Friday, April 6
Wednesday, March 28
Old Man Shelling On the Beach
I took this of an old man walking past me as I sat on the beach today. The temperature was in the 80s. He was dressed for snow. He was searching for sea shells. Why do people search so much for sea shells? I get exhausted watching the throngs of people constantly searching. You can buy a big bag of shells at the store for a few bucks. There must be a thrill in the hunt. At least he is out in the fresh air.
Sunday, March 25
The Waves Were Crazy Wild for Florida
Shane and I are down in Florida this weekend and we went to the beach today. We had thunder storms earlier this morning and it was overcast when we left, but we decided to risk that it would be nice at the beach. We were wrong.
The sky was clear, but it was very windy and the waves were wilder than I've ever seen them in Florida. The Gulf of Mexico is usually flat as a pancake, but the surfers were out today. The surfers didn't look like they were very good. We didn't see any of them ride a wave for more than a few seconds.
We only stayed about a half an hour. The wind and sea spray did not make it pleasant for beach sitting.
Seeing "War Horse" on Broadway
Anyway, I got an amazing ticket six rows back from the stage. The show is at a theater at Lincoln Center with stadium seating, so any seat would have been fine in the orchestra section, but my seat was ideal. Because the show was only discounted 30 percent, it was still a bit pricey, but it was well worth it.
I loved this play. It was amazingly well staged. The life-size horse puppets are extraordinary. The horses had so much personality that you totally accepted them as real characters in the show. If you have the chance to see it, I highly recommend it if you can take this emotional story of World War I. Tears were running down my cheeks by the end. Yes... puppets made me cry. It is easy to understand how it won the Tony for best play last year.
Of course, my friend Elaine, an avid horse lover, would love parts of this show, but she could not take the tragedy. Years ago, we went together to see the film, The Horse Whisperer, and there is a scene where a horse is struck by a huge truck and Elaine went hysterical. You could tell it was about to happen and she slid down on the floor in panic. When it did happen, she loudly sobbed for a prolonged period. I had to remind her that it wasn't real. She would have to be committed if she sat through War Horse. Not to give too much away, but there are some equine deaths in the show (and some human deaths). The program explained that more than 8 million horses died in WWI. Elaine... Do Not See This Show!
Though seeing this show was largely a positive experience, there were a few negatives. If you have ever seen a Wednesday matinee of a broadway show, you know there are primarily two categories of people in the audience--high school students and senior citizens. The kids, overall, were fairly well behaved. They sometimes laughed at inappropriate moments and were a little noisy, but because this was such a great show, I think they were too involved to misbehave.
The seniors on the other hand were not so great. I think some older people forget they are in a live theater show and not in their living room where they can freely comment on what's happening around them without bothering others. I sat between a woman with a bad cold who was constantly blowing snot for the entire performance, and an old lady who's husband and her had seen the Steven Spielberg movie of War Horse and were constantly making comments like, "I don't remember this part in the movie." I had to give them some looks. They got the message.
Sunday, March 18
Cherry Blossoms Blooming Very Early
The Cherry Blossom Festival doesn't begin for a week! The blooms are pretty much at peak! Shane and I took a walk down around the Tidal Basin this afternoon.
Saturday, March 17
Thursday, March 15
Saturday, January 21
Friday, January 20
Tuesday, January 17
Help Finance a New Gay Rights Documentary
Film maker Ryan James Yezak is raising money to finance his documentary, Second Class Citizens, about the gay rights movement. This is a preview of his work so far. If you would like, you can contribute to making the film financially, but it looks like they already have exceeded their goal of $50,000. Click here to find out how to get such perks as a DVD of the film, a film poster, or having the director come to your home to host a screening of the film and doing a Q&A with your guests.
Monday, January 16
New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #319
Get your ears checked. I said you were a nice asp!
This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #319. Too obvious? Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.
Sunday, January 15
A Walk Around the DC Waterfront
Me and the birds on Hains Point. |
Shane walking near the gulls. |
Saturday, January 14
Hulu Plus Versus Netflix--And the Winner Is...
When Netflix raised its prices last summer I was pissed and promptly canceled my membership. I showed them.
Since then, I tried out Hulu Plus. It also provides movies and TV programing streaming on the Internet, which I can watch on my television with the help of my Roku machine.
I have to say that I wasn't all that happy with the Hulu. The programming was OK, but the big problem is the ads. You are forced to watch commercials every few minutes, often the same commercials over and over. It gets old.
Since they are the same price ($7.99) for their streaming service, today I re-signed up for Netflix (no commercials). I can forgive and forget. I am not getting the DVDs in the mail; just the streaming movies and TV. We've spent most of the day watching stuff on Netflix. So far so good. They have the first season of Louie. It is hilarious. We also watched Breakfast at Tiffany's. Both Shane and I recently read the novella. It was interesting to see the differences in the movie and the book.
Friday, January 13
This Guy Needs to Work On Facial Expressions
My niece, Kelly, sent me the link to this on Facebook with the note that she thought I might like it. She knows me pretty well.
Thursday, January 12
Cat Video: Maude Attacks Her Catnip Mouse
Wednesday, January 11
Little Danger of Dying from Running Marathons
Both Shane and my Mom are always worried that I will drop dead as a result of running marathons. It didn't help that two people died the day I ran the Philadelphia Marathon -- one at the end of the marathon and one at the end of the half marathon. Finally, here is some evidence that it really isn't that dangerous.
In an article by Kristina Fiore published today at MedPage Today, she argues there isn't that much danger. Here is an excerpt.
Despite well-publicized stories of people dropping dead during or after running a marathon, the race isn't all that risky, researchers found.
Among nearly 11 million marathoners and half-marathoners, only 59 went into cardiac arrest during a race, for an incidence rate of just 0.54 per 100,000 participants, Aaron Baggish, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Event rates among marathon and half-marathon runners are relatively low, as compared with other athletic populations, including collegiate athletes, triathlon participants, and previously healthy middle-aged joggers," they wrote.
Men, however, were more likely to have an event than women, they noted.Shane wanted me to add that he does not believe it.
Tuesday, January 10
Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop Arrested
Monday, January 9
New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #318
I hate my job, but I love the fresh, giant omlettes.
This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #318. Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.
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