This is weird and funny! Check out this web site about turning the ashes of a loved one into a diamond!
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,359567,00.html

My quest to to find something different to eat besides pasta has led me to buying and consuming Oscar Meyer hot dogs...AND LIKING THEM! (Shudder)

I had my first violin lesson after work today. There is a lot to holding the bow and violin correctly! My left shoulder and upper arm hurt. BUT Suzanne and I made music!!!
Tomorrow is a commissary shopping trip. I am SO looking forward to American foods!!! My meals have gotten very bland and boring. I also ordered a ham that will be delivered in November. I'm dreaming of scalloped potatoes and ham!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to make bread pudding tomorrow.

Hey! I can make music on my violin! I rosined up my bow tonight and played the strings.
My orchid is re-blooming! It also has two new shoots coming up from the base.
I went to the opera at the last minute last night. It was very good. I was up too late tho and am exhausted. As soon as the washing machine gets done I'm going to bed.

Ocular centrism: peoples in western urban cultures have come to rely on sight more than any
other sense.

Albert Einstein showed us that objects, as well as scientific observation of them, are not experienced directly, and that common- sense thinking is a kind of shorthand that attempts to convert the fluid, sensuous animation and immediacy of the world into illusory constructs such as stones, trees, ships and stars. From: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC10220/visper06.html

I'm SSSOOOOOOO excited!!!!! Suzanne and I met a violin instructor at a music store and she helped us pick out violins. We start lessons on Friday! I am very, very excited!!!

We had a great day. Afterwards we went to an outdoor book market. We found an English book stand and each bought a few novels. We went to eat lunch and sat out on the patio. We then went down town. We did some window shopping, went to the market and then had a glass of wine at another outdoor restaurant and Suzanne took pictures of people walking by. It was a great day.

This is the start of a painting. I almost hate to do the painting; I like the pattern of the collaged paper too much.

Einstein showed that gravity makes time run more slowly. Thus airplane passengers, flying where earth's pull is weaker, age a few extra nanoseconds each flight.

Kigungu Zungu --- dizziness of life

I had some profound things I was going to write and now that I get home I can't remember what they are!!!!!!

I had a farewell party for Patty last night. We had fun. People brought lots of food. Patty brought me 6 of her house plants. I re-potted them today.

Sunday, Isobel and I went down to Andriyivsky to show Keith and Bev around some. I bought a jasper necklace and a new wool scarf; which I needed oh, so badly.
Bev and Keith are a very nice couple who are new this year.

St. Andrew's church. I love taking pictures of this church.

This creature came to visit us in the art room today.

Ahhhh, the aroma that permeates the human cattle cars of the subway at the end of a work day.