Angled.

I've long admired this sculpture at Houston's international airport. Which isn't to say that my heart beats faster every time I see it -- if my heart does beat any faster as I drive past it, it's only because I'm frustrated with circling the airport over and over again -- but I admire it about as much as I can admire anything at an airport.

I love art deco design, and so it's no surprise that this appeals to me. The sad thing is that it's in such a strange spot -- you only see it briefly as you hurtle along a twisty road filled with angry drivers changing lanes in a panic -- and I only managed to get a decent picture because we were circling the airport for nearly 45 minutes. But perhaps it's just as well that it's out of the way. The sculpture hints at the long-gone glamour of airports and airplanes, stewardesses and even suitcases (they didn't have wheels, but they were lovely to look at). If the designers had placed the sculpture somewhere where passengers could actually contemplate it, maybe the contrast between what we wish air travel could be and what it actually is would be too infuriating. Instead they've just tucked it away and lost it amidst the scrambling and sighing and swearing.

Which is more or less what we did while we were there.

On a more relaxing note, I made another card today out of the paper I had left from my earlier project. I'd like to say that the angular lines of the sculpture inspired me here, but in fact I began cutting out the chevrons before we left for the airport.

More cards are sure to follow.

Handiwork.

Getting one's name changed is an enormous hassle. The courts don't make the process clear or easy, so I'm lucky to have a lawyer on hand to do the research, the planning, and the paperwork.

After years of meaning to do it, we're finally on our way, and our first step was getting fingerprinted. I had eagerly anticipated mashing my fingers into an ink pad -- there's something so elementary-school-art-class about that -- but sadly it's all digital now (although they did have the old machine displayed on top of a filing cabinet in the corner). When we finished rolling our fingers across the scanners, we left with pristine fingertips. Much less glamorous this way, oddly enough.

I lost the afternoon happily making a birthday card for a dear friend.

And now I'm going to sit back and see if I can finally finish the book I've been reading for a few weeks.