It's like Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings, except that situation had a happy ending (except for Gollum ... and one of Frodo's fingers)

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Lisa writes: A couple of summers ago, my cousin and her family were visiting D.C. and I took them to the National Gallery of Art. In the lobby of the modern art wing there was an installation that consisted of piles of rocks, arranged in beehive shapes, about three feet tall. Some were cleverly arranged so that they were split in half by the glass wall between the lobby and the outside patio. I'm sure it had a name like "Industrial Inertia" or "Pileage #48" but I can't remember.

So, picture this: big piles of highly-climbable-looking rocks + three kids between the ages of 1 and 5. This is a set-up, right? Now add two grumpy-looking security guards whose entire job, all day, every day, is to say, "Please don't touch the art." "Don't climb on the art." "Ma'am, please keep your children off the art." Everybody in this scenario has been set up to fail.

Denounement. Nothing happened -- the kids were tempted, but restrained. The only reason I mention it is because it has become a visual metaphor in my brain for other doomed enterprises. Remember this. I will bring it up again.

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Anonymous said…
I check every day. Need to put some the new "stuff" we all send on board! Love you, Mom
11:22 PM
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