![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
more trip report
Aug. 25th, 2012 11:43 amThursday afternoon: Very good comic store, where I got a minicomic about Caroline Herschel (yay!) and the Keiko-Takemiya-drawn Andromeda Stories v1. The latter is not at all recommended for anyone who dislikes insects or especially spiders; it creeped me out and I'm generally fine with them. Otherwise it's quite interesting: during a peaceful royal succession and marriage, it transpires (to some) that their planet is being attacked by subtle enemies, and there are more undercover agents of other galactic powers around than one might have thought. A secret prince in the wilderness also features.
Wandered down the street and through a slightly magical plant nursery. Ate paneer mint curry, which was delicious but turned out to have a few tomatoes here and there. Went to a community sing-along, which was both fun and poorly organized enough that I only managed to tolerate it for about an hour -- there was an accordionist as well as the guitarists, and I got to explore inside the (often locked) community garden, so overall a win. Cats were bad in demanding their food until their people got home.
Friday: Cats were sweet in sleeping on me and wanting pets. Had to pick up the car from downtown, went to the Christian Science Mapparium on the way. The Christian Science grounds are soothing and beautiful, and the Eddy library has a light fixture with etched air vehicles as well as lovely mosaic work with mother-of-pearl tiles. The Mapparium is amazing: obviously dated, as globes get, but very skilled glasswork and a good educational tool. The glass colors were surface-applied or intrinsic depending on color, which led to the land seeming to rise out of the ocean, but only in places. The lighting could be changed for dramatic effect, including one level where the land all seemed dark and water glowed, which was somehow really touching. Plus, you can whisper to other people from the ends of it, or to yourself in the middle.
Subway stations suck when it's hot. Ice cream became necessary: raspberry sorbet and saffron orange kulfi is a strange combination (mainly due to cardamom), but good.
Today: Cats were scratching around all night and keeping me awake; next time I will know this likely signals a mess on the floor and will have the option of taking care of it sooner. Moody but still pleased to be here. Napped some already and might do it again later, because VACATION.
Reading: Um. The Death of Speedy, Instead of Three Wishes, Wild Robert, The Little White Horse. Catching up on science blogs, which among other things reminded me that HIV is scary as fuck -- yes I know we have antiretrovirals now, but it mutates far faster than I thought possible, which means resistance evolution. At least I found this out in the context of advances in reactivating latently infected cells so that it could possibly be cured someday. (ETA: Good summary of current AIDS work.)
Wandered down the street and through a slightly magical plant nursery. Ate paneer mint curry, which was delicious but turned out to have a few tomatoes here and there. Went to a community sing-along, which was both fun and poorly organized enough that I only managed to tolerate it for about an hour -- there was an accordionist as well as the guitarists, and I got to explore inside the (often locked) community garden, so overall a win. Cats were bad in demanding their food until their people got home.
Friday: Cats were sweet in sleeping on me and wanting pets. Had to pick up the car from downtown, went to the Christian Science Mapparium on the way. The Christian Science grounds are soothing and beautiful, and the Eddy library has a light fixture with etched air vehicles as well as lovely mosaic work with mother-of-pearl tiles. The Mapparium is amazing: obviously dated, as globes get, but very skilled glasswork and a good educational tool. The glass colors were surface-applied or intrinsic depending on color, which led to the land seeming to rise out of the ocean, but only in places. The lighting could be changed for dramatic effect, including one level where the land all seemed dark and water glowed, which was somehow really touching. Plus, you can whisper to other people from the ends of it, or to yourself in the middle.
Subway stations suck when it's hot. Ice cream became necessary: raspberry sorbet and saffron orange kulfi is a strange combination (mainly due to cardamom), but good.
Today: Cats were scratching around all night and keeping me awake; next time I will know this likely signals a mess on the floor and will have the option of taking care of it sooner. Moody but still pleased to be here. Napped some already and might do it again later, because VACATION.
Reading: Um. The Death of Speedy, Instead of Three Wishes, Wild Robert, The Little White Horse. Catching up on science blogs, which among other things reminded me that HIV is scary as fuck -- yes I know we have antiretrovirals now, but it mutates far faster than I thought possible, which means resistance evolution. At least I found this out in the context of advances in reactivating latently infected cells so that it could possibly be cured someday. (ETA: Good summary of current AIDS work.)
