Happy 2nd Blogiversary, Paideia!!!

Detail of Decadence and Despair (2012) by Sarah Joncas

Two years of blogging!!!

It seems like such a long time, like something that I've been doing for ages. I've had plenty of ups and downs, cycles of productivity and stagnation. There have been countless shows, exhibitions, and events. I've written about numerous topics, from music to religion, literature to automobiles. Every day, a new topic and novel experiences provide grist for the mill, material that churns through my mind processing into a blog post.

Even with the wild fluctuations in my posting rate, I have averaged one post per day for two years!!! That's some serious dedication. Actually, that's borderline obsessive compulsive behavior!!! ;-)

To be honest, the last year has been rough. However, there is always something in which I can find joy. And this keeps me going. As the past few months demonstrate, I've got the writer's stamina to play the long game, to put up a body of work both prolific and diverse.

It may not be much, but it's something, a little thing, about which I can feel some pride.

The sun sets behind the Mirage Casino in Las Vegas.

Anyways, I'd like to thank all of you who read this blog. I know that my meanderings from topic to topic, rambling enthusiasms and critiques, and haphazard photography make Paideia a choppy read. So, I want to express my great appreciation. There are so many interesting places out there in the vast expanse of the internet that I'm honored to have you visit this site.

Hopefully, the upcoming year will have entertaining and informative material that I can share with you all. The world is filled with beauties and delights; I hope that we may find them and take satisfaction in the discovery.

Again, thanks for reading. May the next year bring us happiness, prosperity, and wisdom!!!

Enjoy!!!

February: Decades of Music

Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" was one of the hits of February, 1998.

It's that time again, when we take a stroll back through the years and listen to various hits from over the decades. This month, our selection is eclectic, ranging from instrumental to hip hop, but it's predominantly mainstream. I didn't go looking for off-the-beaten-path songs. Diverse though they may be, these were all chart toppers.

For all the criticism that can be lobbed at popular musical tastes, it's kind of nice seeing how different styles and sounds gain prominence over the decades. Any list that includes such varied music as from the likes of the Bee Gees and Queens of the Stone Age, Toto and Alicia Keys, is a list that can be appreciated. These songs capture the quirkiness and trends of their day.

Alicia Keys' "Like You'll Never See Me Again" made its mark in 2008

Well, let's listen to some music.

I Found My Thrill

Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino was born on February 26, 1928

Rock and Roll pianists are not very common in contemporary music. They're even more scarce in Rhythm and Blues. Back in the early days of our contemporary styles of popular music, in the 1950s, this wasn't the case. The dominance of the guitar was still around a decade away and the influence of Boogie-woogie piano blues was strong.

Perhaps the most iconic performer of this style of music was Fats Domino. In spite of the racial biases of the era, his musical talent brought him into the attention of mainstream popular music, helping to kick off the diverse mix of musical styles that became Rock and Roll.

And since it's his birthday, let's celebrate by listening to some of his songs.

Soup of the Day

Soup of the Day: Wine!!!

Well, I don't have much to share today. Composing a decent blog post takes some time and effort, but I'm a bit tired right now, recovering from a terrible night of fitful, anguished semi-sleep. By the way, did you know that people can have allergies to bananas? Yeah, it's seriously unpleasant. ;-)

Nevertheless, I figured we could have a good ol' whimsy post, with a quirky "image of the day" for our entertainment.

Enjoy!!!

Rededicated to the Arts

Shadows by Hush at the Corey Helford Gallery's exhibit Flying West for the Winter

In the old days, I used to feature at least one gallery review per week. It wasn't a scheduled feature, but was just an integral part of this blog. Well, I've been slacking off for far too long. It's time to bring back the art as a regular part of Paideia.

The reason that I stopped doing the gallery posts was because I wasn't getting to visit them as frequently. My working situation changed, making a quick lunchtime stop at Culver City or Bergamot Station less convenient. And you can't write a proper review without seeing the works in person; looking at the images on a website isn't the same.

Fortunately, over the past few days, I've been able to check out quite a few galleries. There is a whole lot of excellent work out there about which I would love to write.

Red Delicious by Linda Hesh at the Lois Lambert Gallery

So, here are a few works that caught my attention this weekend. But there were so many more. Hopefully, I'll be able to write up a few posts for you all over the next few weeks.

We'll see. ;-)

School Night by Okay Mountain at the Mark Moore Gallery

Enjoy!!!

The World Looks Mighty Good to Me

"Whatever it is I think I see becomes a Tootsie Roll to me!"

Inventions in foodstuffs are notoriously hard to properly date, but today is as good as any to celebrate the creation of the Tootsie Roll in 1896. These chewy chocolate-like rolls have sweetened the palates of children for many generations. Sticky and dark, they've kept many a dentist in secure occupation as well. ;-)

I was never a Tootsie enthusiast. Although chocolaty, they were not actually chocolate bars, and, in my youth, I wouldn't settle for anything less than the real deal. Moreover, the gooeyness never appealed to me, as it clung to my teeth in a viscous tar-like manner. Yuck!!!

Nevertheless, Tootsie Roll commercials filled the airwaves between cartoons throughout my childhood. The famous jingle from 1977 will probably be floating around in my brain long after important memories fade with age.

"Tootsie Roll, I think I'm in love with you!"

Friday Flowers: Magnolias

Magnolia: San Jose

Sonnet I (from Renascence)
(By Edna St. Vincent Millay)


Thou art not lovelier than lilacs, -- no,
  Nor honeysuckle; thou art not more fair
  Than small white single poppies, -- I can bear
Thy beauty; though I bend before thee, though
From left to right, not knowing where to go,
  I turn my troubled eyes, nor here nor there
  Find any refuge from thee, yet I swear
So has it been with mist, -- with moonlight so.

Like him who day by day unto his draught
  Of delicate poison adds him one drop more
Till he may drink unharmed the death of ten,
Even so, inured to beauty, who have quaffed
  Each hour more deeply than the hour before,
I drink -- and live -- what has destroyed some men.

Magnolia: Brozzonii

Today, we celebrate two "old fashioned" beauties, magnolias and the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Both have a variety of culture connotations that might bring to mind bygone eras. Yet, when assessed for that which they are, free from bias or expectations, both the flowers and poems have undeniable beauty, as vibrant and charming today as they were generations ago.

So, let's wind up the week with these gentle beauties.

Magnolia: Verbanica

And, yes, these are photographs that I took during my trip to the Huntington. With so many gorgeous flowers in bloom, it'll be a few weeks before I can share them all.

Then, it'll be time for the Spring blossoms. ;-)

High Priestess of Soul

Nina Simone was born on February 21, 1933

When I began appreciating jazz, blues, and soul music, I wasn't very interested in the music of Nina Simone. First, her vocal style seemed too "cool" or "mellow" for my tastes, a bit too understated. Where I was listening for vocal gymnastics, she would deliver pauses and gradual modulation of notes. When I wanted staccato flourishes of scat improvisation, she would segue into spoken word.

Therefore, I was not very enthusiastic over the works of Nina Simone.

Later, when I was forming my feelings towards "authenticity" of performance in classical music, specifically the role of the performer as "re-creator" of a work, rather than "historical reenactor" or impersonator, my attention returned to Simone's works, as a modern example of how a performer can creatively reinterpret a piece creating a new experience and entering into an aesthetic dialogue with past performances. From this perspective, I finally realized her great talent.

Nina Simone did things her way. When she performed a piece, she channeled it through her own unique artistry, shaped by her distinct life experiences and colored by her personal interests and emotions. Each song was created anew through her interpretation.

I am now quite the enthusiast of Nina Simone. ;-)

So, let's celebrate her birth date with a bit of music.

Prickly

The Desert Garden at the Huntington, with more than 5000 species of desert flora in 10 acres

Here are a couple more photos from my trip to the Huntington.

I'm not big on desert flora. Having a slight case of trypanophobia, I try to stay well away from needles and other such spiky, piercing objects. The shapes and colors of these desert plants are certainly interesting, well worth viewing, but it's a tense experience for me. Nevertheless, I'm happy that I overcame the phobia long enough to appreciate a part of the garden that I rarely visit.

And the desert flora is easy to compose into interesting photos.

More cacti and diverse succulents

As long as there are nice and wide garden paths, these weird prickly plants make for good viewing, but you will not find me scampering among their piercing presence in a wild terrain any time soon. The lily ponds and camellias were welcome sights afterwards. ;-)

On the Hunt

Detail of Diana (1894) by Frederick MacMonnies

This past weekend, I got to visit the Huntington Museum, strolling through their collection of American art. I'm especially fond of the sculptures of the collection. I've shown a few of them with you all over the past few years, but the MacMonnies Diana has yet to grace Paideia.

And, now, the situation has been rectified. ;-)

Enjoy!!!

2013 Weekly Wrap #4

Tinker Bell admires her reflection in a mirror.

It has been two weeks since we last put up a Weekly Wrap.

Well, we're still keeping up a reliable daily posting average. Moreover, the topics have ranged across the spectrum, from Disney animated features to Imagist poetry, from liberationist reggae to commercialized "meat product", from flirtatious coquettes to gloomy lighthouses. The wandering focus and diverse interest of Paideia was in high form during this recent period.

There is plenty of space for improvement, but I'm currently satisfied with the consistency, the fact that I'm producing something new almost every day. Although my readership is still down, decimated by Google's new image search, those that remain seem to be "quality" readers, interested in the blog's content rather than a grandstanding image, like Daphne Blake exposing her panties at Bergamot Station. ;-)

So, maybe the reduced readership is an improvement for now. We'll see how it goes.

Lawrence, eyes obscured by reflections

Let's get to the Wrap:

We covered two holidays, Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day. On both occasions, we had the joy of admiring Barbie in seasonally appropriate finery. Additionally, a couple works from the local museums got the "front page" treatment, as part of the festivities.

We also had two Friday Flowers, orange clivia and blue forget-me-not, the later being paired up with the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop. But one poetess wasn't enough for us this time around. We also put the birth date spotlight on the works of Amy Lowell.

Food and drink were not far from our minds either. We enjoyed some rum, be it mixed with Coca-Cola or worked into a fancy cocktail. Then we "enjoyed" some SPAM; well, we enjoyed mocking the cartoon mascot, Sir Can-a-Lot. ;-)

Our journeys took us to a couple local lighthouses, but our imagination also flew off to Neverland in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Disney's Peter Pan. Though we occasionally felt zombie-like, deprived of vigor and joy, the rousing music of Bob Marley kept us from succumbing to the hopelessness of Babylon!!!

Finally, we listened to some music by Ladyhawke while looking at a photo of a fountain. Yeah, it was kind of random.

And that was how we went over the last "week" of blogging. I'm looking forward to another set of exciting and engaging posts for the upcoming week or so.

Point Fermin lighthouse at night.

Enjoy!!!

Another Random Photograph

Water jets forth from the fountain top at Heritage Court, Redondo Beach

Well, another photo blog is what I'm giving to you today.

A special oddity of my behavior is my love for randomization. Every so often, when at a loss in making a decision, I like pulling out the dice or cards and letting fortune choose my course of action. That's what happened today; I have things about which I would like to write but possess no time for it on this morning.

Therefore, I opened up my image folders, counted up the viable files, selected some dice, and rolled up a result. Yeah, so this somewhat phallic "image of the day" doesn't reflect any peculiar mental state that I'm experiencing or whatnot. ;-)

One thing that is so awesome about establishing determinative randomization is that such methods may be used for a wide array of subjects. For instance, we can select music. . .