A little street music

Thought before he started playing that this was some new kind of electrified steel drum. But it’s a Well Hang he’s playing, also known as a Hang Drum or Handpan. Apparently the latest thing for street musicians.



I still like the steel drum. More of a caribbean sound. But this is a very cool instrument, don't you think.

Happy Houses

Actually, there are also sad ones, but this is the most fun photo gallery I've seen in ages. 100 Houses That Look Like Faces. Lots of really great ones. This was only one of my favorites.

Think that one looks surprised.

As the wheel turns

Well, I'm still in a food coma from the fabulous dinner I had yesterday. Of course, we were all missing Dad. First major holiday without him. Even the dogs looked a little sad because he wasn't there sneaking them some turkey under the table. But we got through it okay and found comfort in each other's company.

On a more cheerful note, this is very cool. Bicycle animations.




Kind of reminds me of the paper snowflakes we all made in elementary school.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all have a happy holiday. And as is the tradition, the classic Thanksgiving Day video.

Thanks to Atrios for finding the full version.

Dancing in Dubai

I never get tired of these flash mobs dancing routines. This is a good one, fresh off the twitter machine.



Sometimes wonder if any of the bystanders spontaneously join in. A couple of the participants looked like they might have been inspired by the moment and jumped in uninvited.

Old Hometown hits the big time

Gratefully, I'm told this is a spoof band and not really from lovely downtown Noho because they're pretty awful. But it is fun to hear them singing about my old hometown.




I'm told this is from Saturday Night Live. Which is still not really funny anymore.

Missing shrooms

For most of my life I've lived in woodsy places that at certain times of year abound with mushrooms. I've even eaten a few of the "foolproof four" without dying. When I moved south, my first place was a veritable mushroom farm. Since I moved mid-state, I see a few giant mushrooms now and again, but not the variety or the abundance I became accustomed to in all my years of country living.

Maybe there are more in the woods but I'm paranoid about the ticks here. You can die from a tick bite around these parts. And not to mention the poisonous snakes and spiders. So I don't hike like I used to and must content myself with photos from those who are braver than me.

Lots more pictures here and here. Many look sort of familiar, but it's been long since I've studied mycology. I can no longer name any but the amanita.

If a wooden ball drops in a forest...

It most definitely makes a beautiful sound. I just love this stuff. Don't know if it's only one guy who does these, but this one appears to be a commercial for something. Glad he's found a way to make money on building them. Maybe he'll do it forever. Or at least as long as I'm alive.

Sunday afternoon

I've been in such a funk for the last couple of weeks. Partly the time change. It takes me forever to adjust to early dark at night. And still dealing with my grief over losing Dad. Thought I would be doing better by now, but just can't shake the profound sense of loss. His absense casts a deep shadow that dims my joy in living, even after all these weeks. But as I told my sister at lunch the other day, there's no timetable on grieving. So I'm trying not to beat myself up for failing to "get over it" already.

Oddly, this sad story comforts me. You may have seen it already. No doubt you saw the original story about the elephant and her best friend, a dog. That's reviewed at this link but the last chapter is tragic. The dog was killed, by coyotes they think, and now the elephant grieves and must find comfort in new ways. I guess we'll both find it eventually.

Meanwhile, on a slightly happier note, although it's still about loss. 11 Sounds That Your Kids Have Probably Never Heard. I admit, I remember every single one of these things. And sounds that are even older. I was just a youngster then and my Dad was alive and it seemed then, he would live forever and never get old.

Everything changes. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not. But the change is inevitable and all we can do it accept it and somehow, move forward again.

Little City Story: Goth kid often walks by the porch in the mornings. He's very tall. Always overdressed. All in black. Thinking art major. Carries a big portfolio. Walks really slow. Stares straight ahead. Never looks at or speaks to me. Always alone.

Saw him last night. With a goth girl. This for no comprehensible reason makes me happy.

Roadtrip

Sometimes my life feels like this: A freelance photographer took to the road for inspiration and came back from his trip with a time lapse video speeding across 12,225 miles in just under five minutes.



I would like to see the longer cuts myself. He started with a two hour version before he cut to down to the five minutes. The half hour one would probably be about perfect since he went through so many states.

Where so find the tiny little bananas to feed them?

I'm a little creeped out by how human their tiny little hands look, but how cute are these guys?

Don't think I would want any at home though. They're so tiny, I'd probably end up stepping on one unless you kept them in a cage. And who want to cage these little guys? That would feel really weird. [Photo from this facebook album]

Spirits of the dear departed

Strange. Was sitting on the porch on the morning of los dia de los muertos thinking I hadn't reached my Dad's spirit night before. At that exact moment, a huge crow glided silently off the porch roof, right in front of me. Landed across the street and looked right at me. For a long time.

The crow keeps coming back. Every morning so far. There's two of them. Think the other one might be Dave Shapiro. I asked him to look out for Dad. They never met, but they would have liked each other on the earthly plane. I like visualizing them hanging out together in the afterlife.

[Photo credit]

Murmuration

Starlings are really obnoxious birds. Never really liked them much. They're noisy. Mean. Messy and generally a nuisance. But when they flock together like this, it's truly a wonder to behold.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

[Direct link if you can't see the video.]

I witnessed something very similar to this once when I was walking in the meadows around lovely downtown Northampton. I was mesmerized for a very long time before they settled down as the sun finally set. It's not something you ever forget.

I see my future...

Sorry my friends. I have to confess I've reached the point where I rarely open the chain emails you forward to me. And if I do open them, I don't ever send them to ten people in ten minutes, or whatever the prescribed time frame is to avoid this fate.

(Posted for my friends who haven't already seen this a dozen times on Facebook.)

Got to believe it's magic...

I don't know how they do this stuff. And really, I don't want to know. I'd rather be mystified by the magic.



Applauds...