15 Jan 2010

Earlier this week - the 13th to be exact - I mentioned some art (a representation of a run down hotel for men) that made an impression on me. An inquiry to the National Gallery of Art has led to its identification. It's entitled "Sollie 17" by Edward Kienholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz. The reason why I couldn't find it on the NGofA page was because the work is located in the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Whoops!

A descriptive page is here, and a photo of the interior is here. I'm glad I found this - I didn't understand that the three men in the room are representations of the same man at different points in time. That makes more sense. But I have to admit, I don't understand the title... "Sollie 17?"

From the write-up: "They created this installation to convey the isolation and defeat of aging alone in America. ... Sollie 17 offers a voyeuristic glimpse into a life of solitary despair. It elicits sympathy, fear, and questions for a society that leaves its elderly to sit and wait for death." The artists succeeded!

Have you ever heard of an "interrobang?" It's a combination of a question mark and an exclamation mark, used in a sentence like "You did what (interrobang)." I stumbled across it yesterday while idly scanning wikipedia articles about California English (and freeway nomenclature) and up-talking. That's the fun thing about wikipedia - you find one topic of interest which leads you to others, and others, etc.

I came across this quote yesterday while waiting for my Acai Energizer to be prepared in a Robek's: "A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up." - Albert Schweitzer. It has the ring of truth.

In an ongoing effort to keep from getting used up, I am again attending a concert at the Kennedy Center today; a matinee performance at 1:30. The highlight of it is Sibelius' Second Symphony, arguably his most successful symphony and one I have liked ever since I was a teen. I'll also get to see Emanuel Ax bang away at the house Steinway in Beethoven's 2nd Piano Concerto.

I finished the living room floor last night - it looks great! Best of all, my spouse is happy with it. But in order to finish I had to drop by a church friend's house; he owns a table saw and ripped eight boards for me. Afterwards I got to play his wife's Yamaha parlor grand - a very nice instrument! I am now unsure of which I like better, the sound of the Kawai or the sound of the Yamaha. My piano listening tour continues.

As a result of my evening workload installing hardwood flooring, my teacher and I agreed upon a somewhat lighter load and a less frequent schedule. This week I have a modern pedal piece called chimes-or-bells-something-or-another, which requires my left hand to bounce across octaves from bass to treble keys. It's fun to play. I also have another church hymn and a third of a two page Sonatina.

A delayed Christmas present shipment came from amazon.com yesterday: The Lego Book. It is fabulous; the last word on those fascinating little plastic bricks. I got my first set in 1965 and, looking back, Lego bricks were the best toys I ever had as a child. With them I made cameras, 007 spy gear, Star Trek equipment, cities, guns, the Green Hornet's garage, underwater exploration vehicles, The Mighty Thor, high towers, free form mechanical contraptions and whatever else suited my imagination. Even better, I hauled 'em out years later and played with them with my son. (My daughters had Lego sets just for them, with distinctly feminine brick colors and designs.) What a marvellous toy!

Back in Beautiful Downtown Burbank, I found images of Dr. David Burbank's parents! His father looks like an elderly Ray Milland.

Have a great three day weekend!

---