Weekend Update

The best part of Saturday Night Live these days. Also, a recap of what I did over the last four days.

This weekend, Russ and I made like Puxatawny Phil and climbed out of our den to see if winter, aka the incessant studying and designing and writing and working inside our house, was a shadow of former months. Albeit, a good month and half later than old Phil. The good news is, it was indeed a brief lapse in the world of hibernation. We celebrated the end of Russ's winter quarter with mojitos at Xiomara and dessert at Cafe Bizou, visited the Norton Simon (free for students!), cheers-ed each other with brisket and cabbage and potatoes and beer at Christina and Emilio's brisket fest, and spent time rearranging our kitchen cabinets, which counts as fun because we had funky tunes blasting and did some spontaneous grooving.

Russ and I also hopped over to the Getty yesterday, just to see what's been going on there lately, and I must highly recommend the Robert Adams landscape photography show. The photos are focused on the disintegration of nature in Los Angeles and Colorado and also, what humanity can't wreck in nature. That Robert Adams is a smart man cookie -- reading his quotes on the wall and beside his photos made me want to pick up one of his many books. There's also a Degas show, which is a must see if you are a fan or just enjoy being crammed into a smallish room with fifty other observers. Some beautiful sketchings and some interesting experimentations with photography toward the end of his life are standouts.

The gardens and outsides at the Getty are just fantastic right now. We could see all of L.A. from the railings. I think the Getty is sort of the castle of Los Angeles, perched on a high hill, overlooking its kingdom. Unfortunately, Russ and I both forgot our sunglasses and the glare from the travertine had us wandering around, squinty and watery-eyed. Sort of groundhoggishly, if you will. So if you go, don't forget the sunglasses.

Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.