Bloody Brilliant!

Step away from the Chagall

The scene:  Tate Modern on the Southbank on a rainy day

The question:  Why do parents feel compelled to come to a museum with little kids in tow?  Really - why?

I was trying my hardest to enjoy a day of culture at the Tate Modern, one of the coolest museums in London, when all around me were prams pushed by paents, and little kids running amok.  Instead of letting my rage get the better of me, I indulged in a thought exercise to try to figure this vexing problem out. 

Potential answer #1:  Kids like art, and we want to make sure little Buffy gets her intellectual curiousity stoked at an early age. 

Why this is utterly ridiculous:  Seriously?  The kid in the pram doesn't know anything other than when it is going to cry again, and the kid running around like a nutter isn't getting anything stoked but his need for speed.  Try harder.

Potential answer #2:  Desperate parents want to get out of the house and be around civilized people at least once a day.

Why this is utterly ridiculous:  Surely there are other places to go, like a coffee shop or a park or even a Chuck E Cheese or something, where you can get some fresh air without worrying that the little ones are going to put their adorable little fists through a Mondrian?  

Potential answer #3:  It was raining, I grabbed the kids and ran for the nearest free shelter I could find.

Why this is utterly ridiculous:  Actually, this one isn't so ridiculous.  I can buy this - it sounds reasonable enough - but now that you are dry, get your pram, call a taxi, and leave me in cultural peace.

 

Done!

We have crawled along the finish line,
5:15 am, very grateful that we have a home to return to (via taxi of course) and our own bed to collapse in. Kudos to organisations like The Big Issue that do all they can to help the homeless.

5 miles in

We are at the second rest-stop during our marathon walk and I am knackered! Only one-third of the way through, 10 miles to go. Absolutely pathetic performance thus far.

But on we go!

the first rest stop...

2.5 miles down and the legs are creaking. At the first rest stop where Peter Is digging into the sugar. It's going to be a long (and unseasonably warm) night - but worth it.

Step up!

We are at Leadenhall Market (pictured), just about to start The Big London Night Walk, a charity event that Peter and I are participating in for The Big Issue Foundation. It's an awesome charity that supports homeless people in London and tonight we are walking 15 miles through the city with 500 other people.

It's a long slog that won't finish till 6am - can't wait till my feet swell up, probably sometime around mile 1 given my current fitness level....

When a tomato is so much more...

Walking along the street in London is always good for a laugh, especially now that the sun is shining like a great big shining thing making everyone outrageously happy.  Pub owners with a sense of humor are my favorites, especially when they display such superb good reasoning that it's hard to argue with them. I mean, why would you?  Particularly when a bloody mary is at stake.

Clever little library...

I subscribe to the email called the Very Short List. I've posted some of those emails here before and I am going to do it again because I really love what they find.  While it's a bit lazy of me to simply cut and paste, here I go:

"...take a quick break and head over to the Noun Project: This website has tons of beautifully designed, easy-to-download symbols, icons, and illustrations—and more than a few would make perfect greeting-card or thank-you-note covers. The Project itself is a partnership between Los Angeles entrepreneur Edward Boatman and Scott Thomas, a graphic designer best known for his work on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Their mission is to “collect and organize all the symbols that form our language into one easy-to-use online library that can be accessed by anyone.” And while the Project’s still a work in progress (a Kickstarter fund drive more than met its goal early this morning), the archive is already stocked with an endless array of images. We’ve put it right at the top of our bookmarks."

I love things like this - clear, simple and classic.  Did you know there was a universal symbol for moose and bomb?  Now if only I could figure out how to cut and paste the darn things...

Utterly incredible.

I have been totally mesmerized by the story of the Chilean miners. It's just so incredible that they are still alive and now emerging from their dirt prison. I have been glued to this story all day and can't help but get really emotional every time another miner surfaces.

So am I a bad person if all I can think about as I watch the tearful reunions is how totally smelly they must be right now?

Our Guest Blogger's Shoe Review

The kind folks at Fitness Footwear sent Peter a fab pair of Salomon shoes and asked him for his opinion...

Guest post by Peter Hase

I have just returned from a “busy” weekend in Newquay (Cornwall, West Country), covering beach activity and 2 sea fishing trips with my two grown up kids. Throughout the weekend (actually Friday through to Sunday) I wore my new Salomon RX Mocs and they were awesome. I wore them in every aspect of the trip (even to the pub) and they got a major work-out in a wide range of conditions.

When I got them, I was a little concerned - mainly due to the look. These Salomon trainers are quite unique and are neither a training shoe nor a casual “Croc” type style. However, they work really well in wet conditions as the sole is very grippy and quite thick, so rocks and wet steps cause no problems.

 
The shoes drain water away very quickly due to the open weave upper design, yet retain some heat - so when on a boat or any wet area your feet stay warm and much more secure than bare feet.

One other detail that was surprising was how light they are. Even when soaking wet they remained light and stayed firmly in place – another massive advantage.

 
So, even though a little concerned about the styling, this Salomon footwear is both hugely successful in use as beach wear, boating or even hanging out with friends by the pool. Well done Salomon!

Rain's Fringe Benefit

Peter and I went to a lecture last night about Stanley Kubrick at Somerset House, which was fantastic (Mrs. Stanley K was there herself - very cool indeed!). It rained while we were inside, and when we came out we were treated to this pretty site. My first English rainbow!