No pictures, I think

No entertaining pictures today, but that is as much because I didn't take any this week (even of the boy dressed as Captain Underpants), as that I don't feel like raiding the few that are on here, as they don't quite express my mood. Much like my friend Dave, I am still accustoming myself to using a laptop keyboard, though I hope my learning curve is faster than his, but I can't quite say, since my writing on the computer at this point is limited to this blog, and however often I decide to update.

For my trip, I am fairly sure that Cologne is now out of the picture, though not because it wouldn't be a worthy side trip, but because I am hoping to find enough in Antwerp to keep me busy, though if I don't, I can always leave early on my final day to see what trouble I can get into in Amsterdam, that short train ride away, and the final destination on my Paris-Amsterdam open jaw ticket trip. I really need to find a wittier name for the trip, but it hasn't come yet. It isn't like my Castle & Campanile tour of '04, where I went to as many castles and climbed as many campaniles as I could, perhaps when I start the trip, I will find a fun name for it.

On a slightly different note, it is interesting to read, while he personally finds water-boarding deplorable, the attorney general nominee isn't quite sure if it is illegal. Over the centuries, it hasn't necessarily been unusual, but I think today, most would consider it cruel and unusual as a form of interrogation; therefore, it should be illegal. The commentary creates the impression that he is trying to prevent lawsuits and potentially being required prosecute his own staff, though there may be laws on the books that protect them. From that perspective, his answers make sense, though they don't make him sound like he oozes integrity. As a country, I really believe we need to move forward and away from the aspects of this presidency that make the United States out to be a participant in atrocities, rather than the beacon of hope and light it has more traditionally, if not accurately, been perceived as. Too bad the executive branch doesn't see it that way.

Forlorn Monday?

Mondays seem a lot like the photo of the old vacuum repair shop. I don't know what is going to go in there, which is sort of like the beginning of the week, with not knowing where it will lead. Beyond what will happen at work or in the news, there is something sad about the weekend passing, and, for most people, the work week does not really hold hope for most people, but it is the grind necessary for another pay day. For me, at least, this is something which should change. I don't know the path yet for my change, but I keep feeling it is necessary.

My day today, after work, where one colleague had to leave and take a sick child to the doctor, hasn't consisted of much. Taking some sweaters I plan on taking to Europe to the cleaner, nothing like clean sweaters when traveling Northern Europe in November. Other than that, there is an itinerary change I am contemplating, but haven't put it into work yet, and don't know if I will go blind, or actually make reservations. For my comfort, reservations, but for a change, perhaps just seeing what shows up, sort of like in Split, where a local offered a room, cheaper than the hotels, and in a decent location. They could use the money more than the hotel was my thought. In so many former Communist countries, the pensioners have some of the most difficult times, fixed income and rising prices are a bad combination.

Later Sunday

I forgot all about this picture. The sign is no longer there, but, as you can see, Seattle does like its informers, though I don't believe a cut of the fine is included to reimburse you for your minutes. What bothers me is that something as innocuous as this can potentially lead to reporting of other actions. I hate to be an alarmist, and perhaps this message is just a bit late, but with each of our civil liberties daily being called into question, because terrorists use phones, use the internet, read newspapers, and watch television. Not to mention, they drive cars, ride bikes, use public transportation, etc. The theory being, I guess, if you monitor everything, you can stop something, though in truth, if you monitor everything, then there is no freedom, because people are scared of expressing opinions. This isn't a new soap box, but the photo seemed to call for it. After doing some cleaning around here, I went outside, enjoyed the afternoon, went to OKOK Gallery, though I didn't much like the art on display, and also went to the grocery store and purchased food that isn't very good for me.

Sunday (Etta & Laundry)

Nothing like a Sunday for hanging about all morning, putzing around the house, doing laundry, and finally unloading the dishwasher. I must say, I don't really know how much time is saves me, but I only run it when I am either going to bed or leaving because it is too loud. I think I need more detergent for it, since the box I bought a year ago is about empty--the same for the box of dryer sheets, also over a year old. I am sure that the age of household products isn't really what you thought about when you decided to read this, but such things happen. Sundays with Etta James playing on the stereo, and a countertop that still needs to be cleaned off, and brushes that need the paint cleaned from them, though there hasn't been much activity on that front.

People always want to know what is going on, but there isn't really ever that much. Last night I went to Zayda Buddies' Pizza & Bar and enjoyed some Moose Drool and pizza--the closest I have found yet to Turoni's, back in Evansville, IN. They call it Minnesota style here, but I hardly think that an appropriate name, since it is obviously a more wide-ranging style, and I don't think Indiana had a crush of immigrants from Minnesota teaching them how to make pizza.

Leaves of Dave

Today, for the first time, I have received a note from Dave on unique stationary, though not a new one, and one he may not have spent much money on, but if he raked all them, there was a bit of time involved. Anyway, one day not long ago, I received the lovely alien postcard, then today I had an envelope. Walking up the stairs (I live on the 3rd floor), I noticed the interesting play of shadows, and I became curious...did he send me a bunch of leaves? Has Dave gone from being a poet to being a performance writer? What do the leaves imply? Is Dave having a greener than thou moment?

I don't really know the answers to any of these questions, but the 3 leaf letter was fun to read, and I just have to hope the leaves don't get much darker, or parts will be very difficult to decipher in the future.

Other than that, it was a day at work, and a Thursday at that.


******just updated*****
Since I had no picture, I didn't really want a brand new post. Anyway, let us all cheer Maritime Pacific's Windfest seasonal off to a well deserved rest, and hope for its speedy return. I would swear it was only a couple of weeks back that I filled my growler with Windfest, but when I went back tonight, it was gone. Far too soon, after a stay of only 4 weeks or so. Anyway, as Kip says, you can drink well around here if your favorites are seasonals rather than the standbys. Actually, I think you can have a better beer experience by drining the seasonal offerings.

On one last beer note, a brewery in California makes a marvelous malty belgian style brown callled Brother Thelonius, which I highly recommend. What could have been a joke of a beer with a cute name/label is really quite good.

Expensive new toy

Why it gave me code instead of a picture in the text box, I don't know, but I tried for a picture since it has been a bit. (In preview the picture was back, so I am hoping that is the way it is, really.)

My new expensive toy is a MacBook, and I have spent most of the evening trying to get the internet working for it, and I did eventually manage it. The only problem now is if I ever need to print from it, since I don't have the two computers networked.

That is about it, I am just happy that things are moving along, however slowly.

The government wants my books!

I remember reading something about the lists that our federal government has decided to keep on all of us.  For some reason, books have made the cut, and I am sure web sites have made the cut as well, but that is still secret (and the existence of those records likely still being denied), and this fact was made clear to me at the independent bookseller I went to over the weekend.  Perhaps it is time for me to stop using my debit card, which will make life for her more difficult, but at least all my titles won't be expressed to a DoJ list.  Actually, I guess they could subpoena Library Thing, or even just view it, but that isn't up to date...

The books of interest, by the way, are "Rick Steves' Paris 2007" and "the Lonely Planet City Guide to Amsterdam. "  I don't know, harmless books in my opinion, but I am sure the government, with insistence similar to that used to invoke Saddam & 9/11 correlations, will find some way to damn the purchases.  Such is life, and at least I know the Ministry of Information will correct things for me...

from Camus

I was just sitting down to read a bit before heading to bed. I am still working on Camus' writing for Combat. It is taking me a while, but it isn't really a novel you sit and read, rather it is a series of editorials that you read in small quantities. With this war in Iraq going on, his comments on what is justifiable in war, taken in context, reveal much of what seems to be wrong right now. Today's interesting note, from the 2nd paragraph of the editorial dated 14 November, 1944: "Modern warfare is so lethal that no country, no matter how numerous its population, can allow itself to go to war half prepared." If this was so sixty years ago, has anything changed to make it untrue? If so, perhaps our Executive Branch would care to enlighten us.

too much time online?

I think I spent too much time over at LOLCats today, only to find this picture (text is mine) at Davo's blog (see sidebar link).  Hopefully, he considers that appropriate credit.  I haven't been down to the Puyallup fair here, but I have heard it is trans-fat free.  Leave it to Washington to ensure something like that makes front page news.  There is slow new and no news, and aside from some shootings down at the Market (Pike's Place, I think, since it is the only one capitalized around here), this has been a no news week around here.  That's about it.

August already

Today, browsing the web while munching on dinner, I found this article in the Guardian UK.  For some reason I don't recall seeing any articles recently in the American papers about 190,000 weapons which can't be accounted for in Iraq, but were distributed to the security force by the U.S. and its allies.  Is a joke about shooting ourselves in the foot appropriate here?

In business news, I feel sorry for all the employees at Chrysler.  I think Daimler gave them a raw deal, and I think their new owners will give it to them even worse.  I wonder what sort of parachute they gave the Home Depot guy.  Good thing for Chrysler he weaseled 200 million out of Home Depot, since he won't have negotiated for nearly as much if (or when) they ask him to leave.

Random thoughts on International Affairs

For whatever reasons, perhaps because of the book on Picasso I am reading, or perhaps because I just finished the last Harry Potter novel, some thoughts have come to mind about world affairs:

Will China's surge in demand for natural resources lead to a mending of fences with Russia, allowing Russia to play China against Europe for resources?  Russia has not proven itself unwilling to use this card.

How many more, Iraqis & Americans, will die before something is really done there?  (The same holds true for Afghanistan too, but from what I have read, it seems the Afghans are at least trying to help restore order, though if we keep bombing our friends, that may end as well.)

How long will Pakistan hold out against the "Islamists"?  Musharraf's friendly dictatorship just doesn't seem all that stable.

While not really a blip on anyone's radar, how long will the poorest classes in India refrain from revolution, causing turmoil there as well?  If something happens in Pakistan, will the new regime look to Kashmir to bolster their strength (not wanting to give up what they consider theirs).

Africa & South America are strangely off this list for now, but Chavez is causing a right fit in his part of the latter, especially amongst the neighbors, the poorest of which probably hear him and think how nice it will be to have natural resource revenues split amongst them all.  To some degree, part of the profits in such things do belong to all, and probably more than any country really taxes the companies involved.

There was something I saw somewhere, me and my lousy documentation, about young Israelis not being keen on staying in Israel, but without the article to refer to, that will remain to speculation, and to the speculation on what will happen there if a voluntary exodus occurs (which I don't think is mentioned in the Bible).

An entry because it is something to do.

Sundays are weird sorts of days sometimes.  Today was one for me.  I wasn't terribly up for anything, and spent the day accordingly, doing a bit of this and a bit of that.  While surfing the web, I came across a few blogs which featured the "farewell for now" message.  I guess I find it kind of interesting to post that sort of message, though I guess if I had any regular readers, it wouldn't seem so odd--letting people know there is no reason to continue checking on a regular basis is good manners.  (Manners on the Internet? Maybe that is why it seems an odd blog topic?) 

Weekend is over...again...so quickly

At the OK OK Gallery, there is a show by Gregory Euclide, and I stopped in today, as I try to monthly, just to see what was there.  Some big stuff, and then there were these.  It is as if someone decided to cut up packing bubbles and glue them over quarter-sized watercolors.  The result was then mounted to a nail which had been hammered into the gallery wall.  The upper double row on the postcard show what they looked like, but there is really nothing to indicate the look of abject horror on the staff's face when I suggested popping the bubbles.  This, apparently, is not interactive art, though in looking at it, I was reminded of a couple of things.  When I was a kid, back then, there we these decorative pieces which consisted of a couple of colors of sand sandwiched in between some plastic, as you turned it, the sand would change patterns.  His pictures, inexplicably, reminded me of those sand patters.  They also seemed too precious, but that is strictly an opinion.

Tuesday...only Tuesday...

Here I am wishing it were some other day of the week, I don't know if it is because of the temperature (upper 80's-lower 90's), or some other reason.  I added a handful of books to my Librarything, but haven't otherwise done much today, aside from work of course.

If I ever decided to do a series of silk screens, it did occur to me that the Forbidden City would be a fun image.  For the record though, the Starbuck's which is there, is really unobtrusive--even more so when you you consider the shop it is in would remain a retail knick-knack establishment if Starbuck's were forced to close, since it takes up less than half the space in that souvenir-coffee shop corner.

Progression...

Here is what it looks like now:

And here is what it looked like on July 4th when it was originally painted:

Personally, I like the current version better, though there is still some work to do on the chin.  I am pleased the hair no longer resembles some sort of bad Afro, while it still isn't textured correctly, at least it is a major improvement.

The work week has been a bit odd, with the holiday in the middle and everything.  I haven't really done much, though went out for a few beers, and while I highly recommend the Lock and Keel's Ranch-Style Quesadilla (BBQ Chicken), all I can say for their version of a french dip is to politely request a bit less salt in the au jus, as it was promising that point aside.

Finished...I think

Last night I added a few more touches to this picture, and I think I might call it finished.  I don't know that I consider it very good, but for a painting at the end of a single oil painting class I will consider it passable, as I do think it could have turned out much worse.  Likely, it won't ever make it into a portfolio, at least not without further tweaking.

I also think my study in purple and orange is going to get a major revision, but I still have work to do on what I need to add.  Of course, a picture will arrive, hopefully better than the one posted, when the process is complete.

I am trying to decide what to do on my day off tomorrow, though I believe my decision will probably include paint, nothing is yet in stone there.

Sunday in the Kitchen

Yesterday, I did a bit of touch-up on this painting which I did mostly last weekend, but one of my hills was too pointy for my liking.  I still can't say for sure that I like it and that it is done, but it is a nice experiment.  I had been thinking about doing some color variations on the work by Moser that I copied earlier this year, but not much has come of it.  This is one of the color combinations I was thinking about, though I do think a bit larger scale would do them justice, as from the books in the background, this is a small painting.

Today, fighting against the beautiful weather and the normal Sunday blahs, I did manage to get to work on my portrait of a woman sitting.  I think there was some improvement, but I am not sure if I managed to get it where I want to call it finished.  

Apologies about the glare on both pictures, but I wasn't in the mood to fuss with lighting today, and since the portrait is still very not dry, I would rather not take the chance of messing it up.

One nice thing about today though, is that it was another day where I was so absorbed in painting I didn't realize the time passing, being quite shocked when "The Seven Deadly Sins" wrapped up.  I hadn't really thought about the next music selection, so if I wanted music, I needed to either turn the radio on, or find to play, both required me to put my brushes down.

Bogle & Gates

Today I noticed a bar code on the wooden base of my new sofa with the name "Bogle & Gates" on it.  Not having much of a clue as to what they did, but figuring it was an inventory control sticker, I decided to look it up.  It seems they were a 100+ year old law firm in the Northwest which dissolved in the late '90s.  It doesn't make me feel any different about my sofa, and I can't say that I am unhappy the firm who defended Exxon in the Exxon Valdez dissolved, but I am sure the lawyers all found someplace else to litigate.  By the way, it doesn't appear from what I read that the Exxon case had anything to do with their dissolution, but rather some firm in Minneapolis who hired a bunch of partner and associates from them at a single time which seems to have done them in. 

 

Oops...missed a week again...

While it seems I have been doing a good job lately of not writing, I have in the past week, finally acquired a sofa, and reread all the extant Harry Potter novels in preparation for the new one.  I have also thought about the new iPhone, but still can't justify the cost or a two year contract.  Finally, when I get a good picture of it, I will post the painting I was working on earlier this week, which I may or may not be finished with.  

My modem made an odd noise earlier, so I hope there is nothing wrong.  Everything appears to be working correctly, but appearances are just that.

On top of all that, a book I ordered last weekend came in, "Glitter and Doom:  German Portraits from the 1920s."  I started reading it this morning, after perusing it some last night.  It is a catalog from a show about the Neue Sachlichkeit artists active during the Weimar Republic, generally focused on those active in Berlin (I can not yet say exclusively).  So far, it is interesting, and I am really only breaking the reading up because it occurred to me that I needed to update here, before people lost hope and stopped reading.

Today is looking to be a nice day, so hopefully I won't get too caught up in my book and will get outside.  If I feel like painting, then nice day or not, I will work on that.  I have a small canvas, now I just need an appropriate image.  Enough for now, time to continue reading until I am done with my coffee, then to something else.

Dumpster diving to a new level

I don't recall hearing about "Freegans" until reading this article. I find it interesting, if not inevitable, that eco-consciousness has hit this level. While I believe that just driving a Prius and buying eco-indulgences (carbon offsets) does minimal good, minimal is still better than none. Somewhere between these scavenging (I don't know if there is a preferred term for this sort of shopping by these 21st century hunter-gatherers) souls and rampant consumerism there is a ground where most can live, and live comfortably. Personally, I prefer to save time and buy my food at the grocery, though I don't drive there, preferring to walk. Dropping out of capitalism, while a fun-sounding idea, isn't really practical for most people if you want a balanced life. If you don't have to come up with rent money (because you own or live with relatives), then spending time scavenging your next meal and a dinette set is fine, but I have rent, and I have things I would rather spend my off hours doing, so I will buy. For some of us, it is easier to modify some habits rather than reject that which we were born into. Personally, I buy a mix of new and used stuff, whether clothing or furniture, walk many places, including work, and try to remember to turn lights off, not let faucets drip, and other small things (yes, I recycle as well). I do own a car, and even though it isn't currently running, don't drive it to work when it is, nor do I generally drive it to the store. It is the small things done by large numbers which will change things, rather than the large changes to one's personal life made by the few. Like it or not, this is a capitalist country, and in this country, money talks and business watches where dollars are spent. Only changing the habits of current and future generations will bring about responsible eco-awareness. Remembering that just because something new is out there (I think an iPhone would be great, but my current cell-phone still works), it doesn't need replacing until it is no longer functional--please don't confuse functional with stylish or newest or more feature-laden. Let me emphasize, that I don't believe these people are wrong, but I do think there is another way, not better, but different. One last thing, if everyone stopped buying things, there would be no grocery stores or restaurants to scavenge behind, nor dumpsters full of still good stuff.

still meddling

Shortly after finishing my last post, I changed the color of the church building, and yesterday I turned the dark line across the bottom into a dark triangle. I am still trying to assess the damage or improvement. I do like the church as a darker color, and maybe still need to go darker with the entrance, but don't know. I am also still having compositional issues. There are some nice areas, but overall, I think there is too much going on, hence the problems I am having deciding where next. It seems for basic unity, either I need to put a street or square in front of the thing or bring the horizon down and fill the foreground with housetops. Such pesky decisions, but at least I know a few of the options open to me.

Working something out.

The image quality is pretty bad, so my apologies ahead of time. I am trying to work on some sort of small scale picture combining various impressions of Romania, including the view from the Hotel Prahova where we were whisked for our first week or so of training/acclimation. Some things in this gouache I like, while I am not sure the whole thing works as well as I would like. (The pencil lines which can barely be perceived indicate the size of canvas I am working with, which is tiny, only 5"x7".) I like the way the church dome fits into the sky, but don't care much for the way the factory works compositionally, though it is the balance to the church. With the exception of the trees, the lower portion of the picture is dull and pretty boring. (I have to start putting my fingers in the right place for typing, as I am tired of constant correction.) Considering the way this picture is being done, perhaps I only need to adjust some colors.

I really should have something brilliant and witty to add, but frankly, it hasn't been one of those summers (or late springs, if you must). I have read some 20th century art history and artist biographies, but nothing so stellar I feel it must be shared. My car died a few weeks ago, and there is still the issue of getting it fixed, which involves me going over to my boss' one Saturday and displaying my mechanical ineptitude. Otherwise, there is nothing aside from work going on.

Romania...again...

It may have been de-crimalized in 2001, but Romanians still have an issue with gay people. It would have been fun to be there, more fun to have been at the first two years ago, when the marchers weren't dodging stones. I don't have much more to add, but articles on Romania catch my eye, this one was a bit unfortunate. Hopefully, the link will work for a bit.

Hopper and Bauhaus

I just finished reading a couple of Taschen publications, their books on Edward Hopper and the Bauhaus. From their book on Hopper, and my personal experience, I would say he painted ennui and the dislocation one feels even in the most familiar of places. Somehow this is an American theme (as the book implies Europeans still don't "get him"), perhaps because of how technology transformed the country, and how there were centuries of thought fighting for survival while it did so.

The Bauhaus book was enlightening for what it said about the history of the school, most of which I didn't know. The almost mystical leanings of the early Bauhaus (due to the influence of Itten), and how a couple of painters (Kandinsky & Klee) were instructors there for most of its existence, though I normally don't associate either with the movement, as I always thought of it as an "industrial" design and architecture movement (though architecture wasn't officially taught until the latter half of its existence. I think only in America would one forget how "small" Europe is and be blind to how everything else going on in the twenties would have influenced it--there was even bauhausian theatre.

Explaining Beer Tastes

I don't quite know how you explain beer. I have never been told which flavors are what, regarding malts, hops, and other fun things. Regardless, I rather like beer in its variety, and constantly try new and different ones. Today, the beer happens to be a doppelbock, Salvator, from Paulaner in Germany. This was available by the bottle at Fred Meyer, so that is what I bought, a bottle. It has a strong flavor, which always pleases me, now if I can place the flavor, it would help me describe it. Oh well, with time and some effort at explaining things, this will get easier, but I thought if I can add a bit of variety to the blog, it would make it both more pleasurable to write and to read. It is still only Tuesday and XTC are Skylarking while the oven is pre-heating and I am drinking. Cleaning and straightening are on the agenda this evening as well. For more on bocks, go here.

Actually, I have the suspicion this will turn into something as oblique as wine or Scotch tasting, but let us really hope it doesn't move into something so sublime as vodka tasting.

Another Week Begins

Another week, with bits and pieces of everything all over the place. I have managed to do a bit of work around the house in preparation for a house guest, but there is still work to do, of course. I wish deep thoughts were abounding today, but Yma just finished Wimoweh, and if she doesn't blow away deep thoughts, then perhaps something along Eno's ambient line is for you (if you can't blow them away, just put them asleep). Work today had little going for it, other than it seemed that a lot of people called in, and considering how dreary it was outside, chances are they might have really been sick. Maybe later I will add more, but for now, this is it--mindless puff, but I felt the urge to cut up a picture, and once done, felt the urge to put it somewhere, so here are words to go with those urges. Never a cleaner urge...except when I decide to clean the toilet. By the way, other than cropping the image, it isn't manipulated in any way, shape, or filter. I thought it kind of cool, and I hope it isn't too pretentious.

Weekend Wind-down

While Romanians voted to keep Basescu in office over the weekend, there was also another major election--that of Miss Travesty Romania. In addition to the lovely contestant pictured, more can be found here. Hopefully they won't be too upset with me using their picture, as I gave them proper due. Actually, I don't think ten years ago a contest such as this would have been dreamed of, so the EU has brought some changes, though obviously not everyone is happy on the political front. Luckily, with the political situation the way it is, the ladies can continue to perfect their travesty, and we can hope the government doesn't become one as well.

For me, the weekend hasn't been terribly productive, but that happens now and again. I am looking forward to things building up this week, and a friend from Peace Corps Romania will be visiting next weekend for the NW Folklife Festival. Really, that is about it, and hopefully next weekend won't be quite as dismal as this one.

What is Art?

Are animation cells art in and of themselves, or is it because of their relationship to a film (short or feature) that has been declared a "classic"?

Later that week...

Thursday now, not Next, and still trying to decide whether to continue this blog. Blogs are now, current, and happening, but if you generally try to keep upbeat, and you are having a bad week, all that bile spilling into the blog is a bad thing. Spreading that lousy aura about doesn't actually make it go away, it just exposes more people to it. How long can a I continue on this note before I either tire of it or it just brings me down? I don't know really, and I don't know the answer, and all I can say is that some days a certain bleakness invades my rose tinted glasses, and until I effectively clean them, it just messes things up.

I Don't Like Mondays...

but I don't have quite the same dislike for them as the girl in The Boomtown Rats tune. Here is the result of my painting session yesterday. With luck, some difference can be made in the picture, rather than just the surroundings, since my kitchen is significantly smaller than the space at Pratt.

The Delirium Nocturnum bottle on the counter was enjoyed Saturday, and I still haven't managed to get the bottle to the recycling bin. Glass is always a trip by itself, since it goes in a different bin than the balance of the recycling.

At least I understand why no one reads this blob--I publish when I have nothing to say, and even when I do have something to say, it is a bit dull. Welcome to the everyday world of everyone.

A gray sort of day.

It has been overcast all day. I did call Mom and left a message, since she didn't answer her cell phone. Other parts of the day have been adding gray to the picture on my previous post. If I weren't really tired, I would upload the image, but it is still on my camera. Such is what happens on lazy Sundays. It is always surprising how much focused creation, such as painting or drawing, and I would guess writing as well, can tire a person--mentally and physically. I am sure some things get easier with practice, and the tired feeling takes longer to reach, but that isn't me right now.

Some work on a Saturday

As poor a reproduction it might be, it isn't bad for only 8 weeks of painting instruction. I now have many more weeks of working on it left, using only a photo of the setting. I don't know how much easier that will make it, but I have a lot more to do with the painting, so I hope to manage it without messing up my good start. Today I worked on this (only added another layer of dark to the left side on this painting) and two others that are partially done in the house. The obvious work left on this one includes her face and blouse, with me choosing not to mess too much on the background, though I will do some work on it. Today is one of those typical spring sorts of days with a reasonable temperature and an overcast sky, so I haven't missed too much by being indoors. I still have some errands to take care of, going to the grocery and stuff like that, so I don't know if I will go back into my kitchen studio later today and mess around any more. Other projects are fermenting, but I haven't taken action on them yet, and I am trying to decide if I can actually do three art classes in a single week for a couple of weeks, as there are three that interest me. I am wondering if I am pushing too hard for something with no obvious reward. If so, I have a tendency to wash my hands of it for a bit, though I don't really want to take another 15 year break from trying to interpret the world around me visually, but I also don't want to set my hopes up high, only to have them meet someones concept of reality. Again, I hit the question of why am I pursuing art.

One down, many more to go.

I finished Rene Daumal's "You've Always Been Wrong" today. Overall, it was an interesting book, though I don't know if he actually says much new. Time has a way of repeating itself, and as I finished this book, Thoreau's well-worn quote, "the mass of men live lives of quiet desperation" or something very similar came to mind. Daumal didn't live long enough to see how wrong communism as implemented in Russia went, nor how disastrous it was in the lives of the proletariat everywhere it was implemented. While he did mention that the powers that lead a revolution also put in place safeguards to keep them in power, why he doesn't foresee this with Marxism escapes me. What I can agree with him about is that it is the duty of every man, whether artist, thinker, writer, or farmer to constantly be awake, and try to awaken his fellow man. If everyone shrugs the responsibilities of society, then problems will arise, and stifling new government which can maintain order will rise, hence the Taliban in Afghanistan and any number of other repressive regimes through the ages. Balancing this wakefulness with some sort of social order, where the masses feel secure, is the trick, and what may be the most effective way to do this is by keeping those in power in power for a limited duration, but even that isn't working very well if you look at the government in the United States (and the abuses of power in the current elected administration). A wake-up call of sorts happened in the last elections, but in a two party state, it will only last 4-6 years, and then reverse itself--such is our cycle of waking and sleeping. People wonder about voter apathy, and I think I just explained why it exists, as it seems that regardless of which party is in power, most things don't change. That is what there is to work with here, and from that basis, there may still be room to work within the system, as Jefferson probably wouldn't agree with replacing it just yet.

An apartment filled with stuff,

though not the normal kind of stuff, as I have at least 3 unfinished painting, a handful of drawings (mostly bad), and some charcoal sketches to boot. All my classes have wrapped up, and now I have to decide what to pursue next. I have 2-3 weeks to decide on which classes to take this summer, as I haven't made a solid decision yet. From what I can tell, I need to draw and paint weekly if I want to maintain and possibly improve my skills. That sucks a bunch of time right there, and since I am considering a printmaking class, there is another evening or two busy. At least if I choose representational images for printmaking, I can stay in the drawing vein there, though it will be with a different collection of tools, since you don't extensively use graphite, oil paints, or charcoal in many of the processes past the under-drawing. Oh well...lots to think about, in addition, I could take a class in using the letter press, which sounds interesting, but hinges as much on the technical as the artistic.

Of course, I could always buy a couch & television and forget about working on art, as I would have mindless distraction all the time. (This option would be the one that would make people think me more normal.)

Lovely Monday

Thanks to Dave, I have a new distraction, which is Library Thing (on the sidebar, if you are curious). Now, instead of the numerous things I might feel that I need to do, I can procrastinate very effectively, at least until I exhaust my library, then I just need to find a new exercise in procrastination. I shouldn't blame it all on him, but it is one of those things that I don't need, being just compulsive and anal enough to want to upload all the information I can. Of course, voluntarily surrendering the information on a public database makes it that much easier for our own version of the Securitate to search out dissenters, and flag us appropriately for airline travel bans. [Actually, you don't even have to give a name or email address, so it isn't that easy to track who is actually possessing, and hopefully reading, what.]

Today was gorgeous, which is only natural on a Monday. The drawing today was from a drawing class where the model walked out as she had previously had a disagreement with our substitute drawing teacher and hadn't the desire to work with him again, so we tried portraits rather than figures, since one of his other students, who had come to sit in during the figure drawing, graciously volunteered to model. Not really very good, but it was the first attempt. Sometime in the next week or so, I will try and take some pictures of some of my more successful, and un-erased, gesture drawings from my weekend workshop.

A long Saturday...

I wish I could feel as joyous as the metal dancers seem, even when fenced in, but today I am a bit tired. Still recovering from the "icks," I had an all day drawing workshop that will continue into tomorrow. Today we spent doing gesture drawings, but not exactly of a ridiculous sort, such as 5 seconds, barely long enough to do a line, though some were as short as 30. Working as we are in charcoal, today was spent with the vine variety, even the most promising beginnings, and there were several which I would have been pleased to continue working on, were wiped away with the chamois to make another on its dusty remains. Though I doubt a goal of the course is to make one remember how fleeting a "thing" can be, it is one side effect. From 9:30 to 4:30 is a long time to be working on drawing, but I can't say it has been a wasted effort, as I am enjoying it, and seeing progress in how things progress. With luck, this won't totally mess me up for class on Tuesday, but I think in the end it will be a nice complement. Luckily, we are working a bit with some of the same techniques, such as enveloping, used in my other class. About it for now, time to finish my Red Menace and have something for dinner.

Where to next?

The week is almost through, and I still feel icky--which is the best word I can come up with right now to describe how I feel.

Also in today's post, you can see a full, non-angular, non-kitchenette view of the painting I was working on a few posts ago. I am unsure if I will fiddle with it any more, but I probably won't since I am putting other projects on my plate. Today I picked up some small canvasses at the art store, so I will see if I have any luck working in smaller size (currently, my canvas size has been limited to 16"x20").

Next really is one of those things I am worrying about, though I don't know how many times I get told not to plan the future. It isn't the distant future I am planning, just the next few years. I promise not to go soviet and do it in five year increments, but I really do think, if I intend to survive the drudgery of corporate America, then I need a plan. My back-up plan, or one which frequently pops into my head as one, is to go abroad again and teach English, but even that will require preparations.

On another note, I finally managed to get McSweeney's #22, and have read the first few stories based on Fitzgerald's ideas. Doing things in an inappropriately linear fashion, I have been reading in sequence, meaning I will probably never get to the poetry or Oulipoean pieces.

Time to go make more tea--I don't know if it is helping, but it is nice to sip, since there is a bit of chill in the air.

For lack of a better title...Monday

Here is my drawing from last week's class, the drawing I have been most pleased with since beginning the class back in January. Time and practice does allow one to get better, and while there are things that could have been done better, I am still pleased with it, though unsure if I will "do" anything with it.

Today was a normal Monday, with all the normal Monday-beginning-of-the-work-week sorts of things. I do hope the scratchiness in my throat isn't a cold coming on, but since the weather is changing, towards the warmer, sunnier sort, it would only make sense. Everyone has some particular curse, and mine seems to be getting sick during the seasonal change from Spring to Summer. Lots of sleep, herbal tea, and vitamins? I don't know, though some of that will likely come into play. More important for me is getting to my classes this week, as with only two more drawing classes, and two more painting classes until late June, I look forward to whatever I can get from them. Actually, in painting this week we start a two class figure painting. All I can really say is that I am ever so glad to have taken all these weeks of drawing, sometimes getting better, and sometimes wondering what on earth I was thinking--with luck, that practice will carry me a little during the painting process.

Speaking of painting, I need to go clean my brushes.

It is Sunday...

and I don't feel like the horse in the picture, but Dave wanted something stunning, and this is what I came up with--hopefully it will work for him. Over at his blog, there is a comment on another blog about religion. And at Dave's behest, I am throwing out my two cents which I mentioned to him in a phone call yesterday, so I have probably forgotten the best of it. Of the religion and hollow phrases, I suggested that it is much more common in Protestant faiths than in the Orthodox. My reasoning was that the Orthodox, much more so than the Catholic, is still steeped in ritual, and the fact these phrases are used in conjunction with age-old ritual perpetually renews them. Since most Protestant faiths tossed out ritual when they stopped taking orders from Rome, they lost the mystery of faith which is still found in Catholic and Orthodox services. The primary purpose of many Protestant services seems to be a harangue, rather than a communing with God (or the spirit). The current world has a different set of pains, or perhaps the same pains with different names, than existed 500 years ago, but a connection with the spiritual is still necessary for faith to thrive. My current opinion of many Evangelical sects is they thrive by telling people how awful those unlike them (or those they don't understand) are, and I find it irritating, and I find that it colors my whole opinion of religion.

I guess that is it for now, since I am sure some laundry will be ready for folding sometime soon.

Not rainy, yet. (a second attempt)

I just lost a really good posting. Nothing like hitting preview, wanting to change something, hitting "recover post" and losing just about everything. Every relationship is fraught with peril, but I think our relationship with electronic media is perhaps more perilous than many others.

This is the picture of my 2nd oil class painting, when my color mixing was proving a disaster, and the instructor eventually told me no to worry about it.

What was really nice in the previous post, which I probably can't recreate here, were some thoughts about the artist's place in society and the relevance of art in today's world. Art today is much more a commodity, and I am sure somewhere someone is trying to create an "art futures" market, which will allow people to bet which artists will appreciate and which will depreciate. I would think the only problem would be with living artists, as they still have the power to surprise and perhaps soil their reputations. This is no where near where the other thoughts were, as they were more internal musings about past reactions, like my aversion to "publish or perish" which was one reason I didn't ever go for an advanced degree. The idea that someone has to like my work enough to publish it in order for me to keep a job, just seemed a bit wrong, though, in truth, I am now realizing it isn't much difference than working any job, if they boss doesn't like what you do, then you won't have much of a future at your job. Perhaps because all my job losses were of the shut the facility or company down, where it was everyone out, it never really occurred to me. I also touched on the whether I felt I could express myself effectively with art. This is where I think all my fears lie, in the fact that at some point, someone is going to judge me, and I think just about everyone dislikes being judged, as critics are not always very nice (just think of Dorothy Parker, if you need something a little beyond today's talent show judges). I think maybe it is just the haze of history, but artists (poets & painters) seemed to influence the world's thoughts from about from the late 19th century through WWII, though aside from major public art (read architecture) and art co-opted by advertising (or is it vice versa with Pop Art), there doesn't seem much in the way of an -ism for the 21st century--not that -isms are required. An artist today can draw from any historic style, but has everything been played out? War obviously hasn't been played out, but aside from bumper stickers, little pro/con seems to be making its way into art. Have television and cinema usurped the early twentieth century place of art, where it supported or railed against what was going on in the world? Have we become so civilized that art no longer has a place to be provocative? When I see new stuff, while I might like it, it doesn't really provoke, rather it looks designed to match the sofa.

One other thing mentioned in my lost post was how easy it was to be distracted in this electronically connected age. If I want to continue working toward creating art, I need to focus on it, and not on everything else. Unlike Dave, I am not in the position to leave my job and head back to graduate school, nor do I have a portfolio which would grant me acceptance right now, so I need to work on the more grounded things, like technique, and at the same time exploring new media to work in, as without the exploration, I will always get distracted by something I haven't tried.

All that said and done, I really hope to keep focused on creating, whether in pencil, paint, or with words. There is a tradition of artists also being writers. I like to write, as it helps me clear my head and toss thoughts out, but I find myself less than open with this electronic journal, and I am likely to keep it that way. Some thoughts exist for one to ponder, and work well for conversation or journals, but there is too little two-way communication in this medium for those thoughts. Too many times have I been misinterpreted in e-mail for me to anxious to be misinterpreted in a blog.

With creation, the other thing I am going to try to focus on is getting away, as the news here is strikingly insular, and without a perspective than transcends one nation, there is little one can say to man.

Kitchen as Studio (but not for food)

After not going to my oil painting class for two consecutive weeks, I decided it was awfully stupid of me to try and learn new skills and not have anyplace to practice, so it was time to improvise a place to paint. Mind you, I have off-white carpet in the rest of the house, which limits the options of where I can put this particular skill set to use. (Note to self: become a writer and you can use the table or any place stable enough to write.) Since I knew that last week the class was going to work on copying a master, I chose a painting I liked, by Koloman Moser if you want to know, and went to work. Actually, first I had to clean up the kitchen enough to use it for a painting space. It worked OK, though I couldn't really step back from the painting, or I would have needed to climb into the sink or open and clean out the refrigerator. The above is about the 2 hr mark or so. You can see the book I am working out propped open on the stove, and I don't see the image posted in the likely places online, so that is the best you are going to get, since I am tired.

One thing that I found serendipitously while at the art supply store this morning buying the paper palette, is what my brushes are resting on. In the section for Chinese calligraphy there were these ceramic brush holders, and I figured if they are good enough for calligraphy, then they are certainly good enough of painting, as I hadn't figured out what to do with all the brushes as I switched colors, but didn't want to clean the brush in case I went back to that color. It was quite handy and prevented a potential disaster.

While I prevented one potential disaster, I have another on my hands, which is where do I put an oil painting to dry. I untaped it from the board so I could touch up the corners, but oil paint doesn't dry overnight, so I have to find a place for this thing in the meantime. Currently it is taking up counter space, but tonight's dinner was a chicken burrito from the new Mexican food stand around the corner, so it isn't likely to pose a problem until I need the kitchen for something other than coffee.

Here is the finished (at least for now) product:

Nothing really...

Before my break stretched weeks, again, I thought I would update here, though I don't have much to say. Work is devolving into so much hierarchical absurdity, that I feel it necessary to try and determine my place there anew every week, or even worse, with every new change in procedure. I guess that is the way things are, though I have to say, this is really the first time I have ever had to really wonder why I was there. (I should actually clarify that, to say the first time in a permanent position, as I have had the feeling while working a temp job whose only end was my leaving it.)

Drawing class this week was not full figure, and, while the cause wasn't nearly as bizarre as the situation last week (the model forgot to put the class in the calendar, and was in the middle of another gig), we did get to spend some time trying to draw hands--or as Darcy put it, draw fingers that don't look like hot dogs (he is actually paraphrasing a comment by the instructor). I guess that is the reason for the lovely picture of my discontinued area rug from Ikea. I doubt the pattern is being discontinued, but I think they probably just no longer buying from Persia.

That is it. Nothing spectacular. No fun. Just a week at work.

Sunday Morning & Laundry

It is just another weekend, and this Sunday, aside from coffee, laundry was on the list, at least a load of whites, which is currently in the dryer, so I have made progress on it, rather than just let it sort of loom like the boogieman as an object of procrastination.

I can't tell if today will be nice or not, as there is a bit of an overcast pall to the sky, but also a bit of blue.

Yesterday was sort of a mess with my motivation level for anything at an absolute nadir. Eventually, I got around to writing some postcards, since I seem to have way to many laying about for my own good--same goes for postage, and only a month to use it all before they raise the price again. I am sure I should stop using snail mail at some point, but I find the tactile process of writing to be enjoyable, and I also enjoy receiving letters & postcards and reading what it is they have to say. If someone takes the time to drop me a postcard while on vacation, I know they are thinking about me at least, though some of the thought is probably how unlucky I am not to be there. It is odd, I was reading about a product on Amazon, and someone mentioned that they trade postcards with people through the mail. I don't know why I found it all that odd, though I am sure it has something to do with no one really writing, except of course Dave, who regularly sends me postcards (and letters). Anyway, yesterday produced a half dozen or so postcards to various people, and even a short letter, so while motivation was hard to come by most of the day, something was accomplished by the end. Now all I have to do is go to the post office and find out how much it will cost for my postcards to Romania.

Of Tulips & Tree-Stumps

As Dave's blog so pointedly reminded me, it is spring, and that means some sort of flower picture, preferably tulips or daffodils, though the latter are more of a "spring is around the corner" flower. The building next to mine has these precariously planted tulips, which I hope make it through the season, but as their plot of ground is obviously not free from traffic, it is hard to know.

It is really only now clearing up, at 6:40 p.m., and the rest of the day has been overcast with a bit of stuttering rain. In celebration of such a lousy day for being outside, I did some doodling with gouache. I tend to doodle, normally just sort of abstract stuff with a ball point at work, starting with shapes and connecting and filling them in and all sorts of stuff. I don't know if I have any at home, but I will try to bring something home and scan it, so my explanation isn't quite so odd. The result of my doodling with gouache, which I went out and bought today as a cheaper and less messy way to play with color than trying to break out the oils in an apartment with off-white carpet, is here:
It looks to me like a doodle, or perhaps a crazed preacher with special effects for the sermon about fire and brimstone he is reciting. Though I guess if it is going to be that, I should add some little round heads on the left, looking rapturous.

Happy Holy Weekend!

Good Friday parking shortage

Earlier this evening I drove over to the Fred Meyer, and wondered about all the cars parked everywhere. As I drove by the Mars Hill Church, I remembered it was Good Friday, and all those cars were for the church in the former hardware store. Not only were they in almost every parking space on the street, but several other lots were filled with them as well. At least this church's patrons try to be good neighbors, as a sign in front of the closed for the evening Java Jahn's coffee shop said no church parking, and there was one space open, even though there was no one likely to use it.

It's Here!

I am sure this is the post everyone has been waiting for--a picture of my first oil painting. Perhaps it is a bit underwhelming, but it is a first, and the project was to do it using a gray scale, and the fact that everything was white only made this easier. Currently, I am working on a two class painting, meaning something like 8 or so hours of work on it, and I am hoping it will turn out better than this one, and the one that followed it, surely to be posted later.

Today, the weather was stunning and I was at work, which of course is the way things go. After work, I took a nap, and took pictures of my painting outside on my balcony, with plenty of natural light, so I wouldn't get the glare from the flash, as I did the first time I tried taking pictures of this oil painting.

Hate to say it, but that is about it for now. I am enjoying my weekly bouts with creativity and representational art. I can't say that abstract is for me, but I can say sometimes the challenge is fulfilling and others just frustrating--more practice is probably called for.

Needs work

Obviously, I need to keep this up on a more regular basis if I really want comments of any sort. Comments are one of those things that are nice to read because it means someone is reading your work, whether they like or dislike it.

No picture today

Much to my dismay, the pictures of my first attempt at oil painting have too much glare to post, so I have to figure a way around that before I try again. Anymore photos tonight will have glare from the flash, so I get to try something different.

Last night's class was pretty depressing when I couldn't match the first few colors during the color mixing exercise, but that is because I had odd ball colors, nothing like sage or goldenrod, but something like golden meadow and shadows of a misty dawn and such pretentiously named colors, reminiscent of a thing, not actually representative of it.

As it turned out, my mixing never got up to snuff, so the colors in last night's hastily painted painting are hardly what I would refer to as accurate...except maybe the bottle. Sometime I will get that painting here, and actually next week, we start a multi-day painting, which should be fun and festive, and will hopefully look better than the collection of stuff I am posting right now.

That's it for now...off to some tator tots & beer.

wow...almost two months

Well, my first 8 week figure drawing is done, and the above is a detail from the last drawing. The rest of the drawing didn't turn out as well, since I ran out of time before finishing it.

I don't know why I decided to start posting again, but I have, so now I need to figure out what to ramble about. I have started a second 8 week figure drawing class (actually, the same class, same instructor, and some of the same students), as well as an 8 week oil painting fundamentals class. Anything from that class will have some delay before I post it, since I have to give the oils time to dry.

Spring has sprung, sort of a leak, but this is Seattle, so I shouldn't grouse too much about rain, since it was a given when I decided to move here, but it is no fun to have the heat on only for reasons of dispelling the damp chill, though I guess I could by a dehumidifier, but then I have to find someplace to keep it.

That is about it for now, as my egg rolls are getting cold.

Drawing Class

While I doubt I will take a picture & crop every drawing (as well as change the color, in this case) for the class I started this past Tuesday, it did seem appropriate to do it at least for a post dealing with the class. I recently decided to take a figure drawing class, since I was never very good at this subject matter, though I am sure some will say I still am not, but I thought it might be a bit of fun. Anyway, this is the result of the first class (2nd or 3rd attempt), and it is better than I had thought it might be, but not nearly as good as it could be, hence the cropping. It turns out class will be a pleasant three or so hours of drawing a model in a single pose, which will give a bit of time to actually flesh out the drawing. I remember doing gesture drawings in university, but never really liked it much, so I am pleased with the format of the class.

All I need to do now is make more time to draw in between classes.

What I found yesterday

Yesterday, I ventured into the Ballard Market (a store, not the weekly farmer's market), and aside from the above-pictured beverage, ran into a woman who made me want to cheer. If I had my camera with me, she probably would have thought I wanted to make fun of her by taking her picture, but that would not have been my intention. In all her glory, and she was well above a model's size, but Rubinesque would imply perhaps she was naked, and every bit of her was covered, most of it in metallic fabrics, and the rest with some sort of patterned clothing. As I passed, we exchanged courtesies, but I thought to myself it was wonderful I live in a place where people feel comfortable dressing and being as they like, and they aren't all still in school. This past summer when I overheard a conversation on the sidewalk between a youngish guy and a total stranger (female) discussing the merits of skirts, with the guy holding hands to what I took to be his girlfriend, and this young lady also adding comments, it gave me much the same feeling. (The guy & girl had similar cut skirts, though the color was different.)

As to the Leninade, I think I will mix it with some vodka and have a drink.

Playing follow the leader.

I have no real intention of going to every room in the house for this, but Dave's (Kristen's) trope about finding the nearest book, going to page 123, sentence 5 then copying the next 3 sentences into your blog left Dave chasing around, trying to find something with meaning, or define meaning out of what he found. Then again, I may have over-analyzed things, but he found quite a variety in his various rooms.

The closest book to me currently is the 1st edition, by Nicola Williams, of the Lonely Planet guide to Romania & Moldova:

South-east of Piata Universitatii at Str Histro Botev 18-20 is Bucharest's only Turkish restaurant. The Golden Falcon Casa Chebob serves delicious Turkish food. The pita bread is so large it won't fit on your plate.

I don't think there is a great deal of meaning there, and when I ate at the Golden Falcon, the meal was tasty. Chole lived around one corner from there, and the Peace Corps office was around a different corner, but there were more than four on this intersection, like so many in Bucuresti. On top of that I think a tramvai line went through the intersection as well. Such a fun bit of memories, all that and dog shit all over the place as well, since there were no "green" areas for a dog to do its business in, it could be anywhere.

Sunday Morning Laundry

With all my quarters piled so neatly on the chest of drawers, and dark laundry scattered here and there, I decided to do a bit of laundry this overcast morning, hoping it will clear up a little later. Not that I have ideas or plans for later, but a nicer day wouldn't really be that bad after all the unseasonably cold, icy, and snowy weather of the past couple of weeks. I say unseasonably because from what I have been told, it really isn't that common, and winter, while rainy and chilly, isn't supposed to be icy in the city, though it is the norm in the 'burbs.

For now, I guess I will get back to puttering about the house while waiting for the laundry to dry. The morning has been a mild cleaning sort of morning, but not a get the vacuum out cleaning sort of morning, for those that value the differentiation.

Pretty Decent Saturday

For a Saturday, I actually managed to accomplish some stuff today, from buying a mini-tripod for my digital camera to mailing some birthday presents which I think may already be late. It hasn't been all lounging about in bed or playing Guild Wars, even though they do have a test weekend going.

Weeks seem to be passing, and I can't quite believe it is almost February, though with a calendar saying January 20th, I guess that is the case. At least today was nice out, somewhere in the mid to upper forties, I would guess, and generally sunny. While out walking I did try the new pizza place, Snooze Junction, over on Market where pizza by the slice is available. The pizza was good, though the slice size seemed a bit small for the price, and the crust could be crunchier/firmer. The sauce and cheese were quite tasty, with the tomatoes sort of popping, which is a pleasant change from most places here in the Pacific Northwest. At some point, someone will get it right out here, and right while remaining walking distance from my apartment.

My guess is they do it because it is required by law, but I feel sorry for my former employers when they spend $4.64 to send a letter registered mail and all it contains is a single sheet of paper detailing the year in review on my 401K--information I am provided directly from the financial services company as well. It really wouldn't have made any difference if I had let them ship the letter back, since I briefly scanned it, folded it up, then placed it in my jacket pocket, where it will likely remain, until the pocket is too full with paper and I decide to empty it, scanning the contents while aiming for the garbage or the recycle bin.

O-Zone - Dragostea Din Tei

This song became well-known stateside because of a viral video, though I like this one, the original video, much better.

Fun with the above

If you caught O-Zone's "Dragostea Din Tei" video, then enjoy this version as well. The highlights of the original are still here.

Fun Romanian Dance Video

One of my favorite Romanian dance tunes--in part because I find the video hysterical, and the song is awfully catchy (O-Zone, "Despre tine").

Romanian Holiday Television

Since I know so many people are curious about the holiday offerings on television in Romania, and I haven't fully been able to explain them in person, while surfing around google video I found the below clip of traditional Romanian folk music. During the holidays, most of the local television stations resort to programming featuring traditional music (when they aren't showing the "Home Alone" series, or similar foreign holiday films), and below is an example of the programming. This is definitely not Christmas, but looks like some autumnal, harvest sort of thing with the corn. Christmas shows feature very similar costuming, about the same amount of movement, and snow--real or fake depends on whether it is filmed inside or outside (I did see at least one show that was filmed outdoors).

While it is not my style, many Romanians enjoy it, and while I don't like the New Year's Eve spectaculars, it is obvious many Americans enjoy them, so please do not take my commentary on this one as being critical of the Romanian culture.

Monica Stiopoane - Omule esci din pamant si cata lut

(c) 2006 by Daniel Vuescu / Resita / Romania - Romanian Music Videoclip

Reading and Hat Collecting

OK...so my holiday included some time at Guild Wars collecting holiday headgear. The pumpkin head is my dervish, Fractal Zed, dancing up a storm waiting for the festivities to begin. At some point, maybe I will put up an image of all my various characters, without non-traditional headgear, but not right now.

Other than this, I have been reading and came across a few things, though if they are thoughts for the new year or not, I will let you decide.

"In the democratic centuries that are about to begin, I think that individual independence and local liberties will always be a product of art. Centralization will be the natural form of government. " p.796, Tocqueville, Democracy in America

"Uniformity reigns in studies as in everything else; diversity, like liberty, is vanishing day by day." p.805, Tocqueville, Democracy in America

"Newspapers seek to inform their readers quickly rather than to inform them well. Truth is not the beneficiary in this setting of priorities." p.32, Camus, Camus at Combat

I was trying to decide if I should comment on these as well, and thought about it. In the end, I won't comment, and let the reader decide whether these quotes have any relevance.