Monticello

Well, it's been a while, and a lot's happened. The Sox are clinging to what is now a 6 game lead over the Yankees, Merv Griffin has passed away, and ABC family has a new show called "Slacker Cats" which, though funny, should by no means be thought of as a family show.

Also, since my last post TLM and I went to Charlottesville, Virginia for a wedding held in the chapel of the University of Virginia. Somehow, I convinced not only TLM but also two of her younger siblings to get away for a while before the wedding and go to visit Charlottesville's other attraction: Monticello.

Monticello was the residence of our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson. I'd heard of it before in an architectural context from a friend (uh, who's an architect), and I'd had it on my "list of places to see" ever since, partly because of what he told me, but also because of the enthusiasm with which he described it. Designed entirely by Jefferson, he called it his "essay in architecture", and its first incarnation was heavily influenced by the building of ancient Rome, complete with columns built of solid stone. After a trip to Paris, he returned with some new ideas, and incorporated features like skylights and a dome over the front of the house, which we were told was the first on an American house. All in all, Monticello and its surrounding plantation grounds were designed, constructed, and remodeled over a 40-year period.

"Inside and out, Jefferson incorporated design elements from famous buildings of antiquity" - Monticello Guide for Visitors

It was a hot day (I think it was close to 100 degrees) and we couldn't wait to get inside. The tour was informative, albeit fast paced. Among the interesting features the tour guide pointed out were the many clocks Jefferson owned, something unusual for the day because of their intricate workings (as well as something I can relate to). We also saw dumbwaiters built into the sides of the fireplace in the dining room, said to be the first of their kind. My personal favorite was Jefferson's alcove bed (also a French-inspired feature), placed such that Jefferson could get out on one side to enter his bedroom and get out the other to enter his study (then called a cabinet). The length of the bed was something like 2 inches more than his height, making it a tight fit by today's standards.


photo from monticello.org
One final note: during the tour, the guide glazed over the fact that Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, was also a slave owner, and simply referred to these facts in combination as a "paradox" to be pondered for a long time to come. Though I commend the tour guide for realizing this was something important to bring up, I feel as though it was intentionally condensed to one sentence, perhaps for fear of tarnishing Jefferson's legacy. Who knows.

All in all, I recommend visiting Monticello if you find yourself in the area. Just make sure the temperature is under 100 degrees.
 

The Bonds Novelty is Already Over

Boy, that was quick. All it took was one more home run, and the novelty has already worn off for me. I'm officially back on the "Barry Bonds is a cheater" bandwagon, and am very interested in what will come of the George Mitchell report, which may be coming soon, and with some bad news for Barry if I'm reading Bud Selig correctly.

I saw the related cartoon below in the Boston Globe today, and thought it was post-worthy. (cartoon by Dan Wasserman)

Congrats to Barry Bonds

Well, it finally happened. Barry Bonds broke the all-time career home run record last night by hitter number 756 with a full count and one out in the fifth inning off of Washington's Mike Bacsik.

I gotta say, I feel differently about it than I thought I would.

I'm happy for the guy. For as much grief as he gets for being by all accounts an a-hole, I'm truly happy for him. Selfishly, by the way, I'm happy I got to see it in my lifetime. As the difference between Bonds's and the baseball legend Hank Aaron's home run totals grew smaller, and the hype around the record and Bonds's alleged steroid use grew more insidious, I was one of those fans who thought that whoever caught the ball should pull out a sharpie and draw a big asterisk on it. I thought the record would be tainted, and that all future baseball fans should know that this record was broken by a player in a time that will become known as the "home run era", or in the eyes of many today, the "steroid era".

After seeing the home run and the subsequent trot around the bases and in-game ceremony at the plate, including a scoreboard message from Hammerin' Hank himself, I found myself not feeling cheated at all. Regardless of how the Balco hoopla turns out, I saw #756...and Barry Bonds is the all-time home run champ, no asterisk required.