Author: Robert Kimberly

Introducing My Strange Interest to the Kid

The ability to spontaneously leave the house has been all but eradicated since the arrival of Z. That being the case, I’m working on places to visit in Houston that achieve my desired level of interestingness/strangeness/out-of-the-ordinariness. I would like to take her to some of these places. Partially out of the necessity of baby management and partially to see what it will be like to continue this sort of exploration with a kid in tow.

Houston Maritime Museum

A quick search of Flickr shows no pictures of this local nautical museum. The website is charmingly cheesy and the place promises much of the same. Model boats and I’m betting old guys who would be surprised to see a young (looking) guy show up. It’s happened before, and usually results in interesting and lengthy conversations (an example would be my unplanned visit to Holland Lodge #1.) Really close to my place, a plus.

The BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Mandir

When the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir opened in Atlanta, I got the most hits to my site and Flickr pix as a result of people finding my blog entry and pictures (Hi, Indian subcontinent.) We left Atlanta before looking at the beautiful Hindu temple built in Lilburn, GA. Here in Texas, south of Houston is another Hindu temple of the same affiliation. Looks like the same traditional construction with the same gorgeous results.

Lastly, this is a list of places that I’ve been meaning to photograph for sometime. Maybe the act of making a list will get me in gear.

  • Unity Church – I’m a sucker for pyramids, this church is made of a gold one. Hillcroft and Unity.
  • Sandman Building – Old-style neon on a cool building. Richmond & Shepard area. Will add this and others to Neon Houston on Flickr.
  • Drugstore sign – Vintage neon signage on Richmond, a couple blocks west of Kirby.
  • The Neon Gallery – Near the Houston Center for Photography. Neon windmill, gorgeous. Always gets my attention driving W. Alabama.

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 8

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House, Houston, Texas (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

I’ve been writing about archival photos from The Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration since July of 2005. I was pretty thrilled to see various websites announce that the Library of Congress was putting copyright-free images on Flickr. The picture above is just one of many photos now available from that site, but the only one of Houston so far. In the best Houston tradition, I’m sure it was torn down long ago. I’d be curious to see if anyone knows the location of this house.

I love that the LOC is placing images on Flickr; I think it will legitimize the site as one of the online resources for historical materials. I would also like to see the Library of Congress create collections on the Internet Archive, which is already working with the federal library on a book scanning program. I like the idea of mirroring redundant collections around the internet and I have some scepticism about for-profit ventures like Flickr being guardians of culture. While they may behave well now, there is no accounting for what they may do in the future. Having a big institutional customer and user may help moderate any potential bad tendencies in the future.

That being said, this effort is another way for tax-payers to discover the collections they paid for, let non-profit institutions use existing commercial online resources instead of creating their own and make it easy for someone like myself to place the interesting items on my own site in an easy manner.

Also see: The Best Art from the British Government – Lessons from WWII: Beware of Smart Blonds

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The Best Photographs/Art the Federal Government has to Offer – 6

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 5

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 4

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 3

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 2

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 1

"Let Me Tell You A Secret I Wish I Knew At Your Age"

Saw this while channel surfing, couldn’t get it out of my head. Catchy song from “The Whitest Kids U’Know” I hope my kid never hears.

“Get a New Daddy”

Nightshift at the Baby Factory

I’ve got the late shift at our house. Besides me is a sprawled-out cutie looking just like a drunk. I’m resisting the urge to put my beer bottle next to her and grab the camera. Nothing says good parenting like infants, alcohol and digital pictures to enter into evidence. Adding to our electronics collection, we just bought our first camcorder and ended up with the first video of the kid. While fiddling with the night vision settings, got a couple of seconds of really funny faces followed by some college-level puking. It’s the kind of video you keep for a rainy day, when the kid is obnoxious, dating and asking for it. She’ll run away, shrieking, “I hate you all!” So, all the more reason to keep it on file.

Instead of writing something more substantial then this blog entry, I’m watching a show about a blocked writer, and it is also about boobs. So, bonus! I got to get back into/start the habit of writing. Between the TV and internet, its easy being passively entertained. If I could be as entertained by my own writing as others, I’d be happy.

All the while, a sink full of dishes cries out to be cleaned.

Lastly, an early picture of the sweet kid (7 days already?!) that will be a favorite for all time.

New Year, More Of The Same Good Stuff

Happy New Year to whoever is reading this post. Sometimes writing this blog feels like yelling off a cliff. I’m making some noise but I don’t know how far it carries. I don’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions and I don’t have a big end-of-the year post in my head. I’m just looking forward to doing more of the things I like to do, keeping the good habits I have and doing less of the things that haven’t worked.

Anyways, our coming year and years will have us traveling with a new addition. Zoe is her name and on her 6th day, still sweet girl. I think she will be a good partner in crime and fit in quite nicely with our little clan.

I’m hoping to put her immediate arrival to good use. Author William Gibson said that his first book Neuromancer was written under the influence of sleep deprivation brought on by the birth of his first child. I have to say that I am hoping for the same creative push. While I didn’t manage a whole book, NaNoWriMo did result in three finished short stories and the beginnings of a couple of longer stories. The completed works just need some feedback and proofreading. I’m looking forward to the next step with them and hopefully publication will be the final result.

Simply put, this year will be full of opportunities and experiences. I hope to make the most of what comes my way.

Hello, Stranger

A couple of weeks ago, we attended an infant care class and the teacher said to think of a newborn as a stranger. They are unfamiliar with the world that parents live in. The one they knew was dark, compact and reassuringly full of whooshing, fluid noises. The new, bright, occasionally quiet, colorful, spasmodic place they now reside in is a jarring change to the biological home they were just evicted from.

They are strange to themselves. Arms that were held against their bodies now can flail about. Twitches and reflexes have them wriggling about without intention. They will know how to manage these parts and pieces, make sense of what eyes and ears tell them, but not for the near future. They are learning machine, just newly turned on.

Most importantly, to my understanding, they are strangers to everyone around. As familiar as they may seem, you have only been introduced to each other recently. You don’t know what they like, dislike, what their moods are like, and so on. “Get to know me,” should be stamped on every kid.

We have a mysterious kid of our own. This one promises adventures, despair and joy. Already, I find her quite charming. So, I say to her with the tenderest of voices;

“Hello, Stranger.”

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Baby FAQ:

D.O.B 12/26/07 (two and a half weeks ahead of due date)
7 pounds 7.5 ounces.
18 1/2 inches.

Yes To This Nutcracker!


I have a particular dislike of the Christmas holiday. It wasn’t due to some childhood holiday gift request never received. It just mainly stems from the double barrel attack of stunning bad traffic around the nearby mall and the inevitable, craptacular Christmas music. The traffic situation will stop only when the shopping feeding frenzy stops. However, when I find good exceptions to the musical offerings, it almost redeems the holiday. The Vandals did a great punk version of “Dance of the Sugerplum Faries,” which is a favorite cover of mine.

This year, the Austin-based Invincible Czars released their take on Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. It kind of sounds like the Secret Chiefs 3 doing Christmas music, which would be a good thing. I may be hunting for this when I go buy the missus some gifts. I really should buy her something.

Some live performances of this release can be heard on a lengthy interview with the band. A short and entertaining video of the band performing can be seen here.

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Free MP3s at Christmas music blog FaLaLaLaLa
Amazon.com: Christmas with the Vandals: Oi to the World!: Music: The Vandals

Lights in the Heights – Houston, TX

I know the pictures aren’t fitting in the blog correctly. Anyone with template expertise is welcome to provide advice.

And now, on with the lovely holiday pictures from Houston’s “Lights in the Heights.”

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Lights in the Heights, Houston, originally uploaded by merlinhampton.


Dragon Santa, originally uploaded by laanba.

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Seal Pup, originally uploaded by leafy tenement.

Flickr Pix: Ole Jesus & Houston Boot

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Ole Jesus, originally uploaded by Mr. Kimberly.

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Houston Boot, originally uploaded by Mr. Kimberly.