Like a Shooting Star

Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star on display at Zamperini Field

The South Bay area used to be the heartland of US aviation and aerospace industry. If you look around, you'll come across an occasional relic from the bygone Jet Age and Cold War periods of flight technology. One such example is the lovely "T-Bird" featured in this post.

The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is a trainer aircraft built in 1948. It's so small and fragile that it boggles the mind that people actually could take this up to 600 mph!!!

In the US, they are retired and on display at aviation museums or outside community airfields for all to appreciate.

Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, Tail #90505


I sat down on that bench, but it felt odd having a jet providing my shade. ;-)

Dahlia Delights

Dahlia Show at the South Coast Botanic Garden


It's been a while since I last covered a flower show for you. Hopefully this will make up for the lost time. We've got ten photos to share with you today. And plenty more to share on Friday.

I've expressed my opinions regarding dahlias in an earlier post. This show really brought out their attention hogging quality. Each flower was commanding the spotlight. It was like a floral diva convention. ;-)

Let's look at some of my favorites.


Dahlia: Santa Claus


I don't know why anyone would name such a beauty "Santa Claus" but it is red, white, and round. LOL!!!

Kiss and Cry

Kim Yuna performs a sit spin as part of her James Bond Medley short program (2009-2010 Season).

We can't let the day end without wishing a Happy 21st Birthday to skating great, Kim Yuna of South Korea. She's a wonder to watch skating with grace and skill upon the ice. I normally root for the US skaters, but Queen Yuna won me over with her amazing blend of superb technical skill and charismatic program performances. She doesn't always win the competition, but I feel that she's the best total skater currently on the ice.

The thing that surprised me about Kim Yuna is that I expected her to be yet another "jump-bot" kid. When she was a girl skating on the Junior level, it was obvious that she was gifted in athleticism and agility. But there was no hint that she would master the intangibles of quality program components. That's usually the trait of a mature skater, not a teen. However, as soon as she entered the Senior level of competition, she learned how to skate like a Lady.

Finally, she has reached a biological age that matches her style. ;-)


Kim Yuna performs a spiral as part of her Lark Ascending free skate (2006-2007 Season).


Let's look at some of her finest performances.

Seeking the Sublime

Detail of Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon (1830-35) by Caspar David Friedrich

I always have a tough time listing my favorite anything, from book to movie to song. This is also true in choosing my favorite painters. However, I'm certain the Caspar David Friedrich consistently makes the top five. Friedrich was born on this date in 1774, so let's take the opportunity to appreciate his unique genius.

I feel that his style is the definitive look to Romanticism, especially as regards contemplation of the Sublime. Moreover, his muted colors and overwhelming spaces creates that sense of loneliness or insignificance that characterizes the later Gothic aesthetic. Additionally, his focus on death and transience works as a critique of materialism and the "heroic arrogance" of classicism and neo-classicism.

In Friedrich's world, the sublime grandeur of Nature reduces human accomplishment and material ambition to inconsequential ruins. It's a profoundly terrifying view that has influenced Western aesthetics up to the contemporary era.


Detail of Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) by Caspar David Friedrich


So what can humanity do? Contemplate the awesome spiritual immensity of the Sublime.

Between the Sacred Silence and Sleep

Daron Malakian in the video for "Chop Suey!"


Wow! It's already been 10 years since System of a Down released Toxicity. A whole decade!!!

I remember listening to this album when it just came out. The emotional intensity of the lyrics and performance was captivating. Being a long time enthusiast of both heavy metal and alternative rock, these songs captured the best parts of both styles. In the autumn of 2001, I must have listened to this album a hundred times while exercising.

Serj Tankian's voice can be both comforting and harsh. In either case, it's cathartic. I really adore this album.


System of a Down's Toxicity was released on September 4, 2001.


Let's listen to some music.

Dancing with Mr. Pickle

Mr. Pickle holds a sign advertising the location of his sandwich shop.


Of all the types of advertising, having some poor fellow stand on the sidewalk, holding a sign, seems to be the least effective. I always just drive right past them, scarcely noticing them or their message. And that's the problem! A message unread is a failure of communication. The business is paying good money to hire some chump to stand on the sidewalk and the employee is wasting precious time under the relentless sun breathing car exhaust for chump pay. It seems to be a lose lose situation.

However, if the employee is wearing a costume absurd enough to capture the drivers attention, then the situation changes. This is further intensified if the employee does something engaging, like dancing or hopping about. Suddenly, it isn't some poor slob languishing on the sidewalk. It's a costumed mascot providing the bored driver with streetside entertainment. Moreover, the held sign becomes a focus of the street performance! Now, we're making progress on building brand awareness. ;-)

Best of all, kids love dancing mascots. An appealing costume and talented performance can drive kids to nag their parents to visit the shop where they can see the mascot. That's the appeal of one of the most famous fast-food mascot, Ronald McDonald, although his antics originated in televised ads.


"I'm Lovin' It", Ronald McDonald leads the youngsters into his restaurant.


So, next time you're driving down the street and see some poor chump hopping around in a gorilla suit, considered whether this is effective marketing. Does this drive customers to the advertised business?

And be cool to the humiliated employee underneath the silly costume. They're people too.

Rockin' the House

Memphis Slim (birth name: John Len Chatman) was born on September 3, 1915.

We can't let the day pass without celebrating the music of blues great, Memphis Slim. He is associated with the jump blues, a style that utilizes a small swing band featuring horns. His music became highly influential among later generations of blues performers. He even had an R&B chart topping hit with "Messing Around" in 1948.

He was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1989.


Memphis Slim at the piano



On the Surface of an Egg Shell

Reflection on the surface of Jeff Koons' Cracked Egg (Red) at LACMA


It's a holiday weekend, which means that posting will be sparse until Tuesday. Have a great weekend!!!



The Jane and Marc Nathanson Gallery at LACMA featuring Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog and Cracked Egg (Red).

 Enjoy!!!

Standing Above the Crowd

Inhabitants of Landes by Jean Louis Gintrac


It's not often that my mind turns to the consideration of stilts. But reading the background of Cirque du Soleil CEO, Guy Laliberte, it mentions that he was once a stiltwalker. Wow! That's quite a career change!

Now, I know that stilts have gotten a bad image from association with creepy clowns and Uncle Sam marching in a parade. For fans of superhero comic books, the pathetic supervillain Stilt Man may have left a lasting negative impression. However, stilts have a long history as a viable means of traveling over difficult terrain. Moreover, modern stilt dancers can give some awesome performances.


Stilt Man on the cover of Daredevil v.1 #48 (1969) by Gene Conlan and George Klein


So, let's try to dispel the images of the absurd, creepy, or cheesy.

Friday Flowers: Bougainvillea

Purple bracts of the Bougainvillea glabra vine.



from Tanka Diary

(By Harryette Mullen)

Don't need picket fences, brick wall,

or razor wire. Our home's protected by

prickly pear cactus and thorny bougainvillea.

LOL! Yeah, I'm not a fan of the "thorny bougainvillea" that springs up all over the South Bay. But I was in the mood for purple flowers and, although I snap floral pics throughout the week, I didn't get any good examples for this episode of Friday Flowers. And so we feature a vine. . .

Bougainvillea at the Redondo Beach Civic Center Garden

Actually, I'm not a bougainvillea hater. As an ornamental vine, they are a solid design choice, especially since they come in a wide variety of colors. I prefer magenta or purple, but each garden has its own color scheme that the bougainvillea can match. Additionally, they make for a very nice bonsai plant as an indoor ornamentation.

Frazetta and the Martian Princess

". . . Nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her figure!"


My earlier post focused on colored artworks, but some of my favorite illustrations of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series are Frank Frazetta's pen and ink interior illustrations. Here are two from Princess of Mars. Good stuff!!!



"Scarcely had his hideous laugh rung out when I was upon him. . ."



Music or Mars?

John Carter of Mars and Dejah Thoris (2009) by Julie Bell and Boris Vallejo


Since I'm in a bit of a rush today, we'll compress the celebration of Edgar Rice Burroughs' birth date (1875) and Johann Pachelbel's (1653) into one post. This may become the model for future days when I'm torn between two inspirations. Since Burroughs has plenty of illustrations to depict his work, but few quality videos, he'll have the front page. Meanwhile, Pachelbel has virtually no interesting images but many, many vids. So he'll come after the jump.

Today we'll focus on images of Burroughs' Barsoom. Why? Well, there is a John Carter of Mars movie coming out later this year. Second, Dejah Thoris, princess of the Martian city-state of Helium, is the original interplanetary super-hottie. Many an illustrator has been inspired by this Martian muse. ;-)


Cover art to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Princess of Mars by Frank Frazetta (1970)


If it's Tarzan or images of the Hollow Earth land of Pellucidar that you desire, then wait until next year or so.



Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium (2010) by Frank Cho


As regards Barsoom, Princess of Mars was published as a serial in 1912 and republished as a novel in 1917. The series spans 11 books. The success of this series created the Planetary Romance subgenre of Science Fiction.