Windows and Mirrors

Heart-wrenching doesn't begin to describe the photos and video coming out of Japan over the past couple of days. Alan Taylor at The Atlantic has a fabulous photo blog called In Focus, that features amazing collections of the best and most impactful photos on just about any news item. His collection of pictures from the Japan earthquake is here. Bookmark the blog if you are a newsie or just have an appreciation of photography.

The whole thing is very surreal, as it is with natural disasters. You wonder how things will ever return to normal, but they always do, in time.

I remember how creepy it was driving down the switchbacks on the Big Island in Hawaii, with all the signs saying to watch for tsunamis and evacuate as quickly as possible if you felt an earthquake, knowing full well that if you were even halfway down to the beach, there would be no way you could escape. Thank God Hawaii had lots of warning for this one, and so little damage.

I was curious about damage to other countries in Asia, as we haven't heard much about them. China was barely affected, and despite strained relations, has offered assistance to Japan. There's a bright spot of hope for the world community.


Patrick's Saturday Six

1. Which do you have more of in your home: windows or mirrors?
windows (26, compared to 8 mirrors)

2. From where you are sitting right now, what’s closer to you: a mirror or a window?
window

3. Take the quiz: Are You a Mirror or a Window?
You Are a Window
You are a truly extroverted person. Your life feels empty without lots of people in it. Being around others makes you feel joyful. Friends and family bring meaning to your life. And even if you're all alone, you prefer to be people watching out in public. You are a cheerful and eager participant in the world. You are full of delight and wonder.

4. If you could change the view from your window to something else, what would you choose?
a beachfront view a la Giada De Laurentiis' kitchen

And I just read that this is not actually her kitchen in Malibu, but a neighbor's.

Here's the view from her house:

Yeah, I like that as well.

5. If you could change the view in your mirror to someone else, who would you wish you looked more like?
I'll stick with the theme and say Giada. So pretty!

6. If you had to choose between changing the view out of your window or your appearance reflected back in your mirror, which ONE would you choose?
Oh sure. What kind of Freudian question is this? I would choose the mirror. While I wouldn't want to change my looks to the point that I didn't look like me, there are a couple of minor things I would do if surgery wasn't involved.