waiting for the muse: prosecutor transformation benton

"In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukka' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukka!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'"
- Dave Barry

Today I have a little bit o' art for you, before I get to the Christmas trees!

The two above 'sculptures were winners in the annual Scotch sponsored contest, 'Off the Roll' to use nothing but packaging tape . I find these quite amazing.

if you are in New York any time between right this very second, and January 6, 2013, you have to get yourself down to the 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall at the Park Avenue Armory immediately! American artist Ann Hamilton’s GIGANTIC installation, “the event of a thread” is just waiting for you! Yep, hop onto one of these amazing over-sized swings, and swing like you did when you were five! DO IT!

Toy Story by Michael Wolf- documentary installation about Chinese toy factories

I couldn't find this artist's name, but he takes layers of organza and irons it in place to form these detailed pictures.

Old and In the Way: Today I was out chopping at a ten foot tree because I just found out we don't have curbside pickup any more and I had left itthere- an indoor dried 'tree' of curly willow that was showing it's tatty age and needed to move. ANYway, I was breaking branches off and throwing away the great balls of moss covered styrofoam wired in the branches. It was cool when I got it. Got about 4' off the top, and the branches were too big to snap, so I went inside to get the clippers that haven't been used for 15 years. And I was able to get another foot or two off the top but I reached the level where the clippers wouldn't work. I turned it on it's side on the sidewalk and started standing on each branch individually and snapping them up against my foot. EXCEPT one exceptionally tough branch, as I was yanking it up trying to break it off, pushed me right over and I fell there in the street and whacked my head on the brick wall! It was so shocking and happened so fast that I just laid there trying to decide if I was OK or not. Then, because I fell on my knee, my wrist, and my head, I simply couldn't get up! And there I was lying in my screeching orange sweater on the sidewalk in the rain and TWO CARS WENT BY. Neither slowed down, neither stopped, neither called out to see if I was dead or alive.

Please tell me that it isn't that common to see a lady of indiscriminate years floundering on the sidewalk with her head whacked against the bricks....

So tonight I have two alarms set so I wake up for my 6 AM cab, providing I don't go into a coma before that. Actually I'm OK, had a gel thing in the freezer for my head and after a few hours it seems to have turned into a bruise. Knee is swollen and the wrist really hurts, so I'll check my bag. And there ya go. I'm too old to be chopping down trees, even the indoor variety.

And here we have MORE TREES, not my fav subject tonight!