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May 2004 Archive
19 May - The Broodening Continues...
The Brood... it's getting louder (Real Audio format). More coverage of Brood X:
Leroy, one of the local cats, thinks of trying out a cicada snack. He decided to abstain.
A brand new cicada begins to emerge from its nymph skin.
Fully molted, the cicada will soon darken. If its a male, it'll soon start making noise. More fascinating cicada info.
16 May
Brood X update - hear the sound of the swarm (Real Audio format).
15 May - Brood X, Threat or Menace?
Natasha, one of the local Circle Cats, contemplates a freshly moulted cicada. Brood X began to appear yesterday, and now the Museum's grounds appear to be heaving with them - rather creepy. The cicada song is audible, and I'll attempt to record it when it's a bit more penetrating. I'm told that the local squirrels are feasting, and I have noticed lots of half-eaten victims around.
11 May
The CSX Trash Train reveals its poetic Futurist aspect. Don't do this in August, when the high speed redolence can be overpowering.
10 May
Anthony Hopkins, as Titus Andronicus, serves up the horrifying main course in Julie Taymor's Titus. Given Hopkin's more famous anthrophagic culinary performances as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon, an actor would do well to stick to the veggies in performance with Sir Anthony. The curiously hypnotic prologue, in which blue mud-caked legionaries march stiffly into a coliseum, put me in mind of the famous Pyrrhic Dance of antiquity - somewhat different than Alma-Tadema's version, though. Pretty funky film, but it's not Shakespeare's jolliest play, dear me, no.
8 May
I mentioned a while back that Gus, the museum's maintenance man, had inexplicably been named a block captain in Washington Grove's neighborhood watch. Gus, a truly boneless chickenhawk, was so proud of his high rank that he had himself a cap made - we suspect he wears it in bed. Now he's found a dealer who makes custom infantry guidons, so he had his own block captain flag made - he insists on calling it a gonfalon (incorrectly, as it turns out). WG for Washington Grove, of course; P for Block P, his glorious command. If he starts showing up in cammies, I'm heading for the hills.
7 May
The Historic Cottage leaps off the screen - haul out your 3D glasses, or procure a pair here, or pretend you're a kid and score a free pair. I found a site with excellent instructions for making anaglyph - 3D - images with Photoshop and have been snapping pairs of images around the Museum ever since. I'm also making stereoviews:
If anyone would like a jpeg of either pair - the stereoview can be printed out and viewed in a sterescope - drop me a line. I'm afraid that there will be no Museum Cats in 3D, though - the creatures won't hold still long enough for me to take the required two shots. If I still had a darkroom, I'd buy a Sputnik, you bet.
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