Ending 2012

Mr. Snowman wishes you all a Happy New Year

Another year comes to an end, but the blogging goes on.

Yeah, there were times in 2012 that I considered closing up shop. My production schedule slowed to such a degree that doing the Weekly Wrap wasn't worth the effort. Likewise, I felt silly putting Friday Flowers back to back to back.

But we're turning the page. With the new year, we have a fresh opportunity to get back into the groove. For certain, there will be more posts, mainly because I'm going to do the 365 Photo challenge, but I'll also make a point of putting up worthwhile essays, reviews, and reports. There are so many awesome things that I experience every day, such magnificence, such excitement.

It seems a shame that so many fine memories of this outgoing year have been left to fade away in my mind, unshared and unreported. It's one of those “tears in the rain” situations, where these inspiring sparks of life's glory go away when I go away, unless I first convey them to my readers. That may sound really self-important, but I feel that we all should share the wonderful tales of our everyday existence, sifting through the dross of routine expectations and finding the special aesthetic moments, like gemstones, that can brighten our lives.

So, hold on to your hats and glasses, 'cause there will be a lot of stories, ideas, images, and memories coming this way. ;-)

Off to the Polling Place

Going to vote at the Hermosa Beach civic center

I haven't much to say today. Well, actually I have a whole lot to say, but this isn't a politics/government blog. Therefore, I'll hold my tongue. Maybe, I ought to start another side blog for an occasional post on such matters, but that something to consider at another time. It isn't as if the world is lacking in political blogs. ;-)

Anyways, I just wanted to announce that I have voted. Have you? If not, turn away from the screen and go out and vote. You might have to stand in a long line, but it really is essential in a democracy that each citizen participates in the political system, love it or hate it.

And it makes the dolphins happy.

Dolphin statue outside of the Hermosa Beach museum


Enjoy!!!

2012 Weekly Wrap #15

Image from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): "This is bat country."

I confess. I've been a slacker. ;-)

Ideally, this Wrap would have gone out on Friday. It didn't. But I feel like the posts have been engaging and fun. From ballerinas to arrogant bastards, from Bat Country to Turkish harems, we've covered a wide array of topics.

As always, I'm hoping to improve the pace of posting back to at least a "one per day" average. But I'm not going to stress it. I plan to be blogging for the long haul and I'm going to do it at a comfortable and sustainable pace. If I have the time, energy, and inspiration to get back into a rapid production mode, then that's how we'll go. For right now, two posts in three days isn't bad.

So, before I start experiencing bad waves of paranoia, madness, fear and loathing, intolerable vibrations, let's get to the Wrap.

Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass at LACMA

With eleven posts in eighteen days, here's the breakdown:

We had three Art posts. A visit to LACMA allowed me to get my first view of Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass as a completed installation. In a hybrid post, we looked at some examples of "old school" orientalism in art and music. Then, we celebrated the birth date of Edgar Degas with some photos of his works in local collections.

For Music, we had three posts. Inspired by the Oh Nancy show at the Torrance Art Museum, we listened to some songs on the topics of Easy Bake Ovens and light bulbs. Then, coming across a mannequin of Elvis at a local shopping center, we enjoyed some classic Elvis songs from 1957. Finally, in celebration of George Clinton's birthday, we had a funky time and tore the roof off the sucker. Can you dig it?

One post went to Friday Flowers, featuring sunflowers. Another post went to literature, celebrating the birth date of Hunter S. Thompson. And one post went to advertisements, looking at the images on the side of beer delivery trucks.

Finally, two posts were at about personal interests. I expressed my growing interest in landscape photography. Then I recollected old times at the Del Amo mall in Torrance.

And that's the "week" that was.

Elvis has left the building.



Enjoy!!!

2012 Weekly Wrap #14

Image from the title sequence of the James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Well, I was hoping for a better rate of productivity, but my life has been busy over the past few weeks. It's been pretty good actually. So, I can't get too disgruntled by missing my blogging targets. ;-)

Anyways, I've been having fun with the various topics, even if I'd like a better pace. Let's face it; the old rate of two posts per day are long gone. If I can put up five entries per week, I'll be content. Certainly, I can inflate that number with "Image of the Day" and other such "tagger" posts, but I feel better providing more content.

Maybe I'll try out more quickie posts. It seems to be conventional wisdom that short-form blogging is more popular. On the other hand, I'm not writing Paideia to become "popular" or build a large following. I'm blogging because I want to share my thoughts and experiences in a public venue, in a manner that is both fun and comfortable.

We'll see. . .

Detail of Image Peddler with Female Shopper (2011) by Gerit Grimm


Anyways, here are the eleven posts since our last Wrap:

As regards Art blogging, we had three posts. First, we zipped across Los Angeles visiting a few museums and many galleries, checking out numerous interesting sights. Then I reviewed the excellent show of Dale Johnson's work at dnj Gallery, "By the Sea". Finally, we took a look at Gerit Grimm's exhibit of ceramic figures at the Long Beach Museum of Art.

We also had three Music posts. Two were birth date celebrations. The first was for the opera composer, Alfredo Catalani. Next, we wished a Happy Birthday to Carly Simon. Then, we looked at some empty classrooms and gothed out to some Darkwave vibes. ;-)

Our single Pop Culture post was in honor of that feline funny page legend, Garfield!!! Now, I'm in the mood for some lasagna.

Our Friday Flowers were again without poetry, but the silent roses need no words to enhance their charm. We also celebrated the arrival of Summer and the Full Thunder Moon.

Finally, I celebrated Post 600 with a bit of navel-gazing.

Over at Madrona Musings, we discussed the Colloquy panels in which various topics of relevance to the Los Angeles art scene are considered. Then we turned our attention to the two day Oh Nancy show, "Blank Land". First, We discussed the project's narrative premise. Then, we shared some photos from the Opening Night. Good times!!!

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully, we can get more productivity and quality over the next few weeks.

Cover image from Garfield Says a Mouthful

Enjoy!!!

2012 Weekly Wrap #13

Detail of Blue Drift (2012) by Sylvia Ji, on exhibit at the Corey Helford Gallery

We've finally hit lucky Number 13!!!

Well, eleven posts in thirteen days isn't a model of productivity, but it's an improvement. Moreover, I'm fairly satisfied with the quality of these posts. They weren't just "Image of the Day" tag hits. This set had some substance, some style, some classic Paideia considerations.

We hit a nice blend of topics, including a gallery visit and an advertisement critique. I do regret that I wasn't able to put some poetry into the Friday Flowers posts, but I'm happy that we actually had flowers for both Fridays. ;-)

In short, I'm happy. And this positive mood gives me the energy to put a little bit more creativity and personality into my writing. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this most recent batch of posts as much as I have in writing them.

Detail from the cover image of Scooby Doo! #114, "Turkey Terror at 2000 ft."; pencils by Robert Pope

And here are our eleven posts:

We had four art related posts. We "celebrated" the birthday of Damien Hirst. A visit to the Getty Center inspired me to muse upon the everchanging way in which one perceives art. I checked out "Motion: The Art of Movement" on exhibit at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. Finally, the annual Muse Artwalk at LACMA provided the opportunity to enjoy some dancing, music, and performance art.

In music, we had three posts. We celebrated two birth dates, Nancy Sinatra and Richard Strauss. Then, our Monthly Dance Party highlighted the weekend.

There were two Friday Flowers, featuring a rose, Walking on Sunshine, and Snow-in-Summer, appropriately named flowers given the current weather conditions we're having out here in Los Angeles. Then we enjoyed giving 'em the bird in a criticism of Wild Turkey bourbon advertisements. Finally, I expressed my love for architectural designs that incorporate stripes, especially those caused by the play of shadow and light.

Over at Madrona Musings, it's been slow now that our exhibit "Between the Knowing" has closed down. However, I did put up a "spotlight" post for our most recent lobby sculpture, Michelle Carla Handel's Big Yearn, Let Down. It's a fun work.

Well, that's it for now. I'm looking forward to the next set of posts.

Image from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Enjoy!!!

2012 Weekly Wrap #12

Image of Arnold Schwarzenegger from Conan the Barbarian (1982)

First off, I'm sorry for the recent lack of posts. Life has been full of twists and turns recently, some very excellent and some not so much. I blog mainly for the fun of writing about oddball topics and to bring back to mind the various subjects that have brought me entertainment or insight over the decades of my life. But, recently, my mind has been occupied with other matters, more pressing and immediate, such that I just have not had either the time or the energy to blog.

It's a bummer, but that's life. There have been many topics that I would have like to discuss and celebrate. Well, there's always next year. ;-)

I know this is starting to sound like a broken record, but I really think that I'm on the rebound. Some recent elements in my life have taken a dramatic turn for the better. So, I'm thinking that with a more positive attitude, I'll find the time and energy to have some fun here at Paideia.

As always, I'm grateful to my readers.

Now, let's look at the last "week" of posts.

Detail of a promotion image for Curious George (2006)

Recent posts have been so haphazard that I can't really do my normal art/music/cinema/etc. divisions. So, I'll just list them in chronological order.

We celebrated the 30th anniversary since the release of Conan the Barbarian, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then I shared a photo of some power lines paired with music from '80s synthpop band, Information Society. Next, inspired by the birth date of Margret Rey, we considered Curious George.

Friday Flowers were Jacaranda. Then, I moped about the pitiful state of my blogging, and shared some music from Concrete Blonde, Enya, and Foo Fighters to ease the angst. ;-)

A trip to the Huntington Museum revealed to me the Shield of Achilles. And, then, the 25th anniversary of the release of The Cure's Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me made for a pleasant reminiscence. A mirrored mannequin face and some Los Lobos rounded things out over a busy weekend.

We celebrated Memorial Day. While driving, I saw an image of Alfred E. Neuman up on the side of a building. Finally, when visiting Bergamot Station, a new image of Daphne Blake in her underclothes was on display.

Eleven posts in nearly a month. That's not good, but it'll get better.

Detail of Mad #94 (1965) with Alfred E. Neuman as King Kong.

Enjoy!!!

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!!!

Dance Party: May

Detail of the cover image from Sheryl Crow's "Soak Up the Sun"

It's time for another set of music flashbacks. Yeah, we've been doing a bunch of music posts over the past few weeks, but the next couple of weekends are likely to be busy for me. Therefore, since I don't want to miss out on celebrating May's music over the decades, I'm putting this post up tonight.

But it'll be just as good going early as keeping it late. And either way is better than nothing at all. ;-)

So, from '67 to '07, let's have some fun!!!

"Point of No Return" was Exposé's second hit in 1987.

What the world needs now is. . .

2012 Weekly Wrap #10

Carl's Jr. commercial for the Southwest Patty Melt featuring Kate Upton. Why not?

A new month, a new sense of fun and excitement. Yeah, I'm finally feeling like I might be back on my game, blogging with ease and enthusiasm. I don't know what the malaise has been that has ground me down over the past five months, but I'm very happy to feel it going away.

But, while the spirit is willing, is the body weak? I don't know, but we'll see if post count and variety returns to the level of quality that I desire. There are plenty of topics that I love to discuss. From the fine arts to astronomy, advertising to ethics, whether the subject, there's something interesting to consider. I'm looking forward to sharing my passions and whimsy with you all.

That's enough about me. Let's look at the eleven posts since our last "Weekly" Wrap.

Play the carnival game. Win a banana doll.

We had three Music posts. First, a new month had come. .  so we celebrated our April Dance Party. Then the birth date of Duke Ellington allowed us to enjoy some of the classic performances of the early Jazz era. Finally, we had a whimsical post about dishes, stacking and washing and breakin' and, hmm, innuendo. ;-)

Garden lovers got to enjoy two posts. Our Friday Flowers featured Marguerite daisies and the poetry of Alice Notley. Then, we took a trip to the Huntington to check out the newly reopened Japanese Garden. Lovely!!!

Then we touched bases on a wide variety of our favorite subjects: advertising, art, automobiles, and cinema. First, we were amused by the conjunction of a billboard promoting condom usage next to a Carl's Jr. restaurant, which brought to mind all of those "spicy" ads for which the Happy Star is infamous. Then we went gallery hopping in the Culver City art district, viewing "Pink Cherries", female personifications of cities and a "Murder" of crows. Later, we celebrated the birth date of Nicola Romeo by visiting the Alfa Romeos in the Petersen's newest exhibit "Sculpture in Motion". And, finally, we took a moment to enjoy some vids from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in celebration of its fifteen year anniversary.

As regards my personal activities, there were two posts. First, I griped about my inability to write at the pace and eloquence that I desire; a type of post that I call "Misery Loves Company". Then I took a trip to the local Springfest carnival and took a few photos of the rides and games.

Over at Madrona Musings, we took another look at Adam Bateman's As the Rose, but this time is was at night!!! For Arbor Day, we took a look at the young California Sycamore tree that is growing right outside the museum, part of Joel Tauber's Sick-Amour project. Interesting stuff!!!

And that's it for the "week". I hope you all had fun.

Detail of Resurrection of the Flesh by Buff Monster

Enjoy!!!

2012 Weekly Wrap #9

Detail of The Swing (1767) by Jean-Honore Fragonard


Well, it's been a rough week. I would have liked to get a few posts up over the past few days, but distractions piled up, keeping me from hanging out with you all. For instance, this post ought to have been finished up on Tuesday morning. . . I guess it's better late than never. ;-)

Overall, I'm happy with Paideia, but I have a vague anxiousness that there needs to be a change. I keep on intending to start "quickie" posts, maybe a photo, a few sentences, and a vid or two after the jump. Perhaps, I'll start adding those to the rotation. It'll keep the front page fresh and dynamic.

I've also put an end to two Friday Flowers in a single "weekly" Wrap period. It just bugs me when that happens, an annoying pet peeve. Since I'm having a hard time keeping these Wraps on a weekly schedule, I'll have to drop the flowers. Yeah, it's a bummer, but maybe it'll provide incentive to improve my post count.

Anyways, let's look at our twelve posts of the "Weekly" Wrap.

Detail from the cover image of Ray Anthony's Bunny Hop (1952)

Four Art posts were featured. We celebrated the birth dates of the Rococo master, Jean-Honore Fragonard, and two of the High Renaissance giants, Leonardo and Rapheal. Then we offered up a brief look at my Saturday visiting Bergamot Station and the Torrance Art Museum.

Music was showcased in three posts. First, we celebrated Easter with the Bunny Hop. Then, a whimsy post about pirates featured some early music from the Age of Exploration. Finally, we celebrated the birth date of Dusty Springfield. Good stuff!!!

As regards Cinema, we had three related posts. The birth date of Bette Davis was a mandatory celebration here at Paideia. Then we looked on in horror upon a video that showed the awful aging of Lindsay Lohan; very sad. Finally, we went light-hearted with considerations upon the old-fashioned buffoonery of classic episodes of the Three Stooges. Nyuck, nyuck, nuck.

Our Friday Flowers featured African Daisies and the works of Samuel Beckett. Finally, I shared photos of the Blessing of the Animals over at Olvera Street.

At Madrona Musings, it was a busy time with the new exhibition opening in Torrance. We considered the works of Samuel Beckett with a video of Rick Cluchey. We announced the opening of the "Two-Headed Monster" exhibit in Gallery 2. We gave a Sneak Peek of "Between the Knowing" and, then, photos from the Opening Night. It's been fun times at the TAM.

In any case, here's to another exciting week.

Image of the Three Stooges from Disorder in the Court (1936)

Enjoy!!!

2012 Weekly Wrap #8

Scooby Doo and Shaggy running from the Headless Horseman on a lunchbox from 1973


Well, we haven't been prolific, but we sure as heck have celebrated a wide variety of topics. To a degree, that is because of the calendar. Because we love doing the birth date celebrations, it determines the topic of the day, from cool jazz to folk lore ghost stories. ;-)

Nevertheless, it's been fun times. And it's been consistent. I always feel bad when I leave you all hanging, waiting for the daily post. Yeah, I know that I don't have a bunch of followers. Most of my readers come through searches, looking for info from a post nearly a year old. But I still feel an obligation to those few readers that check out my random and crazy posts each day. There may only be a dozen or so, but I appreciate the readership and hope to provide something each day, even if only a whimsy post.

Well, let's get to the Wrap.

Saint Teresa of Avila by Carole Odell for the Paulist Press series, Classics of Western Spirituality.

Our eleven posts were spread out nicely.

We had two overt art posts. First, we discussed Micheal Krebs' "Surplus" series on view at dnj Gallery. Then we took a trip to the Hammer Museum to see the exhibit of Alina Szapocznikow's sculpture.

In music, we had three posts. We celebrated the birth date of Sarah Vaughan, Astrud Gilberto, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. That's quite the mix of styles. It'll either make you say "aah" or send you across the River Styx. ;-)

I don't do many religion posts, but, for the birth date of Saint Teresa of Avila, I made an exception.

There were three flower/garden related posts in this "weekly" cycle. We anticipated the opening of the Japanese Garden at the Huntington Botanical Gardens. We visited a Bonsai show. Then we mourned the passing of the fantastic feminist poet, Adrienne Rich, with a look at some gorgeous clivias.

Finally, we dipped into some Disney animation. The Little Mermaid and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow were both featured as celebrations for Hans Christian Andersen and Washington Irving, respectively.

Over at Madrona Musings, we had two posts. The first announced the upcoming exhibition, "Between the Knowing", which is an examination of existentialist themes and aesthetics. In keeping with this premise, we looked at the Myth of Sisyphus and a vid by Sara Ramo.

Lots of good stuff. Looking forward to next week.

Telly and Grover are "Waiting for Elmo" on Monsterpiece Theater.

Enjoy!!!

2012 Weekly Wrap #7

Detail of Dandelions (1867) by Jean-Francois Millet

While I would have like to have put this post up on Friday, circumstances prevented it. And my Friday Flowers, a weekly feature which I haven't skipped for ages!!!

Well, it's better late than never. So, here's our "Weekly" Wrap.

It was actually a decent week, with solid productivity and a nice variety of posts. I'd have liked to get more art and gallery stuff up. But I'm happy with the three that I posted. We had a couple "whimsy" articles, but, so long as we keep up the quality and reliability of our normal type of blogging, there's nothing wrong with that.

Anyways, I'm open to suggestions. If there is something you want to see here at Paideia or some topic you want me to elaborate upon, then feel free to leave a comment. Although I'm writing primarily for my own pleasure, if I can entertain you all as well, then I'm open to requests. ;-)

Detail of The Wizard Has No Friends by Dirty Donny Gillies

So, let's look at our posts:

There were three Art posts. Our only gallery visit was to Dirty Donny Gillies' "Vantastic Voyage" at CoproGallery. We then had two featuring LACMA topics. First, I expressed my support for Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass, a monumental work featuring a 340-ton boulder which was transported across the Los Angeles area to great media attention. Second, we took a look at the awesome Surrealism exhibit "In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States". Good stuff!!!

In Music, we had four posts. Two were birthday celebrations, Johann Sebastian Bach and Nat King Cole. That's quite the contrast in musical style. Then, we had a "whimsy" post regarding dandelions, inspired by a photograph that I snapped while walking past a field. Finally, we had our monthly dance party with nine fun songs, ranging in musical performers from the Beatles to Abba to Neil Young. "I want to live. I want to give." ;-)

As mentioned above, we missed our last Friday Flowers, but, since this "Weekly" Wrap had two Fridays, we still had some Spring variety to usher in the new season.

Additionally, we had our seasonal Mucha-admiring post for Spring with appropriate art and music. Moreover, we had a couple St. Patrick's Day posts. First, we looked at some ads for Jameson Irish Whiskey. Then we looked at the empty bottle aftermath. Urg. . .

Over at Madrona Musings, the posting has been sparse, given that there is no exhibit currently on view at the Torrance Art Museum. However, I did take a couple photos of a work that will be on display when the museum reopens, Adam Bateman's As the Rose. It's mighty cool.

And that's all for this Wrap. I hope you've had a great time. Looking forward to the upcoming week and all the fun that we'll consider.

Lucky Charms advertisement form 1965

Enjoy!!!

Springing into Spring Time

Detail of Irises (1889) by Vincent van Gogh


A Prayer in Spring
(By Robert Frost)

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfil.


Finally, we've made our way past winter, my least favorite season. The cold, the gloom, the lack of flowers, these all drag on me, weighing down my spirit. Writing helps alleviate the heaviness, but I hate the inefficiencies that nag at all my projects.

If I keep on blogging for a series of years, you'll recognize the seasonal pattern. But Spring is finally here!!! And I'm ready to have some fun! ;-)

Detail of Spring (1896) by Alphonse Mucha

So, let's listen to some music.

2012 Weekly Wrap #6

Detail from The Parasol (1777) by Francisco Goya

No, I didn't fall off the edge of the world or experience a localized reversal of gravity. ;-)

Well, let's try to get this train back on the tracks. Since the last Wrap, I've been contemplating where I want to take this blog; what do I want out of Paideia? To be honest, I haven't a clue. The process of writing and sharing my thoughts are worthwhile activities, but should I try to "up my game" and cultivate a larger following? I don't know.

Whatever the new experiments that are attempted over the next year, we have to take care of the fundamentals, our focus on the arts and culture. So, I'll attempt to reestablish the three gallery posts per week, with a museum feature once per week. I've allowed discipline to slide on this matter, but that'll be fixed.

Now, let's get to the Wrap.

Detail of Green Shirt (1965) by Robert Rauschenberg

We had four Art posts. Two were dedicated to celebrating Pierre-Auguste Renoir's birth date, one focusing on some famous works and the second looking at the local collection at the Norton Simon Museum. While visiting the Norton Simon, we took a look at Robert Rauschenberg's Green Shirt. Finally, we celebrated Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's birth date.

In Music, we had six posts. First, we celebrated our monthly Dance Party. Then we had birth date celebrations for Dexter Gordon, Federico Moreno Torroba, and Antonio Vivaldi. We celebrated the anniversary of the debut of Georges Bizet's classic opera, Carmen. And, finally, we had a whimsy post listening to songs about stairways leading to nowhere. ;-)

Then we had three Friday Flowers posts. Yeah, our "week" had three Fridays. We looked at some lovely anemones along with the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Then, we enjoyed some pansies with the works of Dr. Seuss. Finally, orchids and Louise Gluck's poems made for a wonderful treat.

And we celebrated our first year of Paideia with a megapost, very retro-style, harkening back to the early days at this blog. Lots of fun memories.

Over at Madrona Musings, I wrote a "spotlight" piece on Mary Addison Hackett's The Walk. Then I showcased a few gallery shots and a walkthrough video for the closing week of "To Live and Paint in LA". Next was a brief post outlining the route of the Levitated Mass, a 340 ton boulder that was being transported near the South Bay. Finally, I wrote an article about the work of Yvette Gellis. Interesting stuff!!!

Well, it's been a while but that's a decent bit of work. I'm happy with the quality. I hope you all are too. Until next time, mi amigos!

"And he, he himself, the Grinch, carved the roast beast."

Enjoy!!!

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!!!