Crisis Control

This has been a week of crises worldwide and on the home front. The latter culminated with a trip to the Animal Emergency Clinic last night, where Kumba the cat is in charge.

I won't go into detail. I'll just tell you that our beloved Boz is currently in his bed, licking his underbeneath parts as if nothing ever happened. He's fine.

Speaking of worldwide crises, please join us Sunday as bloggers worldwide express their support for freedom in Iran.

I was already wrung out before the clinic episode so I'll keep this short. To deal with my end-of-crisis-week stress, since I don't have Boz's talents, I'm going to take it easy on myself this weekend.

Green Balloon Friday for Iran

The Iranian protests touch me through blogging. That is, I've become friends with Iranian bloggers who have been threatened and whose blogs have been censored in recent days. This tells me how easily an issue becomes personal if I can only put a face on it--if I meet a person who is part of it.

Pasadena Daily Photo is part of a larger community called the City Daily Photo community. One of our fellow bloggers is missing in Tehran.

Here's a blog that's still going strong. He blogs in both Farsi and English. Yesterday he said:

GREEN BALLOON FRIDAY for IRAN

WE WILL PAINT THE SKY, GREEN. IN IRAN, AND AROUND THE WORLD.
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Are you mad about what has been happening inside Iran these days? Well then take a deep breath... blow it all into a Green Balloon... and wait until Friday afternoon to send it up to the sky, wherever you are on this planet. Millions of Iranians inside Iran are planning to paint the sky green on Friday exactly at 1pm Tehran time. The non-violent green movement is being cracked down on the ground, so lets take it to the sky.
People are called to send "green" balloons to the sky on Friday in Iran and any where else in the world. Sky is ours if they ban us express ourselves on the ground. They may shoot our balloons but at least we can be happy that no one dies.

Tehran is 10 hours ahead of us, so just go ahead and send 'em up! Here are some places to buy balloons in Pasadena.

I've chosen to use an old photo today, from my 12th day of blogging. I retouched it for the occasion. My balloons are green at heart.

Spread the Word

I haven't seen the White Hut open lately, have you?

Brigham Yen has his finger on the pulse what's going to happen on the southeast corner of Colorado and Madison. I like Brigham's blog. I suspect a lot of people will have mixed feelings about what's planned for that corner, though.

Another subject: are you a blogger? If you're so inclined, join bloggers worldwide this Sunday, June 28th as we post in support of the people of Iran in their struggle for self-determination. Post a video from YouTube or a photo you've found particularly inspiring or even disturbing. Or just post the color green in solidarity with the protesters. Say what you feel about self-determination or free speech. Let me know if you'd like more suggestions and I'll post them here.
The world is watching. Spread the word.

A Fine Castle

I haven't posted much about Castle Green. I thought this was mostly because Castle Green is a famous Pasadena landmark and it's easy to find pictures of it.

But when I stood at the southwest corner of Fair Oaks and Dayton I took this photo because I couldn't resist. So maybe the real reason I haven't posted about Castle Green is I haven't been around there much. Otherwise, how could I not?

Castle Green was once a hotel and is now apartments. Parts of the building are used as filming locations, or you can hold events there in the larger rooms. They give tours from time to time, during which you can see individual apartments.

About eight years ago I forced John to go on the holiday tour. I loved it. Some of the apartments were fab, some not, but that's just my personal taste in decor. The building is a Victorian lady still dressed in her finery, even if some of her petticoats are a tad shabby.

Bikes and the City

When I saw one of these bike racks at City Hall without a bike in it, I didn't know what it was. Then I turned a corner and saw this and my mental CFL went on. Somebody's commuting to work the environmentally correct way.

Pasadena's into bikes. There's a bicycling Master Plan, there was Bike Week in May, people are always biking around the Rose Bowl and there are countless bike trails in the San Gabriel Valley. Yet I hear a lot of talk about accidents and the dangers of biking. I'd love to get a bike and I admire bicyclists, but I'm chicken to ride in the street. What do you think?

Zen Monday: #53

Zen Monday is the day you experience the photo and give us your thoughts rather than me telling you what the photo's about.

As I post each new Zen Monday photo, I'll add a label to last week's to identify it if necessary (if I know what it is).

Dads are King

My father-in-law and I have our own relationship based in a common interest: we're both actors. Before I met him or my husband, I saw Sandy in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida in Chicago. Sandy played Priam, the king of Troy. If you knew Sandy you'd say, "But of course." That's because when you know Sandy, you know this guy's going to play the king. He's even got a regal voice.

Sandy's also a lawyer. He's a man of many parts. He isn't feeling well today. Nothing serious. But we're thinking of him. John took these shots in our living room the last time his parents came to visit, so they're within my rule: photos on the blog must be taken in Pasadena or adjacent communities.

I miss my father today. He died too young--for me and for him. My scanner's not hooked up yet or I'd break my rule and show you a picture of him. (I already broke the rule when I posted about him on his birthday last year.) I don't know if he was ever in Pasadena but if he was, I don't have the photos.