Oh, USA.

I'm glad my granddaughters are seeing what's going on in the country right now. 

We haven't had people so energized since the Vietnam War protests when I was a few years older than they are now. But African Americans were left behind then, more likely to be drafted and unable to come up with any sort of deferment. Left behind, again, as they had been left behind in 1865, left way behind during Jim Crow, after WWII despite honorable service. Yes, we had recently passed the Voting Rights Act and that was something, but barely.

I hope we're serious about doing the right thing this time.

The Aussie alphabet: O is for Opera House

How could O be for anything else?

The Opera House, normally:

Photo credit: http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/about/media/photo_gallery.aspx

Bonus: the Harbour Bridge in the background!

You can see more pictures of it if you click on that link just above, and read about the history, the construction, etc. etc. if you want. Fun fact: the architect - Danish!

The Opera House, during Vivid Sydney 2014:

Photo credit: me.

The building is beautiful and, of course, iconic. Never actually made it to a performance within the walls, but really, that's okay.

Now that I think of it: O can be for one other thing: 

This is an opal in the rough - still embedded in the rock it formed in.

Credit: http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/mineralmuseum/picshow.php?id=25867

And this is a fire opal ready to be set into a piece of jewelry. These guys are super expensive, when they are solid - (this one isn't, it's on Etsy!) and stunning.

Read all about them here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal

My guitar god bucket list

I have a short list of really really amazing rock guitarists I want to see perform live, some of whom I have already seen, and some yet to come. Here's the current list (as much as I can remember at the moment) in no particular order.

Eric Clapton (seen)
Jeff Beck (seen)
Jerry Garcia (seen several times)
Carlos Santana (seeing him 24 March 2011!!)
Mark Knopfler (yet to be scheduled)
Jorma Kaukonen (yet to be scheduled)