Now that the new semester has started, I have decided to try and sit in on a drawing class. Our current project is a contour drawing and we have had to do several versions. Here is the first one.
We started off using quarter sheets.
We were supposed to do detail versions.
So here are a few more versions.
Then we had to make them more abstract.
My puppy died yesterday. When I say puppy, it is a bit of an exaggeration. He was 16 years old and died of organ failure from old age. Nonetheless here is a picture of him the day before he died. Still a fine, handsome guy!
I miss you, Bart!
My family is always late with everything. When we buy Birthday gifts we feel like we are on time if we get them mailed within six months of the date in question (And somehow its always within six months one way or the other, you know what i mean? So you can imagine how long I've waited for gifts - sometimes for years!And I'm just as bad as everybody else in my bloodline!)
Well, because I just got back from Japan - I just couldn't bear the idea of traveling anymore - not to the Twin Cities, not grandma's and certainly not 1300 miles down to Texas to overeat and feel disappointed about the holidays. Besides my family couldn't even agree when to celebrate. I usually hold out for Solstice, but of course I wasn't back yet. No one wants to wait for Chinese New Year, but we weren't organized enough to celebrate on the actual holiday. As it turned out, Violet had gotten a job at a theater and so we couldn't celebrate until the 30th of December anyway - when they finally gave her more than 12 hours off in a row.
All these complications converged and eventually we decided to do a family gathering via that internet miracle - Skype.
We got our settings straight and then Uncle Rabbi Bob adjusted the camera and we were off.
It turned out to be a whole lot of fun! 
Almost as good as being down there for the holidays 
- and even better no opportunity to fill up on unhealthy treats that made me feel bloated and miserable. 
People were good about showing us which gift was being opened
and letting us know what the gifts were...
It was light-hearted and fun and sure beat sitting at home on the couch and watching Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby doing reruns of "Holiday Inn" on TV.I really felt like I was there.
Looks like my sister felt the same way!
Of course now that its over I don't know what to do - hmm I guess I could check out what is on TV.
I've been spending a bit of time putting together an outfit here.
It turns out to be a very complicated thing and I am still missing a variety of parts, but I am quite happy with how things are progressing.
Today I got the underwear. The Jiban, a silk undergarment that you can see at the neck (in the very last picture).
...and the bustle which goes under the obi (sash) called an Obi Makura.
I still need a wide variety of strings and ornaments, but as I say, things are coming along.
760 votes!!??????
AP - US Senate Minnesota
Precincts Reporting: 4128 of 4130 (99%)
Winner Candidate Votes %
Norm Coleman 1,210,740 42%
Al Franken 1,209,983 42%
James Niemackl 8,893 0%
Charles Aldrich 13,904 0%
Dean Barkley 437,113 15%
Last updated: Nov-05-2008 06:34 AM Central Standard Time
Decision 2008 Election Results
From www.Kare11.com
The AP just released this - the margin is now even smaller:
"Coleman declared himself the winner of Tuesday's election, but Franken said he would let the recount play out, hoping it would erase the incumbent's 475-vote lead out of nearly 2.9 million ballots. State officials said the recount wouldn't start until mid-November and would probably take weeks."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMpTmr96V5hKIfyHT4Av4jsVQgrQD94941400
Our next days in Kyoto were just as exciting! Each morning we would get up and change from our yukattas into our Western street clothes and walk and walk!
Everyday we would pass the river and watch the herons fishing.
We also saw what I think was a falcon.
So, on our second day in Kyoto you will not be surprised to hear that we did a lot of walking. Starting off in the morning headed toward Gion the pleasure district famous for its Geishas. The twisted streets and little neighborhoods were interesting in themselves...
Of course Gion is a big tourist area so there were the unavoidable tourist rides.
...and eventually we found a few interesting temples, ...
like Sennin-ji Kyoto’s oldest temple – 
Here is a detail of the roof tiles and decorations.
Every turn had a memorable photograph!
This temple is quite famous for a beautiful screen of two demigods...
...and a two dragon ceiling. 
We plodded through various halls and open-air passages in our red plastic slippers and got to see some of the historic interiors:
as well as a calligraphy class. We arrived just in time to see them finishing the raking of the zen garden...
and of course there were many other beautiful gardens as well:
and watched a woman in a deep, deep bonnet painstakingly manicure the moss garden with a pair of tweezers. 
We saw some beautiful rock gardens.
Although we never saw any real Geisha, as we left the temple there were some women dressed as Maiko (Geisha in training) probably advertising the show at Gion corner, so we took pictures and tried to be satisfied with the hyperreal.
The streets of Gion are unlike anywhere else in the world!
Next we went shopping in the covered shopping area Teramachi dori.
(a traditional Japanese version of a Mall) where we enjoyed the lines of stalls selling traditional pickles, fish and Japanese sweets.
After that it was on to contemporary shopping in the modern mall.
That was great, cause Chris and I are equal opportunity shoppers!! Eventhough the day was only half over, I'll close for now and continue in another post! The best was yet to come!
