My pictures are up: http://pics.livejournal.com/patsmor/gallery/000accwb

Painted Glass Beaker This is one of the pictures from the trip to the Getty in LA on 24 July 2011. I've done nothing but upload them, so far!

Time Sunday, July 24 · 10:30am - 4:30pm

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Location Getty Museum downtown LA
1200 Getty Center Drive
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More Info http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/fashion/index.html

The J. Paul Getty Museum unveils a new medieval exhibition tomorrow, which will examine what people wore during this period. Fashion in the Middle Ages, on display from May 31 to August 14, 2011, explores how medieval artists used costumes to identify people by profession or to place them in a social hierarchy and at other times used fanciful or idealized images of clothing.

Trying to get back here more regularly..

At any rate, I've just posted a new gallery of pictures -- Glee and i went whale watching of of San Diego. The pics are here:
http://pics.livejournal.com/patsmor/gallery/000a15zr

Op-Ed Contributor- New York Times, Inc.
The Unsentimental Warrior
By LUCIAN K. TRUSCOTT IV
Published: June 23, 2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/opinion/24truscott.html

Excerpt:

THERE’S one moment in the Rolling Stone article that led to Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s dismissal on Thursday that truly concerned me — and it’s not one of the reproachful comments about administration officials that have been clucked over by pundits and politicians. No, what stood out for me was the scene in which General McChrystal points to the members of his staff and says: “All these men, I’d die for them. And they’d die for me.”

General McChrystal got it entirely backward: generals definitely don’t die for their soldiers, and soldiers don’t die for generals. They die because generals order them into battle to accomplish a mission, and some are killed carrying out those orders. General McChrystal’s statement is that of a man who is sentimental about his job, and who has confused sentimentality with command.

For too long, the Army has been led by sentimental men, by peacocks in starched fatigues and strutting ascetics surrounded by public relations teams. But the Army doesn’t need sentimental generals; it needs generals who can give the kind of difficult and deadly orders that win wars.

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Heard this on the radio today; it reminded me of Jessica's post and of swimming in my teens down at the lake in Jacksonville, FL.

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
The photograph on the dashboard, taken years ago,
Turned around backwards so the windshield shows.
Every streetlight reveals the picture in reverse.
Still, it's so much clearer.
I forgot my shirt at the water's edge.
The moon is low tonight.

Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
I'm not sure all these people understand.
It's not like years ago,
The fear of getting caught,
Of recklessness and water.
They cannot see me naked.
These things, they go away,
Replaced by everyday.

Nightswimming, remembering that night.
September's coming soon.
I'm pining for the moon.
And what if there were two
Side by side in orbit
Around the fairest sun?
That bright, tight forever drum
Could not describe nightswimming.

You, I thought I knew you.
You I cannot judge.
You, I thought you knew me,
this one laughing quietly underneath my breath.
Nightswimming.

The photograph reflects,
Every streetlight a reminder.
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night, deserves a quiet night.


http://www.last.fm/music/R.E.M./_/Nightswimming

Austin Lounge Lizards......

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Cactus Cafe

Concert - 8:00

Univ. of Texas Union; 22nd & Guadalupe

Austin Texas US 512-475-6515

Price: the usual

Please come see us as we play the Cactus. The management and personnel we know and love are putting on this show.

I had a lovely time at the Baronial Land Court in Bryn Gwlad yesterday. It was hot, cooler inside the lovely meeting hall at Katherine Fleischer Park in Austin, altho with so many bodies inside it was warmer than I had expected. The inside is beautiful, and made an excellent setting for the Baronial Court.

I went with Katerine (noxcat), who I intend to make use of as a local native guide -- she doesn't drive, but is happy to go to events, and I'm happy to chauffeur. A great exchange. ;-)

I was delighted to see Brynja (Sandy Straubhaar) -- I met her and her family at Pennsic 9! Her daughter and youngest son are much the age of Jen and Duncan. Between her and Katrine, I met lots of lovely people. I also ran into Daniel of Lincoln, who was in Cynnabar (Ann Arbor) while we were. As my friend Susan said, when we were talking afterward, as you go around in groups like these, you and the people you met are bound to run into one another again and again.

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As I mentioned, I took loseyns and yrchouns to the potluck, which vanished almost immediately. There were a few leftover hedgehogs, and I gave a few to noxcat and a few to Sebastian, the charming young man who is one of the evening managers for the hotel as payment for helping me carry my stuff up to the room. (He offered without prompting -- a really nice young man, as I said.)

And despite looking like a whale in the pictures, my lacing-strings closed the back of the gown together top to bottom! I've lost enough fat across my back and back porch since I got to Austin -- the last time I wore it we definitely couldn't lace it and still have the gown be loose all-round. I even found a picture! Hoobah! That is, Vivat!


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noxcat and I went to see Robin Hood this afternoon at The Alamo, a theatre the like of which I have never experienced! It's like a dinner theatre or sitting in the really good seats at a ball game. In the theatre about every other row of seats is removed, and tables are installed -- about 18" deep. Waiters come through, take your orders, and bring them to you in your seats.

It was really lovely -- and I like the pizza a lot.

Most everything that can be said about Robin Hood has been said, and many of them are right, depending on the expectations of the viewer. I liked it a lot, actually, but then I'm really good at taking movies as stories within themselves, suspending disbelief regarding realities of history, clothing, etc. It was a good story in and of itself, history aside.

And the venue was excellent. I'll have to go again.

Looks like we're going to see Robin Hood on Tuesday, an early evening show. Anyone up for it?