5 masterpieces - #2

jackson pollock's mural from 1959, discovered hanging in an old iowa barn, covered in bird doo, cleaned up and donated to the museum of art at the university of iowa.

these pictures, which were the best i could find late at night from an infernally slow connection in a hotel, with a scheduled blogger outage hanging over my head, do not do the painting justice, but i do love that eames chairs they've put there near the painting now, that's a nice touch.

this magnificent and enormous painting was my first exposure to modern abstract art. at first, i thought it was a lot of blodges of paint, but soon, images began to emerge and i began to see movement and could almost hear music singing from the canvas. the museum does justice to the painting in the way they've hung it (especially now with the eames chairs) and it's never too crowded, so you can enjoy it in peace (having great works of art to myself is fast becoming a theme in these postings) most days.

it was a striking moment for me and one of my first moments of really appreciating a painting. i suppose it was part of a general awakening to the world that happens during college, a rejection of the familiar and an embracing of the unknown. it made me feel free and i had that sense that i sometimes get (usually in the lobby of the manila pen) of my molecules aligning perfectly and humming in perfect harmony. a marvelous painting. definitely one to see.

a new parking structure

a very quick posting for today, since it's been a full day of work. i might have to do my assignment tomorrow when i get home. this evening, as we left our business dinner, we went to my colleague's car in the aker brygge P-hus. we were parked on the "athens" level. as we drove through a positive maze of twists and turns to get to the exit, i realized that this parking structure was definitely going to feature in my mall/parking structure dreams in the near future. it is complex beyond belief, with twists, turns, switchbacks, and narrow parking spaces. i can't find any pictures of it online and i didn't have my camera with me, but i'm not sure that pictures would convey it anyway. i'd need architectural drawings to properly show you what a labyrinth this place is and i couldn't find any of those either. i cannot even imagine what the designers were thinking. people must take wrong turns and bump their cars in there all the time. it's definitely the stuff of nightmares.

5 masterpieces - #1 matisse's goldfish

once again inspired by the summer column on page 2 of the berlingske kultur section, i'm assigning myself 5 postings this week on masterpieces that changed my life. last time it was people and things (as it turned out), this time, masterpieces of art and literature (and maybe a bit of architecture--i'm leaving my mind open, as last time i was surprised where the assignment took me). and let's face it, i need an assignment.

so, i'll start with the first one that comes to mind. matisse's 1912 goldfish. (aside: i so wish i had lived in that era--and maybe i did, but that's the stuff of another posting on another occasion.)

it was the summer of 1994, i was leaving russia alone after studying there for a semester. i had a few days in moscow and spent one of the them by myself at the fantastic pushkin museum, where this wonderful painting hangs in a wonderful, large room that's full of other matisse paintings. strangely, i found myself alone in the room, standing there before the wonder that is the dance. i turned around and across from me, there it was, goldfish.

i approached slowly, savoring the moment and savoring the fact that i had it all to myself, even the mean old guard lady who usually sits on a stiff chair in the corner was elsewhere. i could scarcely breathe. i got closer and closer to the vibrant colors. and then, there i was, standing close enough to touch it. i could actually touch it, there was no glass, just the thick layers of paint that matisse himself laid on the canvas. and no one there to stop me.

so, i did it. i touched it, gently and just with my index and middle finger. right there in the leaves near the pink flower of the lower right corner. i felt a nearly electrical thrill pass through me and i felt transformed, even if just for a moment. i had literally touched greatness. and no one would ever be able to take that away from me.

on gadgets and being back at work

this morning, i threw my glasses and my toothbrush into my makeup bag, stuffed it into the suitcase with the work clothes, put on my raincoat and set out in the pouring rain for the airport and a 55-minute flight to oslo. it was time to head back to work. i felt so ready to turn my brain back on and although the public transportation system in denmark went totally stupid in the rain and i wasn't sure i would make my flight, i did make it. but there was no time to grab breakfast in the lounge, so i was pretty hungry when i landed (since i prioritized checking out the new pilgrim fall line over buying some breakfast).

i grabbed a quick lunch and then the train to work. can i just say that i love my colleagues! everyone was rested after having most of july off. there are three new people and it was fantastic talking to everyone and catching up and getting to know everyone. i got great energy from everyone and feel so ready to dive back into writing stories and preparing presentations for the fall conference round. i do so adore networking and the fact of being a woman in the man's world of shipping and that's exactly what i get to do in the coming months. i think that the blahs i felt last week were just my brain trying to tell me that it was time to go back to work.

as i unpacked to settle into my hotel room in oslo, i realized that i have to admit that my gadget use has reached absurd proportions. i have in my possession 1 HTC so-called smart (not to mention ugly) phone, 1 slightly dented sony ericsson K800i phone, 1 3G iPhone, 1 black 4GB iPod nano (my podcast iPod), 1 nikon D60, 1 dell D430 laptop and 1 red nintendo DS. this is getting ridiculous! but they all have their purpose. and since i'm suffering horribly from iMac withdrawal (amazing how quickly i have blocked out the PC habits), i may have to get a MacBook Pro in the near future, which will be yet another electronic wonder to haul around in my giant crumpler messenger bag.

but, on the bright side, being away from the house has helped greatly on the inspiration front. just reading the IHT on the plane and paging through the august Scanorama (how did i miss an entire issue--i didn't fly anywhere in july!!), caused a whole page of scribbles in my blog idea notebook. but it does disturb me that i went an entire month without flying! that hasn't happened in at least 5 years. no wonder i had the blahs last week!

so, i hereby wish everyone a week full of inspiration and refreshed beginnings...

organic produce trend consultant

caution: a bit of a rant ahead (but at least i'm inspired to blog again!)

it's not a new notion--"you are what you eat." and i've long looked askance and perhaps a tad judgmentally at what the person ahead of me in the grocery line places on the belt, but now it's confirmed by a study conducted by a danish "future researcher" (i want to be one of those, or maybe an "idea consultant," but more about that later).

according to this woman, who has her own company devoted to this so-called "future research"--firstmove--what we eat and drink says a whole lot about us. these are decisions we make on a daily basis, not a one-time investment like a car or a home. we make lifestyle choices every day as we troll the aisles of our grocery stores. and apparently companies are very interested in these lifestyle choices.

the study looks at three groups--the young (20-35 years), families with children and 50+. the study thus far suggests that food reflects our lifestyle in general in a different way than it did 10-15 years ago. a lot more environmental awareness has come into the picture. this sounds excellent to me. all three groups they looked at had high requirements with regard to organic foods because all three associate organic with quality. although, all three are increasingly aware that organic doesn't always mean quality, especially the "first movers." they are, as i understand it, a sort of leading edge consumer. this way, companies who buy firstmove's study can anticipate market trends and try to provide accordingly.

reading this, naturally got me thinking. wondering if we are "first movers" in our market. when i look at what i'm putting on the belt at the grocery store, i feel like i must be, but am i not at the mercy of the purchasing dude at the grocery store and what s/he makes available to me? it's the old chicken or the egg, isn't it? do i make the choices i do because they're what's there or is it because i want that organic chicken, eggs, milk, yogurt that it's there? how does this really work? who is really in the driver's seat?

there is a lot more talk about organic food and locally-produced food in the air these days. books like barbara kingsolver's wonderful animal, vegetable, miracle and all kinds of companies who will deliver you a box of organic, locally produced veg on a weekly basis, more and more organically-produced wines and olive oils on the shelves. all of which indicates a trend towards more awareness of our food supply. and it's about time too!

but, from what i can see as i look around in the grocery store, there are far too many people who haven't gotten the message. i see people piling on sodas and chips and ready-made meals (which were practically non-existent when i came to denmark ten years ago). and i find myself silently judging them. and feeling decidedly superior as i put fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and radishes and cabbages and mushrooms and organic ground beef and an organic chicken in my basket. i will actually skip the milk or go to another store to get it if my usual store is out of organic milk. i don't really want any other milk in my refrigerator or in my family. i even know which gas station always has organic milk and bike out of my way to get it if we're out of milk on a sunday morning.

we do decide who we want to be with the food choices we make--healthy, organic, local (supporting local farmers is always good), animal-conscious (only eggs from chickens that get to lead a proper chicken life), tree-hugging (i always take my own cloth bags), environmentally-conscious. at our house, we even make political choices--for example, avoiding produce from israel until they start being nice to the palestinians. granted, israel probably doesn't notice, but it makes us feel better. but eating foods that haven't had to travel halfway across the world in a 20-foot container (my livelihood aside) also TASTE better, so we're making a taste choice as well.  our time is precious, so the time we spend making food should be worth it, i definitely don't want to use bad quality ingredients.

anyway, back to this notion of calling oneself a "future researcher." what is up with all of these made-up professions? isn't it ok to simply be a researcher anymore? you have to inflate it with "future, " to make it seem trendy and cool? and speaking of trends, i've also seen the title "trend researcher." and i have also seen someone called an "idea consultant" in my newspaper. on that one, i contacted my sister immediately and said we should definitely start an idea consulting business. $100 for small ideas and $1000+ for really good ones. although we may have to up those prices what with the value of the dollar these days. because, of course, our ideas remain brilliant and valuable. :-) 

in my previous job, i was contacted by a woman who said she was a "podcasting consultant." i had a look at her website and it seemed that she simply made audio recordings as mp3s and put them on a website. i guess it was made a podcast by the fact of listening to it on an iPod. hmm, i have about 10 iPods myself, so i guess i could do up a set of business cards that say "iPod expert" or something like that. please, people. get real! and feed your family locally-produced organic food that you carry home in a cloth bag (preferably one you made of old jeans or something equally recycling-minded). :-)

ok, i'm done now. don't we all wish i was still having the blog blahs?

weekend meme

as per usual of late, i got my posting idea from the meme that tangobaby did for the weekend.

one word answers required. if you do it too, let me know so i can see what yours are! :-) hope you're all having a fabulous weekend. i'm cooking up a storm with all my new kitchen aid goodness.

1. Your cell phone? sexy

2. Your significant other? TheOne

3. Your hair? blonde

4. Your mother? busy

5. Your father? witty

6. Your favorite thing? change

7. Your dream last night? mall

8. The room you're in? unfinished

9. Your fear? ordinariness

10. What you're not? unambitious

11. The last thing you did before logging on?  baked

12. Where did you grow up? south dakota

13. Favourite drink? hendrick’s gin

14. What are you wearing? ralph lauren sweatpants

15. Your TV? philips

16. Your pet? lila

17. Your computer? iMac

18. Favourite place? Cape Town

19. Your mood right now? relaxed

20. Missing someone? no

21. Something you're not wearing? leather

22. Love someone? definitely

23. Your favorite color? teal

24. Kids? daughter

25. Your life? fabulous

i love my lensbaby