Meanwhile, in NYC

This would be a good reason to visit New York City right now: Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927-1937

In Miró's war against painting, painting won, eventually. But there are 7 anti-paintings doing battle, still today, which you can see in the New York Times. It's a good slide show, take a look.

I had no idea about these wonderful, terrible pieces.

Nothing to do with San Francisco or Austin, but of course, that has never stopped me.

Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Artists Rights Society (Ars), New York/Adagp, Paris as shown in the New York Times. You can find the Met at http://www.metmuseum.org/

Getting Outdoors

Yesterday, I saw my first armadillo in the wild. It was rooting around, making almost tunnels in the underbrush, and seemed completely oblivious to its human observers. I can't think of anything interesting to say about it, but it was exciting. Take my word for it.

I am getting involved in a work project related to outdoor education. Now, my natural preference is to stay indoors. I swear, I was born this way. But nature or nurture, it's firmly ingrained. Yet somehow, lately, I have gotten the idea that I should be out there more. The project followed from that shift in my thinking--forcing me out.

Plus, the fall weather here in Texas is inspiring. No more tiger heat. More like domestic cat heat. A nice, not too pushy domestic cat. So out I go.

X was out geocaching with a school group yesterday, another interesting outdoor activity. You get to Google and get outside, good combo for my techie kid.

Here's a photo of an armadillo, courtesy geekphilosopher.com, which offers a lot of free stock photos. Isn't it just weird? I wonder if it looks as weird after the 100th sighting.

Maker Faire

Robot wars. Feltmaking. Funnel cakes. Cacao nibs.

We found them all at Maker Faire--half new-age street fair, half geek-out, half craft hall from the state fair. Oh, that's three halves. Well it seemed that full. In five hours, we barely scratched the surface.

The first makers we met were the robot meisters. Those are some serious-looking mean machines they make. Think jackhammers on top of little tanks. X loved this stuff. She rooted equally for the Judge and the Filly. She leaned over the rails in back of the plexiglassed arena, getting the autographs of as many bot makers as she could.

I didn't actually get a demo of feltmaking, because we spent so much time gluing a Barbie head to the engine of a toy car, but it looks interesting to me. Matting stuff up, that should be fun. But I didn't buy a kit.

Maker Faire has sort of an anti-kit ethos. But they also sell Maker Brand kits. Which are sometimes billed as much than just a kit. Hmmm. Sometimes you just need the stuff in front of you. I'd more likely do the felting if I bought a kit. Oh well.

My favorite site: a man in his 30s with a big black garbage pail in his hands. He filled it smoke from a Halloween-style machine, and then, with big wooshes against the sides, blow giant smoke rings, shooting them out over small children and other sideshow objects. His grin had a lot in common with the 8 year olds around him.

More Settling In

There are three, maybe four Unitarian Churches in Austin (depending on the meaning of "in"). We tried two of them and seem to have settled on one for now.

I thought we'd be more systematic, trying them all and testing their Religious Education programs. We really only visited the biggie, First UU, in the summer, when RE is usually pretty low key. I went to a meditation session at another. But after a couple of visits to Wildflower Church, I just felt like sticking with it and the rest of the family seems OK with that.

The church is small and newish enough that they hold services in the local senior center. The minister is young and she has fire and smarts. X seems to feel comfortable in the middle school RE class. The class has more kids than did her class at SF's UU church.

Last week 10 or so kids were discussing sin and virtue. X believe that each virtue contains its opposite. She felt this was different enough from the standard view that she needed to say so, and then pass. And from her report, everyone was comfortable, comfortable enough with that. That's the kind of environment my young thinker needs.

On another note: I now have Texas plates on my car. No more holding my breath waiting to get stopped for my expired CA plates. It's another transition, more profound than I would have imagined.

Texas Sue recommended this book: Yankee Chick's Survival Guide to Texas.
I already knew that "bless your heart" was not a straightforward expression, but I think I need to know the other secrets revealed within.

The Unforeseen

Last night, I went to see The Unforeseen. (There are some good, informative comments there on IMDB) It's about a local favorite spot, Barton Springs, and how it has changed, for the worse. It's about developers and environmentalists and Austin local color. It's about state politics: Bush vs Richards. It's about endometrial cells.

By the time we got to the cells, I was on my back, watching the stars. But this might have helped my insight. I was watching the stars because we got to see the movie at Barton Springs. The screen was set up at one end of the pool. It was a lovely warm autumn evening.

I think I finally "got it" about Barton Springs. People here in Austin speak of it affectionately and sometimes reverentially. I have to admit, I couldn't quite get the excitement over a sort-of natural pool with scum in it. But the scum wasn't always there, and the Springs are a source of spiritual meaning, is what I understood after watching the film. Just for that insight alone, it was worth it.

It is still a bit vicarious for me, though, I have to admit. I am still a stranger in this town. But of course.

The film is by Laura Dunn and executive produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford.