I put the over/under at 8 hours

There's an HR Giger museum?  Why didn't anyone tell me there's an HR Giger museum?!

On June 20, 1998, the Museum HR Giger opened its doors in the medieval Château St. Germain in the 400 year old historic, walled city of Gruyères, Switzerland. As the permanent home to many of Giger's key works, the museum houses the largest and most impressive collection of the artist's paintings and sculptures, furniture and film designs, including the artwork of Alien and Dune.

Pretty sure she can handle it.

Please consider that some of the work might not be suitable for children. 


The museum is a work in progress and a Giger Bar adjoining the museum is completed.

Oh yes, there's a bar.  It's like you're inside the Queen!

GET AWAY FROM MY DRINK, YOU BITCH!

Photo © 2003 Wolfgang Holz & Holly Ryan

Museum HR Giger and Museum Bar HR Giger via Laughing Squid

You can never have too many hats, bags, or shoes

Add this to my list of museums I absolutely MUST visit!

Amsterdam's Museum of Handbags and Purses is a rare place. It offers an historical survey of Western bags and related accessories from pill boxes to luggage. On view are some 400 objects from a collection almost ten times that size. Most of the material was acquired by Hendrijke and Heinz Ivo, a married couple who began collecting in earnest 25 years ago, after he retired at 51 (he was president of the food division at Mars).

Sigrid Ivo, an art historian and daughter of the museum's founders, directs the foundation that now owns the collection and runs the museum. But this is no mere mom and pop affair. Here, in a very glamorous setting, the matter of handbags is taken seriously, stylishly and with a light touch. The museum occupies a double-fronted 17th-century house on the city’s grandest canal, the Herengracht. Exhibits are displayed in chic, modern glass cases and lit as if each handbag or lipstick case was a jewel. A great many are.

Tassen Museum Hendrikje Museum of Bags and Purses

IN THE BAG | More Intelligent Life

Eventually I became a librarian instead

I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark when I was 10. By the time we got home from the theatre I had decided I wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up. I held on to that dream right up until college, and Archaeology 101. Do you know how much math is involved in the field? Probability, statistics ... I never saw the first bull whip.   

I switched to the museum track instead.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I have nothing but respect for those who do pursue the discipline, and for the work they do.  I offer this simply as a friendly FYI.

via

You wake up at Seatac

I had a seven hour layover in Seattle, which was plenty of time to head into town and do some sightseeing. $1.75 and 30 minutes got me down to the Space Needle.

50 or so days out of the year you can see Mt. Rainier. On those days it fills the skyline directly behind Safeco Field. Yesterday was not one of those 50 days. I also gotta say Space Needle, would a little signage telling me what I am (or am not) looking at kill you? I'm just saying.


So there's a monorail (monorail!), and people do seem to loves them some monorail. And by people, I mean the two ladies (at the airport and Space Needle respectively) who told me it was pure folly to walk to Pike's Place Market. I was really better off taking the monorail. Monorail! Monoraaaaaaail!

Yeah, its a 15 minute walk. What to the ever.

Of course I went to the fish market. There were fish. They were flung.

Next year I'll have to plan an over night so I can do the Experience and Science Fiction museums. The fact that there's currently a Jim Henson exhibit on any added to my bitter pants.

Muhnuh muhnuh, indeed.


Two things I did not know about Seattle. They don't support boiling lobsters, and non-earth life forms are not permitted to use the rest rooms at Seatac.

See the complete photo set (so far) at wax|wendy's Flickr page.

The Toy and Action Figure Museum

Or, as my brother and I like to call it, Mom and Dad's basement

Gallery: Giant Midwest Mecca of Nerditude in Oklahoma


Wired via Neatorama