3:00 snapshot #683

Sharing a kiss, some cold germs, then some soup. We've both been suffering with cold symptoms this week, Alexis a bit worse than me, but then she works much harder. I actually called in sick today, due to insomnia mainly (why aren't I sleeping right now? partook in the morning coffee ritual before deciding to call in) and with the thought that this afternoon I should look at the Dedham house and work on snow removal. I'm hoping a neighbor with a snow plow will be home so I can just ring the doorbell, fork over some cash, and have 5 million pounds of crusty snow and hidden icebergs pushed to the back of the driveway. I'll have to muster to chop through the crusty snow that fell on our paths yesterday and the day before. This morning I quipped on Twitter "Eskimos are running out of words for our weather." Seriously, last night we had graupel, and this morning we had perfect flat flakes like you cut out of folded paper--oh look, it's still falling.

Amazing underwater art installation

Check it out!

In short, an artist has created an installation of a crowd of life-sized human sculptures from cement designed to be attractive to corals, in the Caribbean off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. The intent (beyond the artistic message) is to draw divers away from natural coral reefs, create an artificial refuge for wildlife, and to put a bit of culture in a place primarily thought of in the context of wet t-shirt contests.

The installation will change over time as marine organisms colonize it. Eventually I imagine it will be completely unrecognizable, until archaeologists find it again.

3:00 snapshot #684

Alexis has a fortifying swig of ginger beer. I believe I bought her this six pack early in 2010, being a good husband who likes to get things his wife enjoys. I'm amazed how slowly she worked her way through them. If I am aware of ready-to-eat food/drink in the vicinity, it is not safe. (I think I actually drank one of the ginger beers, even though it's too gingery for me.) She probably would have taken another year to drink that last bottle if a) she didn't have a cold and b) we weren't trying to get rid of stuff in order to move.