Vanitas

As promised, we dragged Patrick and Lydia to Frist Fridays for Art and Denny Diamond. Unfortunately (fortunately for the other 3 in my party) since we weren’t looking to score dates, the whole Denny Diamond scene was a bust. Tim pointed out that Lydia and I were probably the only women there who didn’t own every episode of Sex And The City on DVD. Judging by the general demeanor and the loud ticking of a hundred biological clocks, he’s probably right.

We opted to stay indoors for a Docent tour of the Renaissance To Roccoco exhibit, and I fell in love.

Apparently there is a specific type of still-life painting referred to as Vanitas. The idea is to feature items showcasing the transience of life, such as bubbles, snuffed candles, skulls and broken pottery. There is a piece on display by
Juan de Valdes Leal that has captivated me and spurred me to discover more about these paintings.

Ironically, as a Warren Zevon fan, you’d think I would have caught on sooner.

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Lileks Withdrawl

I know what it’s like to be burned out. I know what it’s like to be busy. But gosh darn it, I need my Lileks Fix. He’s one of the few whose tipjar I’ll hit–he’s that good. If you aren’t familiar with his work, now is a good time to get caught up on Bleats and Screedblogs of yore.

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Hot August Days: August 1

I’ve accepted the challenge to post one thing per day that I enjoy.

My August 1 pick:

Steeleye Span’s Time album. I enjoy most Celtic music, because it is lyrical, emotive and melodic. I’m surprised how rare that actually is in the music world. This particular album is by far the best of Steeleye Span’s works and blends traditional Irish Folk with Rock. The best song on the album? Hands down, The Old Maid In The Garrett/Tam Lin Reel.

I promise that I won’t do one album per day, because although I could, that would be wussing out. And kind of boring.

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The Way Of All Mice

Is the Disney magic slipping? I hope not. Tim and I have a trip planned there soon.

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Stemming The Tide

Bill Hobbs wonders aloud about the dearth of Nashbloggers typing about Frist and Stem Cells. I actually started a post on this around midnight and gave it up as a fool’s errand. However, fool that I am, I’m back on board.

What do I think? Full Disclosure: Well, I’m a libertarian who votes Republican because most libertarian candidates to date have been unelectable whackos. As far as I’m concerned, there should be a HUGE limit on any type of Federal spending for any extras. Federal dollars are, after all, my dollars and your dollars and the dollars of the guy across the street. I don’t like the idea of someone taking my hard-earned money by force and giving it to something I have no desire to support or participate in. That includes theoretical scientific endeavours with limited militaristic application, like stem-cell research. It’s been around for awhile now, and private-sector funding is largely responsible for the current advances. I would personally like to see funding for both stem-cells and nanotech to stay firmly rooted in the publicprivate sector. (Edited…my mistake. Talk about Freudian Slips.)

The kernel of my thought on this is even more cynical. Frist wants to be President. He’s had some major Q Factor gaffes in recent months, and he is watching Bush’s numbers drop. (Lest we kid ourselves, the RNC is undoubtedly watching, too.) In order to keep a Republican at 1600, there has to be a decisive appeal to the floating centrist voters. Bringing the Doctor Whatever out against a very unpopular Bush decision, and doing so over a dead newscycle (i.e. the weekend) is coldly calculated to keep voters in the RNC camp. Nothing more.

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Are We Finally Seeing BounceBack from Mega Churchitis?

I am a member of a good-sized church that I love. My favourite thing about it is that it preaches the Word and teaches the Word and lives the Word. You can’t buy Starbucks in the narthex and you can’t swim laps in the baptistry.

I am increasingly puzzled and troubled by many aspects of the Mega Churches, and even more troubled by pastors of smaller congregations who attempt to remake their corporate worship traditions and facilities in an effort to draw more contributing attenders.

It sounds, from this and this, as though I’m not the only one.

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Thanks For The Meme-ries

Since I can’t just keep blogging about fake nakedness, I picked up this meme from Big Orange Michael.

Appetizer
-Name 3 people whom you admire for their intelligence.
1. Abraham Lincoln
2. My Father
3. C.S. Lewis

Soup
The last food you tried that you really didn’t care for.
Ruby Tuesdays’ Onion Tangles

Salad
If you could rename the street that you live on, what would you want it to be called?
Pennsylvania Avenue

Main Course
When was the last time you were genuinely surprised?
When they saved a promotional poster for me at Borders. I didn’t think they would.

Dessert
Share a household tip.
Get rid of the musty smell in an unused room by setting a saucer of Windex in a windowsill for an hour.

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Naked Naked Naked

Last week it was simulated sex in GTA: San Andreas. This week, it’s the naked people in Sims 2.

Naked Sims are about as appealing as store mannekins. ( Although my sister WAS offended by the nipples on the headless fake ladies at Dillards.)

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Thank The Lord For the Nighttime

Yesss….!

Tonight is Frist Fridays. I love to to go to these, because they’re great for seeing the exhibits, having some free nosh and watching the people. Most of the bands are okay.

Tonight is a different story.

Tonight is Denny Diamond.

Denny Rocks. It’s like seeing Neil Diamond, without the nasty underwear throwing.

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I Miss My Mr. Bad Example

The most insidious thing about iTunes Shuffle Play is that you suddenly hear a much loved voice from beyond the grave.

I wasn’t expecting to hear “Mutineer”. It always makes me cry, and this time was no exception. Let’s grab our coats and get out of here, indeed.

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