Courtesy of Chuck: a Star Wars Dance Off. The two girls at the start of the second act may be my dream girls. (Not the fifth girl, though; she's wearing a dude's costume).
I wonder what I'm doing with my life these days...
Also, Chuck and I are thinking about starting a joint blog, specifically about food. Would you read it if we did?
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
My PA Smoking Ban
Yesterday, my favorite governor signed into law a smoking ban for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It goes into effect 90 days after the signing date. I'm extremely excited about this, especially since my family still lives outside of the reach of the Philly ban, and since my job might require me to go to Harrisburg periodically for an upcoming project. Everything's coming up Milhouse!
I'm trying not to read too much into how unlucky the dates are: signed on Friday the 13th and in effect on September 11th. Also, it seems a little wrong to be counting down to September 11th to begin a celebration. But it's a Thursday, so that weekend I might go to some of those places in the Philly suburbs I've wished I could go but couldn't. For starters, Macaroni Grill. I know it's probably just another disappointing chain restaurant, but people seem to like it. And every time friends or family have invited me to go to one with them, I've either had to pass or leave early because of the nearby smoking sections.
Which brings me back to one of my favorite analogies: Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing area in a swimming pool. Well, no more peeing in my pool! And if you're going to be in the Philly 'burbs on the weekend of September 13th, let me know.
On an entirely unrelated note, a heartfelt Happy Birthday shoutout to Rick Blaine.
I'm trying not to read too much into how unlucky the dates are: signed on Friday the 13th and in effect on September 11th. Also, it seems a little wrong to be counting down to September 11th to begin a celebration. But it's a Thursday, so that weekend I might go to some of those places in the Philly suburbs I've wished I could go but couldn't. For starters, Macaroni Grill. I know it's probably just another disappointing chain restaurant, but people seem to like it. And every time friends or family have invited me to go to one with them, I've either had to pass or leave early because of the nearby smoking sections.
Which brings me back to one of my favorite analogies: Having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing area in a swimming pool. Well, no more peeing in my pool! And if you're going to be in the Philly 'burbs on the weekend of September 13th, let me know.
On an entirely unrelated note, a heartfelt Happy Birthday shoutout to Rick Blaine.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My 150th My
This marks the 150th post since I started the theme of labeling posts "My [Something]." Sure, not all of them have titles (and 1 with a title began with "Our"), but I still feel like doing something special. I'm also especially giddy, as there is a state-wide smoking ban for Pennsylvania on its way to the governor's desk right now. But more on that if and when it gets signed.
In honor of my prestigious milestone, I've decided to once again follow in the footsteps of a TV comedy--this time not with a Futurama or Scrubs reference, but with a more general homage to the genre that has brought so much joy and saved me from reading so many books assigned to me by so many deluded teachers. Seriously, though, I'm doing a clips show! Below are links to some of My Favorite Posts. (Notably absent is the one after I found out Scott Adams published a Dilbert strip about me based on a story I sent in; it's not as awesome now that the strip is no longer online--though I do have 2 framed copies.)
Humor:
My Passover Diary
My Ruined Lunch
My Russian Education
My Special Children
My Four Year Old Fashion Column
Politics:
My Advice to John Edwards
My New Mayor
My New Mayor II
Our Children
Grab Bag of Me:
My National Pickup Line Contest
My Cure for Cancer
My Future Toilet
Fun with Links:
My Ridiculous Superbowl Hopes
My Best TV Segment Ever
My Last Question
In honor of my prestigious milestone, I've decided to once again follow in the footsteps of a TV comedy--this time not with a Futurama or Scrubs reference, but with a more general homage to the genre that has brought so much joy and saved me from reading so many books assigned to me by so many deluded teachers. Seriously, though, I'm doing a clips show! Below are links to some of My Favorite Posts. (Notably absent is the one after I found out Scott Adams published a Dilbert strip about me based on a story I sent in; it's not as awesome now that the strip is no longer online--though I do have 2 framed copies.)
Humor:
My Passover Diary
My Ruined Lunch
My Russian Education
My Special Children
My Four Year Old Fashion Column
Politics:
My Advice to John Edwards
My New Mayor
My New Mayor II
Our Children
Grab Bag of Me:
My National Pickup Line Contest
My Cure for Cancer
My Future Toilet
Fun with Links:
My Ridiculous Superbowl Hopes
My Best TV Segment Ever
My Last Question
Monday, June 02, 2008
My Favorite Museum Director
Anne d'Harnoncourt, Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, died last night. The city will miss her.
She turned the PMA, an institution whose facilities hadn't seen any major updates or renovation since the landmark building's opening in the spring of 1928, into a global presence in the art world and a cultural powerhouse for the city. Since the wildly popular and widely acclaimed 1996 Cezanne exhibit, well over a million people have visited the special exhibits attracted and managed by the her and the impressive team of curators she assembled. Under her leadership, the Museum made great contributions to the Philadelphia's culture, to Philadelphia's national and international reputation, and to the local economy. The PMA's current renovation and expansion project would not have been possible without her tireless and perfectionist efforts to never accept less than the best she knew the Philadelphia Museum of Art could be.
Her legacy will live on in the impact she's had on the city, in the programs at the Museum which attract and enrich the lives of tourists and locals alike, in the great special exhibits the PMA now routinely attracts, and in the inspiration she and her team have been able to imbue in thousands of schoolchildren, who were forced to visit some boring museum and still left with something they may never be able to identify but which will stick with them the rest of their lives--myself included.
From the fantastic but diluted effects measured in economic impact studies, to the huge special exhibits, to the more intimate evening summer programs, to the kernel of inspiration in the mind of a second grader, this citizen's gifts truly keep on giving. On behalf of all Philadelphia, thank you, Ms. d'Harnoncourt, Anne, for all you've given us--and most especially for the gifts we'll never be able to trace back to you.
She turned the PMA, an institution whose facilities hadn't seen any major updates or renovation since the landmark building's opening in the spring of 1928, into a global presence in the art world and a cultural powerhouse for the city. Since the wildly popular and widely acclaimed 1996 Cezanne exhibit, well over a million people have visited the special exhibits attracted and managed by the her and the impressive team of curators she assembled. Under her leadership, the Museum made great contributions to the Philadelphia's culture, to Philadelphia's national and international reputation, and to the local economy. The PMA's current renovation and expansion project would not have been possible without her tireless and perfectionist efforts to never accept less than the best she knew the Philadelphia Museum of Art could be.
Her legacy will live on in the impact she's had on the city, in the programs at the Museum which attract and enrich the lives of tourists and locals alike, in the great special exhibits the PMA now routinely attracts, and in the inspiration she and her team have been able to imbue in thousands of schoolchildren, who were forced to visit some boring museum and still left with something they may never be able to identify but which will stick with them the rest of their lives--myself included.
From the fantastic but diluted effects measured in economic impact studies, to the huge special exhibits, to the more intimate evening summer programs, to the kernel of inspiration in the mind of a second grader, this citizen's gifts truly keep on giving. On behalf of all Philadelphia, thank you, Ms. d'Harnoncourt, Anne, for all you've given us--and most especially for the gifts we'll never be able to trace back to you.
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