Back at Ground Control

Display of the Rocketdyne Operations Support Center at California Science Center

Although I said a little while back that I would only be posting "Image of the Day" types of posts, the desire to share a bit more than a pretty picture occasionally gets the better of me. Since I have some time today, here are a few photos from my trip to the California Science Center to view the space shuttle, Endeavour.

It was an impressive exhibit. The various artifacts from the shuttle missions, diverse elements ranging from the "Space Potty" to the Space Shuttle Main Engines, presented a very engaging display of information. Merging the very human concerns of food and digestion with the highly technical elements of space flight, the exhibition was well grounded and very accessible.

The space shuttle Endeavour

But I was surprised by how wonderful it was to see the actual craft. It's a bit embarrassing to confess, but I got slightly choked up on seeing the Endeavour, feeling a bit of something similar to religious awe. Walking around and under, measuring by stride its length and width, viewing the tiles and surface texture, personally experiencing one of humankind's most remarkable constructs was shockingly vivid.

I'm curious to return again, perhaps sometime after the crowds of Summer. I wonder if this numinous sense of something "transcendent" will persist.

Something Good Is Going to Happen

Detail of Chromasonic Field (Blue/Green) installation by Johannes Girardoni

Although there have been a few "downs" to counter my "ups", I'm feeling moderately good about the direction of my creative development. Certainly, there are still kinks to iron out and the constant grind of self-improvement, but things are looking positive.

Moreover, I've been doing things that I love, like visiting art galleries. The photo above is from my trip to Nye and Brown in Culver Gity. Hopefully, I'll have time to share some more art related photos with you. ;-)

But, for today, let's wrap this post up by celebrating Kate Bush's birthday.

"Cloudbursting" by Kate Bush

Enjoy!!!

Make It Magnificent

Enlightenment (2005) by Dale Chihuly, at the Mingei International Museum, San Diego

A new month is upon us and that means we can try anew to make this a better blog. ;-)

As long time readers may recall, I have a weird fascination with stairways. So, I was looking through my vast collection of staircases and I came across this one from the Mingei. Well, the stairs aren't the focus, but the Chihuly glass sculpture is certainly well worth a viewing.

And, while we're on the topic of glass, I'd like to celebrate the birthday of Debbie Harry, born on this date in 1945.

Debbie Harry, from Blondie's video for "Heart of Glass"

So, let's listen to some music.

Friday Flowers: Rainbow's End

Roses: Rainbow's End

Yeah, I'm still on my rose kick. ;-)

"Rainbow's End" by Modern English

Enjoy!!!

When a Dancer Becomes a Dance

Flashdance was released on April 15, 1983

Given the 30 year anniversary of Flashdance, I have been looking at some of the classic dance movies of the late '70s and early to mid '80s. In my youth, I was not a fan of the genre. However, I've grown to enjoy both the performance aspects of such movies and the symbolic significance that dancing holds within the narrative.

So, in Saturday Night Fever, the dance is a form of escapism, a way of forgetting the slow death of daily life, an uplifting moment when pride overcomes despair. In Fame, the performances are about honing a unique genius for expression, a distinct talent that can lift one from obscurity and hardship, bringing the much desire fame. In Footloose, rebellion, from stifling rules and small town petty "moralism", is expressed through the dance. And, in Dirty Dancing, the confidence and self-determination of adulthood is gained through the dance.

But in Flashdance, what is the purpose of the dance? Well, it's a glass slipper. The means through which Cinderella may become a princess, and catch a prince. Unlike the other classic dance movies of the era, the story is too simplistic and contrived to carry any deeper message. While her friends may fail at realizing their dreams, Alex prevails by narrative fiat over her uncertainties and social awkwardness to win the prize.

Jennifer Beals starred as Alexandra Owens, a welder by day and exotic dancer by night.

Well, the story was really mediocre, but the dance scenes are fun. The cinematography and editing style became vastly influential, having an obvious influence upon later movies, such as Footloose and Dirty Dancing. Although there is no "training montage" scene, the framework of the genre staple is laid out in the "Maniac" practice scene. Yeah, we luv the '80s. ;-)

So, in celebration, put on your dancing shoes, take your passion, and make it happen. What a feeling!!!

February: Decades of Music

Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" was one of the hits of February, 1998.

It's that time again, when we take a stroll back through the years and listen to various hits from over the decades. This month, our selection is eclectic, ranging from instrumental to hip hop, but it's predominantly mainstream. I didn't go looking for off-the-beaten-path songs. Diverse though they may be, these were all chart toppers.

For all the criticism that can be lobbed at popular musical tastes, it's kind of nice seeing how different styles and sounds gain prominence over the decades. Any list that includes such varied music as from the likes of the Bee Gees and Queens of the Stone Age, Toto and Alicia Keys, is a list that can be appreciated. These songs capture the quirkiness and trends of their day.

Alicia Keys' "Like You'll Never See Me Again" made its mark in 2008

Well, let's listen to some music.

Writing Love Letters

Detail of Young Girl Writing a Love Letter (1755) by Pietro Antonio Rotari

This week, we've got a bunch of holidays crowded together. When celebrating Mardi Gras, two days ago, I posted up an appropriate work of art from the local art collection. I figured that would be a fun thing to do again with today's Valentine's Day post.

Therefore, here's Pietro Rotari's Young Girl Writing a Love Letter, one of my favorite paintings from the Norton Simon Museum. I adore her coquettish, sidelong glance and confident, almost saucy, demeanor. Her actions indicate that she's daydreaming about the object of her adoration, but her pose implies that this object is actually the viewer!!! It's a playful piece that I enjoy visiting time and again, both to appreciate the work and to observe how other viewers react to it.

It's especially fun to see the difference in reaction between women and men. ;-)

Anyways, we can't have a holiday post without Barbie.

Queen of Hearts Barbie (1994, designed by Bob Mackie) says "Happy Valentine's Day!!!"

Likewise, whether you have a sweetheart or are currently going solo, this day, like every other, can be as good as you can make it. So, seek out that which makes you happy and have a wonderful time!!!

January: Decades of Music

The Bee Gees kicked off their Saturday Night Fever success with "How Deep Is Your Love"

I stopped writing the old "Monthly Dance Party" posts a while back because of two reasons. First, although it's fun to look at different musical trends over the decades, contrasted in five-year intervals, I didn't feel as if my writing was giving anything special to the topic. My posts were little more than a couple pictures and a list of videos.

Second, I got lazy. Feeling as if these music posts were just list-compiling drudgery, I couldn't muster up the energy or enthusiasm to write about the songs or my experiences of the music. Yeah, with a little effort, I could have addressed my first concern, but that very problem broke my morale and sapped my will, creating a vicious cycle of negative feedback. My posts were vapid and that drained my enthusiasm, which, in turn, kept me from improving upon my posts.

That's kind of stupid, but that's how it went down. But, with a new year, I'll try to start the project up again and try to make things more interesting. We'll see.

Artwork for Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" from the interior of the Wedding Album 

This month, I went easy on the selections with nothing too far from the mainstream. I didn't hit many Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers, but they all probably made good chart positions. Sure, I could have dug a bit deeper into the music, turning up forgotten gems, but there's nothing wrong with mainstream music.

After all, we're here to have fun. ;-)

Looking at the Sun

The Sun behind a telephone pole

I'm an old-timer when it comes to photography, with most of my habits developed way back in the film exposure days. Although I have been using a digital camera for the past decade, I have a hard time shaking the techniques learned for an obsolete technology.

Lately, the unusually cold weather, at least for Southern California, has been weighing upon my mind. One idea that popped into my mind was whether or not the upper atmosphere would have enough ice crystals to create nice solar halos. People who live in northern climes are familiar with the phenomena of light refracted through ice, but the climate conditions don't show up that often in the Los Angeles region.

So, when running about my business, I looked up and, sure enough, I could see the circles glowing around the sun. Then, I began my quest to find a way to occlude the disk of the sun, so as to showcase the halo, earning many a green retinal burn along the way. ;-)

The sun partially obscured by a lamppost and the clouds

To be honest, I have never been much of a "Sky" photographer, especially not with a subject as difficult as the sun; give me the moon any day, or night. But repeat attempts brought out some decent images. It was a nice day for sky-gazing.

The rice blue skies, the wispy clouds, and the solar halos made for tough but engaging compositional elements. As the day progressed, I got to snap them from different angles. It was a fun project.

The upper arc of the solar halo, peeking over the top of a streetlamp

And that's when I came to a revelation. . .

Post #666

Devil School Girl by Coop

So, I was considering what the topic was going to be for today's blog post. Was I going to finally put up some museum photos? Or would the Christmas festivities get the spotlight? And then I noticed my post total. It was 665 posts.

Well, only a persistent blogger gets to enjoy a 666th post. So, here's a lovely, popsicle-suckin' Coop devil girl to celebrate the event right. ;-)

And how about some music. . .

Friday Flowers: Lilac

Syringa Vulgaris: Common Lilac "Letha E. House"


Yeah, I have a whole bunch of flower photos to share with you all. This is one that I took last week while visiting the Descanso Gardens. There weren't many flowers in bloom, but this pretty little lilac was holding strong in the face of our California winter. ;-)

Purple is my favorite color. So, lilac has a special appeal for me.

Common Lilac


Very, very pretty.

Space Age Nostalgia

The Jetsons first aired on September 23, 1962.

A couple things have turned my mind to the Space Age over the past few days.

First, today marks 50 years since The Jetsons premiered. Although the original run was just one season, I must have seen each episode multiple times as reruns. I never really loved the show, but it did capture my imagination with its bright mid-century futurism. Yeah, it was a cartoon, but the science fiction tropes of the setting authentically reflected optimistic views of future technology, such as the robotic maid and flying cars.

Well, with fifty years yet to go before we get to the Jetsons' time, we might have robotic servants, but I'm doubting that there will be floating cities and flying cars anytime soon. ;-)

Space Shuttle Endeavour flies over northern Redondo Beach

The second thing that brings up Space Age nostalgia took place last Friday. As the Endeavour flew around the Southland, it seemed to be a bittersweet celebration. The dreams of manned space flight feel so distant, from a different era. Of course, I have no fond memories of the Cold War and living under Mutually Assured Destruction, but the space program seemed like the bright and inspiring silver lining to the long nuclear standoff.

Finally, when Endeavour flew into view, I was so excited to wave goodbye to this old icon. Certainly, I enjoy looking at the images from our robot explorers on Mars or floating through space, but I really hope that a manned space program isn't too far away in the future.

Oh well, there's always our imagination in which to explore new worlds and fantastic situations. ;-)

Judy Jetson, dreaming of a bright future.

Let's listen to some music.

Dance Party: August

Meg White as a Mexican prostitute in The White Stripes' video for "Icky Thump"


It's time for our monthly celebration of music. I know that many of my recent posts have been heavy on the tunes, but, whereas those other posts focus on a theme, the "Dance Party" is chronologically arranged. From 1967 to 2007, we've got some fine and fun songs to bring back memories from these bygone years.

It's a fine way to end a summer day, sharing music, like bringing gifts from far away. ;-)

And it's better than standing in line to see the show tonight. . .



Image from The Beatles' Yellow Submarine


Doesn't take much to make me happy. :-)

So, let's listen to some music.

Late Night at the Hell Station

(S)hell gasoline station around 1am

Yeah, it's late tonight. Perhaps it's a function of being sleep deprived, but this photo makes me laugh. ;-)

Since we're on the topic of gasoline, let's take a look at some old commercials.

After all, we can't pass up on Bing Crosby, Charlie Brown, and the Answer Man.

Conveying Similarities of Sound

Public Telephone, with LJ reflected upon the mirrored surface

Recently, while talking with a friend, I came across a public telephone. My friend expressed her surprise at finding such a technological relic. I disagreed with her.

Public telephones are not as common as they once were, but it isn't that tough to come across one in the course of a normal day. The easiest places to find them are at government or civic institutions, such as libraries or museums.

Since that discussion, I've been very aware of payphones. It's almost become a "treasure hunt" activity. ;-)

And they bring back memories of my youth. . .

Dance Party: July

Detail from Ultra Nate's "Free" EP (1997)

Comin' in just under the wire. ;-)

Well, we've got a goofy mix of music this time around, but lots to enjoy, admire, and appreciate for beauty, playfulness, or originality. The nine songs in tonight's post are all certainly evocative of the era in which they came to prominence. Yeah, there's a bit o' cheesiness that can't be denied, but, over the years, popular trends go from cool to kooky, poised to playful. And a whole lot of loneliness. . .

From tear-jerkers to trance, big hair to big butts, disco to emo, tonight we'll play out the month with an eclectic mix.

Cover detail from Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" (1992)

Let's listen to some music!

The Second Hand Unwinds

Mickey Mouse Lorus alarm clock


Yikes!!! Where does all my time go?

Well, I was thinking of celebrating Mick Jagger's birthday. He was born on July 26, 1943. However, I don't really have enough free time today to do a decent job of expressing what I like about his music, how it influenced subsequent generations of Rock 'n' Roll artists, or which pieces are my favorites.

Moreover, this type of post is deceptively time intensive. I spend way too much time wading through videos looking for the ones that are both engaging and capable of being embedded. Both of these elements are obnoxiously complicated because of YouTube's intellectual property concerns. While I have some empathy the situation, ultimately it is just an irritation.

Veronica Lodge watch: "Lots of Bucks"


Oh well, that's about all the time that I have for now. ;-)

Clouds in My Coffee

Carly Simon was born on June 25, 1945.

Music appeals to me on so many different levels. There are those pieces that I enjoy for their accessibility. For others, I appreciate them for intellectual reasons, compositional creativity or clever lyrics. And then there are those that bring back memories, regardless of whether or not I like the music.

For the most part, it is in the last category that I place Carly Simon. I've never been a great enthusiast of her music, but her voice and style comfort me. That warm and folksy quality, free-spirited and passionate, it echoes down through the decades, eternally young and full of the emotional intensity of youth. It takes me back in time, makes me reflect on where I was and where I am now going.

Although it is mainly her music from the 1970s that have this effect, her later works do, to a lesser extent, evoke the same nostalgia. And that's why I occasionally turn away from the classical music and the jazz, turning instead to Carly's introspective and vivacious songs.

Detail from Carly Simon's album, Anticipation (1971)

So, let's celebrate Carly Simon's birthday with some music.

Dance Party: June

Detail of the cover image for Dirty Vegas' "Days Go By"

It's that time again, amigos!!!

We've got a fun roster of classic and quirky songs to celebrate the month of June, at least in five year increments from 1967 to 2007. ;-)

The night is pressing and I haven't the time to get all prosaic on you all, but, since we've been doing this for over a year now, just imagine that I'm engaging in some rants and raves. It can be a form of Paideia "Mad Libs", going something like:

"I'm not much of a (Noun) for (Band Title) but this piece is (Adjective), showing real change from the (Adjective) style of their early music towards a more (Adjective) sound."

See!!! Music criticism is easy!!! LOL!!!

Cover image from Kim Wilde's "You Keep Me Hangin' On"

Let's listen to some music!!!

Friday Flowers: Walking on Sunshine

Rosa Floribunda: Walking on Sunshine

Hey!!! It's Friday and we've got some flowers, some beautiful roses!!!

A while back, I decided to limit my flower posts to only one per Weekly Wrap cycle. That was a mistake. I've been snapping photos at my regular pace, which has led to a huge build up of lovelies that I would have liked to share with you all. So, I'll be returning to my old tradition.

If it's Friday, then there will be flowers. ;-)

And, hopefully, some poetry as well.

Rosa Floribunda: Walking on Sunshine


But, for now, let's just celebrate these All-American pretties. And don't it feel good?