Fall Pictures

I was out this evening with my camera, and managed to take advantage of some beautiful light.

I hope you enjoy the results.

Poe Exhibition

I just finished the latest exhibition website for the Kroch Library at Cornell:

Nevermore: The Edgar Allan Poe Collection of Susan Jaffe Tane

With Nevermore, Cornell University Library celebrates one of America’s greatest writers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the achievements of a superb collector, Susan Jaffe Tane. Susan Tane’s extraordinary collection documents Poe’s remarkable life and work through the artifacts of his own hand in his own time. The exhibition features many of Poe’s unique manuscripts and letters, scarce copies of his first editions, rare examples of the original newspaper and magazine issues in which much of his work first appeared, and editions of his most famous poem, “The Raven.”

View the online version of this exhibition

HELLO ME NOT DEAD

Maybe it's just me, but I found this really funny.

Marriage Equality

While overall I believe that federal, state, and local government have no legitimate role in the sanctioning of "marriage", I very much believe that if they ARE involved, it should be in a way that is free of discrimination.

Please, join me in adding your voice to a million voices raised
in support of marriage for gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender couples at:

www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/millionformarriageac

A Closer Look

I had the chance to get out with my camera for a bit this Sunday.

Nova Scotia

Vacation pictures!



evidentdesign.smugmug.com/gallery/2341402#122547258

Beltane Party 2006

If you can read this, you're invited to join us in celebrating the return of life from the its frozen somnolence and the arrival of pastoral summer! Join us on Saturday, May 6th for the festivities, which will begin in the afternoon and end when there's nothing left to burn.

Feel free to bring friends & family, a dish to pass, and/or your beverage(s) of choice, and If you'd like to help in organizing or preparing the party, just drop me a line.

Dragon Day Photos

Dragon Day photos!

From Cornell Alumni Magazine
MAY/JUNE 2002 VOLUME 104 NUMBER 6:

Dragon Day, an annual event celebrated every spring either on St. Patrick's Day, or just before spring break, has its roots in the antics of Willard Dickerman Straight, 1901. While on campus, Straight attended the School of Architecture, and from his early days as a freshman, developed a reputation as a prankster, leader, and developer of class unity. The idea was conceived from Straight's belief that there should be a distinctive College of Architecture Day. The first day was celebrated with the hanging of orange and green banners (orange to appease the campus's Protestant population), shamrocks, and other thematic decorations on Lincoln Hall, then home to the College of Architecture. Later, the theme of celebrating St. Patrick's success in driving the serpents out of Ireland also became attached to the holiday. History has not made clear when the first Dragon Day (in contemporary tradition) was held, though it was sometime between 1897 and 1901. How the first parade evolved into a rite of initiation for the freshman Architecture class--ending with the burning of the dragon on the Arts Quad--has also not been revealed. Contemporary Dragon Day celebrations, with a dragon constructed by the first-year architects, and the associated ceremonies, began some time in the 1950s when the snakes previously used "grew up." Prior to this time, the holiday was still celebrated as primarily College of Architecture Day, and the theme was less focused around the dragon. The rivalry between the College of Architecture and the College of Engineering students before and during Dragon Day celebrations seems to have simply developed over time--perhaps as a means of expressing opposition to the architects having a full day for themselves.

The Spice of Life

I had the great pleasure of preparing a four course Thai meal for some friends last evening. The menu:

Thai cucumber, red pepper, and mint salad

Satay chicken breast and portobello mushroom caps with peanut dipping sauce

Tom Yum Goong

Panang curry (both beef and shrimp) over jasmine rice


I think it was well-received, except for the occasional chunk of Thai chile upon the unsuspecting palate of certain guests (really, we needed to finish off that half-and-half anyway).

I was reminded of how much I enjoy crafting a meal with and for those I care about. Working side-by-side in the kitchen, smiling, laughing, and enjoying the aroma of the dishes as they waft around us, tugging at our appetites and urging a blush into our cheeks (ok, maybe the wine was responsible for that). Leisurely feasting upon the fruits of our creative labor as we bask in each others company. Food lovingly prepared and gratefully shared. Nourishment indeed.

Oh, and thank you to whomever did the dishes while I was sleeping.

20 Questions

20 Questions

1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A SECOND HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

Someplace that's warm in the winter and on the ocean. Key West would be a possibility. A home in another country is also appealing to me, for the chance to immerse myself in a completely different culture. Unfortunately I haven't traveled abroad, so I can't name a specific locale. Of course, I might not build a second house at all, but live on a sailboat instead. The opportunity to become nomadic for part of the year is very appealing to me. Combine that with the chance to live on the water and sail on a daily basis, and I'd probably be blissful.


2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?

A beat-up green barn coat. It reminds me of the times I've spent outdoors, working with my hands, wandering, and taking photographs of nature.


3. THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT?

Tidal by Fiona Apple. I don't buy many CDs anymore, because I subscribe to an online music service. For less than the price of a single CD per month, I get access to millions of songs. Sometimes I love technology.


4. MORNING OR NIGHT?

Any time I am well-rested, wide awake, and enjoying the moment. I am a night person by nature, but only because I often don't feel "done" at the end of the day, so I'm reluctant to go to sleep.


5. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?

The stove/oven, because it is the primary appliance I use when I have the time to make meals with care for myself and those I love.


6. IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I played the sax a long time ago. I'd like to learn guitar and piano.


7. FAVORITE COLOR?

Cerulean blue (a bit of history). I love the sky when it's so deep and bright that it seems to be something beyond color. Also, the varied colors of water, in large bodies such as lakes and oceans.


8. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV?

On a purely self-indulgent level, I'd prefer a '65 Ford mustang convertible on a warm spring day, to take a long drive up the lake, feel the wind in my face, and admire the sight of everything coming back to life. But given reality, I'd prefer something with much better gas mileage.


9. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE?

I honestly don't know. Ask me after I die.


10. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?

Runaway Ralph.


11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?

Fall. See this entry.


12. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Instantaneous travel.


13. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?

I have no tattoos, although I admire them on others when they are original. I like seeing evidence of a particular desire for expression manifested on skin.


14. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY?

Friday or Saturday, because it's when I'm most free to do what I want, and know that I'll have a similar opportunity the next day.


15. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

I love both, and food in general. My favorite food is that which is made with care and savored.


16. HORROR OR COMEDY?

Comedy, although I've developed more of a taste for horror recently, thanks to a good friend.


17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PASTIME?

Spending time with good friends and loved ones, sailing, gardening, and being outdoors.


18. WHAT DO YOU DREAD?

Disappointing or hurting those I love.


19. WHICH IS MORE REJUVENATING - SPENDING TIME WITH PEOPLE OR WITHOUT?

Spending time with the *right* people energizes, entertains, and comforts me. Spending time alone, when by choice, does rejuvenate me, as it lets me observe and admire the world without distraction, and explore my thoughts and my creative interests. I find that both are essential for my happiness.


20. WHAT ANIMAL ARE YOU MOST LIKE?

Human, silly. What, are my tentacles showing again? Great, now I have to assimilate you... In terms of a totemic animal, I'd have to say a crow.