ladies who lunch

Middle of the day,

during the work week, no less,

are ladies who lunch.

Trying new food stores,

talking of art, vocation

and inspiration.

Refreshing the soul,

feeding the body and mind,

nourishing the depths.

Yes, luxurious,

but more rich than frivolous,

are ladies who lunch.

Filed under: Haiku

art gazing

After reading an article recently on what it looks like to be a consumer of art, I started to think more about my museum experiences. I’ve been privileged to have seen some of the world’s most famous pieces of art in some of the world’s most beautiful museums. But I’ve always been perplexed on how to really appreciate what I’m seeing. In places like the Met or the Louvre, there are numerous floors and wings of art seeking your attention. Other than the Mona Lisa, there was only one painting out of the hundreds I saw at the Louvre that I have a crisp memory of.

Probably, my favorite museum is the Musee Rodin. I think it resonates with me because it’s relatively small and focused. Whereas places like the Met or the Louvre are giant showcases with many collections, the Musee Rodin is focused on one artist and the variations of him and his craft. You see the sketches that led to the sculptures. And the sculptures that led to the final piece. I remember that museum well. The Kiss. The Thinker. The Gates. The Hands. The gardens.

One of the ways the author of the article really observed a piece of art was by trying to sketch it. I like that idea. It’s not about whether or not the sketch is good, but how it helps you to see details and subtleties of the piece you’re looking at, whether it’s art, architecture, or even people.

I’ve often thought that if I lived somewhere with a great museum, I’d go there often to just sit and stare. Yet, I’m reminded that there’s an art museum just down the street and another one just down the highway that I don’t spend time at. Maybe now’s the time for that to change.

Filed under: Art, in process

summer hours

Nine hours a day

earns an extra Friday off.

Ah, summer hours.

Filed under: Haiku

needless suffering

This weekend, Andy and I took on the project of replacing our thermostat. Since we arrived three years ago, we’ve never known the temperature inside the house or the temperature we were setting the heat or air conditioner. We’d give it a slight tap up or down depending on our desire for more or less heat. We were told when we moved in that replacing the thermostat was pretty easy to do and it would help our heating and cooling costs.

I was a little dubious that it would be as easy as the repairman said it would be with our ancient heating and cooling system in addition to the accompanying ancient thermostat. So, we never made any effort to fix it.

That was until Saturday when Andy was overcome with the desire to accomplish something and on a whim decided to replace the thermostat. We carefully removed the old mercury-filled thermostat and attached the new one without incident. And now it works! Here’s to the hope for lower utility bills!

Filed under: Around the house

ninety years of page turning

I’m reading a 1920 copy of GK Chesteron’s The Man Who Was Thursday. The book is small and hard covered. When I’m turning a page, the pages are so thick, I often think two pages are stuck together. The front cover has library return date stamps from the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s. As I hit page 135, I saw a stamp from 1940.

It made me imagine the sheer number of people who have read this copy over the last 90 years. How different the world was each time someone read the book. 2009 looks a lot different than 1970, 1940, and 1920. But it’s the same book, with same intriguing story that has drawn people into a different world.

How I would love to know about the lives of the other people who have read the book. I read mine on the couch. Did they read their’s in the parlor like Elizabeth Bennet? I’ll have to let my imagination answer those questions.

Filed under: Creativity

sunday evening haiku

A night of good food

filled with good conversation

ends as Monday comes.

Filed under: Haiku

new design

I’m not really sure I can call this a “new design” since I didn’t design it. I just picked it out among the list that WordPress provides. Perhaps it’s more of a “new look.” I’m not sure how I’m going to like not having a photo masthead, but I do like the three columns more than four.

Filed under: Creativity

how many is “a couple”?

Andy and I have been having this argument as to how many is “a couple.” For example, if I say, “I would like a couple of pancakes,” I mean that I want two. But Andy believes that “a couple” can be two or three. What do you think?

Filed under: The more you know

jonathan strange & mr. norrell

I’ve jumped (meaning I read a lot, but skimmed some too) through my second summer reading book: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I had more hope for the book than it delivered. For some reason, I kept reading all 800 pages, but am not sure if I knew how dissatisfied I would be at the end if I would have chosen to make the journey.

The story is of two magicians in 19th century England. One who wants to keep magic within his “safe” hands and the other who sees magic as something to be available to the masses. While the two quarrel about the appropriate role of magic in society, there are other people and beings choosing to use magic and the idea of magic for their own purposes.

The author also makes a good attempt to create an actual history of English magic within the context of true English history through lots of lengthy footnotes, that, for the most part I skipped. But the way she interwove magic into English life was actually quite convincing.

While the premise seemed interesting, I never felt invested in Jonathan Strange or Mr. Norrell, though there were secondary characters such as Lady Pole that I was more intrigued with. Unfortunately, when those storylines came to an end, my expectation to be able to peer deeper into the lives of the characters never happened. I didn’t walk away feeling like I learned something new about the world or people or saw the world in a different way. Rather it was a winding story that ended.

Filed under: Art

you know you’re on vacation when…

you’re wearing purple sandals with green socks, blue pants, a red shirt, and black sweater.

Filed under: Travel