It's fun in museums to be told "you're standing too close." "I was looking at the brushstrokes on the robes!" "You're still standing too close."

Some of the Rothkos are pleasing in the combination of colors, but I don't know what else is supposed to be going on other than an interesting combination of color.

DC is the only city I've been to more than once with no immediate family/close friend nearby to draw me there, and I want to get back ASAP to check out all the museums again!

aHEM. You're welcome to stay with me should you choose to visit.

Most BBC series airing on PBS are also already on DVD.

And it is in fact already available at Netflix. Sometimes I'm an idiot.

Speaking of idiots: Based on my interest in the "Original Italian Version" of The Leopard, Netflix is recommending...

The Leopard (Dubbed English Version)

I truly do not get modern art

A lot of modern art really needs to be seen live. The surface is as important as what's on the canxas. I think modern art works if you think of it as akin to dance. A story ballet is about characters and plot and uses the movement to do that--often in an amazing way--but a modern dance piece is about the movement and rhythm and use of the stage. It isn't telling a story, but it is creating a piece which unfolds over time. It's about dance itself. Modern art is about the visual field and paint and canvas and shape and light and all the things which make up painting. Rothko is not my favorite, but I love the work of cy Twombley, for example. When you look at his aontings, you can actually feel the movement of the artist's hands and body in the line on the surface. It's like the line itself is alive. [link]

I think modern art works if you think of it as dance

Oh, dear, I feel my art cred slipping even farther, because even classical ballet only gets me in a "Wow, I didn't know the body could move like that" way. I have to watch it like gymnastics and listen to the music to stay with it. I can follow the broad strokes of a story, but that's about it.

I think I need to drink some wine-in-a-box and catch a re-run of Jeeves and Wooster to reassure my "cultural" self.

I think those are running on PBS again now too.

Big Brother: You know, on principle I don't have anything against Amber, but she seriously needs to butch up and stop crying all the freaking time. If for no other reason than it makes her look so bad on TV.

I'm watching my recording of Pop Culture and the teams totally struck out on songs from 2006. It's really funny.

Totally, Jesse. Did she go off her meds or something?

I'm only half way through the ep, so I haven't seen the veto competition or anything - OOH, CURLING! - but that Jen chick is something else. She's like an obliviously evil genius Loki or something.

Also the romance of the dullards is both amusing and appalling.

Hey, have people been aware that it looks like the new season of GOOD EATS has started? Because I've seen two episodes now that were listed as "New" in my DVR. They've completely changed the time and day though (Monday @ 8 pm?). And they are showing different re-runs in the 8 pm slot. And moved Emeril Live to 7 pm. Makes me wonder if Emeril is the next to be phased out of the Food Network, since that doesn't sound like a time slot upgrade to me.

In any case, the GOOD EATS "substitutions" episode was a lot of fun.