Wild Wood Wanderer

Danielle and I had a great day in D.C.  Seeing the first snow of the year fall over the old buildings was a treat.  We went to the Hirshorn, where I saw one of my favorite pieces, Big Man, by Ron Mueck.  Then we explored the exhibit above …two panels that allowed you to look through them, at yourself, and at others all at the same time.

We went to the National Museum of American History.  Though busy, it was worth the trip alone to see Obama’s presidency already recognized on the wall of presidents!

The Botanical Garden had an exhibit on D.C. momuments made entirely of organic material which was rather amazing.  The highlight for me though, was seeing the Capital Christmas tree, with its homemade ornaments, standing humbly in the snow.  In just a few short weeks, the quiet of this night will be replaced with the exciting buzz of millions of people, hopeful for the years to come.

The instructor of a course I am taking handed out copies of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style.  Can’t say that I paid it much attention in high school, but I am now delighted by their snooty, often correct judgment of language.  Here are a few gems:

“Enthuse.  An annoying verb growing out of the noun enthusiasm.  Not recommended.

Facility.  Why must jails, hospitals, and schools suddenly become ‘facilities’?

Finalize.  A pompous, ambiguous verb.

Thanking you in advance.  This sounds as if the writer meant, ‘It will not be worth my while to write to you again.’

Thrust.  This showy noun, suggestive of power, hinting of sex, is the darling of executives, politicos, and speechwriters.  Use it sparingly.“

The last example reminds me of a word I am very tired of hearing people use to describe something that grabs your attention.  That word is ’sexy’.  No. Maps are not sexy.  Graphics are not sexy.  Topics such as nuclear proliferation are also, not sexy.

Many people take for granted the night-sky, but tonight the cosmos demanded our attention.  Venus and Jupiter are brightly aligned with the crescent moon in what my favorite description so far described as a smiley face to people in Australia or a frowny face to us northern hemisphere dwellers.

I went out armed with tripod and camera to take some pics for my dad.