BuhBye

Bulldozer

The Tiger Swallowtail

This insect is the official insect of Virginia. I snapped a picture of it when we were over at Randy and Theresa's for a BBQ the other week. I was amazed that I could get that close and it didn't fly away, but it was really interested in that flower, which was in full bloom.

Visit to Udvar-Hazy

Yes, Udvar-Hazy. If you don't know what that means you are probably more familiar with its original name of the Air & Space Museum. Except the new version is out at Dulles Airport and is pretty awesome. Apparently, Udvar-Hazy was a big wig in the aerospace industry and he was of Hungarian descent, hence the name that sounds like, well, a disease that 40 year-old yuppies get. (yes, the doctor said I have udvah-hayzeee)

It costs nothing to get in but they do charge you $12 for parking, but they also take Visa/MC, so don't sweat it if you didn't bring any cash, like we did.

Jack liked it and enjoyed seeing helicopters, all types and sizes, colors and shapes. I enjoyed seeing the space shuttle, ray guns (toys) and the model for the close encounters movie.

I also liked that they had several guides that would walk around and give you a short synopsis of one of the exhibits and point out a few interesting facts. For example, when we were in the space exploration area, they had the actual working model of the close encounters of the third kind under glass. They guy said it was made before there was computer graphics, so the model builders had a little fun with it, like putting a shark in one of the alcoves, also a VW van as well. I got a decent picture of the R2D2 that they added, too. Very cool stuff.

We had lunch there and then went out to the large sculpture and took a few more pictures. We got Jack a little Space Shuttle toy. He almost made it home, but passed out just before we got home. We planned that one juuuust right.

I Like Boobies

Yeah, you heard me, I like boobies, a lot. They are some of the most fascinating birds living on this earth. They live on the Galapagos Islands and are flightless. There are a few varieties, such as the blue footed boobie and the red footed boobie.

Boobie, boobie, boobie.

I once had an idea for a game called "Boobie Trap" where your token was a Boobie Bird and you had to make your way around the Galapagos Island and collect your eggs and get back to your nest, but there were also Boobie Traps where you would lose your eggs or have them stolen. You would win if you made it back to your nest with all your eggs.

I should think about creating a game about the woodcock, the titmouse or the woodpecker, too.

Update: Tootsie Pop Art

I have been working on a few pieces lately, both of them are a departure from what I have been doing before. The first piece is of Ellen Degeneres, who I think is one of the funniest comedians. The icons I have been painting have all been dead or political (Dubya), so this is definitely a departure.

Here it is:


The second piece is a departure because of the subject isn't a personality, but is still an icon. I had fun with this because its a parody of the old popcorn art that has been used on bags and cardboard containers at movie theatres for a long time.

This one is also different because I started using Starburst wrappers as well as tootsie pop wrappers on this one. They are just as easy to work with and offer many more colors that I can use. I plan on incorporating the starburst wrappers into more of my pieces in the future, but I will use tootsie pop wrappers when I can.

Here is that piece:


I think its kind of neat that the word Starburst, when broken up, encapsulates the spirit of this art, "star", like a celebrity or icon and "burst" as in to pop.

Not Going to Be A Millionaire

I went to try out for "Millionaire" this past Friday up in Maryland. I had such high hopes since my twin had made it on the show just about a year ago. (He walked away with $1000)

I wasn't as lucky (or smart) because I didn't make it past the test(s) that they administered. The first test was all about movies and the questions were tough, like what were the last words in the movie "The Witness" and what was the name of Marylin Monroe's character in Some Like It Hot?

The general questions test was just as tough with questions such as "what is a maillet".

So, hats off to you, Kenny, I guess I have to admit that you are smarter than me - whew, that was tough.

I just wish I had the test that had questions dealing with junk food, bad 80's movies and hair loss - my wheelhouse of knowledge.