Eye Candy: Another Visit to DC and the National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art has to be one of my favorite places in the world... because of this I recently made yet another trip there, to procure some small prints and frames :)   (you should really go see their shop, because some of the frames are exquisite and elegant. If anyone knows where else such frames may be had short of custom framing, I will be very happy... as I don't feel like spending money for custom framing on things that don't need it)

As usual, I took the metro :)

On the left are the National Archives, and I believe on the right is a building that has to do with the Navy

National Archives

National Archives, Mall Entrance

And another of the Mall Entrance of the National Archives

Now for the NGA goodies... we'll start with pictures of the entryway (lower level) :)

Right behind the entrance is the pathway to the gift shop that also happens to have a French Cafe in it :)

Here are some pictures from the entrance by the end of the building near the modern art wing, across the street.

Back upstairs there are two lovely garden rooms, here are some shots of one of them:

Click on the panorama to see it bigger... (fullest size is not available for any of the panoramas on this post at this time)

I took this one by putting my camera on the ground :)

I really like this painting... and oh while I'm at it, here's a self-portrait of me too :)

More Panoramas:

I really like this one, I took it while bent down at the level of the seats, so as to capture the couch and the easel, and give a different view of the room than might be had standing up.

I love this picture... exquisite painting and very flattering attire too :)

Lower entrance to National Gallery of Art at night

And in panoramic form :)

Here's a panorama of the intersection between the National Gallery of Art and the National Archives as seen at night.

Some of the things that don't go as planned...

I love taking pictures of stuff, and especially making panoramas, but sometimes things don't go quite right... enjoy some of these oddities:

My panoramic program didn't quite want to blend in a circular motion...

Here's a worse example!

In low light, I may be a ghost in a sea of lights...

And this panoramic image, looks almost right except... wait a moment:

somehow... this just isn't right... I think that black region is a skirt... :P

And this is like the arm and hammer logo! lol

The last couple are what result when I try to blend pictures that include people moving in them, sometimes the results are a bit off... :)

Trip to Union Station

I love Union Station and rail transportation... so when I needed something at a shop that just happened to be open at Union Station, I made a trip about 10 days ago... :)

The metro is a great (but sometimes pricey and unreliable) way of getting around the DC area... 

I love this architecture... I think it would be great fun to eat in the restaurant in the middle of this room :)

Outside there was a huge ad campaign for a credit card that included a giant pump. 

If there weren't security guards protecting this like hawks, someone would try to use this as a slide!

Notice the size of the person who is walking past the above picture of the shoe... that's how big it is!

These open air walkways in front of the station are rather impressive as well

And as you can see the credit card company wasn't satisfied to have their ads above in the form of the shoe... they bought out most of the ads in the station too... here are some examples...

Union Station, Metrorail

And of course, me riding the metro... for those who wonder what that could possibly look like, lol :)

Rooftop fun :)

I discovered how to get up on the roof near where I work... check out these lovely downtown photos :)

Costume Dramas, a Video Tribute

I found this video on youtube by 'verval'... I think most of you will enjoy this... I will have more blog posts coming up, I've again gotten busy and been behind with posts! :)

Politics: My Voting Guide for Montgomery County Maryland!

I don't normally feature politics here... but I make an exception today...

Justin’s 2010 Maryland Voter’s Guide... (Montgomery County)

I said I wasn’t going to write one this year, but here’s a last minute one anyways... I like to come to my own conclusions without self-interested parties telling me what to believe, so my recommendations will vary from both the guides produced by most Democrats and Republicans.

I recommend NOT voting for those who are unopposed, unless you really like them.

Update: Forgot to add... vote AGAINST people on the apple ballot... the Teacher's union perverts the political process with their endorsements... this is a toxic component to Montgomery County Politics...

Ballot questions:

County Question A... Ambulance Fees: AGAINST (Likely to raise insurance rates and work against volunteer services... seems to be a push by the County Council and their unions to figure out how to pay for other things without making it look like they’re raising taxes)

State Question 1... Constitutional Convention: AGAINST (Constitutional Conventions nowadays carry the risk of overturning years of precedent in favor of radical untested new ideas and philosophies... definitely a risky move)

State Question 2... Jury Trials: AGAINST... The fact that a trial costs money does not mean that people should be deprived of traditional English Common Law rights such as jury trials.

State Question 3... Orphans Court Judges: AGAINST... I am increasingly convinced that schools and their connected associations exist for profit, and not for the public benefit. I have yet to hear problem with the current system which dates back to the colonial period, I believe.

Governor:

I have no recommendation... I don’t much like any of the candidates enough. However, be advised there are more candidates than meets the eye:
Martin O'Malley - Democratic Party (status-quo, in favor of purple line... I like the purple line, fyi)
Robert Ehrlich - Republican Party (wants to kill purple line, but might help lessen gerrymandering)
Susan Gaztanaga - Libertarian Party (little chance of win, but libertarians have a halfway decent philosophy)
Maria Allwine - Green Party (unlikely to win, but Greens often support IRV and other types of proportional representation for making our state less politically-monopolized, cons include often untenable positions on the environment to detriment of other functions)
Eric Knowles - Constitution Party (I haven’t met him, but I am acquainted with the Lt Gov candidate, and he’s a decently nice guy... I watched Eric’s speach on MPT and it wasn’t too bad either, again not likely they can pull off a win)

Comptroller:

I endorse Peter Franchot, who is presently the incumbent. I heard him give a private talk once, kind of off the record, and I was really impressed with his honesty and common sense. He’s also against slots (as an unfair tax on the poor, etc.) so that’s a huge plus as well. I like him.

US Senate:

I endorse Eric Wargotz, principally because I have seen the incumbent, Barbara Mikulski give speeches, in person... and I absolutely hate her attitude. Seriously, she’s full of her self and difficult to listen to for any length of time. Pretty sure she needs to go. Wargotz is the most likely contender.

US Congress, District 8:

Vote AGAINST Chris Van Hollen... this guy is a real jerk, I’ve run into him in person. He treats his opponents like as though they didn’t exist, which leads me to feel he has very little respect for people beneath his ‘station’. There are other candidates in this race, choose one of them.

Court of Appeals Judges:

Vote AGAINST continuance in office... to voice opposition to overturning the law on gay marriage. (nothing against gays... who tend to be nice people, just do not agree with the legal/moral concept of such marriages)

Board of Education:

I endorse Martha Shaerr