Hump Day Art--Woman with a Pearl Necklace in a Loge

This is a new feature on Running With Blue Sponge called Hump Day Art, which will feature a piece of art each Wednesday. I’ve always wanted to learn more about art, and I figured this might be a good way to do that.

Today’s painting is an oil on canvas called “Woman with a Pearl Necklace in a Loge,” which was painted by Mary Cassatt in 1879. Cassatt was an American painter born in 1844 and died in 1926. She created a series of theater scenes in the late 1870s, displaying an interest in city nightlife shared by many of the Impressionists. This work, showing a woman (said to be her sister, Lydia) seated in front of a mirror with the balconies of the Paris Opera House reflected behind her, demonstrates the influence of Cassatt’s friend, Edgar Degas, particularly to the attention paid to the effects of the artificial lighting on the flesh tones.

I saw the painting in the European gallery of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The photo was taken with my iPhone.

My Email to President Obama

I have a comment and a response is requested. During the Presidential campaign, you stated you would work for equal legal rights for same-sex partners that married couples currently enjoy. You said you would stop Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I see no evidence of any action on either of these issues. There was no comment on California's court decision taking away the civil right of a minority of the population by a vote in a popular election. GLBT constituents are feeling let down and left out of this administration. I realize there are other issues facing the country that are a higher priority, but this administration has shown it can multi-task. We need some acknowledgment that these issues are important also. While we wait for some action, hundreds of qualified soldiers continue to be removed from our armed services simply because of their sexual orientation. The President has the power to stop these removals with a stroke of the pen. We want some leadership on these important issues.

When I pressed send, the page said it was unavailable at this time. Try again later. I will.

One Sane Voice on California High Court

These are the six California Supreme Court Justices that voted to uphold Proposition 8 that took away a civil right by banning same-sex marriage based on a popular vote.

There was one voice of reason among the seven: California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, was the only judge dissenting in today's 6-1 decision. His dissenting opinion was this:

In my view, the aim of Proposition 8 and all similar initiative measures that seek to alter the California Constitution to deny a fundamental right to a group that has historically been subject to discrimination on the basis of a suspect classification, violates the essence of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution and fundamentally alters its scope and meaning. Such a change cannot be accomplished through the initiative process by a simple amendment to our Constitution enacted by a bare majority of the voters; it must be accomplished, if at all, by a constitutional revision to modify the equal protection clause to protect some, rather than all, similarly situated persons. I would therefore hold that Proposition 8 is not a lawful amendment of the California Constitution.

Write to Justice Moreno and thank him for efforts. Also feel free to write the other six and let them know what you think of their judgement. I could only find a snail mail address, which is:

Supreme Court of California
350 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102-4797

The California Supreme Court Upholds Hate

It breaks my heart. California's Supreme Court upheld Prop 8 banning marriage between same-sex couples. I just do not understand how the court can justify people voting away the civil rights of a group of people. It is frustrating that with every step forward, there seems to be another step backward. I just have to keep reminding myself that things are getting better. Write to President Obama and your Senate and Congressional representatives and demand equal rights for same-sex couples. Tell them to push forward on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Demand your rights! Give money to support our cause. Do something today.

More of the Mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind

These are more shots from my iPhone of the mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  It was on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport (such a catchy name), part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  There was some interest in my earlier posting of this item.  Sorry the quality isn't any better, but the ship is inside a very reflective case, making it difficult to take pictures, and the iPhone camera isn't exactly high-resolution.  

The top photo with Shane pointing gives some perspective as to the ship's size.  Shane would not be happy if he knew I posted that photo of him though.  He is very particular about photo approval.  It isn't exactly flattering.  Luckily, he doesn't read this blog and will never know.  

You might notice a small CP3O (from Star Wars) located on the edge of the ship in the middle photo.  There is a list of all sorts of items to find, such as mailboxes and other items I don't remember.  The third shot loses much of its sci-fi effect by having a bathroom-like tile wall in the background. 

Walt from the blog, WCS, posted a funny comment on the earlier posting about having a strange urge to make a mountain out of his mashed potatoes.  Enjoy the French Open Walt!

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest Week #195

But that doesn't explain the lipstick on your collar!

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #195. Let me know if you come up with a caption.

Concorde

Here are various planes at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum,
including the Concorde, which I saw take off from Dulles airport years
ago.

Mothership from Close Encounters

This is the mothership used in the film Close Encounters of the Third
Kind on display at the Smithsonian with the space shuttle in the
background.

Lady Astronaut Pampers

A display at the Air and Space Museum. On the left is a fecal collection device and on the right is a ladies diaper.  Interestingly, all astronauts now usually wear commercial diapers.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise

This is me in front of the space shuttle prior to watching the
fictional Enterprise in Star Trek.

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Near Dulles

We were going to see Star Trek in Imax, but it was sold out.  This is the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The museum was pretty cool. We later went to see Star Trek in Georgetown. It was so so. I'm not that into time travel plots.  

Nats Players during the National Anthem

We had awesome seats!

President Washington at the Nats Game

Mingling prior to the game.

Nats Celebrate Loss with Fireworks

The Os win in the 12th. We watched some fireworks on our walk home.

More George

George Will and a male companion stand between innings. It is still
tied 2-2 in the 10th.

George Washington Leans in to Win Presidents Race

Ryan Zimmerman just hit a 2-run homer to tie the game. Nats and Os
2-2 so far... Bottom of the 4th. That's George Will sitting behind
guy standing with the Nats Jersey.

At the Nats Game -- Preshow

Late Lunch

These frozen dinners never look as nice as the picture on the box.

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #194

Is this a convenient time to discuss your life insurance needs?

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #194. Let me know if you come up with a caption. Click on the link to enter your caption and share any suggestions you have here. 

Sign the Petition to Urge the President to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

The military is still discharging soldiers for being openly gay.

One of these soldiers is California's own Lt. Dan Choi, who is also an Arabic linguist. In March, Lt. Choi went on Rachel Maddow's show and spoke honestly about his sexual orientation. As a result, the Army sent him a letter of discharge on April 23. Lt. Choi is now fighting the discharge and fighting the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

I just signed a Courage Campaign petition to President Obama -- signed by more than 100,000 people --  urging him to do the right thing by stopping the discharge of Lt. Dan Choi and other LGBT soldiers, and asking President Obama to uphold his promise to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  The Courage Campaign will deliver this petition to the president -- that's why it is important that as many people as possible speak out right now.

Will you join me in signing and urge your friends to do the same?:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DontFireDan

Thanks!

Cleaning Up the Yard and Not Touring the Capitol

A corner of our backyard.

I was off work today and had planned to take a tour of the U.S. Capitol.  I have lived in the Washington, D.C. area for more than 20 years and have lived on Capitol Hill for more than 6 years and I have never been in the U.S. Capitol.  I almost went in once before.  We were in line to view Ronald Reagan when he was lying in state.  We thought, since we went at around 10 p.m., that the line wouldn't be too bad, but it was soon apparent that it was going to take hours and Reagan wasn't exactly my favorite president, so we bagged it after about 30 minutes.  

So, since I had a day off, I decided it would be fun to take a tour of the Capitol.  I went online and read that you can get a free ticket for a tour, so I promptly signed up.  My ticket was for 10:30 a.m. today.  I arrived at the Capitol Visitor Center at about 10:20 and as I got close to the door, the Capitol Policemen were telling everyone to leave the area.  They were clearing the area and everyone had to go across the street.  I waited around a while and it didn't look like anything was going to change, so I walked down past the Supreme Court building.  There was a bunch of crazies with red Jesus shirts protesting against "Homosexual Acts" and other ungodly things.  They try to give me some literature, but I kindly refused with an expert eye roll. 

I walked around Capitol Hill for a while and slowly made my way back home.  Obviously, I'm not meant to visit the Capitol.  

I spent the rest of morning cleaning up our backyard.  Shane's mom is coming on Thursday, so we have incentive to get some projects done around the house.  Though our backyard is tiny, it quickly fills with weeks, pine needles and pine cones.  I also did some pruning of a bush in the front of our house.  It was a beautiful day and it was nice being out.  We spent most of the weekend inside.  Shane got my cold from the previous week and it hit him hard.  He spent the weekend in bed or on the couch trying to get better.  I still am still not 100 percent myself.  I had quite a sneezing fit working out in the yard today.  We're hoping it is the swine flu, so we'll have immunity and survive when everyone is is dying this fall.  

Art I Could Get Into (Or Vice Versa)

I took this photo with my iPhone at the Philadelpia Museum of Art last week. The sculpture is called Princess X by Constantin Brâncuşi, a Romanian sculptor, and was done in 1915-1916. I don't know why, but for some reason it spoke to me.

The following is from Wikipedia:

In 1920, [Brâncuşi] developed a notorious reputation with the entry of "Princess X"[1] in the Salon. The phallic shape of the piece scandalized the Salon, and despite Brâncuşi's explanation that it was an anonymous portrait, removed it from the exhibition. "Princess X" was revealed to be Princess Marie Bonaparte, direct descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte. Brâncuşi represented or caricatured her life as a large gleaming bronze phallus. This phallus symbolizes the model's obsession with the penis and her lifelong quest to achieve vaginal orgasm, with the help of Sigmund Freud. Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, condemned orgasm by clitoral stimulation and praised vaginal orgasm with a penis as the superior and only legitimate type. His condemnation echoed the social mores of his era which condemned masturbation as both morally harmful and as a cause of mental disorders. Her search for the elusive vaginal orgasm led her to have two unsuccessful surgeries and numerous affairs throughout her life with wealthy and famous men.

When it Comes to American Idol, I'm a 14 Year Old Girl

Though I hate to admit it, I do watch American Idol and I have to say that I am rooting for Kris Allen over Adam Lambert. Kris did a nice version of this song, "Falling Slowly," from the movie Once several weeks back. I realize that Adam is likely on my team, but I prefer Kris. I'm such a teenage girl.

More DC Flowers

This is from my walk Sunday evening around my neighborhood.

Mess by Ben Folds Five

I don't believe in god, so I can't be saved.

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #193

You're different Irving. All the other men

I meet want a "no strings" relationship.

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #193. Let me know if you come up with a caption. Click on the link to enter your caption.

DC Flowers

I spent most of the day in bed feeling tired and recovering from my
cold. I did manage to muster enough gusto to go for a late afternoon
walk. I stopped to photograph this along the way.

C-Span Coverage of the White House Correspondents' Dinner

Obama's remarks begin at about the 20 minute mark in the video. You can slide the video marker about a third of the way over to skip the opening. Wanda Sykes speaks right after the President.

Yet Another Game Night

Archer and the Boyfriend beat us at Trivial Pursuit at our game night
at out house Saturday night. Here they are looking victorious and
adorable.

Jon Stewart on Gay Marriage and Marion Barry

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Gaywatch - Marion Barry
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Scene of Baltimore

Taken heading south just before entering the tunnel before Penn
Station in Baltimore.

Riding On the Train

Passing through Baltimore and bored.

Heading Home

I'm at the Perryville, MD, train station sitting on the Marc Train
heading home. I have a cold and am worried others may assume it is
the Swine Flu. I hope it isn't. I'm pretty sure it isn't.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #192

Stimulus Package? You're staring at them!

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #192. Let me know if you come up with a caption. Click on the link to enter your caption.

Mom's Stash

This is my Mom and her cat, Rudy, along with part of her stash from
the garden center we went to today.

Pink Dogwood

This is a pink dogwood tree in my Mom's front yard that I gave her
years ago for a previous Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day!

I took the train from Philadelphia to Aberdeen, MD, early this morning
where I was met by my mother. From there, I drove her to Valley View
Farm, a garden super store in Hunt Valley, MD. She was like a kid at
Disney World. This is her Mother's Day gift. I bought her a variety
of plants and herbs. She seemed to have a good time.

Cezanne @ the Philadelphia Museum of Art

I went to the Cezanne exhibit. The "Beyond" part is other artist inspired by Cezanne. It really was a very cool exhibit. Beside the painting by Cezanne would be a similar painting by Picasso and Matisse and a variety of other artists.

In addition, the museum has an amazing collection. Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Manet --and many more! And that is just the European wing, which is half of one floor. I'm about to hit the American wing.

Here's a very small example of what you can expect to see. Below is "The Bather" by Cezanne.

The painting belolw is by Marsden Hartley called "Canuck Yankee Lumberjack at Old Orchard Beach, Maine" done in 1940-1941. Hartley was a nice homosexual boy from Lewiston, Maine (1877-1943).

Evening Walk in Philly and Chinese Food

Shane had to work all day, but wanted to see some sites when he was finished.  We took an evening walk so he could see the Liberty Bell (from the outside of the building) and Independence Hall.  Below are a few photos from the walk.  It began to rain on our way home. 

We came upon this sign near the Liberty Bell site.  I was not aware of these Demonstrations before.

 

On the way back, we stopped at Chinatown for dinner.  As always, Shane had Sweet and Sour Chicken.  I had Broccoli in Garlic Sauce.  I was given the choice of regular broccoli or Chinese broccoli.  I chose Chinese broccoli, which is much different than regular broccoli.

Kids! What's the Matter with Kids Today?

Every school in PA and the surrounding states has a school trip here
today. It makes me turn into Paul Lynd in Bye Bye Birdie. They
couldn't be less interested in being here -- just like me when I came
here about 35 years ago.

Darwin Exhibit Closed

To get to see this exhibit, I'm going to have to come back tomorrow
evening. It will be open from 5-8 pm. It is the American
Philosophical Society Museum, which is adjacent to Independence Hall.
It includes Darwin's handwritten pages from On the Origin of Species.
Go to their website at www.apsmusuem.org.

Waiting to Tour Independence Hall

It is a cool, damp day in Philly, but the rain is holding off. I'm
outside Independence Hall waiting for my tour.