I’m back from the beach, and already rapidly spending down the sleep surplus I accrued there. It’s a little bit strange being back. I find it comforting to have a plan on the horizon — something out of the usual routine to look forward to. There are plenty of events looming, but aside from Emily’s birthday none of them yet have definite dates attached. I crave structure! Otherwise it’s too easy for summer to start looking like an air-conditioned march through sunshine and into autumn.
It is nice being back, though, and I’m itching to start work on a few non-Artomatic projects. First, though, I’ve got to make sure things are working properly at AoM — thanks to Victor my piece was saved from malfunction on opening night, but I haven’t yet had a post-opening chance to get down there and confirm that everything’s working the way it ought to be (I tried to last night, but had forgotten that Artomatic is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays).
But here, the nominal reason for the post: my sister Beth (whose birthday is today!) sent along this link, and it’s worth a look. It’s one of those full-browser 360° panoramic photo dealies, in this case showing off Houstonian attractions that might be of interest to Rice students. Of particular interest are the scenes linked to by the thumbnail of the clown face, and the one two spaces to its right. The first shows off the Orange Show, the bizarre visionary art compound created by an eccentric former orange arbitrageur and his commitment to largely incorrect nutrition education. The second is the Beer Can House, a somewhat less deranged but no less impressive work in which a man fashioned thousands (millions?) of beer cans into artistic armor for his home. Both are managed by the organization that Beth works for and are worth a visit if you find yourself in Houston and temporarily unable to spend the time eating more tacos.