rajafacesbothways

Artist Openings

Went to an opening at Georgetown College of work by Michael Winter, a young photographer from Louisville exhibiting  excellent b/w photos of the Red River Gorge. Since there is no way I'm going to do any rock climbing to get similar photos, I bought two of his.

The other opening was in Frankfort at the Moore Gallery, where I had an exhibit two years ago.Along with the great food and wine, enjoyed the work of Melanie Sunbeam Smith whose "Woven Works" are awesome. Having rheumatoid arthritis since she was 15 did not stop her from producing an incredible body of weavings until her recent death.

 

 

 

Jeans vs, Genes

Been helping a local intellectual go through his  accumulation of books and torn-out articles. Yearly I help reorganize and file material for his book and planned education activities. He is smart and totally disorganized. In his eighties, he has big plans for his ideas. And good genes.

Recently I had my yearly physical with good reports: I give full credit to my parents who left me with a $42 inheritance but strong genes that got them into their mid-nineties. My other jeans are not as kind to me so my contents outshine my packaging.

Sigh. My size 8 Ralph Lauren jeans no longer fit. Who am I kidding? I haven't squeezed into them for several years.

Committed!

I've decided to renew my blog for another year. Thanks, readers, you make me certain that I'm nor simply 'blowing in the wind' when you add your comments.

After 5 years of blogging--over 1600 entries--I thought maybe I could  posssibly repeat  some former blogs. Nothing much changes here anyway.

 

Laugh-O-lympics

Our family reunion is a year and a half away but already we are setting up competition for a Family Laugh-O-lympics to win a banner displaying the family name and first homestead in Westlake, Ohio.

Among suggestions: Appetizer cookoff, Beer Pong, Darts, Dance-Off, Essay, Pitchfork Throwing Competition (distance and accuracy), Muskrat Rodeo, Run With the Bulls, Hide and Seek With Cars-etc. The list goes on and will continue to grow.

We live in 10-12 different states but our state of mind is similar, sharing the creativity known through  the history of our heritage.

 

 

Tax Dollars at Work

Gov. Steve Beshear new budget proposal includes 6.4% cut in higher education and 2.4% cut to state police. Also include is a 43 million dollar tax break to Ark Adventure, the 3 story high replica of Noah's Ark, along with $6,000,000 for a highway interchange to the park in Dry Ridge. (I like the idea of an Ark in Dry Ridge)

This is the same outfit as the Creationist Theme Park-Answers in Genesis, a museum where one can see Eve with her pet dinosaur and a really "hot" Adam. Great places to take children to learn science and history.

Live animals will be on the ark-- brought from all over the world. No need to search elsewhere for live asses--Kentucky has an abundance.

 

 

 

Slow News Day

Coopers Hawk Swoops Down and Captures Squirrel Above Rooftop

Heating Bills Cut in Half Due to Warmer Winter

Six New York Times Recipes Tried--mostly involving grains, beans, greens and garlic

Hmm. Can you tell I haven't been out of this lil old town all year?

 

 

 

Quiet Weekend Downtown

Made Valentines--

 To Favas for Fricklesburgers and omelets after T'ai Chi class with some motley members.

First Snow

Schools closed, church meetings canceled and even the Rollergirls of Central Kentucky didn't meet due to the weather.

Through the icy glass of my front window, I could assume I was living in New York.

However from my back door, it was all reality.

 

 

To Be or Not To Be--

--that is the question.

Whether 'tis Nobler on the web to suffer the costs of searching for ideas and spending my outrageously small Fortune on the yearly fee,

Or to take Arms for the sea of my few viewers against the idiotic goings on about me.

To sleep, per chance to Dream, and say No longer--ay, there is the rub--does anyone care?

Hmm. I wonder if Hamlet was a Pisces who couldn't make decisions, either...

Tale of Two Wars

Going back into history of WW2 and Vietnam. I've been absorbed with two odysseys of survival, resilience and bravery.

Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand (2010) is the true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian runner, who became a WW2 airman whose plane was shot down by Japanese. After 48 days of drifting at sea in a small raft with 2 companions (one died), his saga continued as he was captured and tortured by Japanese in various prison camps. Rescue came with the bombing of Hiroshima and the end of the war.

The other gripping portrayal, Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1999) a documentary by Werner Herzog, is the true story of Dieter Dengler, a Vietnam pilot shot down and captured by the Vietcong. Another horrific true story of torture, starvation, escape and rescue.

Both men survived  to share their gripping portraits of bravery in war. And although their suffering continued through recovery, both learned to move on with their lives.

From both true tales, I came away with the yin/yang of the human experience:  the absolute cruelty humans are capable of inflicting on others and the heroic strength and spirit shown by two heroes. However, Dengler pointed out, the real heroes are those who died.