Monday, February 20, 2006
Monogamy
Last week, for Valentine's Day, there was a radio program on scientific findings regarding relationships. I paraphrase the speaker: Monogamy is not natural, and it's not easy, but it is desirable in terms of emotional support, intimacy, having a family, and being happy in your old age.
[Dear Liliapilia] Going with your gut in dating
[Question withheld bc this is actually an email excerpt]
...One can't argue with sexual preferences. For example, I can't help it that I'm attracted to men. None of us can control our "types". Some people are only attracted to petite blonds, others to people who talk a certain way or Asians or people who fall at a certain place on the butch-femme scale. I can offer friendship to a lot of people, but I'm only going to want to makeout with very few. The bottom line is best stated by my friend Joanne: "If you're not ready to be rejected, you're not ready to date." You don't want all the girls/boys to like you, just the right one.
Studies just released last week found that when making small decisions, like what kind of crackers to buy, people are happiest if they take time to think about it. When people make big decisions, like whether to buy a certain house, they are happiest if they don't deliberate consciously at all. ...The reason given was that there are too many variables in important decisions, and your conscious mind isn't able to process them all. Your unconscious, on the other hand, is able to work thru these variables. So, they recommend collecting all available information, and then not thinking about it until you make the decision.
My friend Elizabeth likes to recommend giving everyone the opportunity of 3 dates before deciding the fate of the relationship. I think she read it in a book somewhere. The problem with that is that 1) it takes up a whole lot of time and I personally don't want to spend my whole life dating people I'm not excited about when I already have totally awesome friends to spend time with, 2) sometimes you just know, and it's wrong to lead people on, and 3) it generally ends up meaning I have to dodge a lot of moves which is awkward and unpleasant. I also think the 3 date rule should only be recommended if one is looking full time (and doesn't that preclude actually finding? Sometimes...).
So, I disagree. There is nothing double-edged about going with your gut. You only have to impress one person, and yourself, and considering how many people there are out there.... It would be wrong NOT to disclose your gut reaction.
-LiliaPilia
...One can't argue with sexual preferences. For example, I can't help it that I'm attracted to men. None of us can control our "types". Some people are only attracted to petite blonds, others to people who talk a certain way or Asians or people who fall at a certain place on the butch-femme scale. I can offer friendship to a lot of people, but I'm only going to want to makeout with very few. The bottom line is best stated by my friend Joanne: "If you're not ready to be rejected, you're not ready to date." You don't want all the girls/boys to like you, just the right one.
Studies just released last week found that when making small decisions, like what kind of crackers to buy, people are happiest if they take time to think about it. When people make big decisions, like whether to buy a certain house, they are happiest if they don't deliberate consciously at all. ...The reason given was that there are too many variables in important decisions, and your conscious mind isn't able to process them all. Your unconscious, on the other hand, is able to work thru these variables. So, they recommend collecting all available information, and then not thinking about it until you make the decision.
My friend Elizabeth likes to recommend giving everyone the opportunity of 3 dates before deciding the fate of the relationship. I think she read it in a book somewhere. The problem with that is that 1) it takes up a whole lot of time and I personally don't want to spend my whole life dating people I'm not excited about when I already have totally awesome friends to spend time with, 2) sometimes you just know, and it's wrong to lead people on, and 3) it generally ends up meaning I have to dodge a lot of moves which is awkward and unpleasant. I also think the 3 date rule should only be recommended if one is looking full time (and doesn't that preclude actually finding? Sometimes...).
So, I disagree. There is nothing double-edged about going with your gut. You only have to impress one person, and yourself, and considering how many people there are out there.... It would be wrong NOT to disclose your gut reaction.
-LiliaPilia
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Friday, February 17, 2006
BAY AREA / Out of the retail rat race / Consumer group doesn't buy notion that new is better
BAY AREA / Out of the retail rat race / Consumer group doesn't buy notion that new is better
My friend Tam sent this to me. When she read it, she said "Wow, people like me" to herself. And then she thought of me.
Every xmas I try to give away things that I already have, bc I always have too much stuff. I'm not sure it's really fair for my loved ones to suffer bc I'm frugal, while I buy new things for myself (very rarely) -- a bit of a selfish double standard. But anyway...
The other thing I noticed while reading this article is that this movement is another mechanism to form community so lacking in our culture. People don't go to church anymore. Many don't have kids to help them form community thru the schools. A lot of people don't talk to their neighbors or don't feel they have anything in common with their neighbors to make them worth talking to (that's about tolerance, another blog post). So, we form interest groups, star trek groups, book clubs, groups that don't buy new things. Sure, it helps save the world in a way (but in another way, it does little for the local economy). But it also brings people together, people with common values, people who share similar concerns.
My friend Tam sent this to me. When she read it, she said "Wow, people like me" to herself. And then she thought of me.
Every xmas I try to give away things that I already have, bc I always have too much stuff. I'm not sure it's really fair for my loved ones to suffer bc I'm frugal, while I buy new things for myself (very rarely) -- a bit of a selfish double standard. But anyway...
The other thing I noticed while reading this article is that this movement is another mechanism to form community so lacking in our culture. People don't go to church anymore. Many don't have kids to help them form community thru the schools. A lot of people don't talk to their neighbors or don't feel they have anything in common with their neighbors to make them worth talking to (that's about tolerance, another blog post). So, we form interest groups, star trek groups, book clubs, groups that don't buy new things. Sure, it helps save the world in a way (but in another way, it does little for the local economy). But it also brings people together, people with common values, people who share similar concerns.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Monday, February 13, 2006
A Touch of Beagle wins 3rd Place in the San Francisco Chinese NY Treasure Hunt.
We credit our excellent knowledge of the city, fine spatial skills, and overall smarts. We won a bottle of champagne, a cake, and a certificate.
San Francisco Treasure Hunts - Team-building, customized hunts, and the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt
San Francisco Treasure Hunts - Team-building, customized hunts, and the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt
Saturday, February 11, 2006
More on Harry Potter...
Once again, I have about 12 really truly important things I should be doing, but I'm still deeply tired, and so I spent the last hour reading JK Rowlings’s website. I finished HP6 a while ago, composed a blog post on it in my mind that never made it out my finger tips, and now I am on to thinking about other things. Let me see if I can remember what I wanted to say....
· Something about the supreme power of friendship above all things, above romantic love and even one's highest purpose. Ron and Hermione will help Harry kill Voldemort -- their friendship with him and resulting dedication to his mission is more important than their paths as individuals.
· Love can wait, especially between young people, until certain critical things are taken care of. This is obviously the case with Harry and Ginny but perhaps also the case between Ron and Hermione (they know they like each other, but don't seem to be doing anything about it just yet).
· Trusting your intuition: I like to believe the best about everyone. Even after Snape took the Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco and the mission given to him by Voldemort, I thought perhaps it was part of his act of pretending to be on their side. Silly me. Dumbledore was fooled by Snape’s act, but Harry never was. I put too much faith in Dumbledore's judgement bc he is a figure of authority.
· HP6 is really Harry's coming of age book. In 4 and 5, Voldemort totally manipulates Harry, in 4 into the Tournament and in 5 to the Ministry of Magic, but in 6, Harry dictates the course of the story, even to the point of disagreeing with Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore. In 6, finally, Harry is right, and he tries to protect the others instead of them trying to protect him. This indicates his maturity.
That might be it. In the meantime, here are some ideas from JK Rowling's web site. (I went there to check what her plans were post-HP. She has none, No prequel, no new series, no idea. And she hasn't started HP7 yet.)
On Destiny:
"…I was making what I felt was a significant point about Harry and Voldemort, and about prophecies themselves, in showing Neville as the also-ran. If neither boy was 'pre-ordained' before Voldemort's attack to become his possible vanquisher, then the prophecy (like the one the witches make to Macbeth, if anyone has read the play of the same name) becomes the catalyst for a situation that would never have occurred if it had not been made. Harry is propelled into a terrifying position he might never have sought, while Neville remains the tantalising 'might-have-been'. Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=84
"Do you believe in fate?"
"No, I believe in hard work and luck, and that the first often leads to the second." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=71
On growing up:
"Sirius is brave, loyal, reckless, embittered and slightly unbalanced by his long stay in Azkaban. He has never really had the chance to grow up; he was around twenty-two when he was sent off to Azkaban, and has had very little normal adult life. Lupin, who is the same age, seems much older and more mature. Sirius's great redeeming quality is how much affection he is capable of feeling. He loved James like a brother and he went on to transfer that attachment to Harry." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=61
Are people who didn't "get a chance" to grow up capable of it later in life? I'm inclined to think that the brain can only imprint that kind of thing during certain stages of development, and if, for whatever reason, that is missed, they remain... low-functioning in that way. But I would like to believe that I'm wrong. As Rowling points out, a person can have redeeming qualities, like the profound capacity to love.
On courage:
"What Hogwarts house would you be in?"
"Gryffindor, I hope. I value courage beyond almost anything." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=9
What are the other possibilities? In Hogwarts’s houses, breeding, smarts and accepting all? I'm a big fan of intelligence, as you know, but courage probably provides greater benefits to all. I'm an even bigger fan of originality of thought and emotional honesty, and maybe they're the same as courage.
On the characters:
"Who is your favourite character?"
"I love: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Ginny, Fred, George and Lupin. I love writing (though would not necessarily want to meet) Snape. My favourite new character is Luna Lovegood." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=8
I like those characters too. But in all honesty, right now, Ginny is my favorite character. She makes me think of the line "snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little girls are made of." I really like the Weasleys and their whole family thing they've got going. I also love Hagrid for his profound capacity for empathy. Which are your favorites?
· Something about the supreme power of friendship above all things, above romantic love and even one's highest purpose. Ron and Hermione will help Harry kill Voldemort -- their friendship with him and resulting dedication to his mission is more important than their paths as individuals.
· Love can wait, especially between young people, until certain critical things are taken care of. This is obviously the case with Harry and Ginny but perhaps also the case between Ron and Hermione (they know they like each other, but don't seem to be doing anything about it just yet).
· Trusting your intuition: I like to believe the best about everyone. Even after Snape took the Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco and the mission given to him by Voldemort, I thought perhaps it was part of his act of pretending to be on their side. Silly me. Dumbledore was fooled by Snape’s act, but Harry never was. I put too much faith in Dumbledore's judgement bc he is a figure of authority.
· HP6 is really Harry's coming of age book. In 4 and 5, Voldemort totally manipulates Harry, in 4 into the Tournament and in 5 to the Ministry of Magic, but in 6, Harry dictates the course of the story, even to the point of disagreeing with Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore. In 6, finally, Harry is right, and he tries to protect the others instead of them trying to protect him. This indicates his maturity.
That might be it. In the meantime, here are some ideas from JK Rowling's web site. (I went there to check what her plans were post-HP. She has none, No prequel, no new series, no idea. And she hasn't started HP7 yet.)
On Destiny:
"…I was making what I felt was a significant point about Harry and Voldemort, and about prophecies themselves, in showing Neville as the also-ran. If neither boy was 'pre-ordained' before Voldemort's attack to become his possible vanquisher, then the prophecy (like the one the witches make to Macbeth, if anyone has read the play of the same name) becomes the catalyst for a situation that would never have occurred if it had not been made. Harry is propelled into a terrifying position he might never have sought, while Neville remains the tantalising 'might-have-been'. Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=84
"Do you believe in fate?"
"No, I believe in hard work and luck, and that the first often leads to the second." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=71
On growing up:
"Sirius is brave, loyal, reckless, embittered and slightly unbalanced by his long stay in Azkaban. He has never really had the chance to grow up; he was around twenty-two when he was sent off to Azkaban, and has had very little normal adult life. Lupin, who is the same age, seems much older and more mature. Sirius's great redeeming quality is how much affection he is capable of feeling. He loved James like a brother and he went on to transfer that attachment to Harry." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=61
Are people who didn't "get a chance" to grow up capable of it later in life? I'm inclined to think that the brain can only imprint that kind of thing during certain stages of development, and if, for whatever reason, that is missed, they remain... low-functioning in that way. But I would like to believe that I'm wrong. As Rowling points out, a person can have redeeming qualities, like the profound capacity to love.
On courage:
"What Hogwarts house would you be in?"
"Gryffindor, I hope. I value courage beyond almost anything." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=9
What are the other possibilities? In Hogwarts’s houses, breeding, smarts and accepting all? I'm a big fan of intelligence, as you know, but courage probably provides greater benefits to all. I'm an even bigger fan of originality of thought and emotional honesty, and maybe they're the same as courage.
On the characters:
"Who is your favourite character?"
"I love: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, Dumbledore, Ginny, Fred, George and Lupin. I love writing (though would not necessarily want to meet) Snape. My favourite new character is Luna Lovegood." http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=8
I like those characters too. But in all honesty, right now, Ginny is my favorite character. She makes me think of the line "snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little girls are made of." I really like the Weasleys and their whole family thing they've got going. I also love Hagrid for his profound capacity for empathy. Which are your favorites?
The Valentine's Legend
"Legend has it that while St. Valentine was in prison--awaiting execution for defying a Roman emperor's edict against conducting marriages--he fell in love with his jailor's blind daughter.
"Through unwavering faith, the story says, Valentine restored the woman's sight. Then, before his execution, he slipped her a farewell note signed "from your Valentine"--the original Valentine's card."
-KnowledgeNews
"Through unwavering faith, the story says, Valentine restored the woman's sight. Then, before his execution, he slipped her a farewell note signed "from your Valentine"--the original Valentine's card."
-KnowledgeNews
Friday, February 10, 2006
scraps
There are several very important things I should be doing, but I'm tired and I don't want to do any of them. Instead, I want to transcribe the scribblings on the scraps of paper on my desk:
Jane Hirshfield's work process (a poet): she never feels like she's writing, and then after a while she finds she has a book, and then she calls her publisher. (this is how I feel, without the part about the publisher.)
unmixed attention is prayer.
he sings not to fill the world but bc he is filled.
even the most authoritative statement can be asking a question under the surface. we live in an age of pronouncement.
ideology separates us; dreams and anguish bring us together.
a sweater is something you wear when your mother is cold.
Jane Hirshfield's work process (a poet): she never feels like she's writing, and then after a while she finds she has a book, and then she calls her publisher. (this is how I feel, without the part about the publisher.)
unmixed attention is prayer.
he sings not to fill the world but bc he is filled.
even the most authoritative statement can be asking a question under the surface. we live in an age of pronouncement.
ideology separates us; dreams and anguish bring us together.
a sweater is something you wear when your mother is cold.
My congestion pricing article: Tube Times Feb/Mar 06
Tube Times
My congestion pricing article is in the current issue. You have to look at the pdf to read it.
My congestion pricing article is in the current issue. You have to look at the pdf to read it.
Love on Wheels
Love on Wheels
I've been to SFBC's Valentine's Day event several times, but this time I entered their dating game. It's just like the old dating game: one person chooses among 3 eligible other people (of the gender the one person is attracted to) with out seeing them, based on their answers to a series of questions (this time on biking). When I signed up, I really hoped to be, even imagined I would be, the chooser. That's really what I thought would happen. But it wasn't. I sat with 2 other lovely ladies and answered questions about biking and dating. And guess what? I won!
I won a gift certificate for dinner that is intended to be used with the guy who picked me. I also got asked out by 2 other guys. Yikes! :-)
I've been to SFBC's Valentine's Day event several times, but this time I entered their dating game. It's just like the old dating game: one person chooses among 3 eligible other people (of the gender the one person is attracted to) with out seeing them, based on their answers to a series of questions (this time on biking). When I signed up, I really hoped to be, even imagined I would be, the chooser. That's really what I thought would happen. But it wasn't. I sat with 2 other lovely ladies and answered questions about biking and dating. And guess what? I won!
I won a gift certificate for dinner that is intended to be used with the guy who picked me. I also got asked out by 2 other guys. Yikes! :-)
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Have some butter; it's good for you.
Independent Online Edition > Americas
Recent, extensive study finds that a low-fat diet does not improve health. However, they did not distinguish between types of fat. I disagree with the researchers: there is nothing "disappointing" about these results!
Recent, extensive study finds that a low-fat diet does not improve health. However, they did not distinguish between types of fat. I disagree with the researchers: there is nothing "disappointing" about these results!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
My mother on Happiness
"Meanwhile I vote for dancing and singing. Maureen's been telling me of studies in England with making villages happy. It seems having the villagers join choirs and also dance increased the happiness quotient by more than 50%. I think that's quite amazing, not therapy, singing..."
Monday, February 06, 2006
email excerpt on Relationships
...I agree that it's more about the feelings than the action. But I also think that in a LTR, it's normal to get excited about other people. It doesn't mean you want to sleep with them (but sometimes it does and that doesn't mean you are going to) and it certainly doesn't mean that you are any less committed to the Relationship that you're in. I say this because I am sure it will come up for you again, and I hope you will handle it better next time. Life is long and contains a lot of interesting people, but that shouldn't prevent true love from surviving.
Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? I love it. In case you don't know it: George and Meredith and roomates, and they also work together at the hospital. Meredith gets a dog which George hates. George says, "you have to choose between me and the dog" and Meredith chooses the dog. On the advice of an older woman in the hospital, George stands up to her and says "You are not allowed to choose a dog over me." And the whole thing ends happily. They give the dog to Meredith's married ex-boyfriend bc he owes her big time.
Of course, it's not that simple in Relationships and in reality bc of hurt feelings and all that. Sometimes people don't belong together and the "other people" are just a mechanism to get out of a situation that doesn't work. But, sometimes you do belong together, and those are the times it's important to stand up and tell them they aren't allowed to choose the dog.
Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? I love it. In case you don't know it: George and Meredith and roomates, and they also work together at the hospital. Meredith gets a dog which George hates. George says, "you have to choose between me and the dog" and Meredith chooses the dog. On the advice of an older woman in the hospital, George stands up to her and says "You are not allowed to choose a dog over me." And the whole thing ends happily. They give the dog to Meredith's married ex-boyfriend bc he owes her big time.
Of course, it's not that simple in Relationships and in reality bc of hurt feelings and all that. Sometimes people don't belong together and the "other people" are just a mechanism to get out of a situation that doesn't work. But, sometimes you do belong together, and those are the times it's important to stand up and tell them they aren't allowed to choose the dog.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Buy some delicious cheese
Formaggio Kitchen | Cheeses of the United States
One of my best friends from college, Emily, and her husband threw out the corporate life to make cheese. They call it Twig Farm. Buy some of their cheese now.
One of my best friends from college, Emily, and her husband threw out the corporate life to make cheese. They call it Twig Farm. Buy some of their cheese now.
Artwork YTD
Kodakgallery.com �Slideshow
I put together this photo album of my work so far this year. Keep in mind that in figure drawing we've been focusing on gestures and contours, which is not really my thing. (I'm more interested in finding the form, but it's all a learning experience.) Also, unless noted, these drawings are 30 second to 2 minutes, ie, very quickly made. That's the idea.
PS, if you have issues with signing in, just create a junk mail address with Yahoo or something. I like to know who's looking at my work, and I also want you to see it.
xo
I put together this photo album of my work so far this year. Keep in mind that in figure drawing we've been focusing on gestures and contours, which is not really my thing. (I'm more interested in finding the form, but it's all a learning experience.) Also, unless noted, these drawings are 30 second to 2 minutes, ie, very quickly made. That's the idea.
PS, if you have issues with signing in, just create a junk mail address with Yahoo or something. I like to know who's looking at my work, and I also want you to see it.
xo
Friday night is Ladies' Night
The girls met up last night at Jade, a hip nightspot with an indoor waterfall and $2 cocktails until 7:30. Of course, it was crowded, and we quickly tired of shouting at each other to be heard. We wondered what kind of people seek out and stay in that environment on a Friday night with their friends – do they spend the whole day working quietly at a computer and need to buzz of frenetic human interaction to unwind? It was the only explanation we could imagine.
A short jaunt a pied to Market delivered up to the Octavia Piano Bar (not sure what’s it’s actually called, but something with Octavia in the name). The other ladies noticed a skinny man with an amazing Jew-fro smoking outside; he didn’t fit in. The mystery was quickly solved when he sat down at the piano to serenade us with “we’re in the money.” Yeah right.
Fortunately, that didn’t last long. Another pianist (this time with wavy hair) took the seat and played show tunes that I didn’t know (is that possible??!) while kids from the local performing arts high school took the stage to amaze us with their vocal stylings. I have had the misfortune to have watched a couple episodes of American Idol recently, and Simon would have found something profoundly insulting to say to each of these kids. They WERE super cute. Shanti pointed out that her sister, who is now a super amazing performer, was pretty bad at 15 too. We ate; the food was fine. I would go there again. The City doesn’t have enough piano bars.
From there, we joined the relevant boys (and a whole lot of irrelevant ones) at Place Pagale (unlike the Jets and the Sharks, we could actually enjoy the same divvy, smokers’ bar). Marshall was RULING the pool table, and the rest of us sat around and bantered until he got sick of all the bad players there and quit. However, that’s where the blissful unity ended, and the remaining ladies went for a crepe (I, on the other hand, had more fries) while the gentlemen for pizza, down the block.
Why am I telling you this? Well, of course, cuz it was fun. It might even happen again someday.
A short jaunt a pied to Market delivered up to the Octavia Piano Bar (not sure what’s it’s actually called, but something with Octavia in the name). The other ladies noticed a skinny man with an amazing Jew-fro smoking outside; he didn’t fit in. The mystery was quickly solved when he sat down at the piano to serenade us with “we’re in the money.” Yeah right.
Fortunately, that didn’t last long. Another pianist (this time with wavy hair) took the seat and played show tunes that I didn’t know (is that possible??!) while kids from the local performing arts high school took the stage to amaze us with their vocal stylings. I have had the misfortune to have watched a couple episodes of American Idol recently, and Simon would have found something profoundly insulting to say to each of these kids. They WERE super cute. Shanti pointed out that her sister, who is now a super amazing performer, was pretty bad at 15 too. We ate; the food was fine. I would go there again. The City doesn’t have enough piano bars.
From there, we joined the relevant boys (and a whole lot of irrelevant ones) at Place Pagale (unlike the Jets and the Sharks, we could actually enjoy the same divvy, smokers’ bar). Marshall was RULING the pool table, and the rest of us sat around and bantered until he got sick of all the bad players there and quit. However, that’s where the blissful unity ended, and the remaining ladies went for a crepe (I, on the other hand, had more fries) while the gentlemen for pizza, down the block.
Why am I telling you this? Well, of course, cuz it was fun. It might even happen again someday.
Friday, February 03, 2006
Art Thursday
Last night, we went to the gallery opening receptions in downtown San Francisco. Every first Thursday, many galleries are open late to show their art and often serve wine and maybe a snack. We made it to 2 buildings, but one of them had so many galleries that we could have stayed there nearly forever (or died first).
The first gallery, Paule Anglim, had huge blow-ups of historic photographs from the National Archive. I don’t know what the criteria for selecting the photos was, but it appeared to me to be the most boring images the artist (Roloff) could find. Maybe it isn’t my field of interest, but I just didn’t find anything to look at. They also had a collection of contour drawings by Ala Ebtekar of male standing figures in various stances overlapping each other. They all seemed to be the same guy, with the same body, in different clothes and slightly different positions. He never had a face, but sometime he had a hat. The piles of figures were positioned at odd places on the page, sometimes small in a corner of a big page, but never centered or taking up much of the blank white.
Earlier yesterday, my figure drawing teacher, Diane Olivier, spent some time talking about the importance of line weight in contour drawings – how much you can communicate just by changing the thickness or darkness or presence of the figure’s outline. Ebtekar’s drawings were clearly not really about sensitivity to the human form, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he didn’t vary his line weight to express himself. I never figured out what his point was anyway.
We saw A LOT of art, and while, amazingly, I remember much of it. I am not going to try to describe it all. Instead, I want to talk about the things I saw that struck me. I don’t necessarily remember the name of the gallery or the artist. Someone had collected gauzy dresses and then encased them into a kind of clear mould the size of a Frisbee but thicker, like soap. The gallery displayed these by placing the pucks on the floor with the skirt flowing outward in every direction. It looked neat because the dresses were pretty and complicated, but I have no idea how buyers would display this art in their homes.
Another artist had persuaded various people to take off their clothes (to varying degrees) in fields/woods/nature and then had taken photographs of them and printed them in large squares. The best ones had wet naked women, I thought, but there was something cool about those portraits sharing the wall with similar ones of fat old men. I mean, one thing I have learned from my figure drawing class (where I see a different naked body every TTh) is that every body is beautiful and that there is no one perfect body – even the “best” are all different from each other. The viewer learned something about the person shown from each portrait although I was never exactly sure what.
I nearly didn’t make it thru printmaking earlier today. My plate wasn’t looking how I wanted, and I had left some of my other prints at home to watercolor on (an assignment and a good idea). So, I didn’t really want to do anything I had there to do, but I stayed the struggled thru anyway. Drawing, yesterday morning, went well, and maybe I will post a link to view my new drawings if I can manage to upload them. I’m getting pretty good.
It’s February, and I need to get my act together. Once Harry Potter 6 is finished, that will clear up a lot of time. Here are some goals for the month:
· Apply for grants for CG project
· Put together portfolio (and begin to circulate?)
· Make art
· ALC training and fundraising (donate here, it’s tax deductible: https://www.aidslifecycle.org/donate/form.cfm?n=2012)
· Yoga 1x/week
· Fun stuff with friends (see art, hike, sketch, etc.)
That should keep me pretty busy, but when you next talk to me, feel free to ask how I’m doing on those. I need all the encouragement I can get.
The first gallery, Paule Anglim, had huge blow-ups of historic photographs from the National Archive. I don’t know what the criteria for selecting the photos was, but it appeared to me to be the most boring images the artist (Roloff) could find. Maybe it isn’t my field of interest, but I just didn’t find anything to look at. They also had a collection of contour drawings by Ala Ebtekar of male standing figures in various stances overlapping each other. They all seemed to be the same guy, with the same body, in different clothes and slightly different positions. He never had a face, but sometime he had a hat. The piles of figures were positioned at odd places on the page, sometimes small in a corner of a big page, but never centered or taking up much of the blank white.
Earlier yesterday, my figure drawing teacher, Diane Olivier, spent some time talking about the importance of line weight in contour drawings – how much you can communicate just by changing the thickness or darkness or presence of the figure’s outline. Ebtekar’s drawings were clearly not really about sensitivity to the human form, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he didn’t vary his line weight to express himself. I never figured out what his point was anyway.
We saw A LOT of art, and while, amazingly, I remember much of it. I am not going to try to describe it all. Instead, I want to talk about the things I saw that struck me. I don’t necessarily remember the name of the gallery or the artist. Someone had collected gauzy dresses and then encased them into a kind of clear mould the size of a Frisbee but thicker, like soap. The gallery displayed these by placing the pucks on the floor with the skirt flowing outward in every direction. It looked neat because the dresses were pretty and complicated, but I have no idea how buyers would display this art in their homes.
Another artist had persuaded various people to take off their clothes (to varying degrees) in fields/woods/nature and then had taken photographs of them and printed them in large squares. The best ones had wet naked women, I thought, but there was something cool about those portraits sharing the wall with similar ones of fat old men. I mean, one thing I have learned from my figure drawing class (where I see a different naked body every TTh) is that every body is beautiful and that there is no one perfect body – even the “best” are all different from each other. The viewer learned something about the person shown from each portrait although I was never exactly sure what.
I nearly didn’t make it thru printmaking earlier today. My plate wasn’t looking how I wanted, and I had left some of my other prints at home to watercolor on (an assignment and a good idea). So, I didn’t really want to do anything I had there to do, but I stayed the struggled thru anyway. Drawing, yesterday morning, went well, and maybe I will post a link to view my new drawings if I can manage to upload them. I’m getting pretty good.
It’s February, and I need to get my act together. Once Harry Potter 6 is finished, that will clear up a lot of time. Here are some goals for the month:
· Apply for grants for CG project
· Put together portfolio (and begin to circulate?)
· Make art
· ALC training and fundraising (donate here, it’s tax deductible: https://www.aidslifecycle.org/donate/form.cfm?n=2012)
· Yoga 1x/week
· Fun stuff with friends (see art, hike, sketch, etc.)
That should keep me pretty busy, but when you next talk to me, feel free to ask how I’m doing on those. I need all the encouragement I can get.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Happiness
I was just listening to a program on Happiness on Forum. Here are 3 interesting ideas I heard:
1) To be happy, one needs something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.
2) There is a strong genetic component of mood.
3) "Flow" -- do something not too difficult that it's frustrating but not too easy that it's boring.
1) To be happy, one needs something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.
2) There is a strong genetic component of mood.
3) "Flow" -- do something not too difficult that it's frustrating but not too easy that it's boring.
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