The Blog

Thank you, Steve.

My first Apple product was the second generation iPod. Never owned another brand of music player. #RIPSteveJobs

December 31, 1969 7:59 am via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@aaronlmorrison

aaronlmorrison

First time I’d been to the new stadium. Great seats. And they were playing the Oakland A’s. Didn’t matter to me who won that one — although the Yanks spanked the A’s. Thanks for the invite, Damond.

I’m a Harry Potter fan. No, really. I am… bordering on obsession.

This obsession only grew when I finally saw the last Potter film and completed the very first two book in the series, all in the span of a few days. (Yes, I did it backwards.) I’m determined to read the rest of the series before winter. (UPDATE: I’ve finished the book series and winter’s more than a month away.)

A quick background: I remember the day my mom brought home a paperback preview of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It was for my sister. I had no idea why she didn’t think I’d want to read it. My sister was hooked. She and my mom sped through all the books as they came out, although my sister stopped at about book five.

My love of the stories grew from seeing the movies. And as I mentioned before, I hadn’t really picked up a Harry Potter book until this summer. And I’m not ashamed to say I read through the first two in three days. (There’s so much more detail that isn’t shown in the films!)

My step-sister Kim and I braved (because we I really don’t like) Times Square to visit the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Discovery Channel museum. The exhibit showcased props and costumes from all eight Harry Potter films. One word: awesome! I felt like a kid again.

This is a photo of Divination professor Sybill Patricia Trelawney’s costume, as well as a few props from the scenes in her class. (I had to be sneaky about taking photos. Security prohibited all photography in the exhibit.)

This is the cabinet from the scene where…well…see for yourself.

Later that day we enjoyed Chinese food in honor of nondescript Asian Harry Potter character Cho Chang. And then later that evening we saw the final film. IMAX 3D! Loved it.

I understand, and accept, if I’ve just lost lots of cool points with you.

Recently, I spent a few hours snapping pictures at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. The garden is beautiful, and so are the ladies I had the pleasure of making the images for.

My good friend Jessica and her friend Wendy have started a monthly cooking and nutrition series on Brooklyn Community Access Television. (Thursday — 6/30 — is their launch party at Panda NYC in Manhattan. 7pm.) The shots above are two of many. Jess and Wendy may use them for their website. Either way, I had fun.

Check them out on Facebook. Their official website is still in the works. Their website is officially up. Check it out here.

My home garden is doing great, but I’m learning a few things. My basil plant nearly went to seed. Seems I missed the part about cutting any flowering that begins to show during the summer. So I cut them the other day. Hopefully I’ve saved it and will continue to get big basil leaves through the summer.

My tomatoes are doing great. I’m starting to see a few nearly ripe fruits on my cherry red plant. The Early Girl plant looks like it’s got a ways to go. Looking good, though.

After the UNITY publication was put to bed, the fellows, mentors and I took to New York City for a bit of culture and sightseeing.

A group of us explored the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was surprisingly crowded for a rainy Saturday. It seemed a lot of them were there to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, which we would have waited an hour or more to see. The line wrapped around the second floor of the museum.

Luckily, UNITY project mentor and Washington Post transportation/development editor Michael Bolden is a card carrying member of the Met. We walked into McQueen without waiting in the line.

I’d describe it as the experience one has stepping into Grace Jones or Lady Gaga’s walk-in closet. Jaw-droppingly amazing. McQueen was a talented son-of-a-gun.

Before the McQueen exhibit, we made it through half of the museum’s 30 Egyptian art galleries. The sheer volume of the items on display made me wonder if all of it was authentic. From amazingly preserved statues and sarcophagi to entire temples, reassemble in the middle of the museum…it’s all a bit unbelievable.

I’m definitely going back.

Little known fact: I was terrified of bees growing up. Having attended a seminar on beekeeping for a story, I can say I’m now interested in starting a hive or two of my own. A few outtakes from the half day I spent with beekeepers:

Here’s the finished article and video piece, published last week.

I love animals. Well, most animals. I recently visited a New Jersey farm for a story on beekeeping. I ran into these creatures (photos below). You would have thought I was a three-year-old at a petting zoo…

If you were Facebook friends with my mom, you’d know she’s got a green thumb and then some. This spring I decided to do a little gardening of my own. So I planted two varieties of tomatoes, Italian parsley, thyme, sweet basil.

Here’s my plants exactly a month ago:

And here are my plants a couple of days ago:

Where the flowers are, tomatoes will grow. I should be able to harvest late next month, or sooner. I’ve already used some basil leaves and parsley. They’re great.

Spent this Easter with my favorite people on the east coast again. Little Ailey has grown so much since last Easter, her very first.

Ailey and mom Tangie at Easter Sunday service.