booker street: 5/1/05

5.31.2005

lo stress

i love stress. it is the intermediary between me and ice cream.
often it causes me to consume lots and it always prevents said palliative from making me an enormous blob. who says i stress for no reason?

5.20.2005

i don't care

what anyone says... the OC is the best thing on TV since blowout. i can't wait to watch the whole season over again, and i may even try to watch the first season this weekend in preparation for the reruns of season 2.

sleep is disruptive

it seems to me that if i had not fallen asleep that i would feel just as i did last night, around 1030, or so. i felt fine, contented, not unwell at all. but this morning, upon waking, i felt very fuzzyheaded and foggy. and the truly unfortunate aspect of this feeling is that i slept so well - or at least i think that i did. i wasn’t awakened at all through the night by my rotten cats or the occasional gun shot or shouting match that often occurs nights in my ‘hood. spooning commenced around 10:15, which seems to be to be a totally reasonable hour, sleep promptly descended as it does once the proper spooning position is achieved. and the next thing i knew it was 630 and i was feeling less than refreshed and dreading opening my eyes. i could only muster a blind crawl down the stairs into the kitchen to start the coffee. then i crawled back up the stairs to sleep for the 10 mins or so the machine takes to brew. even when it chimed that it was finished i could barely convince myself to get up!
why am i so unrewarded by a good night’s sleep? sleep should not be disruptive. i think i will give it up.

5.15.2005

field work

when i was driving to staunton the day before yesterday i was able to put my newly acquired knowledge of paulownia and catalpa trees to the test. it was a clear morning, which not only allowed me to cross the mountain without fearing for my life, but also allowed me the opportunity to compare paulownias and catalpas. let me tell you, there is a notable difference. i am not sure if i have actually ever noticed a catalpa tree prior to my inquiry. the pale white clusters of small flowers blend so well into the foliage of the catalpa and other trees forming a billowy, cloud-like screen along the road. the paulownias on the other hand are very distinct, with large clusters of large purple flowers that seem to be projected upward and away from the branch of the tree. the paulownias are just starting to leaf out and so still cut a striking figure along the roadside with just big purple blooms to show off.

i really wish i lived in staunton, or as dominic calls it, stauntonia. sure there may not be a whole heck of a lot of stuff to do but the housing stock is amazing.

yesterday on a record buying adventure we scored a ton of good stuff. i am most exited about finding a copy of a series of sneaks on elektra - completist dork that i am. holy cow is that hard to come by, and significantly different from the merge re-release.
i have been meaning to post about britt's (or maybe it's jim's) apparent interest in italian futurism, but haven't. the cover of a series of sneaks featuring balla's auto per tutti being the band's first of many references to it. perhaps when i meet britt i'll impress him with an inquiry.
my hubby found four or five early world music recordings, two from the explorer series on nonesuch which he is currently collecting. we also found a few great 45s from athens bands and one from a norfolk band that he knew. i love that records function as entertainment and historical records and mementos. i wish i had grabbed that copy of too much pressure by the selecter, which reminds me of a long time ago when i was into 60s and 70s ska. maybe it will still be there when we return.
we also discovered a great bookstore called chop suey books. i went in search of photography books by bernd & hilla becher. they had already sold their copies, but i did buy a bio of frederick law olmsted by witold rybczynski. i am now currently reading three books - said bio, hip: the history, and moby dick. i spent most of today reading the bio, which pleases me. there are few other ways i would like to spend my time.

it is sunday evening and i am really looking forward to watching deadwood tonight on home box office. it's a great show and, perhaps, my current favorite.

5.12.2005

research?

does googling count as research? i guess research in the general, less than academic sense. i wonder how many first years - and maybe older students, too - try to pass off projects researched on google? i bet someone will write an analysis of googling as the *new* research and other changes to the educational landscape brought on by the interweb.

5.11.2005

i think it's paulownia

i think the solution to this puzzle lies in the two visual characteristics that distinguis these trees.: whether the tree blooms prior to leafing out and what shape the seed pods take.

the trees that i have been admiring bloom out prior to leafing out (which makes them so striking) and have clusters of round seed pods. the catalpa tree apparently blooms after it has leafed out and has bean-shaped seed pods. therefore this tree must be the paulownia.

i have just learned that paulownia tomentosa was named after a Russian princess, Anna Paulownia, by a Dutch botanist. it also has several colloquial names, such as royal paulownia tree, princess tree, empress tree, international tree and blue catalpa.

did you know that tomentose (feminine variant tomentosa) means covered in thickly matted, wooly hairs.

so i feel confident that i have solved my mystery. thank you for your attention!

not catalpa, paulownia - or maybe not

dear friends, i am confused.

shortly after my first mention of catalpa treesc (atalpa speciosa), i did a little research for us in preparation for my catalpa post. at that time, i became convinced that i was mistaken in believing that the trees i have been admiring recently were catalpa trees. so i got frustrated and gave up.

so, today, when i read emily's post and david's comment on my blog, i decided i could wait no longer to figure out what the heck kind of trees those are. so i googled "tree with wisteria-like blooms" (which is how i would describe the tree's blooms) and hit links to a gardening web about paulownia trees. after reading the string of questions and answers relating to paulownia trees and googling "paulownia tree" i decided that the trees that i am currently seeing in bloom around our little 'ville and its environs must be paulownia trees.

but then, ever curious as i am, i decided that i needed to learn about catalpa trees too. so i googled catalpa tree in google images and discovered images of catalpa blooms which resemble closely the blooms of the paulownia tree. holy cow, i don't even know what to make of all this information. which is it, catalpa or paulownia.

the paulownia tree (paulownia tomentosa) must be rather prolific in spain as most of the sites are in spanish, there are two in english - this one, which has no photos, and this fascinating website from an australian paulownia farm. david, did you know that paulownias are harvested for timber (the wood is prized in japan) and used for honey making (this page has photos of the beautiful paulownia flower clusters which are undoubtedly attractive to friendly bumble bees)?

apparently others at the southeast exotic pest control council have noticed the same similarities. the author writes "Paulownia belongs to the Scrophulariaceae (Figwort) family, which in North America is otherwise composed of herbaceous species. It resembles the native catalpa tree (Catalpa speciosa [Warder ex Barney]) in size, leaf and flower structure. Notable differences are found in pith, leaves, and seed pods. Paulownia has a hollowed or chambered pith, while that of the catalpa is solid and whitish. Catalpa leaves are whorled and more distinctly pointed at the tip than paulownia leaves, which are not whorled and have a less elongated tip. Catalpa fruits are long, slender pods measuring 20-46 cm (8-18 in). Fruits of the princess tree measure only 3-8 mm (1.5 in) and appear in clusters of round capsules. Catalpa flowers have a two-lipped calyx and appear on the current year's growth; paulownia has a five-lobed calyx and flowers on the second year's growth."

the author goes on to say, "Paulownia trees are often found on roadsides, stream banks, and disturbed habitats, including fire sites, forests defoliated by pests (such as gypsy moths) and landslides. Its ability to sprout prolifically from adventitious buds on stems and roots allows it to survive fire, cutting, and even bulldozing in construction areas. Paulownia can also colonize rocky cliffs and scoured riparian zones where it may compete with rare plants in these marginal habitats. It tolerates high soil acidity, drought, and low soil fertility."

this leads me to believe that our trees might actually be paulownias, as they are most commonly seen along the highways here in central va. but to be quite honest, my head is spinning from trying to sort this out. i think i might have to don my sun bonnet and venture into the field!

5.03.2005

consumption

i havent been feeling much like blogging lately. the post before last was really difficult to get out there and the ebay one was so easy that it doesnt count. i just havent been feeling all that positive lately. and feeling less than positive makes me very protective and introspective and thus, not feeling like blogging.

really there is nothing interesting to tell you about, dear readers. maybe my problem is knowing that people read my blog and feeling some responsibility to entertain.

i suppose i can at least give you a run down of the thoughts that have consumed me lately. i make no apologies for how boring the following list might be.

i am not a gentrifier and i resent being viewed that way by my neighbors.

we need to refinance our mortgage but i have absolutely no idea how to go about doing that.

i feel like our mortgage brokers really gave us a raw deal and i feel personally offended and let down by that.

i really want to start my new job, but most likely months will elapse before that happens.

i am really sad that my friend emily is moving away.

i think we should get another cat and name it peanut. then our brood would consist of paisley, pickle and peanut.

i hate that my liberal, wealthy city will not entertain the idea of passing a municipal ordinance to mandate the spaying and neutering of cats.

i really want to get started installing new flooring in our house.

i wish we had a grill so that we could cook out.

i also wish that i had an excavator so that we could work on some landscaping projects.

i really do not want to attend my mother's retirement ceremony in three weeks - this is partially because it will be very emotional, partially because she is too young to retire, and mostly because i dont want to hear my ultra-right wing conservative aunt sing the national anthem! lord, help me!

why cant i fix the toilet? seriously, i am so intimately familiar with the workings of a toilet that i should be granted a plumber's license! although maybe not since i can't fix the problems.

the 6 clematis on my porch all have buds and one has already bloomed three flowers. they are growing rapidly and give me great pleasure.

the catalpa trees have started to bloom. they are so unusual. i should post about them separately.

i think that's about all for this list. no post must be better than a post like this, really...

booker street