600: Thoughts on Blogging

A collection of magazines

When I started this blog, my initial expectations were not set very high. I had serious doubts about the value of undertaking this project. My concerns were varied, but the most salient was in regards to "wasting" time. In short, was this blog going to be a purposeless vanity project that would drain away my time and energy?

So, I came to terms with the strong possibility that I would be writing for nothing and to nobody. It was likely to be enthusiasm and creativity lost among the sea of information, pixels poured into the endless flow of the internet. If this was the almost certain outcome, then why should I start a blog? What is my incentive?

I turned my focus inwards. Although I would love to have a large and faithful readership, as long as I am having fun writing, it is a worthwhile endeavor. This blog is all about me and my interests. If it entertains or informs an occasional reader, then that's just icing on the cake.

More magazines

Well, the blog has grown fairly well over the past year. By most standards, it has a miniscule readership, but it's large enough that I constantly feel amazed that there are some people out there who actually want to read my odd ramblings. On average, I put about an hour a day into this blog. Considering this relatively minor effort, I feel pretty good about things. ;-)

And I hope you, my dear readers, find that coming to Paideia is a rewarding visit. I know that the internet has a nearly infinite supply of sites to meet just about any desire. So, it is with humble gratitude that I welcome you to this little blog.

Friday Flowers: Temple of Love and Roses

Roses: French Lace (Floribunda)

Sonnet 55
(By William Shakespeare)

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmear'd with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lover's eyes.

We've skipped a few significant Shakespeare related dates over the past few weeks. So, here's a brief post to compensate. ;-)

Temple of Love in the Rose Garden at the Huntington Gardens

As for the roses, it's about time that we celebrated their return. Lovely, lovely flowers!!!

Time for a Schubertiade

Schubertiade (1868) by Moritz von Schwind

Franz Schubert is my favorite composer. He has influenced me more than any other creative genius, in any of the arts or sciences. No works of art resonate within my mind with the potency of his music.

Why? There are too many reasons to articulate in a coherent and accessible manner, but I think it can be boiled down to two main points: Romanticism and Melody.

Schubert's Romantic style fully embraces the wandering and dark musings of the imagination. However, he maintains Classical tightness and eloquence, avoiding the overblown excesses that weigh down the work of later Romantic composers. For Schubert, all of the passion and inspiration of the Sublime can be articulated, with effectiveness and efficiency, into a tightly structured, highly melodic song

As regards melody, it is through this that the Romantic narrative is expressed. Moreover, these tales of sound and emotion have the narrative purpose at their core, as their premise. Sometimes the story is vague, simply a progression of emotion, and, sometimes, it is direct, programmatic in design. In either case, one can't listen to this music within being drawn into Schubert's narrative mindscape.

Portrait of Franz Schubert (1825) by Wilhelm August Rieder

I could go on endlessly about these two topics, as well as countless other aspects of Schubert's music. However, in celebrating his birth date, born 1797, I think it is only fitting to let his music make its own case.

Bah Humbug!!!

Well, Santa left me with a computer crash for Christmas. But don't count an obsessive blogger out too soon. ;-)

Posting may be sporadic over the next few days, as I determine the fate of my old machine, perhaps deciding upon something new, shopping about to wisely get something that fits both my needs and my budget. Moreover, my upcoming posts will be picture free.

But videos are still an option. Woo hoo!!!

Seeking the Sublime

Detail of Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon (1830-35) by Caspar David Friedrich

I always have a tough time listing my favorite anything, from book to movie to song. This is also true in choosing my favorite painters. However, I'm certain the Caspar David Friedrich consistently makes the top five. Friedrich was born on this date in 1774, so let's take the opportunity to appreciate his unique genius.

I feel that his style is the definitive look to Romanticism, especially as regards contemplation of the Sublime. Moreover, his muted colors and overwhelming spaces creates that sense of loneliness or insignificance that characterizes the later Gothic aesthetic. Additionally, his focus on death and transience works as a critique of materialism and the "heroic arrogance" of classicism and neo-classicism.

In Friedrich's world, the sublime grandeur of Nature reduces human accomplishment and material ambition to inconsequential ruins. It's a profoundly terrifying view that has influenced Western aesthetics up to the contemporary era.


Detail of Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818) by Caspar David Friedrich


So what can humanity do? Contemplate the awesome spiritual immensity of the Sublime.

One Week Later

Hermosa Beach, South of the Pier

It's been a week since my accident. I'm feeling much better, but still have a few pains and kinks that I have hopes will heal up soon. It seems like the subgenre of "Surviving a Deadly Misadventure" requires that one reassess their existence, perhaps with a life-changing insight. Sadly, I'm too much of a creature of habit and compulsive patterns to give into such expectations.

So what did I do to recover from the collision? I spent a few days just vegging, listening to music. Music has always been my comfort activity. As indicated in the photo above, I took a trip to the beach. Weird, but I haven't actually walk on the beach since last September. Just as last time, it was a gloomy day, perfect for a sulky stroll upon the sand.



Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena


"Retail Therapy" doesn't usually work for me, but browsing the books is always a good time. Vroman's is an independent bookstore, with one of the finest selections that I've ever seen. They have great history, science fiction, horror, science, and gardening sections. I could spend all day planning my selections. ;-)

Make It Interesting

Anne Sofie von Otter

Today marks the 56th birthday of Anne Sofie von Otter, a Swedish mezzo-soprano, who is among my favorite singers. Not only does she have a rich, warm voice, but her technique is engaging. Moreover, her performance selections are creative and diverse. Many classical performers fall into a rut in terms of stylistics or performance genre, but ASvO is always exploring new ground and sharing atypical material. Even when she works in the "standard rep" her interpretation and performance brings out new qualities and nuances.

I first took notice of her when I heard a recording of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, wherein she sang the role of Dido. It wasn't my favorite version, but it definitely caught my attention. It had excellent vocal clarity and precision. The final lament in particular was intense!

A few years later, I noticed that she had recorded some Grieg lieder. I had no interest in Grieg's music, but I remembered her engaging sound and style. So, I gave it a listen. I'm still not sold on Grieg, but her performance brought out the rich melodic texture, the intimate romanticism, of the music. Lovely.

And then there is Schubert. That's when ASvO stole my heart. ;-)

Anyway, here are a few more vids to showcase ASvO's style:

Here's Anne Sofie von Otter's Wikipedia page.

And here's her official website.

Enjoy!!!

Keep His Eyes Covered

A Paler Shade of Being by Caniglia

I've been doing some research on blogs, blogging, and the various styles and genres of such. One type of blog that caught my attention was the "dream blog" which is one part dream journal and one part public discussion of symbolism. I'm not really into dream analysis but I am into symbols and images.

Anyways, I thought that I might give it a try. However, I had two concerns. First, I was a bit worried that my dreams would be boring or only appropriate to an "Adult" blog. Second, I normally can't remember my dreams unless I wake up in the middle. Fortunately, my unconscious mind decided to cooperate with today's project. Here it is:

At a library, I met some tall, scrawny, bearded, long-haired hipster who could spontaneously generate tiny beetles from his hair by whipping his head around like you see in various shampoo or hair treatment advertisements. I was totally skeptical, but, upon extensive review, that claim was confirmed. So I started researching the topic, aided by my sister, flipping through the massive tomes that this library held. Somehow, we eventually discovered and obtained a thin wand of tightly wrapped paper, like an artist's paper stomp.

Apparently, blowing at the end of this wand would result in the manifestation and projection of little white flies, similar in shape to the critters in the image above. We gave it to a friend to blow upon, as we took observations and notes. However, our friend is apparently an imbecile and he decided to project the flies at random, like a kid with a peashooter. This made my sister very angry. She snatched the wand away from him and berated him for his stupidity. Meanwhile, I was brushing myself down, making certain that there were no little white flies on me.

Upon waking up, I identified a song with this dream, Schubert's "Des Baches Wiegenlied". Here's a performance of the work:

I doubt it has any meaning beyond random subconscious associations, but it certainly is a curious imagining. This dream blogging thing is kind of fun. ;-)

Here's a link to Caniglia's website. Plenty of haunting images can be found there.

And here's a link to the Wikipedia page on Die schöne Müllerin.

Enjoy!!!