(no subject)

So, last night's dinner was at Big Bowl, which I selected more or less randomly. I had their vegetarian potstickers and the Panang curry chicken. The dumplings were good; the curry was amazingly tasty (almost Melissa-good! :-), but much hotter than I normally get. It was also a hearty serving, so the half-hour walk after dinner didn't just burn off the extra time I had on my hands; it was useful for settling my meal.

I had not walked much around Reston Town Center before. It seemed deserted, almost like a movie set. (Perhaps for an urban version of The Truman Show?) It is a pre-fab place, essentially an upscale, modern New Town. But I have to admit it meshes a lot more with what I feel is "appropriate" living for a developed country (high-density, walkable, integrated, though without as much shared recreation area as I think it should have)/ I guess one reason I like the nearby Lake Anne Plaza more is just its more contemporary, eclectic architecture. Dated and perhaps a bit hideous to some eyes, it doesn't seem as soullessly generic to me as RTC. But RTC isn't hideous either, just a bit bland.

Of course, like many liberal do-gooders :-) my own ideal is something a great deal less high-density and efficient than the sort of compact community that Reston's clusters represent. But I've never claimed to be consistent. *guilty shrug*

And the film I saw was (at last, before it disappeared for good) The King's Speech. It was just as marevlous as I had expected it to be. Really, Firth and Rush are wonderful actors, and HBC continues to be one of my serious crushes. :-)

50books 2011: catching up

I've not entered a number of titles as I finished them.( Read more... )

RIP: David W. Dick

I'm a little sad, thinking about one of the great teachers I've known, who passed away just recently.

Col. David Dick taught biology at my school for decades and volunteered for several local museums even after he retired from teaching, even doing research and answering mail for at least one of them from his home when he wasn't able to go to the museum any more. It's a revelation reading the comments from his colleagues there in the guest book for his obituary.

He and his wife, who died many years before him, were great friends to my parents, to my sisters, and to me. I remember him sitting with my dad over a scotch before dinner, puzzling out the mysteries of life (or just the crazy behaviour of people). I remember him lecturing in class with animation, wit, and the sine qua non of all good teachers--the ability to engage students in the subject and make them want to learn for themselves. I remember him joining in with the fencing club I and some of my fellow students started with the help of one of the other science teachers. In his 60s and pear-shaped, he was still more nimble and deadly than any of us kids.

I am sad that such a warm, smart, vibrant person is no longer among us, but at 97 he had a pretty good run. If there's any sort of afterlife, I imagine he and Dad are already sitting about with the Ballantines and a couple of glasses, chatting about plants or printing or oysters.

And if there's no afterlife, he's left behind him the greatest accomplishment I think anyone can--the fond remembrance and respect of almost everyone who ever met him.

Slainte mhath, Colonel!