We got our usual late start, not arriving at the museum until about 2pm (it closes at 5pm). Rocket Boy reminded me that three hours is about as much as the twins can stand of any museum, so we went ahead and paid. The museum is actually in two buildings, connected by a bridge, and it's in an area of downtown that has several other museums and other important buildings. There are cool gigantic art pieces scattered around outside, so the kids were excited before we even got indoors. But they also liked what we saw inside. This photo is of a gorgeous painting by Victor Higgins in the exhibit of Western American art. Western art is
something I've learned to appreciate while living in the west -- I remember not liking it much when I first saw it. 
A lot of my pictures turned out blurry because you can't use a flash and it's kind of dim inside. This installation, Fridalandia, was inspired by Frida Kahlo and was part of an interesting exhibit called Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place, that I would have liked to look at longer. But at this point the twins were racing around, trying to take it all in and not sure how to behave. They did like the art, though, much more than I thought they would. They have a very good art teacher at their elementary school, and as a result they are much more art-savvy than I was at their age. The gift shop looked amazing, but I did not examine it closely because we don't have any money and the prices I did see were high. The kids found some interesting egg timers in the kitchen section and wanted me to buy them. I said, "You have a birthday coming up," so then they told me exactly which ones they wanted, in which colors. I might have to make a special trip up there again!
After looking at some of the exhibits in the Hamilton Building, we took the bridge over to the North Building and looked at exhibits there. Actually, we went back and forth a couple of times, looking for food. There's a very small cafe in the Hamilton Building, but you have to stand up to eat at little high tables, not very kid friendly. The North Building has a restaurant, but when we got there we realized it was expensive and fancy. So we went back to the little cafe and just had something to drink, before once again crossing the bridge to the North Building.
In the North Building we took the elevator to the 6th floor (the 7th floor is currently closed) and then walked down, floor by floor. By far the kids' favorite thing in the museum was this wonderful sculpture, on the American Indian art floor. It's called "Mud Woman Rolls On" and Mud Woman herself is quite wonderful, though the twins were a little concerned that she might come to life and stomp on them (she has very big feet). Their other favorite thing about the museum was the Creative Corners scattered here and there among the exhibits -- little areas where kids can make art and play with things. In the "Glitterati" exhibit there was a place where you could make a treasure chest out of cardboard and decorate it, and in the American Indian beading exhibit you could play with glass beads and also decorate a coaster with colored pencils. I did that while the kids played a glass bead game. We didn't leave the museum until about 5 minutes before it closed!Aside from that trip, the week was fairly uneventful. I wrote some emails to Cory Gardner, boycotted See's Candies for Valentine's Day (Rocket Boy bought Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory chocolate instead), and wrote some online comments on Denver Post articles. Other than that I wasn't very political. I'll probably write more postcards and emails this week. I have mixed feelings about the Not My President marches/events planned for tomorrow. He IS our president -- and saying he isn't doesn't solve the gigantic problem of him.
Rocket Boy and I watched an old movie called The Big Clock, which I thought I didn't like most of the way through and then finally decided I did at the end (Elsa Lanchester was fun). I re-read Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym, read The Black-Eyed Blonde by Benjamin Black, and started reading three other novels. Seven weeks into the new year, I have read 9 books and seen 12 movies. Last week's theme for picture books (chosen by Kid A) was "death" -- so I got 11 books about death out of the library. They were very sad, and yet it got sort of morbidly funny after a while, because every time an old character was introduced, the kids would say, "Oh no, she's going to die," and sure enough, she would, and then the child in the story would learn that the person would live on in memory. This week's theme (chosen by Kid B) is "moose and squirrel." I got 6 books about each animal and we have started working our way through them.
My one class is going OK, and this week I also started working as a research assistant. I also was asked if I'd like to teach a class in a different department in the fall, so it looks like I'll do that. In so many ways I don't want to teach anymore, and yet that's the main thing people will hire me to do. I can't tell you how many times a day I ask myself what I'm doing in my life, since I dislike it so much. But I love my boys, and they are easier (for me) to handle than they used to be (Rocket Boy still has a lot of trouble with them). This morning I was chasing them around the house going "blub blub blub" like a fish, and threatening to kiss them, and they were squealing like two-year-olds. I wouldn't miss that part of my life for anything. So on I go.
Well, I should get off the computer and get ready for bed. The kids have tomorrow off for President's Day, but I have to work (poor Rocket Boy, the babysitter).
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