WH Press Briefing March 20, 2008

Well that was weird, I posted this a few days ago and it just popped in, three times. I think I've straighted it out. I'll let it speak for it's self. I hate Cheney, this current administration, and anyone else who thinks they can bamboozle the American people. (If you can use "bamboozle in three different conversations today, you will the grand prize.)

Who or what is art?

Question: Is that Art?
Answer: No, he only looks like your cousin, Arthur.

Question: Is that art?
Answer: Who the hell can answer that!

Being at the Getty Center I'm exposed to a wide range of art. Even though we are better know for our painting collection, the 9th through the 19th century, we've collected much more in the ten years the Center has been open and have some modern pieces. For one, the photo collection has grown immensely and now includes some prints from 2006, Luc Delehaye. We also have some very contemporary exhibits like the new works of Tim Hawkingson which seemed a big hit last year.

Sometimes I look at different art movements and wonder if the artist thinks, "… wink, wink, let's just slap some color on a canvas, add a huge price tag and pass it off as art to prove these suckers will buy anything with a famous name attached." But, I like Richard Serra's fluid bands of steel and Chuck Close's portraits. Can't understand conceptual or performance art.

All of this art is making my head swim. How to look at it, how to appreciate it, how to understand it. I found a website that does explain some of the art movements, Modern Art
but does little to help how to understand it. None the less, if you too are confused about what is art, check this site.

So why the angst? California Video is just open at the Getty Center and even though I'm not crazy about the exhibit it is the very beginning of an art movement assembled together to view and study. This experimental venture into video did not exist before 1968 and continues today with a piece created for the show. In 100 years people will look at this collection and because the Getty Center has conserved this block of work and will be able to see it from it's inception. I do have to remind myself how the Impressionist movement was quite radical during it's time.

Check the website for the exhibit California Video and you might find something that inspires you, or puzzles you, or just starts a conversation about art. And maybe that's what the artist wanted in the first place.

Does everyone have an idiot uncle, too?

Is your hate well placed with Obama's minister? What about Jerry Falwell's diatribe about immorality and anti-Christian's being responsible for 9-11? If you want to hate someone we've got plenty to hate. I hate the current administration for dragging us into this now five-year war costing four thousand American lives and one-half a trillion dollars. Imagine the country spending that amount of money here on education, infrastructure, or jobs. Someone has gotten rich on this conflagration and it isn't the soldiers fighting there, nor I doubt, the inhabitants of Iraq.

Two of my uncles are such bigots I wouldn't walk across the street to visit them let along fly to Indiana. Why? Because I don't care about them. They fill their lives with such hate it doesn't matter what else they do, they don't exist to me. What I've found about myself is I'm an "insulationsist." I keep close people who believe pretty much the same as I do. That might be wrong but it keeps me happy. I've long since tried to change anyone. They are who they are but I don't have to be around them. So, if I bust your chops for something you've said to offend me, consider yourself a friend.

As the elbow turns

Of course regulars here know I've just recently broken my wrist. Actually, a fracture of the distal radial which sounds so much more official. It has been four weeks and today I saw the Dr for another round of x-rays. It is healing nicely but at least two more weeks in the brace and as much physical therapy. I am looking forward to the therapy because after four weeks of not using my right hand it's as week as a hand in a cast for a long time; or maybe a kitten.

All this non-use of my right hand has caused my tennis elbow to flare up, again. My darling Dr. shot me up with something wonderful, well, for the time being. He told me it would feel good long enough for me to get home and far enough from him because in an hour it would start to hurt real bad and he didn't want to be anywhere near me. Smart guy. So he suggested to go home and take some drugs that way I wouldn't hate him. How could I hate this guy.

And, here is a little fun since I'm feeling a bit drugged, Loldogs.


see more loldogs are funny dog pictures!

Chilling

Twenty years ago on March 16, planes flew over the village of Halabja in Northern Iraq and dropped bombs loaded with the chemicals, tabun, sarin, VX, and sulfer mustard, killing over 5,000 Kurdish men, women and children. Some how being treated with crappy customer service doesn't seem so bad to me.

This info is from a blog called "can of worms." For your edification, class, please read his blog.

Prostitution, a victimless crime?

Are you f-ing kidding me? I am sick and damn tired of hearing some people say, "Why can't you just look the other way about this Call Girl thing ? It's just prostitution and who actually gets hurt. "

Who gets hurt? You think some 24 year old woman decides she has a knack and on a whim puts in an application. Most of the time it's a choice of last resort or, something like this in New York. Have a twelve-year-old daughter/granddaughter? Here's a quote from the article.

Authorities said Davis forced a 12-year-old girl to be a sex slave in 2005, confining her to a house in New York and transporting her to Connecticut to work up to 12 hours a day as a prostitute. He also was accused of recruiting a 17-year-old girl in 2006 with the promise of a cheap apartment, but when she arrived, investigators say Davis took away her cell phone and locked her in an apartment.

The bastard, in this case, got 23 years but don't think he was the only one doing this. There's big money and a whole lot of greed involved.

Human trafficking doesn't just happen in third-world countries it happens here in your neighborhood. Ever go to Craig'slist? In one recent case, two Chicago women were charged for selling girls as young as 14 years old on Craigslist. The girls were forced to have sex with 10-12 men per day, and the traffickers made tens of thousands of dollars.

Still think it's a victimless crime? Next time you think that way also try to envision your niece, daughter, granddaughter in that situation.

Meet some of our new feathered friends

This IS a chicken. I had to post this photo that sister Doodles took when we visited the Poultry Show in Bakersfield last weekend. You can read her post for more pix. We got a lesson on fine feathered birds and met some very nice people. None as fancy as this gal, though.

Von's Supermarket-agita for life

Agita, a perfect word in Italian to describe my feelings for my local Von's supermarket. Customer service isn't the perfunctory, Didyoufindeverythingyouwerelookingfortoday? Customer service is where you say to the customer, "I'm sorry you had to come back to the store to correct OUR mistake." I hope we can serve you better next time you return." And of course, this is spoken looking directly at the customer with some sort of, albeit fake, sincerity.

I don't shop at Von's because they have the lowest prices or a sparkling clean market, far from it. I go there because it is the closest option in my many options to by food.

My checker, trying to get done with the day, was so quick to ring me up she forgot to give me a substantial discount on a product I'd purchased, $9.65. I did think my bill was a bit high and putting my groceries into my trunk I noticed the mistake. If it had been any less, I swear, I'd have just gone home but I was irritated by her actions in the first place.

After I waited in the Customer Service line the guy looked at the receipt, looked at the ham, walked to the cash register and gave me my change. No apology, no smile, no kiss-my-ass-I-hate-all-you-people. He then stood there and watched me struggle to put the ham back in my bag. I still do have a broken wrist and a noticeable brace on my right arm. I had to ask for his help.

Mistakes happen, I'm well aware of that, and I'll even go so far as to say I should have been paying a bit more attention as she checked me out but for the love of all that's good, would it have killed them to be a little more cheerful?

Baking in Bako; no, not so much

Back from a few more days of camping. This time it was Bakersfield. Great weather as long as you don't breathe too deep. Yeah, not one of my favorites but favorite people were visited so it's all good. The Gypsy Caravan has settled into that section of the central valley until mid-May when they start their trip North to Alaska. If you sang the song; give yourself five points.

We did have fun; the fellas spent three days at the Nostalgia Drags, sister and moi antiqued, shopped, ate and I gave her the fifty cent tour of good ole Bakersfield.

My wrist is healing but still cumbersome to get things done. I did enjoy the rest for my wrist. We only cooked one night and darling sister did those duties. Now it's back to the real world.

I still owe a post on the previous camping trip to Ventura. We had a ball and I actually do have some snaps so watch for an up coming post.