In the end I may remember the people more than anything else from this week. Deep down I really am just an observer because what I like to do is sit back and take everything in. Still the excitement of the last few days has been just contagious at times and next week could be a big let down after the constant buzz of this one. I've been so intrigued all week by everybody at the shows, at the gallery, and just talking to friends about art.
My brain has just been on sensory overload for days now and for the last few I have been trying to come up with a way to describe it better and have yet to find it. Maybe because it is the first time I experienced anything quite like this. I have been to other shows, galleries, museums, and exhibitions but this is something so totally different and I can't find the right words for it. I might keep trying but I honestly don't know if it's possible.
The always amazing VQ doesn't seemed to have slept more than a couple hours a night since the fairs began and yet she was still all perky at breakfast today. Actually she was probably all perky before breakfast, that would be before she woke me up with a cell call asking what I wanted for breakfast. While I have been into the people she has been into the art and texting me a constant stream of opinions on one gallery's works or another. It's been fun to watch her because more than anything else she reminds me of seeing my sister in a Toys"R"Us at Christmas time.
Finally, between the owners and the connoisseur I haveve worked on my French more than I have in some time. I even came up with a favorite line I used more than once during one conversation or another. "Pourriez-vous me faire parvenir un billet s'il vous plaît?"
I haven't gotten a positive response yet.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Observations from the Window 3.4.1
So many things on my mind that I want to write about but I'm so totally wiped that they will just have to wait. It seems I might be writing about the things Armory Week has me thinking about long after the fair itself is passed. It's been a long time since I thought about what art actually is but questions a friend has been asking about the fair have me doing just that. My earlier post about Modern Art is one result of that and I think there are going to be more once I get through this busy weekend.
I know I was here last year during Armory Week but I didn't go and it didn’t make much of an impression on me. I guess partly because I was still torn about whether I was even going to stay in the Village at all or go back to the mountains. I'm much deeper into the art world up here now, and also Ash's business side of art, so in ways the whole week has been eye opening. I could write a post on just the forum on Art Funds that Ash went to today but maybe I should just quit thinking, get some sleep, and enjoy the last couple days. Maybe I will.
But first there is one thing I want to mention. I was up early this morning to go to breakfast with the VQs and than get to the gallery by nine or so. While I was eating I got a chance to see the Times review in honest to god print and it just made me smile. What made me smile more was when I got to the gallery and the florist arrived, than the next one, and than the next. Seems it’s the thing they do when you get yourself in “ArtsBeat,” the New York Times arts blog, but it was totally unexpected on my part and I was just smiling all day.
So thank you to anybody out there who is reading this and happened to send flowers. That has to be the high point of the week for me and at the moment I don't see how anything can top it. But there are still two days left so I'll just have to wait and see what happens next.
But for now my bed is crying for me ....
I know I was here last year during Armory Week but I didn't go and it didn’t make much of an impression on me. I guess partly because I was still torn about whether I was even going to stay in the Village at all or go back to the mountains. I'm much deeper into the art world up here now, and also Ash's business side of art, so in ways the whole week has been eye opening. I could write a post on just the forum on Art Funds that Ash went to today but maybe I should just quit thinking, get some sleep, and enjoy the last couple days. Maybe I will.
But first there is one thing I want to mention. I was up early this morning to go to breakfast with the VQs and than get to the gallery by nine or so. While I was eating I got a chance to see the Times review in honest to god print and it just made me smile. What made me smile more was when I got to the gallery and the florist arrived, than the next one, and than the next. Seems it’s the thing they do when you get yourself in “ArtsBeat,” the New York Times arts blog, but it was totally unexpected on my part and I was just smiling all day.
So thank you to anybody out there who is reading this and happened to send flowers. That has to be the high point of the week for me and at the moment I don't see how anything can top it. But there are still two days left so I'll just have to wait and see what happens next.
But for now my bed is crying for me ....
Observations from the Window 3.4
It’s early, I’m tired, and I have to go to breakfast but I wanted to pass something on. We all had a big surprise at the gallery yesterday, a big effing fun surprise. Seems we found ourselves right there in the New York Times. We didn’t have any idea it was going to happen so it was just one of those fun moments and everybody was so excited.
“If you don’t have a booth at one of this week’s big fairs, the thinking goes, you’re invisible — especially if you’re a smaller gallery that’s slightly off the beaten track. The solution? Become a fair yourself. That’s what Zürcher Studio has done, carving its space into six booths and inviting in like-minded downtown and Brooklyn dealers ….”
Read the full review
(A version of this review appeared in print on March 4, 2011, on page C25 of the New York edition.)
Yup one of those moments and now I think I need coffee. Bad ....
“If you don’t have a booth at one of this week’s big fairs, the thinking goes, you’re invisible — especially if you’re a smaller gallery that’s slightly off the beaten track. The solution? Become a fair yourself. That’s what Zürcher Studio has done, carving its space into six booths and inviting in like-minded downtown and Brooklyn dealers ….”
(A version of this review appeared in print on March 4, 2011, on page C25 of the New York edition.)
Yup one of those moments and now I think I need coffee. Bad ....
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Armory Week Randomness 3.3
Today I spent most of the afternoon at the Armory Show and I have one overall observation. It's big, real big, be sure to grab a map or you'll get lost kind of big. I have been to big art shows before but never anything like these two cavernous piers filled with a maze of hundreds of booths and stands. At times the Contemporary section seemed a bit overcrowded, maybe they should cut back on the number of galleries allowed, but the Modern section was less crowded and the spaces seemed much larger.
Something that I noticed right away the number of iPads all the galleries seemed to be using instead of, or along side, catalogs with most booths having more than one. I was told it's the wave of the future but I don't see one in my future at all.
One thing you can not miss seeing, even if you wanted to, is a huge neon glowing fence by Chilean sculptor Ivan Navarro. It radiates bright blueish light in every direction and some neighboring dealers weren't to happy about it. I guess you need to get attention anyway possible at one of these things and after all it was a relative bargain at $40,000 per 7 foot section. Still it just reminded me of some kind of trailer trash yard decoration.
As with anything there was some good, bad, and some pretty effing ugly to be see at the Armory Show. I have to say most of what i consider bad was in the Contemporary section. Taste wise I just tend to shy away from what I consider Post-Modern art, but that is for another post when I get to it.
As with anything there was some good, bad, and some pretty effing ugly to be see at the Armory Show. I have to say most of what i consider bad was in the Contemporary section. Taste wise I just tend to shy away from what I consider Post-Modern art, but that is for another post when I get to it.
Observations from Armory Week 3.3
Today the big Armory Show/Fair itself opens to the public on the two 12th street docks, divided between the modern show and the contemporary show. So what actually is the difference between Modern and Contemporary art?
The Modern Art era is said to have begun during the American Civil War period, the 1860s, even more precisely in 1863 with the work of Manet. Modern art is characterized by the attempt to capture the essence of a subject rather than the resemblance of it. For just this reason it moved more and more towards abstract as time went by.
The major painters of the early modern period include Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Claude Monet, or the Impressionists and Post-impressionists. The early 20th century was dominated by the rivalry between the Cubism of Pablo Picasso and the Fauvism of Henri Matisse. The interwar period saw the rise of Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, and the Bauhaus of Wassily Kandinsky.
Finally the post war years saw the birth of Abstract Expressionism which the first American movement to dominate art worldwide. For the first time New York City, and not Paris, was the center of the art world. Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, James Brooks, and many others define this period.
My personal opinion is that the Modern Art period began to end with the death of Jackson Pollock who pioneered the 'drip painting' method in which he laid a canvas on the floor and threw paint on it. But technically the period was extended into the 1960s and even the 70s by the rise of Lyrical Abstraction which was a movement once again dominated by Europeans as the United States struggled with the Vietnam War and it's aftermath.
Either way the era had ended before I ever set eyes on my first brush.
The idea here was to explain the difference between the Modern and Contemporary eras but I seem to have gotten a little carried away so I think I'll make two posts out of this. Hope this was easy enough to understand.
*I tried not to turn this into a masters thesis but keep in mind there at least a dozen major movements in the Modern era and each can be broken down into three or four sub-movements.
The Modern Art era is said to have begun during the American Civil War period, the 1860s, even more precisely in 1863 with the work of Manet. Modern art is characterized by the attempt to capture the essence of a subject rather than the resemblance of it. For just this reason it moved more and more towards abstract as time went by.
The major painters of the early modern period include Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Claude Monet, or the Impressionists and Post-impressionists. The early 20th century was dominated by the rivalry between the Cubism of Pablo Picasso and the Fauvism of Henri Matisse. The interwar period saw the rise of Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, and the Bauhaus of Wassily Kandinsky.
Finally the post war years saw the birth of Abstract Expressionism which the first American movement to dominate art worldwide. For the first time New York City, and not Paris, was the center of the art world. Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, James Brooks, and many others define this period.
My personal opinion is that the Modern Art period began to end with the death of Jackson Pollock who pioneered the 'drip painting' method in which he laid a canvas on the floor and threw paint on it. But technically the period was extended into the 1960s and even the 70s by the rise of Lyrical Abstraction which was a movement once again dominated by Europeans as the United States struggled with the Vietnam War and it's aftermath.
Either way the era had ended before I ever set eyes on my first brush.
The idea here was to explain the difference between the Modern and Contemporary eras but I seem to have gotten a little carried away so I think I'll make two posts out of this. Hope this was easy enough to understand.
*I tried not to turn this into a masters thesis but keep in mind there at least a dozen major movements in the Modern era and each can be broken down into three or four sub-movements.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Armory Week Randomness 3.2
I hope you don't know why I am writing this but let me just say I will never ever completely trust spell check again, that's all I'm going to say on the subject.
The Armory Show is named for a 1913 exhibition that took place at the 69th Regiment Armory and for the first time showed European Modern art in America. The current fair was started in 1994 in a Gramercy Park hotel and now occupies over 200,000 square feet on piers 92 and 94. Try not to confuse that with The Art Show which starts today at the Park Avenue Armory.
I have never in my life seen so many black leather jackets in one place and no that statement doesn't include my closet. Anyway yesterday I said an art fair was part convention and part art show. Now it seems I need to add a biker rally to that, like an artistic Sturgis without the bikes. Now that's a thought though, we need bikes.
I was on my way up to Armory when I ran into a new Manhattan trend that I'm not at all thrilled about. On my way I stopped in a random coffee shop for a quick lunch and cup of coffee. I sat down with my coffee, opened up my net book, and promptly had another patron point out a sign that said no electronic devices allowed. I blurted out something on the order of "you've got to be freakin kidding me," gulped down my coffee, and bought a pretzel outside. I have no idea how they expect to compete with Starbucks and its free wifi.
Phantogram - When I'm Small
17:45 update - Everything I heard today said that sales were brisk last night at the VIP opening. Highest price tag I saw today was $2.2 million for a work by the late German painter Martin Kippenberger. The only other major highlight was seeing Sotheby's Vice President Lisa Dennison. Rumor had it Courtney Love was there too but I didn't see her or I would have offered her a bite of my pretzel.
The Armory Show is named for a 1913 exhibition that took place at the 69th Regiment Armory and for the first time showed European Modern art in America. The current fair was started in 1994 in a Gramercy Park hotel and now occupies over 200,000 square feet on piers 92 and 94. Try not to confuse that with The Art Show which starts today at the Park Avenue Armory.
I have never in my life seen so many black leather jackets in one place and no that statement doesn't include my closet. Anyway yesterday I said an art fair was part convention and part art show. Now it seems I need to add a biker rally to that, like an artistic Sturgis without the bikes. Now that's a thought though, we need bikes.
I was on my way up to Armory when I ran into a new Manhattan trend that I'm not at all thrilled about. On my way I stopped in a random coffee shop for a quick lunch and cup of coffee. I sat down with my coffee, opened up my net book, and promptly had another patron point out a sign that said no electronic devices allowed. I blurted out something on the order of "you've got to be freakin kidding me," gulped down my coffee, and bought a pretzel outside. I have no idea how they expect to compete with Starbucks and its free wifi.
Phantogram - When I'm Small
17:45 update - Everything I heard today said that sales were brisk last night at the VIP opening. Highest price tag I saw today was $2.2 million for a work by the late German painter Martin Kippenberger. The only other major highlight was seeing Sotheby's Vice President Lisa Dennison. Rumor had it Courtney Love was there too but I didn't see her or I would have offered her a bite of my pretzel.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Observations from Armory Week 3.1
A few days ago I was asked what and art fair actually was. An art fair is an event unlike any other museum exhibition or gallery show. It’s really a hard thing to describe because it is part art show, in that everything is for sale, and part a convention of some sort. The major fairs are in Switzerland (Art Basil being the original), Madrid, Cologne, Hong Kong, Shanghai, London, Miami, and New York.
The show side of a fair generally starts the day or night before the public opening with the VIP preview for mostly invited guests that include major galleries and collectors. The public is allowed in the next day for a fee, so basically you are paying for the right to buy something but only if you can afford it and only if the VIPs didn’t snap it up before you. This also means the fair organizer is making money off both the public and the gallery owners. A minimum booth at the Armory Fair costs $40,000 and a one day general admission ticket costs $30. The prevailing opinion is that it has to be a buyers market because there is so much art around but I have already seen things priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars so I don't know how true that could be.
For the past few years it’s been hard for galleries, especially new galleries, to make any money at fairs so now they tend to use the events as a chance to build relationships with other galleries and artists. Yet, as I said, booths are expensive so most everything is for sale however there is no law that says an owner has to sell it to you and some dealers are always looking to place their works with well known collectors. For an emerging artist trying to establish a career it's just to be seen at the fairs. Than again there are many artists like myself who have almost a private relationship with their work and feel strange seeing it viewed in public. I'm far from being the only artist who could best be described as an enigma.
With dealers, galleries, curators and collectors all attending it's a convention with a very artistic side. The social aspect of a major art fair can turn the city into one big block part with shows, parties, dinners, and special events crowding the calendar. A place to see and be seen, to network, to meet that gallery owner or artist or curator, find funding for a project, or maybe finally land that solo show.
Among the things I personally want to see is a forum with Gary Tinterow the curator of the recent Picasso exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It seems to be sold out but I’m still working on that, I’ll get myself in there one way or another.
The show side of a fair generally starts the day or night before the public opening with the VIP preview for mostly invited guests that include major galleries and collectors. The public is allowed in the next day for a fee, so basically you are paying for the right to buy something but only if you can afford it and only if the VIPs didn’t snap it up before you. This also means the fair organizer is making money off both the public and the gallery owners. A minimum booth at the Armory Fair costs $40,000 and a one day general admission ticket costs $30. The prevailing opinion is that it has to be a buyers market because there is so much art around but I have already seen things priced in the hundreds of thousands of dollars so I don't know how true that could be.
For the past few years it’s been hard for galleries, especially new galleries, to make any money at fairs so now they tend to use the events as a chance to build relationships with other galleries and artists. Yet, as I said, booths are expensive so most everything is for sale however there is no law that says an owner has to sell it to you and some dealers are always looking to place their works with well known collectors. For an emerging artist trying to establish a career it's just to be seen at the fairs. Than again there are many artists like myself who have almost a private relationship with their work and feel strange seeing it viewed in public. I'm far from being the only artist who could best be described as an enigma.
With dealers, galleries, curators and collectors all attending it's a convention with a very artistic side. The social aspect of a major art fair can turn the city into one big block part with shows, parties, dinners, and special events crowding the calendar. A place to see and be seen, to network, to meet that gallery owner or artist or curator, find funding for a project, or maybe finally land that solo show.
Among the things I personally want to see is a forum with Gary Tinterow the curator of the recent Picasso exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It seems to be sold out but I’m still working on that, I’ll get myself in there one way or another.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Observations from Armory Week 2.28
This week is Armory Week in New York, or call it Art Week, much more important than the recently ended Fashion Week. Wednesday through Sunday is the big Armory Show on the 12th Avenue piers and, due to a miracle of scheduling, Tuesday through Sunday is the ADAA Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory.
The Armory Show includes over 270 dealers from around the globe spread over two piers. Pier 92 will host the modern art section of 76 dealers and pier 94 the contemporary section of 194 dealers, all together over 80 galleries and 23 countries are represented. To put it all in perspective a 50 square foot stand at the Armory show cost $40,000. On top of that are the 70 American dealers and galleries at the ADAA show. The record number of dealers at the Armory Show is blamed on a suddenly rebounding art market. Less than a year ago the market was bottoming out and many of the usual exhibitors gave up there spots to newcomers only to have the market rebound dramatically at Art Basil in December.
Almost a dozen other shows are taking place this week including the first ever at the gallery I supposedly work at. It will be a comparatively tiny show with only six galleries including our own and the floor space divided into six booths with a walkway down the middle (l). The owners arrived yesterday for tonight's opening and hopefully a nice dinner afterward.
I can't help but finishing this with a quote from the official ADAA press release. I think a friend of mine will get a kick out of it. "Aligning with newer fairs, such as The Armory Show and other concurrent expositions during the first week of March, The Art Show will celebrate New York’s iconic status as the center of the cultural world."
It must be true if they said so.
The Armory Show includes over 270 dealers from around the globe spread over two piers. Pier 92 will host the modern art section of 76 dealers and pier 94 the contemporary section of 194 dealers, all together over 80 galleries and 23 countries are represented. To put it all in perspective a 50 square foot stand at the Armory show cost $40,000. On top of that are the 70 American dealers and galleries at the ADAA show. The record number of dealers at the Armory Show is blamed on a suddenly rebounding art market. Less than a year ago the market was bottoming out and many of the usual exhibitors gave up there spots to newcomers only to have the market rebound dramatically at Art Basil in December.
Almost a dozen other shows are taking place this week including the first ever at the gallery I supposedly work at. It will be a comparatively tiny show with only six galleries including our own and the floor space divided into six booths with a walkway down the middle (l). The owners arrived yesterday for tonight's opening and hopefully a nice dinner afterward.
I can't help but finishing this with a quote from the official ADAA press release. I think a friend of mine will get a kick out of it. "Aligning with newer fairs, such as The Armory Show and other concurrent expositions during the first week of March, The Art Show will celebrate New York’s iconic status as the center of the cultural world."
It must be true if they said so.
Observations from the Window 2.28, Oscars
Let me start by saying this, the Academy Award coverage started on E! at 2PM Eastern Time. What the hell were they thinking? Seriously people, this isn’t the Super Bowl after all. How much can you talk about dresses?
Any other year I watch the Academy Awards to see who won and check out who is wearing what cool awesome slinky dress. In that way I guess it is like the Super Bowl which I tend to watch for the commercials when the Eagles aren’t in it, and yes that means pretty much every year. This year I only saw two of the best picture nominees, "The Social Network" and just last night I watched "Inception," so I really wasn't watching tonight because I knew the films.
No this year I had my own ulterior motive for watching. I watched to see co-host Anne Hathaway, star of film and also star of some wonderful fantasies of mine. I wont bore you with the details of those fantasies but after seeing her in a tux tonight I might be coming up with some new ones; the tux followed by the red dress , followed by the blue dress, followed by the sheer lace high collar dress. Damn, that girl is just hot and I want to take her home and raise a family of little dark haired kids. For the record I never said that last part and I'll deny any of it.
Oscar randomness. So honestly, does Randy Newman get nominated for a song every year or does it just seem that way? And speaking of singing, Gwyneth Paltrow please don't quit your day job any time soon. OK I opened my mouth and Newman wins his third Oscar, I'll just keep it shut from now on so I don't effect any more outcomes. it seems the Eagles can't win a Super Bowl but damn if Jeff Lurie didn't win an Oscar for "Inside Job." So take that Donavan McNabb, Philly wins one way or another. And yes, Scarlett Johansson, that’s all I’m going to say.
Final thought, some years there are terrible movies nominated for the best picture and the winner is that one good one that you know is a lock. Tonight all the films were totally awesome and still the winner was a lock. I honestly didn’t see and didn't hear one bad thing about “The King’s Speech” so I cant complain but still I was hoping for a surprise.
Now it’s time for my fantasies.
Hesta Prynn - Turn it Gold
update - I wrote this last night than just before posting it I found this little gem in a column about what you don’t see watching on TV. My kind of girl.
"During a commercial break early in the show, Anne Hathaway came out and thanked the audience “for all the energy you’re giving us.” She told everyone they looked fabulous and then held a quick raffle for a plate of sushi — “because the only thing more glamorous than being at the Oscars is eating sushi at the Oscars.” Referencing Leo’s f-bomb, Hathaway noted it was “really fucking good sushi."'
Any other year I watch the Academy Awards to see who won and check out who is wearing what cool awesome slinky dress. In that way I guess it is like the Super Bowl which I tend to watch for the commercials when the Eagles aren’t in it, and yes that means pretty much every year. This year I only saw two of the best picture nominees, "The Social Network" and just last night I watched "Inception," so I really wasn't watching tonight because I knew the films.
No this year I had my own ulterior motive for watching. I watched to see co-host Anne Hathaway, star of film and also star of some wonderful fantasies of mine. I wont bore you with the details of those fantasies but after seeing her in a tux tonight I might be coming up with some new ones; the tux followed by the red dress , followed by the blue dress, followed by the sheer lace high collar dress. Damn, that girl is just hot and I want to take her home and raise a family of little dark haired kids. For the record I never said that last part and I'll deny any of it.
Oscar randomness. So honestly, does Randy Newman get nominated for a song every year or does it just seem that way? And speaking of singing, Gwyneth Paltrow please don't quit your day job any time soon. OK I opened my mouth and Newman wins his third Oscar, I'll just keep it shut from now on so I don't effect any more outcomes. it seems the Eagles can't win a Super Bowl but damn if Jeff Lurie didn't win an Oscar for "Inside Job." So take that Donavan McNabb, Philly wins one way or another. And yes, Scarlett Johansson, that’s all I’m going to say.
Final thought, some years there are terrible movies nominated for the best picture and the winner is that one good one that you know is a lock. Tonight all the films were totally awesome and still the winner was a lock. I honestly didn’t see and didn't hear one bad thing about “The King’s Speech” so I cant complain but still I was hoping for a surprise.
Now it’s time for my fantasies.
Hesta Prynn - Turn it Gold
update - I wrote this last night than just before posting it I found this little gem in a column about what you don’t see watching on TV. My kind of girl.
"During a commercial break early in the show, Anne Hathaway came out and thanked the audience “for all the energy you’re giving us.” She told everyone they looked fabulous and then held a quick raffle for a plate of sushi — “because the only thing more glamorous than being at the Oscars is eating sushi at the Oscars.” Referencing Leo’s f-bomb, Hathaway noted it was “really fucking good sushi."'
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Observations from the Window 2.26
It's the Saturday before spring break at Penn State so let me start by wishing you all a Happy State Patty's Day. Five years ago St. Patrick's Day fell during spring break so State Patty's Day was born to enjoy the holiday's drinking and other fine traditions. Well after all Penn State was awarded the #1 Party School title for a reason. Just picture a mid-winter football weekend with a lot of green clothes and beer, sad but that description reminds me of a Notre Dame football weekend.
I did read one comment to a blog post about State Patty's day that goes a long way in explaining why the 'holiday' has become a bit controversial with the locals in State College. Among other things the comment said this, ".... And if they really are afraid they SHOULD stay out of downtown that day. This town belongs to us." That is such a totally stupid thing to say. True State College wouldn’t be the same without Penn State but the reverse is also true, Penn State wouldn't be the same without State College. Drop the main campus in the middle of Philly or Pittsburgh and what would you have? Temple or Pitt, enough said.
Yesterday was just a dreary and rainy day in the Village but it was a day to get some work cleaned up at home. Yes a day for cleaning, washing the black, and maybe even buying some foods. But instead I started playing with what I loosely call my empire. I always had a list of my site links to the side of this blog but it can't tell you in any detail what they are so I came up with the idea of adding a page that did explain them better. Well while I was working on that idea I came up with yet another idea so now you can see why I don't get much sleep.
I love to look at other people's art almost as much as I enjoy working on my own. I can spend hours just looking at photos and paintings or just reading well written blogs. Really I just enjoy art in almost any form, it's what makes me go, and my idea was this. Up until now I had three Tumblr blogs all of which were nsfw and one of which is almost as secret as my Facebook page. I am always seeing shots of one kind or another that I love but that just don't fit into the idea of the other three Tumblrs, some of the shots I favorite and some I don't. I decided I would start a fourth one just to show photos that are totally safe and just as gorgeous as the others. I didn't get to that blog page but this is the official unveiling of le quatrième (l), the fourth and hopefully last of my Tumblrs.
Have a good one and enjoy the green beer.
Metallica - Whiskey In The Jar
I did read one comment to a blog post about State Patty's day that goes a long way in explaining why the 'holiday' has become a bit controversial with the locals in State College. Among other things the comment said this, ".... And if they really are afraid they SHOULD stay out of downtown that day. This town belongs to us." That is such a totally stupid thing to say. True State College wouldn’t be the same without Penn State but the reverse is also true, Penn State wouldn't be the same without State College. Drop the main campus in the middle of Philly or Pittsburgh and what would you have? Temple or Pitt, enough said.
Yesterday was just a dreary and rainy day in the Village but it was a day to get some work cleaned up at home. Yes a day for cleaning, washing the black, and maybe even buying some foods. But instead I started playing with what I loosely call my empire. I always had a list of my site links to the side of this blog but it can't tell you in any detail what they are so I came up with the idea of adding a page that did explain them better. Well while I was working on that idea I came up with yet another idea so now you can see why I don't get much sleep.
I love to look at other people's art almost as much as I enjoy working on my own. I can spend hours just looking at photos and paintings or just reading well written blogs. Really I just enjoy art in almost any form, it's what makes me go, and my idea was this. Up until now I had three Tumblr blogs all of which were nsfw and one of which is almost as secret as my Facebook page. I am always seeing shots of one kind or another that I love but that just don't fit into the idea of the other three Tumblrs, some of the shots I favorite and some I don't. I decided I would start a fourth one just to show photos that are totally safe and just as gorgeous as the others. I didn't get to that blog page but this is the official unveiling of le quatrième (l), the fourth and hopefully last of my Tumblrs.
Have a good one and enjoy the green beer.
Metallica - Whiskey In The Jar
Friday, February 25, 2011
Observations from the Window 2.25
Have you ever sat in front of your computer with four tabs open in Firefox or Chrome (two emails, facebook, and either news or blog feeds), one or two Gchats going orange, Photoshop open to work on photos, and, in my case, TweetDeck open on a netbook? Lost data slips by as you stare at that one orange Gchat wondering why it went quiet, wondering if you said something wrong. I have. In fact I am as I add Word on my laptop to the list so I can write this. I’m not even going to think about where Tumblr, Plurk, and my cell phone fit into this.
Insanity rules.
Tab, tab, tweet, tab, tweet. The Middle East erupts, the Middle West protests, Gadaffi blames the Easter Bunny, and I stare endlessly at that orange dot. I reread the last few lines of the chat knowing I didn’t say anything wrong but still wondering if I did. Why do I always have to be such a smart ass? Did she take something the wrong way? Should I explain what I meant or just let it go?
Total freaking netsanity.
Streaming YouTube, iTunes, half written unfinished than forgotten comments. Endless bits of information careening in front of my eyes as my brain begins to spin totally out of control.
And than the dot goes grey.
The Pretty Reckless - Just Tonight
Insanity rules.
Tab, tab, tweet, tab, tweet. The Middle East erupts, the Middle West protests, Gadaffi blames the Easter Bunny, and I stare endlessly at that orange dot. I reread the last few lines of the chat knowing I didn’t say anything wrong but still wondering if I did. Why do I always have to be such a smart ass? Did she take something the wrong way? Should I explain what I meant or just let it go?
Total freaking netsanity.
Streaming YouTube, iTunes, half written unfinished than forgotten comments. Endless bits of information careening in front of my eyes as my brain begins to spin totally out of control.
And than the dot goes grey.
The Pretty Reckless - Just Tonight
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Observations 2.22
This post is a little different in that I'm not going to say much at all, seriously. It's just that I read this article in The Wall Street Journal last night and the end of it is something I haven't seen anywhere else but yet is so obvious. It really just blew my mind a little when I read it; and please no comments on that. For what it's worth here is the part I am talking about with some italics I added and than a link to the full article.
".... it seems dictators learn fast and are perfectly capable of mastering the Internet. It's only by anticipating their response that those of us who care about democracy in the West can make their tough methods less effective. After all, these regimes have turned mostly to Western companies and consultants for advice about the technology of repression.
Triumphalism about recent events in the Middle East is premature. The contest is still in its early stages, and the new age of Internet-driven democratization will endure only if we learn to counter the sophisticated measures now being developed to quash it."
Monday, February 21, 2011
Observations from the Coffee Shop 2.21 Randomness
Borders books filed for bankruptcy last week and is supposedly closing over two hundred stores. The thought of that makes me sad because years ago my mom would take me to the local Borders on a Saturday afternoon for kids reading day, or poetry reading, or whatever was going on. I think my love of books started back than, it was a good thing. My sister told me that local Borders is one of the many scheduled to close.
I haven't lived with my dad for a couple years and I have just now noticed a major side effect of that. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing no longer seems to appeal to me the way it once did. Than again I do know what it is and I do know that a twenty year old rookie won the Daytona 500 yesterday. Maybe you should disregard this paragraph.
Last year my brother got me started watching "Whale Wars" on the Animal Planet network. It's a reality show following The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's struggle to end Japanese whaling. It tried to do this by putting its ships in the way of the whaling ships which became something I was rather fond of watching. Now filming of its fourth season has been suspending due to Japan's tentatively canceling the remainder of this years whaling season and going home. They blame the constant harassment by Sea Shepherd ships and its wee little helicopter. But what happens to the show with no whalers to harass?
And to prove life is still good ....
Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
I haven't lived with my dad for a couple years and I have just now noticed a major side effect of that. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing no longer seems to appeal to me the way it once did. Than again I do know what it is and I do know that a twenty year old rookie won the Daytona 500 yesterday. Maybe you should disregard this paragraph.
Last year my brother got me started watching "Whale Wars" on the Animal Planet network. It's a reality show following The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's struggle to end Japanese whaling. It tried to do this by putting its ships in the way of the whaling ships which became something I was rather fond of watching. Now filming of its fourth season has been suspending due to Japan's tentatively canceling the remainder of this years whaling season and going home. They blame the constant harassment by Sea Shepherd ships and its wee little helicopter. But what happens to the show with no whalers to harass?
And to prove life is still good ....
Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Observattions from the Window 2.20
Sometimes I get these massive headaches that feel like a vice is squeezing my head together from ear to ear. I have been told they aren't technically migraines but I have never been told what they in fact are. I don’t know what causes them, nobody seems to have any idea what causes them. A couple years ago I went through a whole array of tests just to see the doctor shrug as if to say karma.
I had one of them yesterday, the first I have had in a long time. Actually I think it was the first I had since I moved to the Village. There is nothing like spending 24 hours in bed, clawing at the pillows, chewing on Treximet, and praying it puts you back to sleep so you can forget the pain. Now the funny thing with Treximet is that one of the possible side effects is a rebound headache. I do not lie, a rebound headache, what the hell is the point?
The best explanation I was ever given was that it is totally stress related. Basically my brain isn't wired right to handle stress so it takes it to a point and than it overheats. My theory is that fluid intake should cool it down but I suppose alcohol isn't the right fluid to be taking in. It seems to work to a point and than it doesn't.
Anyway I had this idea to write down what i was thinking, that is if I was thinking anything other than just kill me now. I must admit that was the most prevalent thought I had. I guess my grand experiment was a failure because other than the kill me now thought it was mostly black without the white. A dark deep depression with no light anywhere, no escape, nowhere to hide. Seems almost like what I call the mood but with added pain. What a piece of work I am.
Karma
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company
I had one of them yesterday, the first I have had in a long time. Actually I think it was the first I had since I moved to the Village. There is nothing like spending 24 hours in bed, clawing at the pillows, chewing on Treximet, and praying it puts you back to sleep so you can forget the pain. Now the funny thing with Treximet is that one of the possible side effects is a rebound headache. I do not lie, a rebound headache, what the hell is the point?
The best explanation I was ever given was that it is totally stress related. Basically my brain isn't wired right to handle stress so it takes it to a point and than it overheats. My theory is that fluid intake should cool it down but I suppose alcohol isn't the right fluid to be taking in. It seems to work to a point and than it doesn't.
Anyway I had this idea to write down what i was thinking, that is if I was thinking anything other than just kill me now. I must admit that was the most prevalent thought I had. I guess my grand experiment was a failure because other than the kill me now thought it was mostly black without the white. A dark deep depression with no light anywhere, no escape, nowhere to hide. Seems almost like what I call the mood but with added pain. What a piece of work I am.
Karma
Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company
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