The New Pad

There are some really good deals to be had in the Austin real estate market, these days. And, yes, that is Emma Long Park across the way, there, on Lake Austin. It's not bad...

Beautiful, and Utterly Terrifying

When experiencing John Gerrard’s Dust Storm (Dalhart, Texas 2007) Realtime 3D projection, we cannot even take comfort in the awe-inspiring hugeness of natural forces. We know that this cloud is a construction. We can tell from its pace and way of moving that it has been digitally manipulated.

.

If Gerrard is neither presenting us with a realistic depiction of the land or an embodiment of American values, what can we make of this terrifying scene? The piece becomes an expression of our anxieties, our fears, of our destructiveness as a species. Most of all, it becomes a metaphor for the tragic fact that the forces outside our control that are seemingly closing in on us can no longer be attributed to God, or nature or anything greater than ourselves. Instead, we fear war, global warming, environmental destruction, and economic collapse.

.

Some of these threats may not have completely materialized, at least in a way that affects all of our daily lives. At the same time we feel that they are slowly advancing and, like the dust cloud, will swallow us whole.

.

I think we've all had days like this. How we respond to it defines our unique character...

Who Dat ?!?

After struggling for forty-three years, today is the day that my beloved Saints (aka, The Who Dats) do their best to win the Super Bowl !!

.

Just for fun...here's a little Super Bowl trivia, with a home State twist:

.

Name the quarterbacks from Louisiana high schools who later in their careers started at QB in the Super Bowl. Hint: There are seven of them, behind only California (nine) and Pennsylvania (nine). Another Hint: Bert Jones is not one of them.

.
Interesting fact: Drew Brees will be the first quarterback out of Texas ever to start as QB in a Super Bowl. Wow...that's hard to believe.

.
Another Interesting Fact: No player from a Florida has ever started a Super Bowl as quarterback. Really...doubly hard to believe, either.

.
Answer to quiz: Terry Bradshaw, David Woodley, Doug Williams, Stan Humphries, Jake Delhomme, Payton Manning, Eli Manning.

.

And, here's a little video to bring the whole Saints experience into focus:

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNwbrRfX8FE (all of you Sam Cooke and Bono fans will love it).

.

Who Dat Talkin' Bout Beatin' Dem Saints ?!? Who Dat ?!? ; )~

.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler, Mes Amis !!