What, Me Worry?

Busy in Redondo Beach. Yeah, that's Alfred E. Neuman overlooking the street.

So, I was driving down Artesia Blvd. in Redondo Beach. Sitting at a stop light by the South Bay Galleria, I notice high over the street an image of the Mad Magazine mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, on a sign that read "Simpin!"

I have no clue as to what it means. Nevertheless, I was charmed by the absurdity of the image and its unusual placement. It might be some type of local publicity campaign, maybe for a band or performer. I wonder why anyone would want to associate themselves with ol' Alfred.

In any case, I'll keep my eyes open for other images like this to share with you all.

A close-up view of the "Simpin!" sign with Alfred E. Neuman.

And while were on the topic of Mad Magazine. . .

Memorial Day

Old Glory blowing in the wind on Memorial Day

I'm not one for ostentatious display of patriotic sentiments, but the beauty of the Stars & Stripes billowing on a bright May day touches even my curmudgeon heart.

Best wishes to you all on this Memorial Day.

Short Side of Nothing

Creepy mirror-faced mannequin

Holiday weekend, tired, I got nothing.

But I can post up a quirky photo and link to some fine music. Since today marks twenty years that Los Lobos released their awesome album, Kiko, in 1992, let's have some dreams in blue or, if you'd rather, some lavender. ;-)

(As always, we love our fellow Angelenos here at Paideia).

Strange as Angels

Detail of album art for Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987) by The Cure

Well, it's another holiday weekend. I'd say that posting will be sporadic, but that wouldn't indicate much of a change. ;-)

A few weeks back, I wrote about my admiration for The Cure and their album, Pornography. However, the album about which I have the fondest memories is Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Today, May 25th, marks twenty-five years since it was released.

So, let's kick the weekend off with a brief trip back to 1987 and ask, "For how much longer can I howl into this wind?"

The Cure's album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, was released on May 25, 1987

"So when the hurting starts and when the nightmares begin. . ."

But There on the Shining Metal

Detail from Shield of Achilles (1821) by John Flaxman

Yeah, I'm still sick and tired. Feeling really awful today. . .

But it takes little effort to post a "Photo of the Day" and share a few words. ;-)

Anyways, I recently visited the Huntington Museum. I'm not a big fan of Neoclassicism, but I'm starting to develop a fondness. It still feels slightly inauthentic and pretentious, but the beauty wins me over. For instance, nothing can be more inflated in self-importance than Homeric pastiche, yet I can't help but appreciate this sculpture for its craftsmanship and lovely detail.

Hopefully, I'll get back to the Huntington sometime soon to snap a few more detailed images for you all. It's a real beauty, hidden away in the corner of one of the upper parlours.

Needs a Hit of Something Strong

Powerpuff Girls: Bubbles punches Fuzzy Lumpkins

Wow!!! I've been busy, but the past few days have brought with them a total energy crash. At first, I thought it was just the consequence of getting some exercise back into my daily routine. But I think there's something going unwell with my health.

I've had low-grade headaches for the past week. I'm constantly tired. My joints hurt, especially my elbows. Consequently, I've been in a sour mood, very irritable. Certainly, I try to keep a friendly demeanor, but recently it's been slipping a whole lot.

As regards blogging, I'm embarrassed by the lack of new material here at Paideia. I keep on hoping to visit some art galleries or celebrate some notable birth date. It's not like there hasn't been a whole lot of interesting things about which to write. I just haven't had the energy.

A detail of Bill Willingham's cover illustration for The Secret of Bone Hill (1981)

Oh well, maybe next week, after the Memorial Day Weekend, when I'm rested and recovered, or so I hope. ;-)

Friday Flowers: Jacaranda

Purple Jacaranda

Things are still going erratic here at the Casa de Paideia. ;-)

So, rather than skipping this week's Friday Flowers post, I figured we'd skip out on the poetry. Yeah, it's a bummer, but better than missing another week of botanical beauties. And their my favorite colors too!!!

If you're a native of SoCal, then you're probably already tired of these purple pretties. But not me!!! The darlin' jackies lift my heart whenever I see them.

Blue Jacaranda

"Te quiero por tus ojos de jacaranda en flor."

Bananas

Curious George, sitting in a tree.

No comment. ;-)

Yummy, bananas!!!

Enjoy!!!

Under the Power Lines

The bike path cuts through the north Redondo neighborhood, under the power lines.

After a long hiatus, I decided to put a bit of exercise into my daily schedule. Whew!!! Maybe I should hit the gym, where the nice air conditioning will keep my spirits up.

Well, I'm now exhausted. So, this will be another "Image of the Day" lazy Tuesday.

In choosing how I go about spending my blogging time, I focus on content generation, sharing my personal feelings about various cultural topics, putting up photos, and linking to relevant videos. I don't have sufficient time to community-building activities, like visiting other blogs and leaving frequent comments. Certainly, I enjoy many other blogs, but I don't like leaving "nice post"-style remarks. It feels slightly disingenuous and inauthentic, like chattering spam-lite.

Nevertheless, it is this type of blog browsing networking that leads to the development of a community. And, if I had a large community following, I could have a fun lazy post by writing, "A bike lane and power lines converge upon a power station. Thoughts?"

Oh well, I'm happy rambling to myself and my dozen readers. ;-)

Days of High Adventure!

Promotional image for Conan the Barbarian (1982) featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger

Lately, I've been doing the "Thirty years ago" celebrations in regards to music. But tonight we'll consider one of my favorite movies of the era, Conan the Barbarian. It's not high art; it has no profound message. It isn't even a good adaptation of the original source material, short stories written by Robert E. Howard.

Nevertheless, for a teenage boy enthralled by "Sword & Sorcery" fiction, it was adventure and excitement. With awesome fight scenes, sexy ladies, dark magics, and an epic soundtrack, it set my imagination on fire. An age undreamed of. . .

I never got around to seeing the 2011 remake. The '82 Conan might be dated in terms of production and effects, but the spirit still holds strong. And, always, there remained the discipline of steel. ;-)

Conan the Barbarian (1982) promotional poster by Renato Casaro

So, what is best in life?

2012 Weekly Wrap #11

Detail of She Wore a Black Bustier (1983) by Patrick Nagel

Well, this cycle was heavy on the music and 1980s flashbacks, but it was a fun set of posts. I definitely need to get more Art posts back into the mix. Hopefully, we'll check out a couple galleries and museums this upcoming week.

I feel a bit guilty that I didn't hit my requisite eleven posts earlier. I took off a few days out of general laziness. Oh well, we're still hitting a good pace for May. ;-)

Morticia Addams and the kids, Pugsley and Wednesday

Here's a run down of our posts:

Only two Art posts were part of this cycle. First, we looked at Goya's Third of May 1808 and considered the evils of warfare. Second, we visited the Bowers Museum and enjoyed the "Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands" exhibit. Good stuff!!!

As regards Music posts, we wrote up five! Two were thirty year celebrations for albums released in 1982, the Cure's Pornography and Duran Duran's Rio. Then we celebrated the birthday of Surf Rock legend, Dick Dale. Turning to classical music, we enjoyed some works by Johannes Brahms in commemoration of his birth date. Finally, we did an early posting of our Monthly Dance Party.

Friday Flowers brought us some French Lace roses and poetry by William Shakespeare. Our "Cinema and Television" post featured Yosemite Sam, the meanest, roughest, toughest hombre. . . Umm, on a personal note, I was beguiled by a beautiful vision of my local urban environment, transformed into light and shadow by a mid-Spring twilight. Finally, we expressed our appreciation for Moms with some quirky photos and vids. ;-)

It was a good time, but let's try for even better times in the upcoming weeks.

Hare Trigger (1945): "Now, you lop-eared polecat, try and get out of this one!"

Enjoy!!!

Don't Come Whining to Me

Motherly advice from Morticia Addams to Wednesday: "Tell him you'll poison him right back."

I'm not one to celebrate the "Hallmark Holidays" but here's a quick post in regards to maternal appreciation and interests. And iffin' ya don't like it, read the post title again. ;-)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Marge Simpson and her kids: Maggie, Lisa, and Bart

Fun stuff!!!