Regeneration

Magnet #785 - Rana

Ya'll, I have found a new magnet series to start collecting. How gorgeous is this frog? Love it.

I picked up this magnet last month in the new Tampa Museum of Art, and what I should have done was pick them all up, to add to my collection! I already have the beautiful bull that my friend picked up for me in Barcelona.

But, what I didn't know back then, I know now - they're from a design firm based in Barcelona, called Barcino. They have so many gorgeous designs, I can't wait to discover more around town.

And, what I thought about the bull last year was correct! According to the Barcino folks, these magnets were created in the Spanish mosaic practice called "trencadis" that Antonio Gaudi made so popular on his buildings. They're hand-painted, which makes them all unique.

But, we all know the reason I picked the frog for today. Wait. Don't we?

It's because after a full-day BBC-A marathon of David Tennant Doctor Who episodes, the US will be broadcasting the first Matt Smith episode, "The Eleventh Hour," tonight. Likely, if I get back from shopping in time, I'll have seen the third one airing in the UK, all before the first airs here. So bizarre. And kinda wrong.

Anyway, so did ya'll know the frog - and apparently several cold-blooded animals - can regenerate limbs when it's young, and can even "die" and come back? No, really. I mean, I kinda knew, but I just sat through this video with one eye shut, in case something gross happened. There were no brilliant flashes of light, but the frog just hopped to, after being dead. Which is just kinda icky.

But, it's neat how the Doctor can do much of the same. I had no idea that Time Lords are frogs. Still, I suppose there's something to be said for the genius of Doctor Who - being able to span the years since the day after Kennedy was shot in 1963 to now, with almost a dozen men playing one character, and goodness knows how many people playing the Doctor's faithful companion.

As I was watching tonight's episode a couple of weeks ago, it amazed me to think that the BBC can just throw in a new guy and a new chick, and have an entire audience not only buy into the concept of same character different guy, but to enjoy the regenerations and the new takes on the Doctor.

Amazing.

Kinda like that frog in the video.

Very cool.

Kinda like this frog right here.

Toro, toro, toro!

Magnet #703 - Bullfight Poster

My friend brought this back for me from Barcelona a while ago, and I had to do a little research to figure out what it was, besides a vintage bullfight poster, and a cool one at that.

Here's what I found: Plaza de Toros Monumental is a bullring in Barcelona - and it's gorgeous! Built in 1914, it seats a good 19,500 people. I saw somewhere that the city of Barcelona is officially against bullfighting, and this ring is the only place you can actually see a bullfight in town.

While you're there, you can check out the Museum of Bullfighting as well - apparently, it's filled with costumes and heads of famous bulls (sniffle) and various bullfighting paraphernalia, like tickets and posters, etc.

This vintage fight poster actually calls out one of the greats in the sport, Sebastian "Palomo Linares" whom you can see here, later on in life, I believe.

Even though bullfighting can trace its roots back to prehistoric times, I really can't figure out if it's something that I'd want to see in person or not.

First, when it comes to dangerous sporting events, I'm a chicken. I can't even watch divers in the Olympics anymore, thanks to Greg Louganis. (I was totally gonna link that infamous dive, but I couldn't stomach watching it again.)

Second, while I'm sure it takes great skill to avoid being gored by the bull, it always just seems really mean to be tossing that red cape in front of them, trying to get them to charge. I can't guarantee that I wouldn't be on the bull's side, ya know?

Still, today's magnet is supercool, and now I've learned a little bit about the sport. That's probably for the better, given that all I really knew about bullfighting, I learned from Harvey Korman in Herbie Goes Bananas, circa 1980, where Herbie finds himself smack dab in the middle of a bullring in Mexico, trying to fend off a big bull, and the bad guys, all at once.

Such a great movie! Oh, I know Bananas is one of the most deplored of the series, but it's still one of my favorites.

And, c'mon. Who doesn't love a good Herbie movie?

An architectural smile*

Magnet #198 - Gaudi's Casa Batlló

So my sister gave me one of those wonderfully designed and packaged books that I love so much - you know the books. The ones that you rarely buy for yourselves - very little text, pretty pictures, well designed and on good paperstock, so pretty, you're afraid to read it?

She got me 1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die, and I love it. It's fantastic. I love looking through it, seeing all the supercool buildings from around the world. I've been going through it and trying to figure out how many of them I've been to, or seen face-to-face. I refuse to count it up until I get to the end.

I sort of have a leg up, what with living here in NYC, where there are at least a dozen of the buildings. Oh, and also with me having gone to a few countries in Europe. But, if anything, this book has taught me that there's a world of amazing architecture out there. Literally.

This magnet is one of those buildings. It's Gaudi's Casa Batlló, in Barcelona, brought back by the same sister above. Locally, they call it the House of Bones - it does look rather skeletal and bony. But, if you look, there aren't very many straight lines - it flows and ebbs and it's quite amazing. From all the pictures, the inside is just as curvy-curvy. And it has all this neat tilework on the facade. I'm sure it was amazing to see in person. I'm a little sad that there are trees blocking the building from a good view.

It's definitely been added to my list of buildings to see one day. Right now, number one on that list is the Automium, in Brussels. Which was apparently built for Expo 58, a World's Fair type of exhibition.

C'mon. How could you not want to walk inside a giant silver ball? Hello, you could go in and pretend you're Jodie Foster in Contact!


*From an essay by Juan Bassegoda Noneli, lest you think I'm that poetic

Oh, don't mind her, she's from Barcelona!

Magnet #51 - Barcelona, Spain

Ok, I gotta confess that I picked this one for today's magnet, is because for some reason (and no, I don't really want to know the lore), the Doctor keeps mentioning Barcelona on Doctor Who.

Anyway, while I've been to Europe a few times, I've not had a chance to make it to Spain. This one was brought to me by a friend of mine that went a few years ago.

How cute is this magnet???

Not sure if the two are popular animated characters over there, but they're like Spanish Doozers! Remember the little green guys from Fraggle Rock? The ones that were so busy, building their little buildings in the center of Fraggle Rock? Only these two aren't so Doozer-like, since clearly, they know the meaning of siesta. Heheheh.

This is one of two "tea party saucer" magnets that I have - the other's from the France Alps. Maybe it's a thing over there, cuz for sure, I've not seen any of these Stateside. And, if they are actual tea party saucers, then hello! cottage industry! How marvelous!