The Pale Blue Dot and the Dark Side of the Moon

This video is awe inspiring. Because we don't have many eyes out in space past the moon, most images of our planet are shot from near orbit or from the moon.

This video shows the moon passing directly in front of the Earth, taken by NASA's EPOXI spacecraft from 31 million miles away. If you look closely, you can see the Dark Side of the Moon.

As Carl Sagan said:

"That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. ... To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

This is Bowie to Bowie, is it cold out there in space?

Gabagool and gelato

Today, I found a nice new hidden gem near my house–Nundini’s Italian Deli & Food Store. From outside, the place appears like a normal warehouse, but once I stepped inside to Nundini’s it was like another world. I tried the Parma Panini for my lunch–made with a generous serving of prosciuto, fresh mozzarella, nicely salt and peppered and warmly toasted on a muffaletta.

As I waited for lunch to be served, I wandered throughout the store, browsing at the various Italian imports–numerous varieties of olive oils, wines, cheeses, meats, olives, all sorts of pastas, espresso beans, crackers, biscottis, a nice array of gelato and sorbetto, and a huge range (dare I say, a plethora) of sweets (including Lazzaroni chocolate bars with amaretti crumbles), and a whole case full of delightful looking chocolate truffles.

I was so pleased that I decided to buy some gabagool (capicolla) and some spicy sopressetta calabrese (a dry, cured salami, marinated in white wine). Yum! The capicolla will work superbly with a spinach, sun-dried tomato, and bocconcini pasta dish I’ve been scheming about lately.

Panic! at The Disco: Nine In The Afternoon

Odds and sods

The week has been extremely busy and looks to become even more exciting!

Yesterday, I had a deposition up in Dallas. Afterwards, I was able to stay up in BigD for the evening and watch the Dallas Stars playoff game (Western Conference Finals) with my folks. GO STARS! (Stars post to come).



Today, I'm going to the final performance of the year for the the Houston Symphony--the Domingo Rodrigo guitar concerto. According to the Symphony:

The Concierto de Aranjuez was Joaquín Rodrigo's first attempt in the concerto genre; it quickly became, and has subsequently remained, the most popular and recognizable of his works. Written for solo guitar and orchestra, it reveals the composer's great affinity for those two mediums, as well as his reverence for the long-standing traditions of Spanish Classical music.

A creative innovator linked to the great romantic tradition of the past, guitarist Eliot Fisk is one of the most exciting and unique artists before the public today. Known world wide for his adventurous repertoire and willingness to take art music into unusual venues (including schools, senior centers and even prisons!) he belongs, as his great mentor Andrés Segovia once wrote, “at the top line of our artistic world.”

To top that off, tomorrow morning I leave for Las Vegas for my buddies' bachelor party. The trip has all the makings of an amazing weekend: gambling, booze, food, women, and guns. I have been informed that there will be no other discussion about the goings on in Vegas...so that's all I've got to say about that. ;) The best I can do is provide some fat Elvis love.

Living Water

Water is the essence of life. While most people have probably heard that the human body is composed of up to 78% water, many would be surprised to learn that water-related diseases are the single largest killer of infants in developing countries. Diarrhea alone takes the lives of 1.8 million children every year. In Africa, six times the number of deaths result from lack of clean water than from armed violence.

As someone with a hydrogeology background, access to safe drinking water is an issue that I take to heart. That is why I support Living Water International, a non-profit organization that provides real, tangible support to developing communities by drilling potable water wells, and repairing pumps all across the world.

Garam Masala; Saté

For a while a several months ago my cooking habits began to venture across the seas toward Moroccan cuisine...chicken apricots and chickpeas slow-cooked in a tagine, ras al-hanut, and harissa sauces.

Recently, though, after a trip to my local spice store, I've discovered the joys of garam masala and saté seasoning.



Garam masala, a traditional punjabi seasoning, is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cumin carrdamom and coriander seeds, a few saffron strings black peppercorns, cloves, ground mace and bay leaves. The other night I cooked up some gulf bay Redfish seasoned in garam masala, with seasoned rice, roasted bell peppers and asparagus. The meal was delightful.



I also happened to purchase some Indonesian Saté seasoning. Perhaps the most famous and distinctive Indonesian spice, saté is wonderful for almost any type of grilled meat. I'm eagerly waiting my friends fresh gulf shrimp delivery connection to concoct some grilled saté shrimp skewers with peanut sauce for an afternoon of cold beer and spiced shrimp in the sun!

Houston International Festival

I made it downtown yesterday on a wonderful Sunday afternoon for the Houston International Festival. After getting my bearings, I caught the end of a set by the Garifuna Collective.


Founded by Andy Palacio, a Garifunan from Belize, the Garifuna Collective exposed ears around the world to one of the smallest subcultures in Latin America. The music presented a unique blend of native, Cuban, Brazilian and African inspirations, all sung in the Garifuna language and structured by the traditional folk rhythms of Belize. Andy passed away in January of this year, and the Garifuna Collective continues to tour in his memory.

Malian guitarist Habib Koité took the stage next, and performed with his band Bamada. Habib who was raised in a musical family, learning to sing and play the guitar by watching his parents, has been described by Rolling Stone as "the biggest pop star of the West African nation of Mali." His sound is best described as relaxed and soothing--perfect for a Sunday afternoon.



The final act I saw was the Houston based duo of Spain Colored Orange. With an aural calaidescope of piano, trumpet and organ, Spain Colored Orange put a smile on my face when I realized that Houston could spawn such original and interesting sounds.

Dumas - Au gré des saisons

In honor of Le Habs recent victory, I present one of my newly discovered Montreal-based musicians.

Au gré des saisons tu verras
Tôt ou tard...Tôt ou tard
Que la vie me prend
Et elle me jette
Tôt ou tard...Tôt ou tard