This Is the Way to Say Welcome Home!

Last night, Dave, Jonathan, Maggie, Joshua and I went out to dinner for Mother's Day, since Joshua is working this evening. While we were out, Ally puppy-sat for Hypatia and Darwin, and did her usual stellar job - nothing was destroyed or even nibbled while we were gone. Good girl, Ally!

When we returned home for dessert, it took at least five minutes for the five of us to get inside the door and settled. The reason it took so long was that every single dog had to take turns greeting every single person as we entered the room. Then, after we were all in the room, they had to go around again to make sure they hadn't missed anyone the first time. It was hilarious. But it was also heartwarming. It's nice that our dogs love us so much that they're genuinely thrilled to see us. I think the people in the family are also thrilled, or at least happy, when we see each other. We just don't express it as openly. Maybe the dogs have it right.

Just a thought...

National Art Gallery

If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know that Dave and I spent yesterday afternoon at the National Art Gallery. It's been years since we were there and we intend to get back soon, as there is far too much to see in just a few hours of one afternoon. The primary reason we went yesterday was to see a temporary exhibit of works by Itō Jakuchū, an 18th century Japanese artist. Here is an example of his exquisite work:

The fine details of his art are amazing. One can almost feel the soft textures of his birds' feathers, and the colors, especially the whites, nearly pop off the canvas. If you ever get a chance to see his work, do yourself a favor and go for it.

Dave and I also wandered through several other exhibits, such as the French Impressionist gallery (yes - we have some nice works by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin,, etc., in Washington DC! Who knew?). I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! And I can't wait to see much more of the same in Paris this fall. The museum also has an impressive collection of paintings by Dutch masters (Rembrandt, Rubens, etc., again, I'm looking forward to seeing much more in Amsterdam) and some nice Spanish and Italian works. In fact, the gallery owns the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Western Hemisphere:

And I haven't even started on the sculptures. Nor have I seen the East Building, which is still under construction but open. Everything we saw yesterday - and we missed the vast majority of what is on display - was in the West Building. There's also a slew of other museums, most of which I haven't seen at all yet. All I can say is, I've got to get out of the house more often. Give me a call and we'll explore some art galleries together.

Good News for Mitt Romney!

My Cell Phone Evolution

When cell phones were first released, I was not the least bit interested in having one. In fact, I actively resisted the idea. I didn't want to be at every Tom, Dick & Harry's beck and call at all hours of the day or night. I changed my mind when I got a job that required a commute of 50+ miles every day. I realized that if my car ever broke down, I'd need a cell phone. The day came when the car broke down (two blown tires and a busted wheel in one heck of a pothole), and I needed a cell phone. Fortunately, by that time I'd acquired a basic model and was able to get help.

Having taken the step of getting a basic cell phone that sent and received phone calls, I insisted for years that I didn't need a phone with any other bells and whistles. I didn't want a phone for sending and receiving emails - I had computers for that. Nor did I want a phone that told me the weather forecast, or anything else that traditional phones had never done. I wanted a phone that was just a phone.

Then, a little over a year ago, I decided I wanted to access the Internet from a cell phone. And maybe do email. I have no idea why I suddenly wanted to do those things. I just did. Unexpectedly. Without any warning. As I checked into upgrading my phone, I discovered that, by the time I paid for those features, I could upgrade to an iPhone for just a tad more than it would cost to add those features to my existing phone. So, I got an iPhone.

Ah, the iPhone. I use it to make and receive phone calls. Sometimes. More often, I use it to send text messages to family and friends. Even more often, I use it to read the news. And check the weather forecast. And upload recipes. And make shopping lists and keep my calendar and read e-books and write blog posts (like this one) and take photos and track my nutrition and exercise and follow maps and read blogs and look up information on google and wikipedia and listen to music and watch videos and use Facebook... In short, I use my cell phone to do a whole lot more than make and receive phone calls. It's probably the most indispensable tool I own. I've evolved 180 degrees from a cell phone Luddite to a cell phone junkie. My dependence on my phone has gotten so complete that I probably should classify it as an addiction. If I do that, the inevitable next step will be joining a support group: iPhones Anonymous...

I bet there's an app for that.

Who Comes Up With This Garbage?

I saw this on Facebook today and nearly wretched:

I can't remember who posted that drivel, but I'm pretty sure it was someone older than 12. Don't people realize that garbage like this trivializes their beliefs and makes them look mindless and infantile?