Thursday Thirteen

Brought to you weekly by the lovely Leanne. Go visit her blog - which is gorgeous, by the way - and play along. Who knows? You might meet some very interesting folks over there...

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1. There have been maybe ten people a day roaming the office this week. And that's probably on the generous side. But it's been nice and quiet. I'm enjoying getting a few things done, without rushing around like a madwoman. Bodes well for the year ahead, I like to think.

2. I love soup. Any kind of soup. I could eat soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, I've been known to eat soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not often, but more than once. Hey! Guess what we had for dinner? No soup for you!

3. We watched a show on PBS last night called Imagining America. I wanted to tune in because they were featuring a few of my favorite artists. Half way through, I was reminded why I hate book clubs. I don't like to intellectualize my art. Or have others attempt to intellectualize it for me. I want to enjoy the art - be it painting, writing, sculpture, film, whatever - for what I take away from it, not for what someone else has deemed I should take away from it.

4. And? I really hate being made to feel less than intelligent when I just don't get the "real meaning" of a thing as fluid and open as art, as defined by another's studious interpretation. And, even more, I really hate that I do feel that way when talked down to from the gratingly snobbish tip of an academician's artistically bent nose. Tell me your impressions, sure. Don't tell me what I'm "supposed" to think.

5. There is no greater high in my life right now than the last three minutes on the treadmill at the end of my workout. The first thirty-seven minutes can mostly go to hell. But the last three? I live for them.

6. My husband received a satellite radio system for Christmas. The tag read, "With love, Mrs. Claus." As soon as I figure out who that is (heehee), I need to send her a thank-you note. I can log in to it at work and listen to the best music, all day long. They have one channel called the Super Shuffle. You never know what you're going to hear. Could be Emenim. Could be Julie Andrews. Could be Keller Williams. Could be Martina McBride. Could be a little Coletrane. You just don't know. It's phenomenal. Seriously.

7. I haven't seen Scott in two days.

8. On purpose.

9. Don't worry. His dad has been keeping tabs.

10. Jessi got two very nice bonuses from her boss upon her return to work. One, just like everyone else in her department. The second? Confidential, for outstanding performance, above and beyond. Yes, I was proud of her. But also? A little relieved. I'm taking this to the bank as proof I did *something* right along the parental path.

11. Speaking of taking it to the bank, can you believe she refused to give me part of that loot to pay off Scott's theft? It sounded like a good plan to me.

12. We've pretty much decided to stay home and watch the Sugar Bowl on TV. But we've still got our hotel rooms. Just in case.

13. We are, however, considering a trip to Richmond for New Year's Eve. Some good friends from back in our Virginia days are having a bash and invited us to come stay with them for the event. We might. Or we might not. But it sure is nice to have options. And good friends from back in the day, for that matter.

Comments

[MommaK]

We stayed home last night and loved it. :) Happy New Year!!

BTW - I am with you on the soup & treadmill high. Those are 2 of my favorite things.

[FTS]

I used to buy pictures to hang on my wall just to take up space. I tossed all of those years ago, and now I only buy something when it moves me. I have three nice ones now: a litho of a Manet paiting, a watercolor I bought at Scarborough Faire, and a color pencil skecth I won during the bidding at an estate sale.

Heck if I know what each artist was trying to say, but I know each piece spoke to me. ;)

[Ocean]

Happy New Year! :o) I loved the soup nazi guy from "Seinfeld". Hilarious! Everything is subjective... we all have our own minds... :o)

[dorothy]

What a bad teacher. Feh. I had one or two of those for writing teachers, myself, which is partly why I think it took me to my 30's to get serious about creative writing.

Art history and art criticism are very different things. Seems like your teacher didn't think out her assignment, and she certainly didn't give you enough of a context/background for you to write something that would do that with your Wyeth piece, or enough discussion of form and style to allow you to write about those issues. So you wrote a reaction piece, which I 'm sure was excellent.

[Jennifer]

The show itself was actually pretty good. I learned. I did! The bits with O'Keefe and Pollock were especially nice, as I'd never seen those particular interviews before.

However.

There was one lady who reminded me of the first and only art professor I ever had in college. There was a special installation of American artists at a musuem in our college town. She took us and walked us through witout any lecture and with few words whatsoever. She then invited us to pick a painting and write an essay on what it, and the artist, was saying. I picked an Andrew Wyeth, and excitedly penned an essay describing in fine detail how it spoke to me, that day.

She returned it with a 'D' and this note: You have completely missed the point here.

When I saw that lady on the tube Wednesday night, the old bile came right back up the old esophagus.

The history of art is fascinating. The visions of artists as told in their own words incredible. Having a narrow definition of a work of art dictated to the observer is unforgivable.

One girl's opinion, based on one long ago slight. What can I say. I guess I hold grudges better than I thought. LOL

[dorothy]

So was it O'Keefe? And what were they saying about her that got to you?

[colleen]

Maybe we'll go out and dance to the Kind...a Greatful Dead type band. I don't really like to go out but I love to dance...since everyone above was telling what they're doing for New Years Eve... But sometimes I like to make plans just so I can cancel them and then feel relieved to be home.

[Shelli]

I totally can agree with the art analyzers. It is annoying because people have different opinion and if you don't have the same one, you are made to feel idiotic.

[kenju]

I will be babysitting 4 of my grandkids on New Year's Eve, but it is just as well. The older I get the less likely I am to want to go out at night and I never thought I would reach that point!

[terrilynn]

I have a hot date with my six-almost-seven year old on New Year's Eve. This will be his first time staying up (or trying to) until midnight. We're going to watch my new Wizard of Oz DVD.

Big doings, I tell you what.