5 Items from Today's Express Newspaper

The Express is a free newspaper I get at the subway stop, which is distributed by the Washington Post. I read it on my commute in to work. Here's what I found interesting in today's news:

* The front page article announced that no charges will be filed in a murder last year of a man in a Maryland jail accused of killing a police officer. And I used to think the show "Oz" was over the top. Guess they weren't far off.

* Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty won't run for a third term and there is lots of speculation he will vie for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. They also list the others who they think might be interested in that position -- Bobby Jindal, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Nevada Sen. John Ensign. I'm not worried for the Democrats, but of course I thought that about George W. Bush.

* More than 100 clergy gathered in SE Washington last night to show their SUPPORT for same-sex marriage. They have formed a group called D.C. Clergy United for Marriage and Equality. Who says there is never any good news anymore?

* The Nats are playing the Giants tonight and the Giants' Randy Johnson is going for his 300th victory. Since its the Nats, he's likely to get it, unless the predicted thunderstorms show up.

* Susan Boyle. Everyday there is something new about this dowdy Scottish lady. She had to go to the nervous hospital recently after she lost some talent show, but rest assured she is doing better.

Hump Day Art -- A Matter of Taste

Today's Hump Day Art is a comparison of two artists whose works I saw at the Philadelphia Museum of Art last month -- Claude Monet and Cy Twombly. I think they strongly demonstrate that art is a matter of taste. These photos were taken with my iPhone, so the quality is not that great. The first three below are by Monet.

The Sheltered Path -- 1873 -- Oil on canvas

Bend in the Epte River near Giverny -- 1888 -- Oil on canvas

Marine View near Etretat -- 1882 -- Oil on canvas

The next two works by Cy Twombly are part of a work called "Fifty Days at Illiam." The complete set of 10 are wall-sized, and completed in 1977-1978. They are oil, oil crayon, and graphite on canvas.

I thought these works present an interesting contrast.

Wednesday, June 3rd is National Running Day!

Grab your blue sponge and your running shoes and get ready to run. Tomorrow is National Running Day! I will be running. How about you? The photo is of me running last year at the Air Force Marathon in Ohio. You might also recognize it from my banner. I'm hoping to be able to run the Baltimore Marathon this fall.

I usually run in the gym on the treadmill, but it seemed like such a nice day, I ran outside. I work near the Pentagon, so I ran to Pentagon City and took the George Washington Parkway Trail that borders Reagan National Airport. It is pretty cool running with giant planes coming in for a landing over your head. I headed up the Potomac River to the 14th Street Bridge and back. It was hotter and more humid than I realized and I overdid it a bit. I had to walk back the last half mile to cool down. I think I did about 5 miles all together.

Top 8 Things in this Morning's Express

The Express is a free newspaper I get at the subway stop, which is distributed by the Washington Post. I read it on my commute in to work. Here's what I found interesting in today's news:

* Jennifer Hudson is going to have a baby. She needed some good news after the hell she's been through. I hope it was good news for her. Congrats to her!

* Billy Bob Thornton's daughter is facing criminal charges in Florida after a year-old little girl that she was baby-sitting died. She is charged with child neglect causing harm or disability. I guess the sling blade doesn't fall far from the tree.

* In the TV listings, it said the two final episodes of According to Jim are on tonight. That show is still on? Who watches that?

* Bravo is searching for the Real Housewives of D.C. Where do I audition?

* Roger Federer rallied to win a 5-set match at the French Open. I haven't seen any of the Open this year. He beat Tommy Hass, who I never heard of. It said Andy Roddick lost also and he was cranky about it getting dark, but they wouldn't suspend the match. Damn that night blindness!

* A teenager was recaptured after escaping from a $46 million Maryland juvenile detention center the day after it opened. I guess they should have waited til they installed the locks.

* After reading the following headline, "Strict Rules Take Effect at Borders," I was worried it was going to be a big hassle to buy books now, but they didn't mean the bookstore, they were talking about our national borders. My bad.

* Last, but not least, Dick Cheney Monday said he thinks that people should be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. I recall he said something similar during the vice-presidential debate in 2000. Unfortunately, he did nothing to encourage this kind of activity during the 8 years he was in office. He did manage to start two wars and shoot a man in the face.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #196

So far they've developed a deadly cat plague

and a new, delicious cheese.

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #196. Let me know if you come up with a caption.

My Levi's Purchase

I mentioned previously that I was planning on making a Levi's purchase this weekend to support their support of marriage equality. I bought these Men's Regular Fit Light Stone Wash Jeans. I was going to get "Straight Fit" jeans, but that just didn't seem right. You can order stuff online here.

Clouds in the Sand

Upside Down Horseshoe Crab

This horseshoe crab washed up on the beach. Though they look like
crabs, they are actually descendents of spiders. That is according to
Wiki.

Rightside Up Horseshoe Crab

I flipped it over and it swam away. They are supposed to be able to
flip themselves over using their tail, but I thought I would ignore
the Prime Directive and help out.

Me on the Beach

Shane on the Beach

Fenwick Island Beach

We drove south and are at a state park at Fenwick Island, DE. The
beach isn't as crowded and is wider. That is Shane's knee in the
corner of the shot.

The Beach at Bethany Beach

I haven't been to Bethany Beach in a long time and it looks way
different. You can't see the shore from the boardwalk. They built
the dune way high, I suppose to prevent erosion. The beach is very
crowded and much more narrow.

Me in Bethany

Bethany Beach Sights

We made it to beach. We stopped to buy two umbrellas and beach chairs, had a quick slice of greasy pizza and are now sitting on the beach. Awesome sights!

Crossing the Bay Bridge

This is the bridge that crosses rhe Chesapeake Bay. You can't tell by
this shot, but it has been very trafficy. They closed the road just
ahead of us to allow a huge herd of motorcycles merge on the highway.

Last Minute Beach Day

Since it is such a beautiful day, we decided on a whim to have a beach
day. We are on our way to Delaware, and we should be there by 12:30
( depending on the traffic). It usually takes about 3 hours.

A Chuckle from Fail Blog

This was from http://www.failblog.org/. It made me laugh. "It's not Rocket Surgery" is my new favorite expression.

Support Levi's for Supporting Equality

My apologies to Bob at the I Should Be Laughing blog for stealing his post, but I thnk it is very important to support companies that support the gay community is such a bold way. I will be shopping and buying Levi's this weekend. Also, check out Bob's excellent blog. Below is his posting about Levi's.
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Quality Never Goes Out of Style.

And neither does doing the right thing.

Levi's has launched a new ad campaign in more than twenty of it's company-owned stores from New York to San Francisco, with mannequins wearing Levi’s jeans and shirts fitted with White Knots, a symbol of solidarity with the same-sex marriage movement.

A Levi's spokesperson says "We always try to connect to the energy and events of our time. What’s the pioneering spirit of today? A lot of people are rallying around marriage equality and fighting for that and so many individuals within our company feel so strongly about it."

Levi's has always put the LGBT community out front, as it were. They have a long history of supporting LGBT rights, from taking ads out on LGBT television, to even signing onto an amicus brief last year challenging the validity of Prop 8.

What's even greater, is that Levi's started this new ad campaign in an instant. Within 24 hours of the California Supreme Court upholding Prop H8, Levi's was standing with us again.

Levi's, where equality never goes out of style.

Carol Leifer Debates Gay Marriage with a Macaroon

This is the brilliant Carol Leifer, who is on Larry King to debate some idiot minister about gay marriage. She is a great spokesperson for the gay community. She is smart, funny and likable. She should lead the charge.