New HAT Status: Godmother

My dear, dear friends M and T recently announced that they are expecting their very first baby. The excitement, the joys, the mystery, the expectation... I get to experience one degree of all those emotions because M and T have also asked me to be Baby's godmother!! Lord, believe that? Can you imagine me as anyone's Godmother! I will be maaaagnificent... I can't even describe my delight, joy, excitement, thrill, etc, etc, etc...

Baby is not due until the spring, but I'm already getting a headstart in my new status as godmother-to-be, which, as I understand it, is uber-difficult to describe and fulfill. In December, we will find out if it is Baby Girl or Baby Boy. Baby's mom has already informed me that whether it be XX or XY, that little baby is going to be all blue or all pink. So, I'm having to wrap my mind around very color-coded and gender-specific toys, books, clothes, etc.

In the back of my head, I think, as godmother, don't I get to be the voice of dissent? Will I be the one who says, hey, pink isn't just for girls! And football isn't just for boys! and, hey, what's wrong with bringing G.I. Joe figurines in for tea time?

It appears I'm going to face a tough battle ahead of me, but in the meantime, I'm going to pick out the pinkest yarn there is and am going to knit me a pink baby blankie.

Unfulfilled Commitments

"The United Nations Millennium Campaign is disappointed that the recently concluded G-20 meetings ended with nothing more than vague commitments to the needs of the world’s poorest represented by the Millennium Development Goals."

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

Saw them at Zellerbach on Tuesday, 9/22. Heard Joe Temperley's most beautiful rendition of Ellington's "Single Petal of a Rose." Please, please go buy a copy of it. It is so beautiful. You will be reminded of Rumi:

We, who are parts of Adam, heard with him
the song of angels and of seraphim.
Our memory, though dull and sad, retains
some echo still of those unearthly strains.

Bay View from Scenic Drive

Seated Buddha

Seated Buddha,
dated 338, China
Later Zhao dynasty
(319-350)
Gilt bronze
The Avery Brundage
Collection













This sculpture is the earliest known dated buddha image made in China. We know this thanks to the fragmentary inscription on the back of the base.

Stylistically, this figure belongs to
a group created in China from the
appearance of Buddhism to around 450.














This style was influenced by Buddhist sculptures
of the ancient region of Gandhara (which included
parts of present-day Pakistan, Afghanistan, and
northwestern India). Scholars theorize
that the models for such pieces were small
sculptures carried along the Silk Road.
Most of the surviving Chinese versions
are small gilt bronze buddhas.

Instant Messaging?

Message boards (samdra) are ingenious Tibetan devices
that do not require using precious hand-made paper.
The two painted covers enclose three double-sided blank boards
that would have been used for sending formal messages
between officials and noble house-holds.

Prior to a message being written,
the boards were preased with butter
and coated with a fine layer of ash or white chalk;
then they were written on with a bamboo pen.

The boards were stacked together --
their raised borders protecting the message
from being scratched --
and placed in an elegant case.

They were carried by a servant to the recipient,
who, after wiping off the first message, inscribed a reply.

Tibetan Message Boards
Tibet, approx. 1875-1925
Lacquer, ink, and colors on wood
Gift of an anonymous friend of the Asian Art Museum











This past Saturday, I visited the Asian Art Museum in SF for the Samurai exhibit. It was very busy because of the Labor Day Weekend, and b/c the exhibit is about to close, but it was worth every minute. Because we were forbidden to photograph the special collection, I had to make do with the permanent collections. My previous visits to the museum were with other people and I did not have the luxury of several quiet hours to myself, just walking from one artifact to another, leisurely reading, viewing and contemplating without being rushed. This time, I spent as much time as I could (12:30-4:45pm!). Today's post about the Tibetan message boards is the first of a small series.

Hiding in the Bushes in Berkeley

...somewhere near my house is this very fantastic looking creature made entirely of tires! Do you have old tires that don't work like they're supposed to? Are you thinking of expressing a different side of creativity? Are you hoping to reduce your carbon footprint? Look at Mr. Elephant...

Love and Kindness

The grief of death and dying surround us everyday, and yet such profound sorrow is so quickly and easily forgotten. I recently found out that a friend had taken his life -- removed his shining, magical, kind presence from our midst -- and we are left with an emptiness that nothing could fill. I have no words.

His parents and brother have consoled us -- his grieving mourners -- by encouraging us to speak and share our love to everyone around us. Every day. That sounds just like what Landon would say to us even as we mourn his absence.

To all my friends, near and far, know that I am always deeply, deeply grateful of and for your love, your support, your presence, your silence, for who you are.

To my readers, take every opportunity to express love. And kindness. And generosity.

Love,
HAT

Landon

Landon Carter Schmitt, proud descendent of Virginia, citizen of Vietnam, adoring son, loving brother, citizen servant, loyal friend without equal, global citizen, financier, proud son of The Potomac School and Brown University, we will never forget you. May God receive you into his loving arms.