for the "Ends of the Earth" special or whatever it's called. So this morning, the weekend cast was on.

I thought it was Saturday. Oops.

Awash in Mediocrity

So, I finally got my new car on Sunday. Well, it's new to ME, anyway.

And as you may have guessed from the title of this entry, I got me a Toyota Corolla. Yes, I have joined the millions of people who are driving this car. And it's really not as mediocre as M.R. said! I mean, the gas mileage is already better than my old Jetta was. With a 29 city mpg rating, it beats my Jetta's highway rating! The only thing it really lacks is the sunroof, but I can live without that. Other than that, it's a reliable car with a great warranty, and I think it was an all-around great choice. Also, unlike my old car, it has a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, lots of storage space, "wood" accents, and probably won't break down every 3 weeks.

So I'm happy. I am back on the road. Now to re-conquer the highway...

I need ginko biloba

Memory is important for a lot of things. You need it to graduate school, remember important moments, get through the day and function as a normal human being. But most importantly, it should be used to remember disappointing meals.

A few weeks ago, I bought a frozen dinner that looked delicious on the box. I took it home, followed all the preparation directions, and was all excited about eating it. Bite #1 totally fell flat. Well, maybe I didn't put enough gravy or potatoes on that bite... Bite #2: equally disappointing. Well, luckily my sister is the human equivalent of a goat, so she'll eat just about anything. She finished off that meal for me. Awesome.

Today, I went to the grocery store to pick up some things and grab some lunch. I went to the frozen food aisle, picked up a meal that looked delicious on the box, and brought it back to work. "Sweet," I thought, "a nice, hot meal for this cold day..." Well, I opened the box, and the packaging and preparation directions seemed eerily familiar to me. Yeah, you guessed it. I bought that same disappointing meal that I couldn't bring myself to finish all those weeks ago. Unfortunately for me, we're in a recession (and even if the country technically isn't, I sure as hell am), and it's no time to waste food. Also, my goat-sister isn't here, so guess what... I'm chokin' that bad boy down like my life depended on it.

Marie Callendar's Country Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy and Glazed Carrots.
Please don't let me buy it again.

Car Shopping

I hate it.

I just want a brand new car that's fully loaded with a phenomenal warranty and free maintenance for life. And I want to pay next to nothing for it.

Is that too much to ask????

Yo Voté!!!

So I voted yesterday, and look what happened! We have a half white, half Kenyan, with an Indonesian stepfather in office! WHOO HOO!!!!!!!

And yes, I'm happy. Obviously. As I said weeks before, I knew who I was going to be voting for pretty early in the campaign, and I am a registered democrat.

But honestly, regardless of who you voted for, however you feel about the results, you should be proud to have been around for this moment in history. I was born in 1981, and I can't really remember an historical moment (a POSITIVE historical moment) like this in my lifetime. And this is monumental. I just hope that we can all drop our partisan attitudes to unify this country and pull it out of the mess it's in.

If you voted yesterday, GOOD FOR YOU! You helped make history!