Happy 1st Blogiversary, Paideia!!!

LJ strikes a pose similar to that from one year ago.

Yeah, it's been a while since I plopped my ugly visage upon the top of a blog post, but, since it's my first blogiversary, I figured I'd go all retro, bringing back the tradition of the self-portrait "meta" posts. ;-)

Although I can't believe that this project has gone on for a year, I'm so happy that it has. There has been a fair share of frustrations and failures, always falling short of my goals, like the 500 posts in a year, but, for every shortcoming, there has been abundant pleasure to counter the disappointment. In sum, writing Paideia has been a joy!

Here's what I wrote in Post #1:

"Each day is an opportunity to learn something new, to appreciate the richness of life, and to share our thoughts and feelings with our friends. Every day is a learning experience. That's what this blog is about."

In meeting this premise, Paideia has been an unqualified success.

So, let's look at some photos and reflect upon the year that was.

At the intersection of Wilshire and Veteran in Westwood. Running around to all of these museums and galleries, I spent plenty of time sitting in LA traffic. Heck, I even got into an awful accident on the 405!!!

Agate Hand by Harold van Pelt at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. Many odd sight were seen.

D*Face mural at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, now hidden by recent construction. Before starting this blog, I was an occasional gallery visitor, but now it's a frequent occurance.

Fuchsias: South Coast. Perhaps the biggest change in my life has been my constant awareness of flowers for the Friday post. Previously, I liked flowers and sketched them on occasion, but now I'm always on the alert for these pretties. ;-)

WesterCon 64 in San Jose was fun, but the Tiki Dalek was the highlight for me. Yeah, I attend many strange conventions and social events.

Huntington Galleries displaying classic British art. Just some proof that I can do the high-falutin' stuff too.

Doubles and Couples - Turin Version (2008) by Haegue Yang, on view at LACMA. Although I do love traditional art and culture, I am always fascinated by the unusual, the peculiar. I may not end up "liking" the work, but I appreciate anything that forces me to think about matters, to reconsider my opinions and preferences.



The Japanese Garden (Suiho-en) in Van Nuys. Yeah, I also love the exotic and the foreign for the same reasons. I visited many gardens and came to appreciate the various approaches to laying them out.

Interior of the Skirball Cultural Center Tower. Sometimes, I'd just take a photo of something that caught my fancy, a scene or image of beauty or inspiration.

Princess figurines (Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle) from the Disney Traditions line. For all of my interest in high culture or alternative culture, I still maintain a love and interest in popular culture. From classic Disney cartoons to Billboard chart-toppers, I find pleasure and inspiration in the mass media ocean that surrounds me.

The biggest project that I've been pursuing for this blog has been the Pacific Standard Time event. It's been great fun and enlightening.

Phil (2011) by Comora Tolliver, on view at the Torrance Art Museum as part of the "To Live and Paint in LA" exhibition. Perhaps the biggest outcome of working on Paideia is that I'm now starting to use my blogging skills to help promote my local art museum, writing at Madrona Musings. I'm looking forward to it.

And that's a quick look at our year. I hope you've enjoyed it. I sincerely thank you all for following and reading this blog. Let's get ready for another year of celebrations and events, art and music, and, most importantly, lots of fun!!!

Enjoy!!!