Archive for January, 2008
An Artistic Awakening
I was never a promising young artist when I was a child. I didn’t find myself able to draw a straight line, or mold anything recognizable in clay, or take a non-wobbly photo. In kindergarten class, we all were making butterflies out of pre-glued tissue paper. If we cut out the wings along the lines, the multi-layered tissue would turn into a lovely, ethereal butterfly. I couldn’t stay inside the marked lines, though. My blunt little-kiddie scissors went far and wide on their own journey, and I ended up with a tissue–nest! (Well, the butterflies had to lay their eggs, somewhere, right?)
Because of these experiences, and some others, by the advanced age of 9, I’d written off art as a hobby, let alone a career. And, therefore, I didn’t much want to look at it either.
We had magnificent museums in San Francisco when I was a child. They’re even better, now. I’d go, with my family or sometimes on school field trips, and look at rooms full of stuffy paintings, boring sculpture, and blah, blah, blah.
Then, one day, The Phillips Collection came to town. The Phillips Collection travels quite a bit, but makes its home in Washington, D.C. It was passing through San Francisco on one of its many journeys across the country and the world.
I was twelve years old, in Junior High (or Middle) School, and my Spanish language teacher thought the class ought to go see this collection. My teacher also taught art, but the exhibit really didn’t have much to do with Spanish or Mexican culture. She just felt it was an opportunity not to be missed.
We loaded our pubescent bodies onto a bus, gleeful at the thought of escape from an afternoon of school as usual. I was as pleased as anyone for the reprieve, even though it was to be at a boring museum. It turned out the particular gallery hosting the exhibit was also one of my favorite places to walk and to muse, even at such a young age. The grounds were beautiful, the building unique. After we’d run around the fountain several times whilst shrieking–for no particular reason but the joy of freedom–our teacher managed to get us rounded up, sorted out, and inside.
The teacher was artist enough not to try to “explain” the art to us, nor give us the guided tour with running commentary. We were, extraordinarily enough, allowed to explore the exhibit at our own individual pace, provided that we DID NOT TALK, and that we’d meet in the last room in one hour. Uggh. A whole hour looking at stuffy paintings. Again.
We adorable young students started out together in clumps, but began to drift apart as different works captured different interests. There was surprisingly little whispering and giggling. I soon found myself alone, which was fine with me. I read a plaque telling me that the Phillips Collection contained the finest collection of French Impressionism in the United States. French Impressionism–whatever. I didn’t know French Impressionism from French Fries. Some of the paintings were kind of pretty, I thought. I liked the colors and the soft renderings. Then, it happened.
I found myself in front of a painting. At first, it was a pretty jumble of color like many of the others. I stood and contemplated the good-sized canvas, and…..fell in love. I will forever be grateful that the exhibit was only lightly attended on this day. People walked around me; ignored me; didn’t notice me. I walked up to the painting as close as I could get. (Remarkably, it wasn’t roped off or guarded in any way!) I nearly put my nose into the canvas, I inspected it so closely. I stopped just short of that out of respect for the great work. I then backed up, taking no notice of what, or who, may have been behind me. I made note of the coherent picture that emerged when viewed from a distance. Then, I slowly walked forward again, noticing the change of light and detail the closer I got.
I must have spent 30 minutes, half my allotted time for the entire exhibit, in front of the one painting. I formed a relationship with the painting, one of the more loyal friendships I’ve had. I’d known next to nothing about Impressionism, French or otherwise, when I entered the gallery that day, so I didn’t know that this painting was the most famous of a very famous artist, Pierre-Auguste Renoir. All I knew at that moment was that the artist, and his brushstrokes, had captured my heart.
Finally awakening from my revere, I reluctantly walked away and through the rest of the exhibit. “Really very nice,” I thought. “I think I like this style”. I began to appreciate the works of Cézanne and Monet I saw in the exhibit. I remembered someone had given me a jigsaw puzzle of Monet’s Water Lilies some time ago, and that I didn’t like to “undo” the jigsaw, as I liked looking at the picture so much.
My love affair with Luncheon of the Boating Party continues to this day. The Phillips Collection is housed still in Washington D.C. There is a good possibility that I will be taking a trip to the East Coast later this year, and I’ve never been to my nation’s capital. In addition to the Smithsonian Institute, guess which location I would most wish to visit when I’m there?
My interest in art has expanded greatly since I was 12, but there’s nothing quite like a first love.
An article about the historical background of the Boating Party: http://www.svreeland.com/lbp-background.html
An article about the creation of the Boating Party: http://www.phillipscollection.org/html/lbp.html
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 12 so far )The Beast is back! The Beast is back!
I wanted to wait a few days before posting this to be sure. I brought my computer (affectionately known as “The Beast”) home from its second stay at a rehabilitation center and spa in [California] on Friday. And Saturday.
Three weeks ago, my video card was going, going, almost gone. The color red had gone completely away. There was still one more year on the warranty, so I’d just trot it down to the local Best Buy and they’d pop in a new one, right?
Noooo. First trip to [California]: replaced motherboard. Second trip: replaced new motherboard which had been fried by ailing power supply. Therefore also replaced power supply.
Beast back home at Best Buy—yessss. all is well. it seems. they said. they checked it at the store, and everything…but! They Didn’t Check: {{{The SOUND}}}!!! Got it home, plugged it in—no YouTube!! no ITunes!! no “You’ve Got Mail!”
OK, unplugged the Beastie, took it back to Best Buy, discovered I could still speak English. Apparently, the new motherboard didn’t work with the old drivers. So, the nice technician from the Geek Squad said he’d download some drivers for me. The next 73 minutes went something like this: Look for drivers, try to install them, they don’t work, look for more drivers, fiddle inside the case, restart the Beastie, drivers don’t work, look for more drivers, find some drivers, install them, they work, burn a CD with the new drivers for the nice customer to demonstrate good service.
Alright, we’re in the home stretch now. I watched Gary insert the CD-Rom into the drive and we both watched as…nothing particular happened. Apparently, the old CD/DVD Drive didn’t work with the new motherboard, or the old Windows drivers.
This time, it was only 16 more minutes of: Look for drivers…(well, just re-read two paragraphs up, and you’ll get the idea). Then, Gary discovered the microphone port had not been plugged in, back at the [California] service center. Also, the headphone port. I may not have tried these apparati, or the CD burner for a while, and would not have known they weren’t connected if my new best friend Gary had not been willing to spend the entire afternoon with me.
I left the store, my Beast tucked firmly under my arm. I’d spent so long intimately peering inside my case with Gary, that I checked my paperwork carefully to be sure I hadn’t accidentally adopted or married him.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 7 so far )I’m a Sci-Fi reader. Take me seriously, please!
I read science fiction avidly. The majority of television that I watch (and I’m fairly selective) is at least somewhat sci-fi related, and many of the movies I see have a sci-fi or fantasy theme. Given all that, you’d think most of my friends would be sci-fi fans, too. They are not. In fact, they tend to tolerate this unfathomable aspect of me, barely, and move on to other topics of conversation.
Some of us genre readers were in a standoff with our local library recently. For some reason, the head librarian decided to inter-shelve the genre fiction during an expansion and remodel. All the books are processed at the main county library before coming to our branch, and the books are labeled with a symbol if they fit into a genre. Here are the categories in our part of the world:
Horror: a bloody axe; Mystery: a skull; Romance: a long-stemmed rose; Science Fiction: an “Atom”; Western: a cowboy boot.
Everything that doesn’t fit into one of those categories is labeled “literature” and shelved together. Therefore, Kafka could be shelved near Koontz. Just so you get the idea.
Anyway, this arrangement has always been fine with me. I do read a great deal of “literature”, but only two of the above specific genres, namely Mystery and Science Fiction.
When all the genres were filed together, it made it impossible to browse a category! I’m usually looking for at least one good sci-fi read when I visit the library, but this way I had to look at innumerable bloody axes and boots, to boot!
Can you imagine the number of emails, letters, and phone calls the library got after this fiasco? If you don’t read genre fiction, perhaps not. The librarian seemed a bit dazed by all the feedback. It appeared sensible to her that all the “real” literature readers were all together, and the “genre” people were in another, less worthy section. She may have been amazed at the number of articulate well written notes of protest she received. I, and my local library patrons are not alone in our desire. Read this for another perspective and good discussion.
Well, to shorten this already-too-long story: It took an entire year to get the genre books re-shelved back into their specific genres, even though some of us volunteered to come in during off-hours and help.
I guess the head librarian didn’t want a lot of hostile romance readers in her building all at once. 😀
Cats, why?
I’ve been taking care of a friend’s cat for the past week. The friend lives only 10 minutes from me, so we left the cat in her own environment, and I’ve gone to visit her every other day. The advantage of this for the cat is that she gets to stay home where she’s comfortable. The disadvantage, from her point of view, is that she only gets an hour of interaction in 48.
Cats are funny little energy sensors. The last few times my friend traveled, an “errand-doer” was hired to look after her. This person did what I did: came every other day and took care of the cat’s needs. The errand-person had also agreed to stay for an hour and talk to, pet, and interact with the cat.
Cola is a shy cat, though. Errand-person would come roaring up the drive in her car, radio blasting, wheels squealing, and crash into the house shouting “Hi, Cola! Hi Cola!” During all the times Errand-person took care of Cola, she never saw Cola once. In fact, she’s never met Cola face-to-cat. The cat has hiding places undiscoverable by mere humans.
When I offered to give it a try, my friend jumped at the chance. I’m much more low-key and mellow than Errand-person. I drive sedately (usually). I listen to classical music or a news magazine in the car, and park quietly on the street.
The first day I came, I sat in the living room for five minutes, then slowly walked through the house speaking softly to Cola, using her name. The cat had met me briefly once before, but had decided to retire to her secret location soon after I arrived.
On this occasion, she did not honor me with her presence, but did speak to me a bit from her undisclosed location. I still couldn’t discover where that was.
During my second visit, I repeated my previous behaviour before feeding Cola, and began to hear her soft high-pitched voice agin. This time I sat still on the floor for a while, and eventually a little cat-body emerged. I stayed put while she kept her distance, checking me out. Finally, she sniffed at my outstretched fingers, and deemed me worthy to feed and clean her litter box. After eating, she even let me pet her and pick her up! By the time I was ready to go, she didn’t want me to.
The third time I visited, Cola came out after two minutes, gave me a look as if to say: “Oh, you again”, and told me that eating soon was on her agenda. We’ve gotten along fine ever since.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 27 so far )Sunspots and the New? computer?
Just a quick update on my hospitalized computer-beast. I’m losing patience with my posts about Me and my life without my computer, so with any luck, there’ll only be one more after this one. I brought the Beast back to Best Buy for the second time. They have a “lemon” policy there, which means that if it goes back a third time, they’ll give me a new or factory reconditioned computer at their discretion. So far though, the Beast is back in [California] for it’s second trip in less than two weeks. I should get to go there this often! I have relatives I could visit! I have the feeling that my Beast is getting to know people there, too.
They initially replaced my motherboard, even though all that was wrong, was a rather relaxed video card–I did not have the color red anywhere. The newly replaced mb worked for one hour and seventeen minutes before it began to BEEP unattractively. At this point it had No Colors At All. Or Sound. Or, Anything, really. Now I’m told I’d been given a baaaaad motherboard. I did make some noises along the lines of “Didn’t they test it in [__________(fill in name of state)] to make sure it worked before shipping it back?”
Apparently not. I have visions of the UPS delivery person feeling s/he must be in a Candid Camera/Twilight Zone episode: “Submitted for your consideration, an everyday mild-mannered UPS driver becomes aware s/he is delivering the same package over and over again…..”
The good news, though, is that Best Buy had a brand new, but older model laptop they wanted to make into a demo in a couple of weeks. They sold me this laptop, on the condition that I’m allowed to bring it back and get a full refund within two weeks, and they’d waive the normal 15% “re-stocking” fee. In essence, they are loaning me a brand new computer. As my beloved nine-year old laptop has recently transitioned to the not-discernibly-working realm (I do get attached to these things, don’t I?), I might just consider keeping the new laptop beast as well as the temporarily-indulging-itself-at-a-[California]-spa desktop beast. The portable came at a very good price, and I could, just barely, justify it as a business expense if I load Power Point on it and use it to make presentations. Still, it’s an expense I wasn’t planning on, and this puppy–which I’m typing on now–is rather slow. Seems solid, though, and for a backup, more than adequate. What to do?
I’m thrilled to have a working computer for the next bit of time, of course. And, I don’t have to make a decision for eleven more days. So all is good, if weird, in ComputerMuseVille, for now. Cheers, y’all, and to Best Buy; the helpful geeks of the week.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 4 so far )Sunspots and my Mother…board
So, I made the trek into town today to pick up my computer-beast, having received an automated phone call informing me it was back from California. I call it “my beast” with great affection, mind you, after all, there was a wonderful character in one of my favorite children’s books called “Aunt Beast”.
All well and good, yes? ….No. The beast worked fine when I plugged it in; continued to work for about an hour. It badly wanted to do a virus scan, as it had been pining away for nine days without me, and needed to dispel the “cooties” it picked up in California. OK, I finally agreed. Got about two thirds of the way through and it f…r…o…z…e. Oh noes! I shut it down, re-booted, and “beep, beep, beep, beep, beep”…well, you get the idea. It would still be beeping if I didn’t unplug it! The beast wouldn’t even shut off!
The past nine days have felt as if I’d had a pet at the vet getting her bowel re-sectioned, or something. I resisted the urge to call California every two days to hear how she was. I read more. I wrote more. But somehow I have been feeling disoriented, almost as if an appendage is missing. I’ve also felt it shouldn’t feel this way. After all, my happiness does not depend on having a working computer…….does it?
Metaphysically/metaphorically, I must ask myself: “What does all this mean in my life?”, possibly the most annoying question in spiritual exploration. 😉 I’ll continue to post my thoughts here, when I can get to a computer (arguhhhggggh!) One of the happenings I’m thinking upon is this: I checked my stats today, and more people viewed my blog on Thursday than on several days recently that I’d posted something! And there hasn’t been anything new up here since last Friday! Some of my oldies are still goodies, I guess. It’s gratifying and a bit surreal.
So, today, after my beeping beast decided to work less well than it had before I took it to be repaired, I wondered if I should even write this post, or just let ’em ride and see what the traffic brings. In the end, I found I was not able to stay away. The beast goes back to the shop tomorrow. Maybe it will only need a tweak or two, and not have to make the trip to California, again. If it does, I may just have to go too!
For my own amusement/amazement, I’ve included below a list of the search terms that found me on this very good stat day:
| musician personality instrument | |
| my musical personality website | |
| I Never Knew That About London | |
| books that change lives | |
| drummer personality characteristics | |
| definition of procrastination | |
| list of natural highs |
I’m actually pleased that people are reading my articles concerning these topics. They’re among my favorites. I miss you all in blogland. Status report soon.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 8 so far )Sunspots and other Monsters
There’s nothing that makes me contemplate reality quite like being computerless for two weeks! My graphics card had a major meltdown this week. The monitor’s fine, but I have no red. The Internet looks very weird without red. All the WordPress headers and avatars here look like they’re from another planet. (Maybe you all are from another planet and I’m just seeing that now 😉 ). I put up with this for three days, then finally took the beast into Best Buy. It’s still under warranty, but because my graphics card is attached to the motherboard (apparently) I’m informed my beast must be shipped to northern California for a replacement.
I’m sure the geek squad is used to customer reaction while delivering such proclamations, because my geek stepped back several paces just as I began to shriek “Two Weeks??!!”
That was it: The full extent of my emotional outburst had burst out. Thence forward I was resigned to my latest version of reality, which includes Not Having A Computer for Two Whole Weeks.
I’m writing this post on -*gasp*-a piece of paper! I will quickly type it up on a long-suffering friend’s [read: “Angel of Mercy’s”] computer. I’m borrowing an hour of computer time here and there when I can. I’m sure two weeks, in the scheme of things, won’t seem like that much time, but right now, it’s Now! This is forcing me to contemplate my seemingly only portal of connection to the rest of the universe. Time and its nature are much on my mind.
I anticipate reporting from the land of Luddites from time to time. But, for now, my lovely, delightful friend is looming: “Gotta check my email, dude!”
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 10 so far )That Da Vinci guy again!
I’ve had Leonardo on the brain recently. I don’t mean the actor, although he is splendid, but the great inventor, artist, and scientist. I have learned to pay attention when a topic presents itself to my awareness, sometimes several times within a few days. Such was the case with Leonardo, intruding into my life with a frequency which could not be ignored.
First was the recent article about yet another new “Da Vinci code”. Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you are familiar with the book and movie The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I have read the book, seen the film, and found it all provocative with much food for thought. I was spiritually unoffended yet not ready to completely jump into the theology as presented. It mattered not a whit to me that “many” of the “claims” of the “story” (sorry, got carried away by “quotes”) were “unproven”. It was, after all, a novel. Many, many novels have allowed me to see reality from a new point of view, and this was one of them.
The “new” Da Vinci code fascinated me because it was a musical code found in The Last Supper by a researcher in Italy. As a musician who adores early and medieval music and spiritual mysticism, I can hardly wait for the author to be translated into English. This link takes us to an excellent article in Discovery online magazine, which has further links to some other Da Vinci material, including attempts to repair that same Last Supper. One thing I discovered on Discovery was that Da Vinci was an accomplished lyre player. Got to love that about him! [Edit: sometimes the embedded link works; other times it might take you to an “expired” page. If that happens try this one, and look for the words “Italian Musician”.]
After becoming aware of the music article, I was driving home from the supermarket, as usual listening to NPR radio. An interview with Fritjof Capra came on. My ears perked up as I’d read Capra’s The Tao of Physics several times. This book may be responsible for starting up my lifelong love of physics and spirituality as sister sciences. Anyway, what was Capra there to talk about but his new book? The title? The Science of Leonardo !!! My ears were now so perky they were nearly flying off my face. You can hear the 8-minute interview here, and read more about the book here.
Finally, and most dramatically (in many ways) I was sent a link in an email which featured a play produced exclusively for the Internet. The play is directed by and stars Kevin Spacey, along with Thandie Newton and Elliot Cowan. It runs about 10 minutes, and is beautifully produced. In it, Spacey, as interrogator, questions the artist and scientist about why he left so much unfinished; the relevance of his inventions in modern times; and, even, the nature of time itself. Da Vinci’s most famous artist’s model appears to answer some questions of her own. If you take nothing else from this post, Do See The Play! (Be sure to click the 2X button.)
I’ll post more about my relationship with Leonardo, since I apparently have one. Here’s hoping you enjoy.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 14 so far )Significant books can change lives
And to make up for not tagging, here’s a meme I stole from my favorite book blog, nylusmilk:
Contemporary, Historical, or Paranormal? Paranormal, however, What is normal, anyway?
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback? Trade Paperback.
Heyer or Austen? Austen, definitely.
Amazon or Brick and Mortar? Brick and Mortar to browse, usually to buy, but sometimes Amazon when I’m buying several at once.
Barnes & Noble or Borders? Either one is fine.
Woodiwiss or Lindsay? Have not read either one.
First romance novel you ever remember reading? Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random? No! Alphabetize by topic!
Keep, Throw Away or Sell? Keep, until no more shelf room & piling up on floor. Then, whine, complain, and grouse until I’ve chosen those to go to the used bookstore (where I get more, anyway).
Read with dust jacket or remove it? With. Use as bookmark.
Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake? I don’t know who they are, but I think they’re vampires?
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? At chapter breaks when I’m aware of the clock, but have been known to fall asleep with open book on lap and cup of tea in hand!
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Once upon a time!
Crusie or SEP? I do not know who they are.
Buy or Borrow? Borrow from library, can therefore consume voraciously.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse? Browse, and listening to author’s interviews.
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger? Tidy, please!
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading? Yes, yes, and yes.
Series or standalone? Standalone in most cases.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Radical Reality by McWayne
Natural Highs
These were sent to me by a friend. I like them because they are reminders of simple things that can add joy to our days. Here are some we can self-initiate: #s 2,3,7,10,11,12,13,17,21,31,33,35,40,41,&44.
That’s 14 things just from this list that I can try, all by myself, if I find I need cheering up! There are lots of others, but the list is a great start. It’s said that if things aren’t going well, do something, or think a thought that makes you feel just a little better. Once you’ve gotten used to that, then choose something that’ll feel a little better than that. It’s not necessary to take a big leap into feeling GREAT, when we don’t, quite.
I wouldn’t want to do all of these every day, like #1 or #8, for instance. Some of them can’t happen too often, such as #27, or #43. There are a couple I’m not sure would be a “high” for me, like #29—not everyone relishes that sort of thing.
My very favorites are 33, and the last item on the list. When I can convince myself of that one, I know I’m going to have a good day!
Natural Highs
1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (or vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach.
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you’re beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
26. Your first kiss (the very first).
27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
28. Playing with a new puppy.
29. Having someone play with your hair.
30. Sweet dreams.
31. Hot chocolate.
32. Road trips with friends.
33. Swinging on swings.
34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
35. Making chocolate chip cookies.
36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
37. Holding hands with someone you care about.
38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good
or bad) never change.
39. Watching the expression on someone’s face as they open a much
desired present from you.
40. Watching the sunrise.
41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another
beautiful day.
42. Knowing that somebody misses you.
43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
44. Knowing you’ve done the right thing, no matter what other people think.
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