Um, what Gideon said, pretty much.
Snowy Sunday: Followup
I have a big Snowy Sunday Photo Album coming up, complete with panoramic shots of various DC landmarks, and I also wanted to write about today’s reading on The Beatitudes, and about the wondrous hidden corners of the National Air and Space Museum, and about tonight’s wonderful performance of 17th Century Dutch popular music by Camerata Trajectina… but I’m tired from this lovely snow day, it’s past midnight, and my feet really, really hurt from all the walking. So not tonight, dear.
Snowy Sunday
It began late last night as a wintry mix of snow, rain, and ice pellets, but by morning it was steady snow: huge, damp flakes falling into early afternoon. After church and choir practice, with the snow still falling, I walked to the White House, down to the National Mall, Constitution Gardens, the World War II Memorial, the frozen-over Reflecting Pool, and Lincoln Memorial, snapping photos all the way. Some highlights:
The White House, even whiter than usual. I had to go around two inaugural platforms, each three stories high, to get this shot. I hope they take down those eyesores soon.
From afar, I thought, “Aw, how cute, those kids are making a little snowman!” Then I got up close and realized that those weren’t kids, and the snowman was over seven feet tall.
New Metro Signs
My resolve to skip the Metro has, of course, dropped with the temperature, so I’m back to taking the subway almost every day now. I’m glad to say that their service has improved greatly since the horrors of last year, and they continue to improve, now with a new sign format announcing train arrival times.
Passing a Cold Capitol
I walked by the Capitol this afternoon on my way to the nearest walkable Safeway. (SW Waterfront Safeway.) Clear, but gray and cloudy, temperature hovering just around freezing, with a light breeze bringing windchill down below.
A photographer pauses to snap the Robert A. Taft Memorial near the Capitol. More on Robert Taft and his memorial at DCist.
A cold duck warms herself up within her coat of insulating feathers by the frozen-over and fenced-in Capitol Reflecting Pool.
The Capitol grounds are still a mess of fences and barriers and inaugural debris, even a week later. it’s been my experience that AOC and NPS tend to drag their feet on cleanup after major events. The fences from last 4th of July were all over the Mall as late as August in some places, so don’t expect to be able to walk on the Capitol Lawn or Lower Terrace for a couple more weeks at the very least.
The Gathering Shadow
The Star Wars Episode III scrolling intro is out, for you Star Wars fans who just can’t wait for the next crumb to drop from Lucas’ table. Here’s the first half of it:
It is a time of uncertainty. The empire’s ambiguous tariff statutes mandate close reexamination of galactic import quotas. Interim Princess Agoomba has co-chaired a subcommittee to draft amendments to existing trade policies. Meanwhile, regulatory agencies are being heavily lobbied by a consortium of mercantile interest groups and their suppliers to streamline loading restrictions for Class C cargo vessels…
Update: Those of you who didn’t get the joke; it’s a Simpsons reference, from the episode where they parodied Star Wars: The Phantom Menace with “Cosmic Wars: The Gathering Shadow.” More Star Wars references in the Simpsons here.
MiniTru: Here For You
Here you go, Mr. Cheney. Please have a care for proper attire next time, but in the event such a doubleplusungood indiscretion reoccurs, we at MiniTru are at your service.
Aviation Disaster Movies
Want to rubberneck at videos of plane crashes and other aviation disasters? Then check out:
- AirDisaster.com Movies.
- The Ultimate Plane Crash Site. Broken links all over this old, long-abandoned page, but still lots of action-packed content, especially the CNN videos.
- BCIT/PFC Airline and Flight Operations Program Bonus Material. Not strictly plane crashes, but the A319 and B747 videos are must-sees.
- Alexis Park Inn Aviation Videos. Again, not all air crash videos, but still lots of good stuff.
(Not for dialup, and not for the faint of heart, especially if you don’t enjoy flying!)
Unforgiven
Roy Jacobsen on the “Unforgivable Sin.” (See Matthew 12:22-32 for the pertinent passage.) I’ve always figured that the unforgivable sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit had direct reference to the sin that leads to death, and the irredeemability of he who falls away. My Bible Baptist pastor back in Parañaque, when talking about these passages, was always quick to follow up the words “unforgivable sin” with the qualifier, “the sin of unbelief,” driving home his firm stand that the only offense from which one can never be saved is the persistent denial of the Lordship of Christ in the face of the conviction of the Spirit (and perhaps arguing against the Catholic use of this text to distinguish “mortal” from “venial” sin). That leads well into the interpretation of Hebrews 6 as a description of the clearly hopeless apostate — which begs raises the question, if one were to take John at his word, should we then not pray for such a one?
(It also occurred to me that the story of Ananias and Sapphira might be related, but their offense appears to have been more related to lying about their offerings rather than denial of the faith.)
Agent to an Engagement
Congratulations go out to Daniel and Jennifer. I was both startled and ecstatic to see their “She said yes” and “I said yes” posts, and now I’m startled and ecstatic all over again to see that I am, in small part, initially responsible for the happy coupling. My weblog seems to have turned into some kind of inadvertent matchmaker.
(Is there anyone else out there who may have met via my weblog that I’m forgetting or that I don’t know about?)