Pulgas Ridge


On this beautiful sunny Sunday, D. and I visited Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve (btw, that's my pic up there on the preserve's web page, woot!).  Here are some of the pics I took.


Bermuda buttercups are in bloom all over the place.





The rear door of an abandoned rehab facility near the trail.





A tiny western fence lizard basks on the back patio.





A look at the front of the abandoned buildings.





Sow thistles are in bloom as well.





A warning sign is posted at some equipment for the new Hetch Hetchy water pipeline that runs through part of the preserve.





Hound's tongue in bloom.





A stile on the trail makes an impromptu lost and found spot.





The view across the canyon to the neighborhood on the hilltop.





A look down the Hassler Loop Trail.





Old, north-facing stone walls host lichen and miniature gardens.







Lots of periwinkle blooming in the shade.





A little dog is excited to have found the scent of a ground squirrel (the squirrel eluded the pup).






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Monday Movies: Exiting San José State's Library


Monday Movies: 20 seconds (more or less) of video from the world around me.

This week: Twenty-three seconds of exiting the library at San José State University after visiting the Beethoven museum a couple of months ago (with a pile of free books and DVDs for the taking stacked up near the entrance).  Enjoy.




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Babelfishing Poetry: "My Eyes And Snake's Tears"


Hey bloggity peeps, once again, get ready for some more Babelfishing poetry, where I take song lyrics, run them through an on-line translator such as (but not necessarily) Babelfish, get silly with the punctuation a bit, and wind up with a quirky kind of poem.

This week's song, from Led Zeppelin's 1970 album Led Zeppelin III, is the gentle "That's The Way" (listen to Zeppelin's version here, or listen to vocal group The Blenders perform the song here).  Enjoy. 


My Eyes And Snake's Tears

I think I know how to live,
or play.
What he said, or trust.
A large mass of hair seems to agree.
However, sit on my right hand here, and I'm glad it's in every single day.
The darkness of the city.

Don't know when what seems to disagree.
I see the eyes belong to you.
Do you play other games possible?
What then, Grandmother?

The river that day, and now I see the shoulders, level.
My eyes and snake's tears.
All of the narrative in the autumn of the corrupt.
Then you have master hypnotist.

Yesterday I was watching the cherry blossoms kiss you.
But all of the recipient's life.
So what's not to say I have 3 grand, total?
So I sat down and cried out.

It is what you say, I know.
How do I remove all restrictions?
But now I see (what, again?), and said he saw time.
The king, they always do.

So.
I am brains.
Well done, you say?  Mom, I don't know.
No trace of the day and affirmation.


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Cantor Arts Center: Island Universe


I am very tired of our extended spell of cold wet weather.  On the weekends D. and I haven't been able to go out on our usual nature trails in the local preserves.  We have trouble finding new and interesting indoor activities.  We feel like we go to the same indoor places over and over (and to an extent, that's exactly what happens).

So on this showery Sunday, D. and I reluctantly returned to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford to see the Josiah McElheny: Island Universe exhibit, because that was better than hanging around the house all day.  Here are some of the pics I took.


Entering the gallery.





An anteroom has an introduction to the exhibit.





The gallery is full of chandeliers.

















A close-up of a chandelier reflects the people in the gallery: the macrocosm in the microcosm.





Elsewhere in the museum is this light sculpture by New York artist Spencer Finch, titled Betelgeuse.  It is comprised of fluorescent tubes wrapped in colored filters designed to emit the same hue and luminosity as the star of the same name in the constellation Orion.  It's like an intersection of science, art and technology.







A storytime area on the upper floor of the museum.





Some outtakes from other galleries of the museum -- a 2nd-3rd century Pakistani head of a bodhisattva . . .





. . . and Transformation Mask by Northwest Coast artist John Livingston.




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Monday Movies: Towing The Shuttle


Monday Movies: 20 seconds (more or less) of video from the world around me.

This week: Twenty-four seconds of a tow truck moving a broken-down community shuttle bus out of the middle of the intersection (where it had been stuck for over 90 minutes on a cold rainy afternoon a couple of months ago).  Enjoy.




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Babelfishing Poetry: "The Universe Will Come To You Alone"


Hello, lovely to see you, so glad you've popped by my unassuming little blog!  You're in time for the latest installment of Babelfishing poetry, where I take song lyrics, run them through an on-line translator such as (but not necessarily) Babelfish, futz around with the punctuation a bit, and wind up with a quirky kind of poem.

This week's song is the 1988 hit by synthpop British band When In Rome, "The Promise" (when it came out, I used to love hearing this song on the radio and the repeated refrain "I promise you, I promise you") (watch video here).  Enjoy. 


The Universe Will Come To You Alone

Watching, unselfish,
it was still strange.
Uh, um, you know very well.
No, but it is the object of my visit.
Private interview digestive elephant.
Walk and stay behind here.

Sorry, hen hobbled cool.
The plane is very pleasant.
But you're waiting for that repair; back to you.
I want to make an appointment.

The universe will come to you alone.
Essence is the same.
Those who do not seem to disagree should know the players.
I was alive
in an instant of time.
I'm not directing the guards.
Words come.
I didn't do it.

But if I have a scientist, they are a boy.
I think this is so, that we should love.


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Presidio Promenade Trail


On Sunday, after doing an errand in San Francisco, D. and I took a stroll along the Presidio Promenade Trail.  Here are some of the pics I took.


A rockrose glows like a jewel in the misty gloom outside the visitor's center.





A misty street in the Presidio





A sailboat on San Francisco Bay gleams in the gray mist.





A view of the Presidio Parkway above a tunnel, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.





Alcatraz Island.





Angel Island.





A life-size blue whale made from plastic trash is meant to raise awareness about ocean pollution.





A glimpse of the San Francisco skyline.





Blackberry.





Nearing the Golden Gate Bridge.





Historical markers show where gun emplacements used to be before the Presidio became part of the National Park Service.





The Golden Gate Bridge, shot from the aptly-named Postcard Viewpoint.





Keep Off The Grass.  Sigh.





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Monday Movies: CalTrain Contrary Motion


Monday Movies: 20 seconds (more or less) of video from the world around me.

This week: Twenty seconds of going contrary motion to CalTrain on Alma after the light turned green at a level crossing.  Enjoy.




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Babelfishing Poetry: "I Love Assembling You"


Hello!  And how are you lovely bloggity people today?  Great, I hope.  A couple days ago I had a sleep/awake EEG of my brain, where they measured my brain waves not only while I was awake but also while asleep.  To prepare, I had to either stay awake past midnight the night before or get up earlier that day so as to be more able to nap during the test.  Since I have a lot of trouble falling asleep I was apprehensive I'd be able to do so, but I managed to get a lot less sleep the night before and dozed off a few times during the test, so I'm glad they were able to get some good brain data.

I will get the results next week, so to tide us over until then let's enjoy some more Babelfishing poetry, where I take song lyrics, run them through an on-line translator such as (but not necessarily) Babelfish, experiment with the punctuation a bit, and wind up with a quirky kind of poem.

 British trip-hop group Massive Attack brings us this week's featured song, "Teardrop" (watch video here).  Enjoy. 


I Love Assembling You

Beloved and love words.
Heart love philosophy.
There is no air.
It was a small card.
Ah, I love assembling you.
There is nothing more than sharp.

Night approached.
Heaven and Earth are black.
There is nothing sharper than sharp.
Flowers are black.
There is no air.

And my eyes water.
Look at the righteous.
The death benefit is fierce.
It's yours.
When they shoot,
there is nothing sharp.
A good blind guy.
There is no air.

Do you not think that's too bad?
There is nothing sharp about it.

Beginning.


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Deer Hollow Farm


On Sunday D. and I took advantage of a break in the rain and some relatively not-chilly temperatures to go to Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve to visit Deer Hollow Farm.  Here are some of the pics I took.


The trail to Deer Hollow Farm is paved.







The hillsides are a rich green from all the rain we've had lately.





Not sure why stretching has to be isolated to that one area, but, whatever. 





One of the Tamworth pigs on the farm takes a snooze in her pen.





There are sheep here.









There are chickens.







There are goats.







There are ducks and geese.







Up close and personal with a young cow grazing near a fence.







On the way back to the parking lot we pass a flock of wild turkeys grazing in a field next to the trail.




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Monday Movies: Clam Diggers


Monday Movies: 20 seconds (more or less) of video from the world around me.

This week: Twenty seconds of a multichannel video projection at the San José Museum of Art by Vietnamese-American artist Dinh Q. Lê, of Vietnamese clam-diggers walking out to sea at low tide.  Enjoy.




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Treasure Pouch Pattern


Drawstring Treasure Pouch Pattern





Here are instructions to crochet a little drawstring pouch for all your tiny treasures.

Materials I used:
B (2.25mm) hook
size 3 crochet cotton (I used Size 3 Aunt Lydia's Fashion Crochet for the ones here), about 34 yards
stitch markers

This pattern assumes you know how to chain (ch); slip st (sl st); single crochet (sc); work in a spiral without joining; use stitch markers to mark beginning of round (rnd).

I have also made these using various colors of embroidery floss (undivided) and a size 6 (1.8mm)  steel crochet hook.

Gauge = 14 rows and 12 sts to 2", but is not critical for this project.



Directions:

Ch 2

Rnd 1 -- 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook (6). (For solid color, work in spiral; otherwise, join as usual)

Rnd 2 -- 2 sc in each sc (12)

Rnd 3 -- (2 sc in sc, sc in next sc), around (18)

Rnd 4 -- (2 sc in sc, sc in next 2 sts) around (24)

Rnd 5 -- (2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts) around (30)

Rnd 6 -- (2 sc in next, sc in next 4 sts) around (36)

Rnd 7 -- (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 5 sts) around (42)

Rnds 8 - 18 -- work even, sc in ea. st.          

Rnd 19 -- (sc in next 2 sts, ch 1, skip next st) around

Rnds 20 - 22 -- work sc in each st or ch-1 sp (except if spiral, last st on round 20 and last 2 sts on round 22 = sl st instead of sc)

Optional Rnd 23 -- sl st around.  FO.

For the cord to thread through spaces on Rnd 19: cut two 12" lengths of black thread or yarn, weave through spaces with yarn needle, and trim back once laced and tied off.









This is how it looks in stripes using various colors of embroidery floss, and joining rows instead of working in a spiral to make smooth stripes.








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Babelfishing Poetry: "In The Evening With Betty"


Hello! Lovely to see you, 'thank you for stopping by, and woo-hoo, it's Friday already.  Hooray!  Let's kick off the weekend with some more Babelfishing poetry, where I take song lyrics, run them through an on-line translator such as (but not necessarily) Babelfish, convolute the punctuation a bit, and wind up with a quirky kind of poem.

Indie folkie Mark Kozelek's elegiac "Duk Koo Kim" is this week's featured song (listen to Kozelek give an acoustic performance of the song here, or listen to his version of it with his band Sun Kil Moon here.)  Enjoy. 


In The Evening With Betty

In the evening with Betty,
society's discussion of sleeper room,
I know close to ka'ino.
100 years of heart.

Oh wow, a warrior city.
In my opinion, the only light
to ensure all
by force.
Although, as boys, we then
can't sleep again.
National scenic area from physical bodies
went again.

I want to know where you die alone.
No one came
but the angels,
and after.

This one,
the son of Nim and Gajmog.
That's what life is
when you're wet.

The ongoing war movies in the evening.
CAW Prince Kim, singing the Charmaine strange nun.
The good people of Denmark, one personally fond of leaving national scenic area neck Kafr El-dawwar,
but he took off flying.

Just put out there on the market
kronos time supply for me.
Angel is more,
too.

Come, reach any great extent, my love,
in all the love.
When arrested, it's love
in the years that youth and observation copied there.


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SJMA Extras


Here are some outtakes from interesting things I saw while at or near the San Jose Museum of Art on Sunday.











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San José Museum of Art


Since it has been so cold here (still!) and we were in need of an indoor activity, on Sunday D. and I went to the San José Museum of Art to see what's on exhibit.  Here are some of the pics I took.


The exhibit Other Walks, Other Lines focuses on artwork made during the last thirty years in which walking played a role in one form or another.

Omar Mismar's The Path of Love No. 3 uses neon to trace the walking routes he took during 30 days in San Francisco.





Gabriel Orozco's video From Container to Don't Walk plays on a monitor in the corner of the gallery.





Francis Alÿs' Paradox of Praxis 1 performance video documents the artist pushing an outsized block of ice around the streets of Mexico City for more than 9 hours until it had completely melted.  It is meant to represent the experience of "sometimes making something leads to nothing," and also alludes to the futile efforts of thousands of laborers who roam the city's streets pushing carts filled with goods to sell but have nothing to show for their hard work.





Clarissa Tossin's Ladrão de Tênis/Sneaker Thief features casts of popular brands of footwear.  Due to Brazil's developing capitalist economy and increasing desire for material goods, a rising number of thefts of trendy sneakers taken directly off pedestrians' feet has resulted in violence and death.





A banner by Dutch-American artist Lara Schnitger advises us to be the walker, not the dog.





Another piece by Lara Schnitger casts interesting shadows on the floor.





Cuban conceptual artist Wilfredo Prieto put a plant in a wheelbarrow with some soil and took it for a 5-km walk around the island of Curaçao.  Because he could.  Here we see the plant and wheelbarrow, with a photograph of him on his walk on the wall in the background.





Native American New York-based artist Brad Kahlhamer's Nomadic Studio Sketchbooks are featured here.





Upstairs, video and photography installations of Vietnamese-American artist Dinh Q. Lê tell a multifaceted story about Vietnamese life before, during, and after the Vietnam War.







More interesting shadows.





Looking up to the ceiling above a tent of photographs.





Light and Belief: Voices and Sketches of Life from the Vietnam War is an installation of 101 drawings by various artists in pencil, watercolor, ink and oil on paper.





A participatory map invites museum-goers to annotate a local trail map with the favorite places they like to visit for socializing, exercise, or the enjoyment of nature.




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