Although a blooming Amorphophallus titanum, or titan arum, is rarely seen, Virginia Tech's first bloomed last year, drawing crowds who braved the odor and the football traffic to see it. The smelly plant is rare because it puts forth one blossom every four to 10 years. This year, the second plant, located in Virginia Tech's greenhouse complex, should bloom ahead of football traffic, making it easier for the public to visit the greenhouse. The first of these plants in the United States bloomed in 1937 at the New York Botanical Garden, and since, only about 20 have bloomed in this country.

In 1999, when the plant bloomed in the Huntington Botanical Garden in California, more than 76,000 visitors held their noses and went to see it. In Fairchild Garden in Florida, 5,500 visitors made the trek to see the infamous blossom; and at the Botanic Garden of the University of Bonn, Germany, the line to see the flowering titan arum extended more than two miles.

The plant invests a lot of energy during blooming to heat up the sulfur-based compound in the flower stalk so the carrion-like odor will spread several feet away from the plant to attract pollinators. The plant blooms seldom because of the amount of energy needed to bloom. To add to the plant's humiliation, its pollinators include carrion beetles and flesh flies.

In spite of the plant's long preparation for its flowery display, the blooms last, at best, two to three days, so visitors will have to be vigilant to see and smell it. A flowering stalk can be seven to 12 feet in height and three to four feet in diameter. After the bloom dies, a leaf stalk resembling a tree sapling will begin to emerge.

The plant was first discovered in 1878 in Indonesia, first cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens in England in 1887. The titan arum is in the same plant family as familiar house plants such as Dieffenbachia, Philodendrons, and Anthuriums.

[09/23/00] 就算敲定了，我已经付了定金。星期二拿车 :) 现在觉得好幸福 :P

[09/26/00] 终于如愿以偿地开上了那辆Mazda 616。 :))))下午Lin教了我一个小时车。

[09/28/00] 今天晚上开车先开到了downtown和学校，后来干脆开到了Walmart，好棒啊！！！

[09/29/00] 自己开到Wades买东西 :) （注：illegal啊！当年我也真干的出来！）

[09/30/00] 今天开到Kroger买东西，然后去了趟学校。本来还挺得意，结果被BF一顿臭骂。 wuwu~ 以后要注意了

[10/01/00] 晚上给Lin汇报表演，他说不错。 :)))

[10/09/00] 真的冷死了。风吹得我头疼，现在真觉得买车是非常英明的决定！！！晚上开车去学校，感觉就好多了 :)

[10/23/00] 终于拿到驾照了。终于可以明目张胆地到处乱开了 :)) （注：汗，敢情我真的偷偷自己开了一个月）

……

Hotel California

On a dark desert highway cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself
’This could be Heaven or this could be Hell’
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here

月黑大漠路迢迢，风高凛冽客思归，
人倦眼乏昏欲睡，闻香忽见灯火碎，
但见有女娉婷立，耳畔钟声如乐起，
天堂地狱两相忘，浑然不似在人间，
秉烛引路过画廊，人声嘈杂迎客至：
加州客栈诚待客，虚位以侯游子回，

Her mind is Tiffany- twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
So I called up the Captain,
’Please bring me my wine’
He said,’We haven’t had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine’
And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
They livin’ it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis

衣香鬓影佳人意，玉郎终始为君来，
放歌纵舞前廊院，香汗淋漓未尽欢：
纵使笙歌能醉月，情未忘我怎忘情？
便向校官索美酒，经年未备意阑珊，
午夜梦回旧馆舍，声声呼唤充耳闻，
倦鸟羁留深林久，此间乐哉不思飞，

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said ’We are all just prisoners here, of our own device’
And in the master’s chambers,
They gathered for the feast
The stab it with their steely knives,　
But they just can’t kill the beast　　
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
’Relax,’said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave

宝镜倒映烛影晃，寒冰装点酒色红，
宾客齐至成盛筵，佳人美酒俱添光，
轻启朱唇惊四座，投杯停箸不能食：
钢刀银叉手中持，心魔犹在不能消，
自我羁押成囚徒，吾辈颓然尚不知。
闻言惊觉寻旧路，四顾茫茫无着处，
明朝更向何处去？更者悠然言少歇：
纵然我辈长别离，此生有命不能弃，
前路漫漫归旧旅，生此回环无尽时。