Rainy day musings

Over a year without a blog post!  If only I had more time.  And yet, in the time before the taking of a toast and tea, there is time yet for a hundred indecisions, and for a hundred visions and revisions.

It's raining today. It was raining yesterday, too.  We need rain, so it is good that it is raining.  However we need sun, too.  We need both the sun and the rain.  Yesterday we had both at the same time.  I was driving with my wife on Guerrero Street, and it was raining, but we could see sunshine ahead, and then we saw a rainbow.  It was faint at first, and then it began to intensify.  It grew into a full arch rainbow. And then it became a double rainbow.  It was beautiful, and I wished it would last all day, but it was gone within a few minutes.

As George Harrison said (or titled his album), all things must pass.  It's not easy to accept that good things must come to an end, but if bad things must come to an end as well, then that's some consolation.  I don't like the idea that I am going to die some day.  I probably waste too much time thinking on this inevitability.  It does not engender happy thoughts for me.  I don't believe in an afterlife, but I have a hard time accepting that I will simply cease to exist.  What could that moment be like when one passes from life into death?  It can't quite be like going to sleep, because in sleep we dream.  But in death, what dreams may come?  There's the rub.  I don't believe any dreams will come.  I recently read Roger Ebert's memoirs, and I like how he thinks of death.  He believes we simply return to the same state of existence as before we were born, and he was content with that.  I find some comfort in thinking of it that way, too.

International Art Museum of America Explained

Time for another blog post. I had been curious about the mysterious "International Art Museum Of America" that opened on mid-Market Street in San Francisco. I had walked by it a bunch of times and pressed my face against the glass, and was puzzled by its Disneyesque "fake" rock formations and zen-like garden-scapes visible on the interior. Anyway, I read a posting on the SFist website about the museum, and then saw that someone named Vince H. had commented on the posting, and it helped to explain the museum nicely. The comment is no longer present on the SFist posting, so I am re-posting the comment here:

1. International Art Museum of America (IAMA) is a public-benefit, non-profit art museum. IAMA displays works of art of the highest order in the world, thereby serving the development of mankind and the advancement of culture and art. By providing people with the beauty of art, IAMA is helping the progress of human civilization. IAMA is not affiliated with any religion or religious organization. It is purely an art museum.

2. In order to ensure the exquisiteness and uniqueness of exhibits displayed by IAMA, the board of directors of IAMA established strict standards for the collection or display of any work of art. Those standards are as follows:

Whether it is an ancient or new painting, a work of calligraphy, an ink-wash painting, an oil painting, a watercolor, a gouache, a sculpture, or any other type of art, it must be:
1. A work by a world-class artist or an artist who creates national treasures. The works of such an artist must be of the highest or second-highest level in the world when compared with works in the same genre by other living artists. The works of such an artist must also have a market value of at least US$200,000 per square foot; or
2. A work by an artist whose works were exhibited by a governmental body on the highest national level. The works of such an artist must have a market value of at least US$20,000 per square foot; or
3. A work by a famous artist who is head of a museum or art academy. The works of such an artist must have a market value of at least US$20,000 per square foot.

A work will not be considered as a possible selection by IAMA unless it can meet one of these three standards. IAMA only emphasizes the quality of the art, not the number of artists whose works are selected.

3. All of the works created by various artists that are currently on display at IAMA meet the above-described standards and were approved through voting by the board of directors of IAMA. No individual alone has the right to approve or disapprove of which works will be displayed. Why are there more works of art on display that were created by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III than works of art created by any other artist? It is because the artistic creations of other artists truly cannot compare with those of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. People’s evaluations of the exhibits since the opening of IAMA have clearly borne this out. All of the visitors to IAMA have marveled at the fact that other art museums simply do not have the high quality and unique works of art that are on display at IAMA. Furthermore, IAMA is the only museum in the world that contains artwork that cannot be duplicated. It is also the only museum that has a faux boulder in which mist created from the artist’s sculpting skills lingers without ever dispersing. This is unparalleled in the entire world.

4. IAMA is purely an art museum. It respects all religions but does not belong to any one religion. It has no direct or indirect relationship with any religion, nor does it have any business connections with any religion. IAMA has no interactions with Hua Zang Si, a temple located in the Mission district.

5. We welcome everyone to come and visit IAMA. As the saying goes, “Seeing is believing.” When you visit IAMA, you will know whether what we say is the truth.

Words to live by

When I worked at Gap Inc back in the late 90s the company decided to launch an employee recognition program founded on a list of seven phrases called the "words to live by." Our CEO, Mickey Drexler, was apparently a big fan of motivational phrases, and so credit-card-sized copies of the "words to live by" were distributed to all employees for easy wallet storage. While cleaning out a drawer this evening I happened upon this valuable life philosphy, and would like to share it with you. Here they are, the words to live by:

• everyone counts
• every difference makes a difference
• own it, do it, done
• less is more... simplify
• take the smart risk
• do it better every day
• do the right thing
  

Yelp update

Yelp is now displaying my reviews. My previous post was obviously making waves down at Yelp headquarters. It was the talk of the company. The CEO has resigned in shame. A gift basket, with a sincere note of apology, is on its way to me now.

Yelp gets one star

I wrote three reviews on Yelp, and for some reason they disappeared from public view. I did some research, and was surprised to find the following explanation as to why my reviews were yanked, as posted on the Yelp website:

The review may have been suppressed by Yelp's automated software system. This system decides how established a particular reviewer is and whether a review will be shown based on the reviewer's involvement on Yelp. While this may seem unfair to you, this system is designed to protect both consumers and businesses alike from fake reviews (ie, a malicious review from a competitor or a planted review from an employee). The process is entirely automated to avoid human bias, and it affects both positive and negative reviews. It's important to note that these reviews are not deleted (they are always shown on the reviewer's public profile) and may reappear on your business page in the future.

Based on my own experience, then, the Yelp automated software system is deeply flawed. For the record: I gave Fishermen's Grotto No. 9 two stars, Pazzia Restaurant two stars (later updated to four stars), and The Italian Athletic Club five stars. I give Yelp ONE STAR, and a flip of the bird.

Don't you know it's gonna be... all right

Our federal government's efforts at health care reform have brought into glaring light the great problem that plagues our country: that the people we elect to government do not represent our, the voter's, interests, but instead represent the interests of those who give them large sums of money; namely, large corporations, and other moneyed special interest groups (including even from foreign countries). Votes are for sale up on Capitol Hill. Corruption abounds. These folks need money to pay for their election campaigns, and if they didn't take it from the large donors in exchange for their vote, they wouldn't be re-elected. I suppose that is their rationale. Maybe this is nothing new, but it has become painfully apparent in the past few weeks. Every sane person knows that our health care in this country is outrageously overpriced, and continuing to escalate out of control, and yet Congress is putting the brakes on any meaningful reform. It's a sad state of affairs. It seems we need campaign finance reform before any other meaningful change can take place. Unfortunately, the electorate is largely ignorant, and easily manipulated via the corporate-controlled mainstream media. There is little chance any important change will be happening soon, despite the "Yes We Can!" rallying cry of not so long ago. There will be no new birth of freedom. The rich will continue to get richer, and the poor will get poorer, and government of the people, by the people, for the people, will continue to die a slow death, til it perish from the earth.

Struggle in Iran

Some incredible images are coming out of Iran. An oppressed people are courageously fighting back. Here's hoping for their success, and may it serve as an inspiration to us all.

Half-assed halftime

My negative feelings about the Super Bowl halftime show being a forced and contrived presentation were further confirmed in this column by Rick Reilly on the ESPN website. Reilly volunteered to be one of the almost 2000 "fans" who ran out onto the field at halftime to be the visible audience to the performance of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, creating a phony concert atmosphere for the TV viewers at home. It turns out that these volunteer fans couldn't even hear Springsteen's performance because the speakers were on the field perimeter and directed away from them and towards the fans in the stands. They were merely pretending to hear and enjoy the music. I don't understand why this story isn't being picked up by the greater media and exposed for the fraud that it is.

Bruce forgiven

I was pleased to see that Bruce Springsteen admitted that his deal with Walmart was a mistake. He put on about as high-energy a halftime show as one could ask for in the twelve minutes allotted to him at this evening's Super Bowl, and managed to avoid giving a lecture between songs. In fact, he hardly paused between songs at all, trying to squeeze as much as he could into the performance. Pretty good for a 59-year-old. However, I can't say I am a fan of the Super Bowl halftime show. It is all a bit too forced and contrived to come off as very enjoyable. A stage set is rushed onto the field, along with a thousand fans (where do they come from?), and then the band comes out and plays three quick songs, and it's over in time for the next commercial break. I wouldn't mind seeing the NFL try a simpler, more low-energy halftime show, something in contrast to the high energy of the game. Maybe Springsteen alone with his guitar and harmonica would have been a good show. He could have performed, among other songs, "The Wrestler," which he wrote for the movie by the same name. It's a beautiful song that functions as a moving epilogue following the abrupt ending of the movie, and playing as the credits roll by. That the Oscars didn't nominate it for Best Song still has me scratching my head.

Say it ain't so, Bruce

I've long been an admirer of Bruce Springsteen and his music, but lately he has been slipping with respect to his reputation as a voice for the working class. Springsteen recently reached an agreement to release a greatest hits album exclusively through Walmart, the largest corporation in the world, which, even with its enormous profits, hasn't exactly been a leader in employee compensation and benefits. I don't think Bruce needs the money, so why is he doing it? Maybe he realizes, as I should, that as a mega-rich rock star, he really isn't a legitimate voice for the working class anway. He is The Boss, after all. It wouldn't bother me so much, but at the same time he is also becoming increasingly active in progressive politics. It's fine to play a concert in support of Obama, Bruce, but please spare us the between-songs political oratory, lest we start calling you a hypocrite.

See ya nader, alligator

I find myself getting that familiar feeling again as the Presidential election approaches. My conscience is nudging me away from voting for either candidate, Democrat or Republican, and I may have to go with a third party choice. Why? Because only a third party candidate can put together a list of positions like this.

More than OK Radiohead

Went to the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park on Friday night to see Beck and Radiohead. The festival that night had thirteen bands performing on six different stages. Our group of four got there about a half hour after it had already started, and we went straight to Lindley Meadow to stake out some ground at the "Sutro" stage in advance of Beck's performance. We spread out a blanket and ate sandwiches we had brought with us from The Yellow Submarine on Irving Street. Good steak and cheese sandwich. Long porta-pottie lines were a nuisance, but more troubling was the chain link fence that surrounded Lindley Meadow and provided only a narrow 12 foot (?) gap to allow passage over to the Polo Field where Manu Chao was performing, and where Radiohead would be performing later. We noticed that it had already become congested as people were trying to go through in both directions, reminiscent of the disaster at the Golden Gate Bridge 50th year anniversary party. No one was getting anywhere fast. The inevitable happened as the chain link fences started getting pushed down, and people forged new ways through to the other side. "Don't fence us in!" their actions seemed to say, "especially since we paid nearly $100 apiece!"

Beck's performance didn't have the punch we expected. The sound system wasn't strong enough. Beck himself, dressed in black, and wearing a black hat, against the black background of the stage, was difficult to see, despite his long blond hair. His performance started to pick up as we moved closer. "Lost Cause" and "Where It's At" were memorable performances for me, the latter being his finale. It got us jumping before heading over the hill to the Polo Field to see Radiohead.

Radiohead was amazing. I have never been a big fan, but I became one that night. Their sound was tight and well-rehearsed, and the complex arrangements were well-synchronized with their video and light show. It had the feeling of being almost a new art form. They obviously have some artistic talent in their group. There were a couple times that the sound went out in the middle of songs, and the sight of them on the video continuing to play in total silence (we couldn't even hear the drums from where we were), was surreal. Strangely, this technical glitch added something to the show. The lead singer, Thom Yorke, commented that somebody "stepped on the plug." It was a needed moment of comic relief in an otherwise serious performance.

Not so human

Last Saturday, I was drugged and dragged to a club in San Francisco called the Mezzanine to see The Human League, a band I thought had taken a permanent vacation in The Land of the Happily Forgotten. Evidently, these tired old 80s bands have regrouped, plugging into the power of nostalgia, and have found new life on tour. The opening act for The Human League was another name from the 80s, Naked Eyes. I actually preferred them to the headliners. The lead singer had the look of someone who had lived a hard life, had a good sense of humor, and engaged the audience in a way that said he didn't take things too seriously. The Human League, on the other hand, left me cold with their sterile electronic and robotic performance. Maybe that's the ironic point of the name of the band, reflecting the dehumanizing influence of technology. Midway through their performance I was fantasizing that Neil Young might unexpectedly show up, crash the stage, and take over with an extended version of Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.

Slogging through the blogging

After several months of sitting in a chair and staring, I'm back for another blog entry. I went to see the Chihuly exhibition at the De Young Museum a couple of weeks ago, and hooked on to a docent-led tour group making its way through the galleries. One thing the docent said that stuck with me was, "Chihuly had to fight to get his work to be considered as fine art, if you can believe that! Some want to label it as craft!" My thought was, what's wrong with craft? What is 'fine art' anyway? And who says it is superior to craft? It's a misguided snobbish notion. Emerson once said, "I like a man who likes to see a fine barn as well as a good tragedy." So do I. And I have to say, the Chihuly exhibit is one of the most enjoyable I've ever seen in a museum. There is an undeniable beauty in the colorful and sensual glass forms that he has created. Whether this work is exhibited in a fine arts museum or a crafts museum is immaterial to me.

Il Gatto Inesistente

I have long searched for meaning in the comic strip Garfield. Finally it has arrived in the most brilliant and unexpected way at garfield minus garfield. (Thanks to Rick Monaco for turning me on to this.)

Shaking the (family) tree

Ever heard of Wells, Nevada? It's a small town in the northeastern part of the state. I know of it because my mother grew up there. My great-grandfather, Sebastiano Quilici, came to Wells from Lucca, Italy, back in the early 1900s, and he brought with him his two sons, Gino (my grandfather) and Leone. At some point they established a general store on the town's main street, and called it S. Quilici & Sons. Sebastiano went back to Italy, but the two sons ran the store for many years, and kept that name. The store has been vacant for some time, but it still has the name on the storefront, and exists as part of a historic row of facades on what used to be a busy street. I was surprised to see Wells in the news this morning as the victim of an earthquake, and even more surprised to see a photo accompanying the story showing my grandfather's old store. It looks like it fared a little better than its neighbors. I read that the historic 140-year-old brothel across the railroad tracks was especially hit hard. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. (Photo credit: AP Photo/Elko Daily Free Press, Ross Anderson)

Play ball!

It's one of the first signs of spring. Pitchers and catchers reported today for most teams. Spring training is under way. The Giants will feature a new look this year, the sans-Barry look. The possible opening day lineup:

1-Raja Davis LF
2-Ray Durham 2B
3-Randy Winn RF
4-Dan Ortmeier 1B
5-Aaron Rowand CF
6-Benji Molina C
7-Omar Vizquel SS
8-Kevin Fransden 3B
9-Barry Zito P

Just looking at it makes me want to take a nap. Anything is possible, though. Maybe, with Barry gone, some kind of magical team chemistry will emerge, and along with it a winning spirit. This team could go all the way! Don't put money on it, though.

New Product Review

If you ever walk thru Walgreens, and walk down the junkfood aisle, and spot a new Nabisco product called Oreo Cakesters, just keep walking. In a weak moment, I stopped walking, and picked up said product, then said to myself, "I gotta try these." To make matters worse, I brought them home, turned on the TV, and ate the Oreo Cakesters while watching "Two and a Half Men." It doesn't get lower than that.

The Oreo Cakesters are billed as a "soft snack cake." This is where I should have questioned the basic premise of the product. Oreos have always been about the hard cookie and soft centers. When both the cookie and the center are soft, you really don't have an Oreo at all, but something closer to a Ding Dong. So what we really have here is one company, Nabisco, trying to horn in on the business of another company, Hostess. I would have to rate the Ding Dong superior to the Oreo Cakester. Hostess has been making Ding Dongs for as long as I can remember. It's a product that has stood the test of time. Nice try, Nabisco.

Spell it right

There's someone out there who is even more of a stickler for correct spelling than I am. I got a good laugh out of this website:

www.d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y.com

The Sistine Ceiling is also of interest

I bought a new scanner, and have started scanning old slides from my 1992 stay in Rome. I was an architecture student back then, and went to Rome as part of a quarter abroad program at the University of Washington. I found some slides I took of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, so I thought I would post those here. (Unfortunately, I entirely ignored the floor.) Back then it had just been restored, and no photography was allowed, but what was the harm in taking a couple pictures for my private enjoyment? I stuck my camera bag on the floor with the camera in it concealed from view, and hit the self timer. That's my shot of the creation scene above.