The BEST

As I sanded and plastered and primed and painted the hellishly hot bathroom tonight I heard some pretty eclectic music coming from my computer. Stopping to come in and check what the heck was going on on the plinth I saw Mike W doing some amazing moves. For an hour. (you might think this easy but last night, the guy who was gonna try skipping rope for his hour gave up in no time-he had one great T-shirt though . )
As I watched Mike move and smile and manage not to fall off , it became clear to me HE was the king of the plinth. And then it happened. "Singing In The Rain" came on & Mike picked up the big white umbrella and did a wonderful Gene Kelly impression-on the plinth no less.
If you are having a down day and need an instant hour of pick me up or if you are alone and feel like dancing-go here and grove to Mike . I so wish I was there to see it in person and I so wish I could be a part of this eclectic art happening going on in Trafalgar Square. Rain or shine. Day or night. 24 / 7- for 29 more glorious days and nights.
Photos to follow...

Suggested viewing:

For those of you into plinthers, here are a few you might want to watch. I am going by my taste which can be best described as folks with a passion, on a mission or with a strong personal vision. Artists.
Here are a few to check out:
1. Man on a mission(and great music too)
2. Woman with a mission
3. Man with creativity & energy to spare
4. Artist who sews (check out her machine!)
5. Some interesting art making
6. A man with a lot of balls-all for a good cause(and a pretty good sense of humor too)
7. A man who clearly loves books & reading
8. A former New Yorker who loves to carry a tune-had me singing the next day!
9. Likes sharp objects to walk on for fun (What do you think? Is it real, or not?Crunch, crunch.) Got to love the hair.
10. Stunning sounds

A "new" kind of performance art

Last summer I ran down to the Brooklyn Bridge to participate in an art happening (of sorts). A "time machine" had been set up between London & N.Y.C. and folks could go before the camera & send a message or do whatever they wanted to do. I made some signs that conveyed those favorite feelings of mine:Peace & Love.
Right now there is a similar piece going on in London called "One & Other". I have been lazy about checking it out-it "runs" from July 6th -October 4th & it is on 24/7. Seemingly the premise is folks get hourly shifts, during which time they can do anything they want. Since I only got around to checking it out last night I have not seen much but it does look like fun and if I were "there" I would have applied for one of the slots. Watching last night, as I sorted through emails, I did find myself pondering what I would do, if it were me up there .
You can go here to check it out and see what you think . Mainly, let it inspire you to come up with ideas for what you might do, if it were YOU! I sometimes find that merely viewing art (especially of this type) can easily allow one to become automatically judgemental about whatever happens to be going on at the time. Perhaps that reaction could be circumvented by asking yourself what you would do...

(Wo)man's best friend

We had a small family gathering Sunday & Maggie was the star of the entire day. (when not coma deep in sleep from all the attention & activity she got from all of us!)
While Maggie is work ( ask her family!) she is also tons of fun & love and it really does bring home the reason why folks love their pets so much.
If YOU are looking to "Do Something New" I encourage you to think about adopting an animal from your local shelter. If you are not ready to take the plunge, start with a small step first : volunteer at a shelter or try foster care. But be forewarned : stepping foot in a shelter can often lead to setting eyes upon some lovely furry friends & that just might provide an unexpected tipping point to adopting, weather you thought you were ready or not for this wonderful adventure.
(Maggie is seen here sleeping with her "kitty" on a fake leopard bean bag. How good does this dog have it? Pretty darn good, I'd say!)
P.S. If you love animals like we do HERE is the petition regarding Michael Vick-see below post for more details.

Do this for all the right reasons:

I am an animals lover. In Istanbul, some of my strongest memories are of the dogs, cats & birds I encountered there. In Paris it was likewise : birds of all different kinds seemed to be everywhere we went. Printing out photos of our trip this past Sunday I was pleasantly surprised to see the many images of the animals we encountered on both cities.
I was given my love of animals by my parents and it is something I am very thankful for as it brings daily joy to my life.
A petition was sent to me this weekend regarding the signing of Michael Vick to the Eagles. Mr. Vick also made an appearance on the television show "60 Minutes" this Sunday in an effort to repackage himself . Mr. Vick , until recently , thought dog fighting was what grown men did in their spare time . Seemingly, he now wants America to believe he is really, really sorry and has found God and is ready to be a role model and leader for all that is good.
Lots of people do this public song and dance and some are indeed sincere. Mr. Vick strikes me as someone who is just going through the motions and reading the prescribed script, written by paid PR people (who were actually pictured on the 60 Minutes interview...).
I personally believe Mr. Vick made some serious mistakes & I think those mistakes are being compounded by the N.F.L.'s decision to reinstate him so quickly and the Eagles decision to sign Mr. Vick to their team.
I say all of this , not just as an animal lover but as someone who knows right from wrong and who does not believe one's relationship with GOD should have a connection to one's P.R. and legal team strategy to revive a career. If you are glad Mr. Vick was NOT signed by your home team, you can go here (petition) to tell the Eagles they can keep Mr. Vick for as long as they like. (I do want to warm folks that there is a rather graphic photos of one of the dogs Mr. Vick mistreated on the petition sight & I did find it haunting & heartbreaking to see.)

FISH!

I could not resist! I love the fish gadget! So cool to have fish on my blog ! 

want to help?

I realize it has been awhile since I have mentioned this but going through my photos of Paris jogged my memory: the wild geese of NYC need your help (see my older posts to find out more on why)and there is a petition set up to voice opinion & support. You can find it here & my beautiful feathered friend from the fountain at Versailles has graciously allowed me to use her image to encourage you to help her fellow water fowl here in the States.

We all thank you, very much. In other words: "Merci beaucoup" .