Strong winds in Windy City reaking havoc. Only 2 runways open; long line of planes waiting to take off. No telling how long delay will be. This could impact movie plans if bad enough. :(

(Air traffic control to our pilot: “You cannot pass!”)

Quickest connection ever. Was in airport for about 3 minutes. Now on board plane to Phoenix. Less than 6 hours till Two Towers!!!

In Chicago.

On plane now.

I’m at Bradley Airport now, waiting for flight to Phoenix (via Chicago). Two Towers countdown: 9 hours 15 minutes!

My mother, Leanna Loomer, talks with a fellow Pratt student about one of her (my mom’s, that is) mylar prints at the opening of her thesis show Dec. 16. Click here for more thesis-show photos!

“A new power is rising… its victory is at hand…”

Gandalf battles the Balrog in a scene from the Two Towers trailer.

After almost a week of winter break that has been mostly drudgery — with a couple of exceptions, including my mom’s thesis show opening Monday (see below) — things should take a big turn for the better over the next couple of days, starting in less than 24 hours with the premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

At 12:10 AM MST Wednesday morning, about 23 hours and 15 minutes from now, the moment I’ve been waiting for since last December will occur: I’ll be sitting in a Mesa, Arizona cinema, watching the beginning of Part Two of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s epic. Can’t wait to see the Ents destroying Isengard… Gandalf fighting the Balrog in the abyss… Merry & Pippin’s escape… the Dead Marshes… the healing of Theoden… the voice of Saruman… Helm’s Deep… Gollum… Eowyn… Faramir… Shadowfax… the Oliphaunt… basically everything!

Assuming my plane is on time (I’m taking a United flight from Hartford to Phoenix, scheduled to arrive at 10:26 PM Mountain time on Tuesday night), Becky, her dad and I will arrive at the AMC Mesa Grand 24 theater in time to take part in the tail end of the Two Towers Line Party, a pre-movie bash that is expected to draw perhaps two thousand LOTR nerds (many in costume) to watch 12:00, 12:10, and 12:15 AM showings — six in all, three of which are sold out! We have tickets to one of the two 12:10 shows.

And then, as if the return of Frodo and company wasn’t enough, within 48 hours after that, I’ll be with Becky on Wakiki Beach in Honolulu for the first part of a nine-day trip to Hawaii — my first-ever vacation there! Hooray!

All of this relaxation will be a welcome relief from all the work I’ve been doing the last several days, when I’ve been finishing up leftover class papers from last semester and frantically trying to turn them in before it’s too late.

Speaking of which, I’ve got one more paper to finish tonight — plus I have to pack. So I’d better get back to work. :)

But remember: “There will be no dawn…..for MEN.” (See trailer for explanation.)

Above, a close-up of the bottom of one of my mom’s prints.

My mother’s printmaking thesis show at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn opened Monday — with no disruptions from the transit strike that wasn’t — and it is truly excellent, in my humble opinion anyway. She has a variety of works, all very abstract but many quite evocative. Here’s a gallery of photos from my visit to the show, including close-ups of some prints and wider shots of my mom and other visitors.

I rode to New York with Jen on Monday to see the show’s official opening. I had feared interference from the threatened MTA strike — the domino effect of which would have created havoc on New York’s roads — but the strike was postponed the night before, and then cancelled Monday evening when management and the union reached a tentative deal. Even without MTA worries, however, Jen and I got, um, a little lost on the way to Pratt; I managed to navigate us to near New Hyde Park in Long Island, well east of Queens and Brooklyn, before realizing we were going the wrong way. But we were still there, if a wee bit late, to support my mom and enjoy her art.

Jen and I at my mom’s art show. Also note The New York Times.

Additionally, in a major achievement for bipartisan cooperation in Adollya, President-elect Mr. Bun travelled to the show with President Oliver, whom he ousted in November. The Republidolly and Dollycrat issued a joint statement praising the show as “fantastic.”

Mr. Bun and Oliver observe the show in all its glory.

My mom’s show will remain open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., tomorrow thru Friday of this week. If she passes thesis, she be able to graduate with a Master’s of Fine Arts in printmaking.

Mom standing in front of the Pratt Institute sign on Sunday.

The pride of USC could be headed to the NFL’s hapless Bengals.

Above, the Empire State Building, illuminated in green and red, lights up the Manhattan skyline at Christmastime. Below, three a capella singers from the Manhattan School of Music carol on the subway Dec. 14. (Audio/video coming soon!) Click here for more photos Christmas in New York City!

This weekend’s NCAA women’s volleyball Final Four is all set, and it will feature the teams ranked first, second, third, and fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s final regular-season poll.

In one Thursday semifinal, #1 USC (29-1), which beat #8 Pepperdine (26-7) in the Elite Eight by a score of 3-0, will face #5 Florida (34-2), which defeated #10 Washington State (24-8) in a comeback 3-1 win. In the other Thursday semifinal, #2 Hawaii (34-1), which beat #4 Nebraska (30-2) 3-1, will face #3 Stanford (32-4), which swept Pac-10 rival #12 Arizona (20-12), 3-0.

To review, that’s USC vs. Florida and Hawaii vs. Stanford in the national semifinals. The winners will square off Saturday for the national championship. All of it will take place in New Orleans.

In today’s “Thank God” news: Al Gore isn’t running for president, Trent Lott may be replaced after all, and the New York City transit strike has been averted for now (which means my mom’s art thesis show, scheduled to begin tomorrow in Brooklyn, will probably go on as planned).

Click here for more AP photos of Carson Palmer!

Click here for my Heisman photo gallery, including this pic:

Above, 2002 Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer smiles as a bunch of USC fans (myself included) do a SoCal Spellout in the lobby of his hotel. (Also included in my Heisman gallery: more pictures of Carson, two nice photos of Penn State’s Larry Johnson, and various other pics from the Yale Club, ESPN Zone, and the Vanderbilt Hotel in Manhattan.)


Click above or here to view the special coverage from USCTrojans.com. Meanwhile, here is what the Orange County Register had to say about an O.C. native winning the Heisman. And here is a RealVideo clip of Carson winning.

By the way, how freakin’ intense is the USC-Iowa Orange Bowl going to be now, with the Heisman winner and Heisman runner-up (Brad Banks) squaring off? The best bowl matchup of the year just got even better! (Here are the complete Heisman standings.)

On Dec. 14, Carson Palmer autographs a fan’s football in the lobby of the Vanderbilt Hotel, across the street from the Yale Club where, two hours earlier, he was awarded the Heisman Trophy. A half-dozen or so USC fans, myself included, literally chased Palmer from the Yale Club to the hotel lobby, cheering for him and eventually eliciting a triumphant victory sign from the Heisman winner by doing a SoCal Spellout. Fight on, Carson! Click here for a complete gallery of my Heisman photos!

Chased Carson Palmer from the Yale Club side door to the Roosevelt Hotel with a half-dozen other SC fans, did a SoCal Spellout in the lobby and got him to flash us a victory sign. :)