Skip to content

Those Wonderful Sculptors

Sometime back I jabbered on about how smashing I think sculptors are since they make rock look soft–sometimes fabrics, sometimes flesh. Here’s another fabulous example and one that puts Florence on the “Places I Must Visit” list.

The statue is called “The Rape of the Sabine” by Giambologna. It’s huge but the photo below only shows a detail portion of it. Albeit, one that REALLY illustrates the skill of the sculptor. I especially like this piece because it’s a ’scene’ from the pre-history/mythology of the Roman Empire. And you know how much I love that Classical History stuff, gentle reader. If you’d like to learn more about the story the statue represents then click here.

Good stuff!

The Rape of the Sabine - Photo Detail by mirasuri

The photo detail is from mirsuri’s photostream on Flickr.com.

Mad World

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I’m dying
Are the best I’ve ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It’s a very, very mad world mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what’s my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I’m dying
Are the best I’ve ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It’s a very, very mad world … world
Enlarge your world
Mad world

- RO

Almost No Reason To Leave

Dancing fools

I have a friend who’s a former DJ. A nice bloke from the UK. He invited the gang over to a club in downtown to spin up some classic house music, a sort of “20 years of house music celebration”. I was skeptical, if you knew Disco you would be too. He’s been talking about putting this little evening together for over a year so I was expecting some dramatic cancellation at the last minute.

Well, all his talk finally came to fruition last night and it was quite fun. Although, poor old sot, the turntables were placed at an awkward angle and were hooked into through a laptop. Disco is old school, so he wasn’t quite sure what to bloody do with the odd arrangement or how to use a laptop in mixing. Nonetheless, he did a lovely 30 minute set before chucking it in and joining us 5 dancers on the floor. You didn’t really think there would be more than 5 people in Wilmywood that would enjoy dancing to house music did you? Well, there aren’t.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself immensely and even imbibed a few foreign beers to blow off some steam. Still more good news–it’s house music night each Thursday at this den of quasi ill-repute. Wow! House music comes to Wilmywood! Now there is almost no reason for me to leave. If I could just get some trance and cybergoth going I would be perfectly pleased.

Also, I had a nice chit chat with the Emperor, an acquaintance of Disco’s and Bathrobe, my former roomie. I even gave the Emperor a ride home. Nice man, nice chat and who knows? Maybe a guy-pal in the future. I definitely need an action movie partner since none of my curent gal pals dig that sort of thing.

Unfortunately, I woke up today with the smartings of a minor hangover. Surprising since I had only 4 beers. I believe the distress was caused more by dancing my arse off in a sweltering club, where the only relief was the patio (80 degrees at midnight with 100% humidity), than the beer. But nevertheless, it was dehydration. Sure, I could have drank more water less beer, but really, what fun is that? So a few aspirins and a large yellow Gatorade later, the physical ailments are all but solved.

But the lingering metaphysical affects are more difficult to deal with. Frankly, I’ve not wanted to do a bloody thing but lay on the couch and smoke cigarettes while Chopin’s Nocturnes play continiously on the iPod. Funny I would want to do that since I don’t smoke anymore. But I do miss the ritual of it. I used to roll my own. You see? It’s just that sort of a mood.

What’s this funk all about? I had to consult someone more skilled in this department. I’ve seemed to forgotten all my boozehound lore on how to deal with the after-effects of a evening of intemperance. Of course, I turn to Kingsley Amis. The one of the world’s foremost drinking experts, a man of letters when it comes to spirits, so to speak. And a darn funny writer too.

When that ineffable compound of depression, sadness (these two are not the same), anxiety, self-hatred, sense of failure and fear for the future begins to steal over you, start telling yourself that what you have is a hangover. You are not sickening for anything, you have not suffered a minor brain lesion, you are not all that bad at your job, your family and friends are not leagued in a conspiracy of barely maintained silence about what a shit you are, you have not come at last to see life as it really is, and there is no use crying over spilt milk.

Thank heavens that explains it. I was beginning to worry. ;)

New Photo Space

Greetings and salutations, gentle reader.

Just a quick note to let you know that I’m tired of tweaking and twonking all sorts of code in my attempt to provide a slick and impressive photo gallery page for your viewing pleasure.

Instead, I’m taking the lazy, yet effective, way out and merely providing a text link to my Flickr account. There you can view all my sets and leave snarky remarks at your leisure. No, it’s not as refined and urbane as I am but it works.

You’ll find said link on the left sidebar just below the bumblebee picture. It’s called “The Photos”.

I know! So creative I am.

An Oldie But a Goodie

Gentle reader, give thanks to lovely SD over at The Lowdown for sending me this little gem from way back in the day. If you don’t know who Strong Bad and HomestarRunner are you MUST go and visit. Get in the know! It’s good clean silly fun. An excellent pick me up during the drudgery that sometimes is “life in the modern world”.

Anyhoo, this video is especially high-larry-us since I am known as the “techno lover” amongst many of my friends.

Really, gentle reader, it’s all a big misunderstanding. See, I’m all about the trance and progressive house when dancing, with a side of what’s now called cybergoth aka industrial. All distinctly BETTER forms of electronica.

But I don’t wanna break their little hearts and ruin the fun by telling them I don’t like the techno. They get so much enjoyment from making light switch rave and glow stick jokes.

OK, I liked techno maybe for a week back in ‘89… maybe two weeks… maybe

:)