My third attempt to understand the creature that lives in my house

I have sneezed about fifty times today. Every time I'm about to sneeze poor Pumpkin looks at me and leaps off the couch. My cold has interrupted her planned Saturday of napping and ignoring me. The last time I got up to make tea, she took over my spot on the couch and I feel bad moving her. She looks really comfortable. And she's super cute.

Cats are basically wild animals - this is not opinion it's science. Bradshaw's research makes sense. We haven't bred cats to do anything but be cute, eat, and sleep. Domestication hasn't made them anything more than what they already were so their behavior is basically unchanged by the humans in their life. Also, cats are jerks - cuddly, adorable jerks. This is also science. Pumpkin proves this often enough - paw in my face at 4 am or that unblinking stare that means I'm not welcome in her space (even though it's space I pay for). Look at that glare. Occasional jerk behavior aside, I hate to think about a day when this little creature won't be sleeping on a pillow (that was not purchased for her use) without a cat care in the the world or making me rethink wearing black pants.

Once a year I attempt to learn a little bit more about Pumpkin by participating in National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day. It was earlier this week and being the horrible pet mother that I am, I'm late in getting around to Pumpkin's queries. I think she's okay with my tardiness; the heater has been of particular interest this week as the polar vortex has returned.

So let's begin the 3rd Annual Island of Misfit Toys Answer Pumpkin's Questions Day!

1.  What is behind the cabinet doors in the bathroom and why am I not allowed inside? All of the secrets of the world are behind the cabinet doors in the bathroom. If you are allowed inside and find the secrets, the world will end. Seriously. The world will end. I know it looks like cleaning products (that might be harmful if you rub your little face on them) and toilet paper, but the world will end if you get inside. Stay on your side of the doors and we'll be fine.
2. Don't you get up at 6 am? I thought we agreed on 6 am. You are correct - I do get up at 6 am. Most days. Some days, I like to sleep in until 7 or 8. Humans call these days "weekends". I know that you are just as much a creature of habit as I am but sometimes I'm not going to get up when you want me to. You're not the boss of me...all the time.
3. Why can't I have my pictures taken at JC Penney like that cat on the interwebs? There are two reasons: 1. you don't have a condition that makes your legs pop out of place when you walk like the cat in this story and 2. Society is unfair when it comes to how people perceive men and women and their pets. If little Winslow had not had a condition most people would have dismissed his male owner as eccentric and cut still but odd. If the owner had been a women, she would have been dismissed as a crazy cat lady who would die alone and then Winslow would eat her if she wasn't discovered right away. I don't make the rules and I have a feeling no amount of female empowerment and breaking glass ceilings will ever remove the crazy cat lady/spinster image from the world. Also, you get car sick. I doubt that would make for a fun portrait session.
4. Have you noticed that I don't jump on the counters that much anymore? Why yes, I have noticed. I assume this is because you've switched out the kitchen counters with the bathrooms counters. I guess this is an improvement.
5. How many Hallmark Christmas movies did you watch this year? That is none of your business. If I remember correctly, you sat on my lap or right near me throughout all of them so I'd say that you enjoyed movie night(s).
6. Why don't you ever get mad at me when I throw up my food? It's not like you did anything wrong or broke something. Obviously, you ate your dinner too fast and you've paid for it so there's not reason to get mad at you. Cat vomit is not my favorite thing but it comes with being your pet mom. Next time, eat slower. 
7. I thought my name was Pumpkin - why do you call me Peanut all the time? Your name is Pumpkin but sometimes I call you Peanut. People have nicknames and so can cat's and that's yours. It's not like you answer to anything I call you so I doubt it matters all that much anyway. You could just pretend like it's your secret identity and create some kind of world around that. I know that would take up valuable napping time but it's worth considering.
8. What does this photo of me (below) remind you of? It reminds me of Gmork in the movie The Neverending Story. Gmork is the werewolf that the Nothing sends to kill Atreyu. There's this part when Gmork appears out of the darkness and you in the the shopping bag reminds me of that. If I had been walking past without knowing you were in the bag, you probably would have jumped out to try to get my feet.
   
   
   
9. You do realize that was a very weird answer? I don't think it was at all. I've shown this picture to two other people and said the exact same thing and neither of them thought it was weird. One of them agreed with me.
10. What is all that white stuff outside? I tried to bat at it through the window but it wouldn't go away. That's snow. Snow is a terrible thing that happens during the winter. It causes the people of Northern Virginia to become even worse drivers than they already are (I know that's hard to believe), schools shut down, and everyone goes to the store to prepare for the coming apocalypse. I guess snow is pretty to look at if you don't have to go out in it and you like winter but it's not my thing. You're from Hawaii so I don't think you'd like it if you were allowed outside.
11. So I'm not allowed in the bathroom cabinets. What about the bathtub? I find your bathroom habits a little weird. I thought cats weren't supposed to like water but you seem obsessed with the bathtub and shower. If you want to hang out there by all means have at it. My only request is that you wait until I'm done in the shower before making your appearance. It's weird and wet cat on the couch is not one of my favorite things.
12. Are we done? Isn't my naptime? Isn't it always naptime for you? By all means, nap away. Just try to nap on your pillow or the heater. The computer is off limits as is my Kindle, the tv remote, and my coat.

Thanks for joining Pumpkin and I for another Answer Your Cat's Questions Day. I can't wait to see what Pumpkin asks me next year.

Coming soon to the Island: I pretend I'm 10 and go roller skating, Lazy Movie Weekend returns with a helpful Valentine's Day edition, I finally get around to admitting that I'm doing everything wrong when it comes to waffles, and I return to my novel to see if anything I wrote actually makes sense.

Are You There God? It's Me, Cathy Dollanganger

When I was in middle school, I remember two books being passed around and discussed in hushed tones. It was mostly older girls (or at least girls that seemed older) who seemed in the know about them both. One was Forever... by Judy Blume and the other was Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. Neither of these books were on the required reading list but everyone seemed to know something about both. I didn't read either until I got to high school and I remember feeling like I finally belonged to the world of girls. Reading both of the novels was a rite of passage up there with getting your first bra or wearing makeup for the first time. I was thinking about both after reading an article about V.C. Andrews last week and having a conversation about how reading influences writing. I read a lot of Judy Blume and V.C. Andrews but I don't write like either of them (and probably never will) but I think they were both important for other reasons.

There's a great book called Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume. It's an anthology of women writers discussing the significance of Blume's work in their lives and their writing. This was the first book I bought when I got my Kindle a few years ago and I read it in a day. This would start my Kindle holiday reading binges - during the holidays, I can get through five novels on a Kindle in a matter of days if I have nothing else to do. It was fun to read about how my experiences with Blume's work were so much like other women's. Judy Blume was a part of my reading life before I even knew what Forever... was. I started reading the Fudge books and was a devotee of Sally J. Freedman and Sheila the Great. And then there was Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - this was my favorite Blume novel. Margaret was my pre-teen hero. She was a bit awkward, she was in constant competition with her friends to meet "milestones" they created on the road to becoming young women, and her parents just didn't understand her. Judy Blume understood the pre-teen girl experience.

Of course there was also Forever.. - the book passed around every camp, Girl Scout troop, and group of friends you could find. It's a frequent visitor to the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books (coming in at number 7 from 1990-2000). The book had a bit of everything: sex (and whether Katherine was ready for it), teen pregnancy, a character questioning his sexual identity, and suicide. Most importantly, it had the agony of first love. I re-read Forever... this summer and it's still a killer. The adult me knows that Katherine is better off at the end of the novel (and I applauded her trip to the Planned Parenthood for birth control - be in charge of your bodies ladies) but the teenage me was still hoping that she and Michael's story would end differently. Teenage me still wanted the happily ever after that all the movies I watch(ed) promise. Judy Blume doesn't sugarcoat anything which I appreciate today as much as I think I did when I first read her books.

In stark contrast, Flowers in the Attic, had very little to relate to in the big picture of the novel. Family betrayal of epic proportions, incest, and murder are not things the average teenager deals with in their daily life (at least I hope not). V.C. Andrews did not set out to write fiction that appealed to young adult audiences but that's exactly what happened. Her Gothic horror are definitely precursors to a series like Twilight minus the supernatural creatures. Andrews found actual people more horrifying.

On the surface, there isn't much of a connection to Judy Blume and V.C. Andrews but if you look at the majority of Blume's female characters, they have a lot in common with Cathy Dollanganger, the narrator of Flowers in the Attic and the sequels that followed. Cathy was approaching her teen years at the start of the novel when her father's death causes her family to uproot and head to Virginia to live with a part of the family they never knew existed. She was her father's favorite and early in the novel (and both film versions) you can see the tension between Cathy and her mother (just like Margaret and Katherine and Davey and Deenie and their moms). Cathy is the defiant one of the four Dollanganger children. She yells at her mother, Corrine, and the Grandmother. She's the one that challenges them, not her older brother. Cathy sees the change in her mother (like the reader or viewer sees) and realizes that the children are on their own.


Cathy comes of age in an attic with her older brother and two younger siblings. She assumes the mother role, eventually replacing her mother in the eyes of the twins. She's the voice of reason and pushes her brother Christopher to break out of the attic. Yes, there is the part where Christopher rapes Cathy. Even if you've never read this novel, you know this happens. Is it terrible? Absolutely. Is it the most important part of the book? Not at all. But it's the reason that everyone (boys included) passed this novel around and hid it from their parents (although I never hid that I was reading this book or any book for that matter). Cathy doesn't handle the rape in this novel or confront Christopher about what he did; it's dealt with in the sequels. Interestingly, most fans don't consider Christopher a villain and I don't think Andrews could have written the story without this scene. I don't agree with it but I know the novel wouldn't move ahead without it.

As I watched the new film version this weekend (on Lifetime of all places), I was struck by how Cathy doesn't seemed surprised by anything her mother or grandmother do as the days in the attic turn to months and years. I remember thinking this when I read the novel and when watching the first version of the film starring Louise Fletcher, Kristy Swanson, and Victoria Tennant. Watching Victoria Tennant and Heather Graham portray Corrine is fascinating - there is a moment (and it's not the same moment) in both performances where you can see the woman for who she actually is rather than a loving mother trying to provide for her children. She's a self-obsessed horror. Her children are better off without her. I hope that Lifetime considers making the sequels into movies. Corrine doesn't die at the end of Flowers in the Attic (the Lifetime movie is much more closely aligned to the novel) and she doesn't leave her children alone either.

I don't know if V.C. Andrews set out to write about female relationships and power when she penned any of the Dollanganger novels. On some level, though, that's what she did. Cathy and Corrine are playing out this chapter of this family's version of slamming doors and the silent treatment. The difference is, of course, that Cathy really does come to hate her mother and Corrine actually does try to kill her children. Incest aside, Flowers in the Attic is a coming of age story and it's about the odd and fascinating world of mothers and daughters. Andrews would expand this to focus on mothers and their children in the later novels but the tension that exists in that relationship is what drives Flowers in the Attic. Cathy and Corrine are rivals from the beginning and only one can win.

At the center of Forever..., Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, and Flowers in the Attic are all young women trying to figure out how to navigate in the world and find their place within it. Margaret is looking for identity, Katherine wants to be accepted as an adult, and Cathy wants to be free.


Images:
Flowers in the Attic
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Forever...

Hangin' in the Treme

"Like very few other great cities around the world, the price of admission to New Orleans - what qualifies one for citizenship, so to speak - is simply a deep and abiding love for the place; a need to live there no matter what."

 -Anthony Bourdain, from his foreward to Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans

January 2006 - driving down Tchoupitoulas on my way to the Winn-Dixie on my way home from work

I pull into the one space in the Winn-Dixie parking lot and prepare for the inevitable long line and the fact that I will probably only get two or three of the things on my list of ten. I walk into the store, see the lines and the harried faces. I can feel the start of a panic attack beginning. I turn around and walk out the door. I sit in my car for a few minutes, calm down, and drive on to the Sav-a-Center. The parking lot is less full so I'm hopeful this means the store is less full. I walk in, see the same lines, and audibly sigh. A lady, who I didn't notice come in at the same time as me, pats me on the shoulder and says, "Honey, it's going to be okay. Go get what you need to get." And she smiles. I know she's right and I follow her into the store and  get my groceries, wait in line, and go home. Pumpkin is waiting for her dinner and I go about the process of making mine too. I watch some tv, get annoyed during the news, and go to bed.

This was not an anomaly of living in a post-Katrina New Orleans. The easiest of tasks, going to the grocery, getting a prescription filled, getting gas, all became monumental exercises that usually ended in frustration. The simplest task took twice as long and probably meant you had to drive all over town just to complete it. If the mundane task took twice as long, consider what it must have been like for those trying to rebuild homes and businesses or put loved ones to rest. Imagine doing it all from far away because you weren't able to come home yet. This was the New Orleans I left in July of 2006. 

Flash forward to January 2011. I was living in Alameda by this time and had returned from my Christmas visit with my family in Virginia. I finally decided to sit down and watch season one of Treme, HBO's show about post-Katrina New Orleans. As I watched the first episode, the memory of that trip to Winn-Dixie immediately came to mind. I binge-watched the entire season in a day and a half. I hadn't lost my physical home (some minor damage) nor any relatives but I had lost home in other ways. It's always been difficult to describe those eight months in the city after the storm to people who weren't there. I know I bored people to tears with my stories and rage and complaints so I just stopped talking about it. When I watched season one of Treme, it was like being home again with people who got it. I didn't have to explain anything; it just was. 

The first season of the show is the New Orleans I experienced and left: I went to that Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. I drove past refrigerators lined up on the neutral ground waiting to be hauled away. I kept track of what was and wasn't open and when was a good time to do things like get groceries or do laundry at the laundromat. I learned to live without regular mail service or garbage pick up. I had to call the police on sketchy neighbors who moved into the basement apartment in my lovely building and made me wary of coming home at night (something I had never felt in my neighborhood). While all those things were going on, I was also working at the university and reading essays from students who wanted to come home. Some still stick with me: the boy who went to Dallas and struggled to find a toothbrush in the first days after the evacuation and used that to describe feeling lost in an unfamiliar place. Or the girl who wanted to come back to New Orleans to rebuild but also because she wanted to be near where her sister was buried. She didn't want her sister to be alone. It was a struggle to be positive and make it work. Ultimately, I lost that struggle. I left the only place that I've ever felt at home in because I couldn't do it anymore.

I needed to leave and my family wanted me to leave. I know now that it was the right decision to make. Professionally, the move was a smart one and personally, I needed a break. But for years I've had leaver's guilt (probably not a thing but whatever). I visit as often as I can and I shop New Orleans and I support the Saints no matter what. I try to keep New Orleans in my heart and be a New Orleanian wherever I am. But it's exhausting to have to explain New Orleans to everyone who reduces it to beads, booze, and boobs.

And that's why I love Treme so much. I didn't have to explain anything to anyone while I watched it because David Simon and company understood. I felt at home watching the show and I felt in the know on so many things. I fell in love with every character in some way. Even the characters I disliked (like Sonny) still had something to love or at least like enough to get by. Each one reminded me of home and often of a specific person I knew and missed. So many shows and movies set in New Orleans resort to caricature and Treme never did. If you're not from New Orleans, you might think they are but they're not. I know Janette, Davis, Annie, Creighton, Antoine, LaDonna, Toni, Terry, and Albert personally (not the actors but the characters). Every musician I love made an appearance and the chefs and other characters of the city came out to make the story real. It made me laugh (so loudly I think my neighbors thought I was crazy) and cry and rage and every other emotion you can think of and that was just during one episode.

I was able to catch up on season two almost immediately after I finished season one (I do love tv on DVD) and when I moved back to Virginia I got HBO just so I could see season three as it unfolded. The fourth and final season finished up at the end of December. While I understand the show had to end sometime, I just wish it wasn't now. Granted I have the first three seasons on DVD and can watch them whenever I want, but it's more because I've become so attached to the characters and I wanted to stay with them for a bit longer. I won't spoil anything for those fans who haven't seen the end of the show yet, but each person's story is wrapped up, nicely for some while others seemed to rush toward their conclusions. I do think it ended in the right spirit of each character. So I'm pleased with the end; I just didn't really want it to happen.

My favorite characters are Davis, Albert, and Terry. Each one represents something different about the New Orleans experience - the oddness, the tradition, and the contradiction. Davis has been a favorite of mine since season one. His attempt to get Janette to stay in New Orleans was priceless (it even involved John Boutte bringing beignets to their house to start the day) and his rage and zaniness balance each other nicely. And Albert. I think his relationship with his son, Delmond, is the closest thing to a metaphor for the story of the city after the storm. Theirs is a constant struggle between tradition and new and what responsibility to home means. I doubt most people, including myself, knew all that much about the Indian tradition before watching Treme. I appreciate that much of it is still a mystery as much as I appreciate how the shows handles preserving the tradition. I get chills every time I hear the version of "My Indian Red" from the first season.

Which brings me to Terry Colson. I've always enjoyed David Morse, the actor who portrays Colson, but this role is my favorite of his. He's an NOPD detective who becomes disgusted by the corruption and inefficiency of the department after the storm. I knew from his first appearance at the tail end of season one that he and Toni would end up together even if just briefly. I spent much of season three worrying he would be killed or maimed. All I wanted him to do at the end of the series was turn around (this will make sense if or when you watch the last episode). There are a lot of contradictions in Colson; just like New Orleans. I think that's what I like best about him.

There's a lot more that I could write about Treme. The show helped me move past my leaver's guilt and understand that I had to leave in order to eventually go back. I appreciate my home and the people that make it what it is. And I care less and less about the people who don't get it. Frankly, I don't need them in my life.

For now, I will simply sit back and think about a time when I will drive through Mississippi and be able to tune my radio dial to the WWOZ signal. And I'll know I'm that almost home.

Treme image
Other photos by me

DC Days: Snow Day!

The first snow of 2014. I'm not entirely sure when they started naming snow storms but apparently this one was called "Hercules". This makes me laugh because all I can think of is that part in the Eddie Murphy version of The Nutty Professor. That's probably not what the weather community was going for when they named this storm. I know I'm not the only one who had this thought so maybe try harder with the name next time.

I don't like cold weather. It's weird because I like sweaters and coffee and the way snow looks on trees (especially at night) and a cozy blanket. But cold weather is terrible. Winter is my least favorite season. I used to enjoy winter back when I was in high school and wasn't responsible for getting myself anywhere or buying milk and toilet paper. A snow day meant something back then; now it just means a quiet day at work because schools are closed. And that I have to add ten minutes to my leaving time so I can clean off my car.

My company is closed Christmas Eve through New Year's Day and last year I made the mistake of not taking the rest of the week off after New Year's Day. I'd like to pretend that I accomplished a lot of things in those quiet days after the holiday but I would be lying. So this year, I took the rest of the week off. I spent most of my vacation doing family stuff and cleaning and reorganizing my apartment. I decided that I'd spend my last day of vacation playing tourist in DC and bringing back DC Days.

Of course I did pick the day after the first snow of 2014 and the coldest day of the winter so far. I dressed properly: layers, boots, hat (I know I never wear hats), and two pairs of gloves (one for cleaning off the car, one for being out and about). I set off with three destinations in mind: National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, and the National Gallery of Art. These are three of my favorite museums in DC (the Freer is my fourth favorite) and I haven't been to any of them in over a year. What is wrong with me? I spend a lot of time at the museum I where I volunteer but not as much time at the others I love. This needs to change this year.

My plan for the day:

• See the new, expanded culinary exhibit at American History
• Visit the dinosaurs at Natural History (and have lunch)
• Catch the exhibit, Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris, before it closes this weekend
• Not freeze while walking between the museums

When my family first moved to the area, I was in the 7th grade. We had a lot of visitors in the first few years we lived here (as was the case whenever we moved someplace new) so I've been to the majority of monuments, historic homes, and museums in the area. I enjoyed playing tour guide for our out of town visitors (except Air & Space - too crowded although it's a great museum). Back then, my favorite museum was American History. I loved the entire museum and remember the opening of the gowns exhibit (First Ladies) and seeing the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit for the first time.

I have to admit, it's not my favorite anymore. It's not that I don't like the museum and that the exhibits aren't interesting it's that it's not a very inviting place to visit. It seems sort of austere and not particularly exciting. Now once you get past the entrance, it's not terrible but it's still not great. I think the museum struggles with how to deal with being "America's attic" which I understand. How do you display the history of this country and appeal to the wide audience that comes through every year? I don't really have the answer for that. I guess I just don't like the new design of the museum.

I did, however, enjoy the expanded culinary exhibit, FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000. Julia Child's kitchen went on display in 2004 (and it was supposed to be temporary) but was wildly popular. The exhibit featured her kitchen, from the KitchenAid stand mixer to the famous wall of pots and pans that her husband, Paul, designed for her. Her Garland stove is in one corner and a small bookcase of cookbooks and tapes of her shows are in the other. The original exhibit closed temporarily to make way for an expanded exhibit that builds on Julia Child's contribution to the food landscape in a America but also looks at other movements and important moments in transforming the way we eat. It's a great exhibit and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys food so you know, everyone.

Everything from the invention of the microwave to the Slow Food movement to wine making is in the exhibit. The museum's website also features an assortment of blogs and a nice interactive section on the exhibit.

After visiting the FOOD exhibit, I did a quick walk through of some of the exhibit cases on the first floor of the museum. I wish the Girl Scout exhibit wasn't so hidden and the puppets seemed a little random. The museum does a great job with exhibits like FOOD and some of the other permanent and special exhibits (the Motown one a few years ago, the Presidency) but everything else just feels like a Social Studies fair. I bundled back up and made my way next stop, Natural History.

You know what's terrible about a snow day? Taking layers of clothing on and off as you go in and out of buildings. Temperatures were in the negative digits yesterday so I wore layers so I wouldn't freeze but the layers only make you hot once you're in a building. Every time I walked into a new museum, I had to peel off the top layer and then spend time adjusting to the new extreme temperature - museum heat. Museums can't be too hot because of the way heat can damage many artifacts and pieces but if you add normal winter heating to the mass of humanity in the museum, it's not pleasant. There were actually more people out yesterday than I expected (and I'm glad they were there). I'm sure I was a sweaty mess at least once during the trip. I just can't win.

I didn't always love the Natural History museum but now I do. The dinosaurs are my favorite part of the museum (because I'm an 8 year old boy) and I also enjoy the Atrium Cafe. Museum cafes are notoriously expensive but I've always felt that the Smithsonian cafes were at least worth it. The cupcakes are outstanding. Whhen I was a volunteer at the Smithsonian, this was the museum where our training was held. There's a wildly outdated computer lab in the staff only section of the museum. Anyway, during that training I spent my breaks wandering around the museum (mostly the dinosaurs and the gems). I think this is when Natural History made it to my list of favorites.

As I was walking through the dinosaur exhibit, I overheard a brother and sister talking. The boy was around 7 or 8 and the girl was probably 12. The boy pointed at one of the fossil displays and asked, "What dinosaur is that?" The girl replied, "I don't know. Let's go read and find out." I was so proud of them and saw them a few more times reading about the different fossil displays as I walked around the exhibit hall. They were so engrossed in what they were doing. This is what I love about museums.

I didn't venture to the gems because I'm pretty sure every single person who wasn't looking at the dinosaurs was there. One day, I'll figure out the right day and time to go to the gem exhibit without feeling like I'm at a crowded sporting event. I took a picture of Henry, the African elephant that's in the Rotunda. Everyone loves Henry.

My last stop of the day was the National Gallery of Art. I also walked through the Sculpture Garden since it's on the way. It's rather pretty covered in snow. There's also the ice skating rink; I skipped this as I figured it wouldn't be a great idea to ice skate alone. I'd probably break something.

I love listening to people talk about the Sculpture Garden. The metal tree, Graft, always gets them. Some people think it's funny, others odd. It's fun to listen to people's first reactions to art. I experience this at the museum where I volunteer.

The last time I went to the National Gallery of Art it was to see a photography exhibit too. Special photography exhibits are always in the same terrible gallery in the west wing of the museum. The main part of the gallery is fine; you can view the photographs and not bump into people or have to wait if people are discussing the image or reading slowly. The problem is with the entrance and exit to the space. They're both narrow and ideally you'd view the photographs on either side of the entrance (or exit) but it's impossible. The space is too small and everyone stands and discusses the piece. So I always have to circle back and do the entrance twice and then go through the rest of the exhibit and then see the exit twice. People probably think I'm being disruptive but there's not real flow to any of the exhibits I've seen in the space.

I was there to see the Marville photographs of Paris. Charles Marville photographed the transition from Old Paris to New Paris in the late 19th century. The architect of New Paris, Baron Haussmann, wanted the transition documented so many of the photographs in the exhibit are just that. Marville captured the construction of the Paris Opera and also the destruction of the old streets and neighborhoods as progress moved throughout the city. I learned a new word ("Haussmannization": The creative destruction of something for the betterment of society). It was interesting to see some of the sights of Paris as they were before compared to what I saw when I was there this summer. There were several photos of the Opera and Notre Dame that I could actually identify and others that were probably of places that no longer exist in Paris. The exhibit closes on January 5 so go today if you want to see if for yourself.


I walked over to the East Building as well. That side of the building is closed for renovation but you can still see the Calder mobiles and Leo Villareal's light sculpture, Multiverse. I didn't know much about the light sculpture before this visit. If you sit on either side of the walkway and watch it, you'll start to notice the patterns and the pace of the light change. I did just that as I enjoyed a coffee at the cafe. The lights are mesmerizing. Villareal is the artist that's work lit the Bay Bridge in Oakland a few years ago.


I finished my day with a very cold walk back to the Metro. I took a few more pictures of the Mall and tried to keep my face from freezing. I was glad I braved the cold to spend some time at my favorite places along the Mall. It was nice to see that so many other people had the same idea as me. I will probably never love winter the way I do fall and spring but I understand it's charm. And I understand that you should never waste a snow day.