If THIS is art, what ISN'T?

Is this really art, some woman gnawing her way through apartment walls for a conceptual "art" project with the LMAK galleries in Chelsea, NY. Whatever. It reminded me of a piece (if it can be called that) I saw at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago a couple years ago. The "artist" had bought several hundred old photographs from garage sales and estate sales. Some were of family vacations, others were candid shots, or school portraits etc. The photos were all pinned to the wall in a space about 10 feet by 8 feet, but with the picture side turned into the wall so only the white backs faced the viewer. That was it. The artist didn't even come to the gallery to arrange the photos; the gallery workers put up the entire "piece". There obviously was no right or wrong way to pin each photo other than to make sure the picture couldn't be seen. What is the friggin' point of such "art"? Conceptual art is for "artists" who can't create real art, but can't write either. They're like the million and one wannabe script writers that haunt hollywood saying they have a great idea for a movie they just need someone to help them write it. Right. Anyone can have an idea, but getting the idea on paper in such a way that people want to read it or into a physical piece of art that doesn't suck is what separates the wannabes from the pro's. Most conceptual artists are just wannabes.

Eason Jordan and Sharon Stone?

I just read this from Jay Nordlinger's Impromptus column for NRO:

"Hang on, did you read in the gossip pages that Eason Jordan has wound up with SS (I'm speaking of the actress, not Germans)? Not a bad deal for having offended his way out of CNN."

My first thought: Is Sharon Stone a masochist? Eason Jordan is probably in full fulmination mode right now. I can just imagine the two of them together. Jordan whining and moaning about how unfair it was that he had to resign because of tenacious no-name bloggers oblivious to the beautiful, glamorous woman by his side. How galling to be taken down by nobodies! He moping and pouting replaying the moment in Davos when he stated what he thought was an obvious fact even if it couldn't be proven with evidence, her whispering and cooing about what a powerful and great man he was (no, is, she meant is!) soothing his ego making him feel like a man again (or ever). ACK! What was she thinking?! Is it method acting? Perhaps she's preparing for a part.

Brouhaha in Central Park: the Gates

Apparently you either love the Gates or you hate them. I'm impressed that Christo and Co. footed the entire bill of $21 million! I'm not a fan of conceptual art, but I do appreciate that Christo and Jean-Claude did not feel compelled to bloviate on the "meaning" of their orange gates. They simply said you need to experience them. I will never "experience" the Gates, but I must admit that I like the idea of large, colorful structures arching over the footpath. Like much of their other work, I find it whimsical. If I lived in New York and had to endure its harsh and dismal winters, I'd like a bit of color in my park to perk me up. Is it necessary? No, but then most art isn't. Does it need to have a purpose or meaning to be enjoyed? I don't think so. However, I read this quote in city-journal by Myron Magnet:

"The opposite of cheerful, the gates are oppressive, claustrophobic, even on a brilliant winter Sunday. They crowd as inescapably together as riot police, and are just as lumpish in their inelegant proportions and angular profiles. Like the riot police’s plastic shield and shiny helmets, their materials proclaim Industrial Man’s brute mastery over the elements, producing by unimaginably powerful forces, in white-hot furnaces and giant petrochemical vats that only legions of technicians could design and run, the steel and nylon that shoulders aside the trees and sky."

Now this description seems a bit overwrought, but after reading it I looked at the photos of the Gates again and I understand his point. They do look like lumbering robots draped with frippery to soften their hard edges. So maybe the execution wasn't as successful as it could have been, but would Mr. Magnet be happier if the Gates were in the Art Nouveau style? They wouldn't match his criticism above then. So is the problem with how the gates were built, or with the very idea of having colorful Gates trail the footpath? If it's the former, then I would agree. However if it's the latter, then I think it's much fuss over nothing and only shows a lack of imagination. However, if the very IDEA of the Gates is that they should be bulky behemoths so as to make us feel small and oppressed, then I too would say Kick Christo Out!

A Little Red in the Face

IMG_0184
Originally uploaded by heliotrope.

That's me in the bottle.

We Live in Exciting Times

I love this quote from Michael Ledeen in Nation Review Online:

"Thus, the great force of the democratic revolution is now in collision with the firmly rooted tyrannical objects in Tehran, Damascus, and Riyadh. In one of history's fine little ironies, the "Arab street," long considered our mortal enemy, now threatens Muslim tyrants, and yearns for support from us. That is our immediate task."

America is on the right side of history in supporting freedom and democracy in countries currently oppressed by dictators or tyrannical oligarchies. Regardless if we're ultimately successful in helping form long-term democracies, the process of shaking up the middle east was alone worth it. How was it advantageous for us or the oppressed people to accept the status quo? They were tyrannized and we were terrorized. Something had to change. At least now, the Iraqi, Afghani, and (hopefully soon) the Iranian people have a chance at something different. As President Bush has said, freedom is not a western concept but is yearned for by all those under oppression. The desire for freedom is not culturally bound. However, they need to accept responsibility for the opportunity that has been presented to them. America cannot make the tough decisions for these people or force them to value the same things we do such as free speech, rule of law, open business practices and fiscal accountability etc. The new "Arab Street" must determine what they want their future to look like, and their vision will lead to a brighter more hopeful system of government, or it will lead to more of the same.

David Horowitz Rocks!

David Horowitz has created a powerful tool for learning about the key people, players, and organizations of the political left at his new website Discover The Network. Ever wonder who is buying the Democratic Party? Curious about who funds all those lefty causes? Puzzled why someone would want to DEFEND Saddam Hussein? Look no further, for the answers are all here in one helpful location. Check it out!

Free Cuba from Castro

The Perfect Pot (tea that is)

Every tea must have lovely pots to showcase the leaves which is why these pots are fabulous. Mst if not all are made in Germany, which is fantastic since they make sturdy durable pots. I would love to have the wagenfeld special at a mere (!) $94. For that price, it better last long enough for me to bequeath it to the next generation!

Tea for me

I love tea. It has more refinement than coffee not only in taste but also in its rituals. Going through the ritual of boiling the water, choosing the tea, picking the pot, steeping the leaves, to finlly sipping the fragrant brew helps me transition from the stress of traffic and work to the tranquility of home. This Saturday I'm creating a Valentines Tea for some special friends. On the menu: shortcake biscuits, strawberries and lime curd, asparagus quiche, green apple and brie on pumpernickle, chocolate raspberry tart, lemon cake, and miniature pecan pies with whipped cream. Accompanying this feast of delicacies is a superb Blueberry /Pomegranate loose leaf tea (I abhor the bag!). Of course this menu was completely different yesterday and will probably change an hour before the guests arrive. I rarely bake although it's something I love to do, which is why I put on teas. It gives me the chance to try new recipes, but unfortunately that means I'm baking test cases (and realizing the result is not teaworthy) when I should be baking the done deal. All of which means that I'm baking until midnight on Fridays and slathering sandwiches up until the guests arrive. It's all part of the MO of a procrastinator i.e. me.

ChickenPieShop1

ChickenPieShop1
Originally uploaded by heliotrope.

A step back into the early seventies including the wait staff, this pie shop's specialty is the chicken pot pie. But from what I tasted, I don't know how they got famous for their pot pies, unless their fame is for being awful. Granted it was real chicken meat, but the crust was anything but flaky and the sauce was mostly a goopy cornstarchy slop. Still, I ate all but the last bite. And yes, I'd go back 'cause where else can you get soup AND salad, dinner roles that will remind you of your high school caf, the entree with potato of your choice, AND dessert for $6? Exactly.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Free Tibet

I recently saw the above bumper sticker on a Volvo and it got me to thinking. This is such a lefty trendy cause, but one that I totally agree with. In fact the website freetibet.com states, "Free Tibet Campaign stands for the Tibetans' right to determine their own future. It campaigns for an end to the Chinese occupation of Tibet and for the Tibetans' fundamental human rights to be respected." Nothing to disagree with there. So why am I fussing about this? Because the same people who put Free Tibet bumber stickers on their cars for the ostensible reason that they believe in human rights and self-determiniation, don't believe it applies to other countries such as Iraq (under Hussein) Lebanon (invaded by Syria), Cuba, or North Korea. In the case of these countries, bumper sticker liberals are just fine with tyrranical dictators marching in, occupying the land, and killing off its inhabitants. There are no protest marches for these people's fundamental human rights. When was the last time ANSWER protested Castro or lil' Kim of North Korea?

Dates to Remember during the War on Terror

These are important dates to remember as we approach the next presidential election. The War on Terror may have begun after September 11, 2001, but it's obvious that war had been declared against America long before that date. The War on Terror was a delayed response to a decade of violence against America and Americans throughout the world.

Nov 12, 2001: American Airlines Airbus Flight 587 crashed shortly after takeoff from Kennedy International Airport. Al Queda claims responsibility.

Sept 11, 2001: Airline Terrorism
8:45a American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into North Tower of World Trade Center
9:03a United Airlines Flight 175 crashes into South Tower of World Trade Center
9:43a American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into Pentagon
10:10a United Airlines Flight 93 crashes in Somerset, PA

Oct 12, 2000: Bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen

Oct 31, 1999: Intentional crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 off the coast of Massachusetts

Aug 7, 1998: Bombing of US Embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaalm, Tanzania

July 17, 1996: TWA Flight 800 shot down off of Long Island

June 25, 1996: Bombing of Khobar Towers in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

April 19, 1995: Oklahoma City bombing of Murrah Federal Building

Oct 3, 1993: Mogadishu, Somalia Clan leader Mohamed Aidid backed by Osama bin Laden

Feb 26, 1993: 1st World Trade Center bombing

Diary

I don't work. Not really. I show up to a job. But what I do there just doesn't seem like work. I don't mean that in the sense of I-love-my-job-so-much-that-it-doesn't-seem-like-work-but-a-privelege blah, blah, blah.

I'm the manager of a client services dept. That's right, I'm in middle management. The unknown cogs of thousands of corporations. The glue that holds companies together. The daily drones that are satisfied with a regular paycheck and the respect of their coworkers.

It's not a bad job or a bad company. I enjoy the people I work with and I have a good boss who is a little crazy. But there are days

diary

I've been driving Steve's '64 Falcon the last couple of days since he needs to commute to Claremont using the Jetta. I like driving the beast since I can cruise and look cool doing it. Heads turn to stare. Usually because I'm blocking traffic in my attempt to parallel park the tank. Steve thinks it's hilarious I think of the falcon as a tank since in its day it was a wee little thing, a compact car. I like at least three, preferrably four, feet in front and back when I park so I don't spend seven minutes, of back and forth stop and go with a whole lotta wheel cranking, exiting the spot.

I totally forget about traffic, speed, and all the other annoyances of traffic in the wee thing since I can't go above 60mph on the freeway. If I drive through Griffith park, I'm only going about 35mph, pefect cruising speed. Gives me the chance to take in my surroundings, like the dessicated geezer on a ten speed who looked like he needed an IV connected to him so that every ounce of energy expended in pedaling was immediately restored with life sustaining fluids. If he fell off his bicycle he could easily be mistaken for roadkill since his flesh looked as if maggots had already made inroads and were simply waiting to finish the job. He was really that gross looking. I audibly gasped when I saw him and as shiver ran through me. Ok, so the shiver was an exaggeration, but the gasp of horror was not.

But alas, we're selling the Falcon since it's impractical for city driving, freeway driving, and almost all forms of driving that are not on deserted country lanes. Besides, we're paranoid that another lunatic will hit the poor thing and mangle its rear end sending us into debt simply to make it pretty again. We cannot handle the heartache. She's been a sweet thing to Steve for the last TEN years. He's been with that car longer than with me. But we've only been together for three (maybe four if you count the confusing "what are we?" months) so that doesn't mean much.

The lady has class and style and that's why its hard to sell her. We're downgrading to a peasant in comparison.


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diary

Came home from a grueling day at work: six and half hours spent prowling the web for articles, weblogs, nused cars, cheap airline tickets etc., one hour spent working (i.e. opening and closing files on my desktop), half an hour spent wandering around the building chatting to other employees trying to sniff out new gossip about recent layoffs and resignations.

Ate a nutritious dinner of three spoonfuls of homemade chocolate frosting, chased down with a handful of saltine crackers. I figure I always have tomorrow to eat the fruits and vegetables.

Started reading the book Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists which promises to be interesting, promptly fell asleep after the first two pages with the windows open to the lulling sounds of rush hour traffic outside our living room window.

Awoke for a moment positive someone was breaking into the apartment, but soon realized it was just the wind knocking over some papers. Changed napping scene to the relative quiet of the bedroom and napped for two hours.

Woke up as the sun was saying its final goodby at eight o' clock. My mouth had the feel and taste of a prepubescent boy's BO. Yes, that bad. Must be the combination of sugar and salt transmogrifies into alarming fuzzy mouth BO.

Husband came home from a hard night of surfing, fixed us a smooth cocktail of pineapple juice and berry flavored Sky vodka. Ah....this is living.


Good Night.

Insecticide

I was in the bathroom doing my business and staring at the floor when I noticed a dead cricket on the linoleum. Nothing noteworthy there, but.... This cricket was upside down and dead. I nudged him to make sure, and yep, definitely dead not simply in a stupor. No one stepped on him smooshing him into oblivion. He wasn't munched on by another insect eater. So, how did this little fellow die? The body was completely intact simply upside down and dead in a human's bathroom. Was he leaping for joy when a stroke struck and knocked him flat on his back? Did he crawl up the toilet, sip the bowl water and then keel over from the cleaner, doing a backflip off the rim? I have questions but no answers.

What's for dinner?

Parisian Whimsy

I finally got around to reading the Saturday edition of the Los Angeles Times. The front page story in the Calendar section was dominated by a photo in which the inhabitants of Paris were sunning themselves on a makeshift beach along the Seine. Apparently, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, a socialist, wanted to help the underserved who had either no time or no money to vacation at a real beach. Therefore, he recreated a beach on the banks of the Seine by closing off streets, trucking in 3000 tons of sand and palm trees and setting up volleyball courts and water venues for cooling off. What craziness! What whimsy! Kudos to Delanoe for his creativity.

Then I read the money quote.

The project was described as "a free populist event that cost the city 1.5 million euros". I may not be too bright, but I do know that something which costs the city millions of euros isn't exactly free. Afterall, where does a city usually get its money to spend on a "populist" event? Did I mention that the mayor is a socialist? That's right, he probably taxed the living snot out of the local citizens so he could then pronounce his little handout as free. If Delanoe was worried about poor people not being able to pay for a real vacation, why not decrease their taxes so they could keep more of their money and perhaps, spend it on a holiday to a real beach with a real ocean to get away from the all too real city?

Why do I have such a hostile reaction to the mayor's shindig? I don't mind when cities put on free events such as movies in the park, dancing at dusk, music at noon, what have you. Sometimes these events are paid for by the public through their taxes, and sometimes organizations or businesses fund the offerings. So why do I mind the beach bit? My hackels were raised by the Mayor's presumption that he was helping the underserved when the reality may be that he (and all his predecessors) has helped cause the condition by over taxation. My irritation is that the mayor isn't honest about who is really funding the "populist" event. If the populace was given the opportunity to choose which they would rather finance with their own funds, a getaway to a real beach or a lie down on a sandy Seine bank, where would all the people be?

I would appreciate the mayor's efforts more if the beach proposal was voted on by the people who were going to pay for it, or if it was touted as a publicity stunt to lure people into the city during the deadest part of summer, thus allowing the local businesses to increase their profits during a normally unproductive month. Instead, the joke is on the poor people who actually paid for the event and still believe they're getting something for nothing.

Dumb Kid

I know, I know, we shouldn't laugh at the pain of others, but heck, it's funny!