Moose painting

First snow of the season in D.C.
I stayed inside and painted a moose.
24 x 30"

Word Trend, Actually

I am actually a top culprit in the trend in using "actually" in too many sentences. I am trying to stop. Has anyone else notice this? It is actually everywhere.

Did the usage of "actually" become more prevalent now that so much of our lives are lived virtually? (or interacting with virtual reality?)

Count actually how many times you hear "actually" during the day and you'll start to notice. I am about 50/50 in actually getting myself to stop.

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The other word I am working on ceasing to say or write is "got" (or "get" or "getting," which I used in the sentence before this. I takes effort to re-write that sentence!) I don't know if this is a Midwestern trend, but I have heard using the word "got" is not the best English, so I am trying to stop. It is hard to come up with descriptive verbs on the spot. If someone asks me a question, many answers use the word got.

Q: What did you get at the store?
A: I got milk and bread.
A2: I obtained milk and bread (Is this what I am supposed to say?). I bought milk and bread.

Q: What time did you arrive?
A: I got there at 7:00pm.
A2: I arrived at 7:00pm.

Q: What grade did you receive on your exam?
A: I got an A.
A2: I received an A.

Any other word trends you are noticing?

Skyscraper Forest

Photo: The world's first vertical forest is under construction in Milan, Italy

From Grist.org:

"[Trees] make you smart, improve your home's value, filter pollution, provide shade, and produce oxygen. But even in a city that prioritizes green spaces, surface area is at a premium. How do you provide enough trees while still living densely? Milan, Italy, has a creative answer: a forest in the form of a skyscraper.

The Bosco Verticale takes the same attitude towards green space that highrises take towards living: You can fit more into a smaller footprint if you build up instead of out. It's an apartment building, but each apartment has a balcony with its own little mini-forest. These provide the pollution-filtering benefits of plant life and the energy-saving benefits of shade, but in a small area; Bosco Verticale's architects estimate that if the same amount of vegetation were laid out flat, it would require 10,000 square meters of woodland (plus another 50,000 meters of land for the living spaces). And kitting out the building with personal forests added only 5 percent to construction costs."

Random D.C. Event of the Day - Potato Vote

Potato Showdown! The random D.C. event of the day is that the Senate may vote to ensure that potatoes will not have a limited serving amount in school cafeterias.

In other words, the Department of Agriculture will likely soon impose maximum limits on the frequency of serving vegetables in school lunch programs, i.e. schools will not be able to serve french fries every day and the Senate may vote on an amendment today that will say, 'Agriculture Dept., you can not limit potato numbers for our children!"

Potato people are upset. See this article for an overview. I run into the potato lobbyists sometimes when I am visiting the Idaho Senators' offices. There are lobbyists for everything.

Save the Salmon! Video: Bristol Bay and Pebble Mine

For salmon lovers and Alaska enthusiasts, below is an outstanding video covering the Pebble Mine controversy, a major threat to Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the best places for fishing in the world. The proposed Pebble Mine would create waste equal to 1,000 pounds for every person on the planet.



Video: The Wilderness Society

While I am thinking about salmon, I remembered that when I interned at Trout Unlimited, we talked about a "Salmon Bill of Rights." Pretty funny, but important.

Crooked Forest

Amazed by Crooked Forest in Poland.

Apple Forever

Photo: Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. 1982 portrait by Diana Walker, National Portrait Gallery.

As a life-long Apple user, I wanted to post a tribute to Steve Jobs, via this amazing 1982 photo. Thanks, Steve, for the Apple IIGS, my first computer, and everything after.

1985 Bears Visit White House

Random DC event of the day. 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl team visits the White House.

Video: Super Bowl shuffle.