Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Woohoo for the inauguration, hey? I'm sure y'all watched the festivities, so I won't go into how wonderful it feels to be an American right now, or how Obama's inaugural address and first day in office were absolutely inspiring. All I will say at this point is that I'm glad my president is not only inspiring, but also so NICE.

January 20th was a good day.

January 21st was also a good day. Trevor and I got up early and took BART and Muni into San Francisco to take advantage of free admission day at the newly renovated California Academy of Sciences, located in Golden Gate Park on the beautiful Music Concourse.

Holy smokes, was it crowded! But it was totally worth it. Definite highlights were the T-Rex and (87-foot!) blue whale skeletons, the Living Roof, and the Morrison Planetarium -- where we saw the most amazing digital show on the cosmos on their tilted 75 foot diameter projection screen. It felt like we were flying through the universe. Highly recommended!

Though the planetarium absolutely blew us away, of course the Steinhart Aquarium was the big draw. Gorgeous sea creatures, many that I had never seen before in person.

Some favorites:

Beautiful little jellyfish















Creepy nautilus -- it's like it's getting ready to jump out and suck on your face!















Morays



















And of course, penguins! The penguins are African penguins, and they are situated at the end of a vast hall of really cool African dioramas. The approach is striking.















But the most fascinating animals in the aquarium were these small endangered fish from Australia, leafy and weedy seadragons. They are apparently very difficult to obtain, and must be procured through approved captive breeding programs. The aquarium had been on a waiting list for two years!

These little creatures were mesmerizing.

Weedy seadragons (and random German tourist)



















Leafy seadragon















And hey, what do you know? My crappy iPhone camera did alright next to Trevor's new toy, a Canon Powershot -- a new toy which was, incidentally, bought with credit card points. And here I thought that stuff was a scam!

Anyway, another exciting, excellent day in a week full of excitement and excellence.  Here's to a terrific weekend.

Labels: , , , , ,

3 Comments:

Blogger Dixie said...

Those jellyfish are too adorable. I totally want some in my home aquarium (but they would be way too much trouble).

Let's talk about then really important issues, though. The inaugural fashion. Did you love Michelle Obama's yellow coat and green gloves? I think I may be alone in that one, even the Fug Girls didn't like the coat.

January 23, 2009 at 4:32:00 AM PST  
Blogger Ammie said...

Ah, yes! Loved her outfit, especially the cardigan underneath. Very reminiscent of Jackie O. Also loved the J. Crew gloves. The shoes were a no-no though!

I also really liked her inaugural ball gown.

January 23, 2009 at 4:38:00 PM PST  
Blogger Dixie said...

I thought the gown was pretty, but I would have loved to see her in a color. Something bright blue, perhaps?

And I am totally buying those gloves at J.Crew. I have a weakness for leather gloves and olive drab winter clothing. It's like she's taunting me with them.

January 23, 2009 at 5:01:00 PM PST  

Post a Comment

<< Home