Photo Op(?) -- Day 2/54

Walk: Alta Plaza Park, Fillmore Street
Distance: 1 mile

Had to have my picture taken today for yoga teaching.  Outdoors, in the wind, OMG..There was a time when I was completely, Completely relaxed about the camera in my face.  That would not be now. Anyway, recovered from the trauma with a bit of retail therapy and now will fiddle with the things I got and let the ordeal pass. 

ciwt, hmmm --- Day 2/53

Walk: de Young (docent tour), Mindful Body
Distance: 18 blocks and take yoga class

I seem to have so little to say to/on ciwt these days part of me thinks I should just write when I have that 'smart' entry to make.  But another part of me - the one that prevails - feels it is still necessary to make a daily entry. That is not my express intention this second year, but it still feels essential to the process.  So bearing with myself.....

RCA State of Mind --- Day 2/52

Walk: Mindful Body
Distance: 1 mile and teach yoga clas


Nothing on but the radio this evening. (Mentally..)

Oscar Notes -- Day 2/51

Walk: Not much
Distance: maybe a mile and hit golf balls

 If I hadn't started watching the Oscars when I was a kid I doubt I would be watching them.  But by now The Oscars are a camp, cumulative experience for me.  I have so much history watching them that I am compelled to keep on going.  Something comes on and a part of my mind starts comparing it with some other Oscar show so the whole event broadens, takes on a sense of history - for better or worse. 

Often worse of course now that the studios don't dress and control the stars' images and there are a whole slew of pre-Oscar award shows that make the Oscar picks almost an afterthought.  That said, the lack of studio control has led to many memorable fashion disasters as stars expressed their true selves.  Particularly I remember Demi Moore in biker shorts. Barbra Streisand in some black see-through gauzy pajamas, several years of Cher and, of course, Bjork's swan.

That said, this year the Oscars did surprise with many 'with it' picks: Christoph Waltz (over Tommy Lee Jones), Argo (over Lincoln/Spielberg), Jennifer Lawrence (over old-timie actress from Amour), Searching for Sugarman, and Tarantino for best original screenplay.  So there was a suggestion that they might have broken free from powerhouse studio owners and producers, Hollywood and Jewish themes, banal melodrama.  We'll see.

I always feel badly when the Oscar winner gets a musical crook around his/her neck and is dragged off the stage mid-acceptance speech.  This when the presenters have 'hogged' the time with 'comedy' routines, monologues and song and dance numbers appropros of who knows.  Not wanting to hog ciwt readers' attention I will come to the end of these little comments on the 85th Academy Awards.



Best: Stacey Keibler.  Fresh and lovely.



Worst: Helen Bonham-Carter.  This is her look; she's always in something like this along with hairdo, expressions.  It makes me smile.

Partial Oscar -- Day 2/50

Walk: Kabuki Film Club (The Silence), de Young (Rembrandt's Century Docent Lecture)
Distance:  2.5 miles

So far the Academy is doing well (enough): Waltz, Searching for Sugarman, Pi cinematography, more tomorrrow...

Red Carpet Tomorrow -- Day 2/49

Walk: Mindful Body, Fillmore Street
Distance: 2 miles and teach yoga class

The Red Carpet unfurls at @1:30 West Coast time tomorrow.  Not sure I'll get in front of the tube just then, but probably at least by 3:00.  Please let there be some fashion disasters!!  And some real fashion winners as well.

Predictions:

Director: Speilberg
Picture: Lincoln
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (?) or Amour woman
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway
Best Foreign: Searching for Sugarman
"Best Music": All things Skyfall
Best screenplay adaptation: Tony Kushner/Lincoln



See you in your seat tomorrow.

The Way We Shop --- Day 2/48

Walk: Union Square, Mindful Body
Distance: 2.5 miles and take yoga class

So, here's how I shop for clothes.  I try on (quite) a few things in the store, get a sense of what might be a possibility/eliminate what is out of the question, then use my credit card to buy all the possibilities.  When home I try on the possibilities (can be kind of exhausting), tear my hair out, get completely preoccupied, maybe order other possibilities on line.  Finally I narrow it all down to the chosen few/many items.  Then comes the returning.

It's a laborious process but one I've used since having my 10 cent (or whatever) allowance as a child and buying maybe one thing a year.  It feels creative and is fun  - or simply works for me as they say. 

Others do it completely differently. I know people who are completely mortified to return anything.  They just will not do it and seem to have returning filed in some shame category. (Whereas for me it just a way to do business).  Other people have somehow learned the art of selecting the perfect item in the store, buying it and c'est tout.  Wow!  Some buy as I do - ie, possibilities - but then don't return them because it is too much time and trouble.  It is for those people that retail operations  - particularly chains - live. It is for them that salespeople encourage customers to "Take it home; see how it goes..."

Finally, least interestingly and sadly/madly there are the shoplifters and those that wear the items to whatever function they need them for then try to return it.  Some succeed.

Oh, yeah, then there are the (lucky) few who just go to wherever they store the clothes they already own, and take out a different weight whatever for that season.  Ie, no shopping at.  No comment..

Anyway, in preparation for spring/summer, I'm in a huge buy, try on, return mode.  That's also when I often find things in my closet I haven't worn - and there are actually stores which will take the merchandise back after quite a while.  Athleta has a 'forever' return policy - any time, any reason.  So that adds another dimension to the quarterly wardrobe drill.

How about you?

OK, off to organize items for tomorrow's returns....

A Taste for Helen Frankenthaler -- Day 2/47

Walk: de Young Museum (Modern Printmaking Techniques Lecture)
Distance: 1 mile

Had a hard time staying awake at today's printmaking lecture (So Technical!!!) until a Helen Frankthaler print came on the screen.  Yes!!!







en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Frankenthaler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFjX2Nbf-HM

Dear Yoga Friends -- Day 2/46

Walk: Fort Mason/Greens, Yoga Tree Hayes
Distance: 2 miles and take yoga class

I get down to Ft. Mason and Greens Restaurant just often enough so it is fresh, sparkling and enchanting when I do.   As well as vegetarian and healthy.

Today I was treated to lunch by a dear couple who for at least the first year of my Tuesday yoga class must have committed themselves to making it work for me. He is in his 80's and both of them started yoga shortly after serious back operations. At the beginning of the first class I said "Roll out your mat."  And he looked at me like I was talking in a foreign tongue.  I literally had to walk over and show him how to unroll his mat onto the floor.

So, after that first class I assumed I would never see them again and was kind of relieved because I figured I could give things a month or so and, when no one showed, just forget about teaching yoga.  But, No. Unfailingly, and amazingly to me, one or the other or both of them showed up every single week. There we were: he and I, she and I and or for a Huge class, both of them and me. 

Now we are 12-16, growing, and most probably the largest Tuesday 3:00 class in the Bay Area. And this new size is a lot for them to assimilate.  So much less space for them, not so much individual attention. But really they are revered by everyone in the class - certainly their teacher - and they know this.  As much as I 'need' the class to grow, it was very dear to dine alone with them today when they took me out to celebrate our 10th + anniversary.

There have been many magical things that have happened in the course of my yoga teaching.  Starting with them and their steadfast support.  So (unbeknownst to them)  today's CIWT is dedicated, with love and appreciation to Janet and Ted.  Namaste, dear students and people.


Greens is the last 10-12 windows at the end of one these Fort Mason piers.

Framed --- 2/45

Walk: Mindful Body
Distance: 10 blocks and teach yoga class

Yesterday you saw my K. Libbey Nash  Makers Mark.  Now here it is in its gorgeous frame:



The wood is just beautiful and perfect with the artwork.

And, remember K. Libbey Nash's San Marco?  (Day 351)  Look at how its frame turned out:





Again, just perfect, the tones of gold with red, the swirls echoing the energy of the piece.  Framing is an art in itself.  Put another way, framers are true artists.  And I consider myself so lucky to have the expertise of Dave, Colleen and their dog, Sophie, back in Minnesota doing this high quality work that is exceptional in itself while presenting the art in the best possible way.

Makers Mark --- Day 2/44

Walk: Mindful Body
Distance: 10 blocks and take yoga class

Here's my new K. Libbey Nash. It is a collage quilt composition from her Homage to the Women of Gees Bend series. I like it a lot!

 

 

                    Maker's Mark, 2008 Mixed Media, 11.5" x 8.25"


http://klibbeynash.com/section/337786_Homage_to_the_Women_of_Gees_Bend.html

Creative Limits --- Day 2/43

Walk: Legion of Honor (Boone Ceramics Collection Lecture), Yerba Buena (Aninadamar Opera)
Distance: 2 miles

Within inches of finding the right height for one of the Nashes.  But before finishing I decided to attend -back to back - a very dry lecture on French Porcelain and a Highly dramatic/tragic opera re: Lorca.  So, now I'm creatived out. One more drop of input and it will all turn to mud. So catch me tomorrow when I'll be patching nail holes...

Ella Alluisi (1912-1996) --- Day 2/42

Walk: Mindful Body
Distance: 10 Blocks and teach yoga class

 
Resurrection, 1954, gouache, 9 1/2" x 7"



Still placing my new K. Libbey Nash's, and in so doing I'm spending time with a few Ella Alluisi watercolors I've owned quite a while and still love. 

Ella Wharton Alluisi was an amazing, adventurous, pioneering woman artist. Although born in Houston, she spent most of her artistic life in Northern California and the Caribbean. Known for her modernist painting, as well as her equally adept sculptures and collage work, she often painted whimsical still lifes with fantastic animals and imaginary creatures in outlandish colors.

Googling her I see the skimpy biographical information on her is actually from the little brochure I produced when managing the Jan Holloway Gallery.  It was written in connection with the show the gallery gave Ella January 8- February 2, 1991.   

I will quote myself and Ella's letters to the gallery from the booklet Ella Alluisi - Paintings & Watercolors:

To see Ella Alluisi's painting is to smile and return briefly to one's childhood fantasy world where animals can look human and humans can assume unearthly forms. Her work captures this optimistic  freeform, transformative energy .  Alluisi's artistic goal was to depict the "one-ness of spirit" which she believes dwells within all things This harmony is especially reflected in her bold palette of subtle tonal changes. 

Paris in the mid-1930's was for the young Alluisi a time of tremendous personal and artistic growth.  There her artistic aims were engendered and developed by early studies with the noted artist and teacher, Sonia Delaunay.  Delaunay's students were encouraged to "communicate with one's deeper self...releasing the spontaneous sources of self-expression lying within each of you..." These ideas found fertile ground in Alluisi's natively optimistic personality.

In Paris Alluisi met her future husband and lifelong companion, Jean.  Together they traveled extensively, living in various locations here on the West Coast of California and in the Caribbean, where there was always more than enough inspiration for her creative energies.

Painting in a strong poetic metaphor that translated perceptions into a visual language of warmth and intelligence, Alluisi celebrates acceptance and joy in all that life brings.  With pleasure we now present a collection of works by this artist who saw grace and beauty always around her.

I would add now that the yogini and yoga teacher in me must have resonated with Ella's philosophy and life view even then.

Hornblowers, 1944, watercolor, 10"x12"




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Delaunay



Finding Homes for K. Libbey Nashes -- Day 2/41

Walk: Mindful Body
Distance: 10 blocks and take yoga class

Two new K Libbey Nash artworks arrived today so am preoccupied with finding their places in my evolving environment.  Creative Fun!  Much more later. Meanwhile, maybe take a look at K. Libbey Nash's website. 

http://klibbeynash.com/home.html

V is for Valentine --- Day 2/40

Walk: Corte Madera
Distance: 1 mile


Happy Valentine's Day to CIWT Readers one and all!

What Color? --- Day 2/39

Walk: UCSF, de Young
Distance: 3.5 miles

It's all light and airy and new with cherry blossoms, daffodils, tulips and delicate pure green grass. But for some reason spring has always make me a bit sad, and pictures like the one below make me want to scream. 



Here are the names of some pastel shades from the net: Angelic Pretty, Cute KillCan , Holley Tea Time, Baby Pink

State of the Union --- Day 2/38

Walk: de Young Museum, Mindful Body
Distance: 2 miles and teach yoga class

Busy watching another important institution, the State of the Union Speech 2013

Spring Ahead --- Day/2/37

Walk: No; Monday is often around the house day
Distance: 0

Major try on day in preparation for the dreaded Spring clothing season - followed by the almost equally dreaded Summer.  Luckily less pronoiunced in eternally Fall San Francisco.  But still, seems to me spring is for -



                  Little Girls




                    Blonds

      And People Who Can Wear White All Day

                                                                                                But not for CIWT......

Beautiful Float --- Day 2/36

Walk: Sundance Kabuki (Lore), Sausalito Houseboats
Distance: 4 miles

From Last Night's Dean and Britta Show: 
13 Most Beautiful...Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests

I didn't quite know what to expect and ended up in deep reverie.  Very subtly poignant.  All that patently gorgeous youth and life energy taken and ravaged at and for face value.  Famous for 15 minutes, then gone - completely.  Beauty is a very complex topic and Andy Warhol nailed it.  (Can't quite get it right now; perhaps will edit for the better at another time).


                                                

                  Dean and Britta

and Paul America
 
and Susan Bottomly (International Velvet)
 

and Dennis Hopper 

 

Dean, Britta, Andy and Friends ---- Day 2/35

Walk: Mindful Body, Trader Joe's, Laurel Village, JCCSF
Distance: 5 miles and teach yoga class

Branching out from Furthur tonight and going with rock band friends to see their friends perform.  The (Dean and Britta's) program is entitled:

 Dean and Britta—13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests



Here's the blurb from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City when they performed the show there last Fall:

Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, former members of the band Luna and now the duo Dean and Britta, present a multimedia event featuring a selection of Andy Warhol's Screen Test films with live musical accompaniment. As thirteen of Warhol's four-minute film portraits play, a four-member ensemble performs a composed score. This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years.
This project was jointly commissioned by the Andy Warhol Museum and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts 2008.
This program is made possible by Campbell Soup Company. http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2012/campbells/warhol_anniversary/index.html
Listen to a sample of Dean and Britta.







Darn Wrong! --- Day 2/34

Walk: Mindful Body, Laurel Village, Trader Joe's
Distance: 3 miles and take yoga class

Wrong!  The new technology is a great combination with wool socks (see Day 2/30). Supportive around the feet and ankles, much thinner but very warm, some have cushioning, extra arch support and are made specifically for the right and left foot.  Also cute.  So, buy at will.



Shady Yoga --- Day 2/33

Walk: Mindful Body, etc.
Distance: 1.5 miles and take yoga class

There's a relatively new yoga kid on the block called Shadow Yoga.  Our local paper wrote an article on it a few years ago (see link below) and one of the statements in the Comments section says something like "I'm quite familiar with yoga.  I read the entire article a couple of times, and I still have no idea what shadow yoga is."

I would add to that I've actually done shadow yoga several times, and I have no idea what it is.  Except the usual 'new' yoga modality: a chaining together of the ancient yoga forms, breathwork and philosophies and giving the same old stuff a different name.

There is an audacity to this that bothers me.  Oh well...ommm

http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Shadow-yoga-offers-a-fresh-twist-3273776.php

Run Those Faucets --- Day 2/32

Walk: Mindful Body, etc.
Distance: 1.5 miles and take yoga class

I remember when first on my own ruining a variety of things because I didn't know how to maintain them.  (Luckily I did know to have my car serviced regularly so that wasn't a casualty).  then I got pretty good at knowing how to care for my things.  Until today....when I lost a perfectly good running wet bar.  Now, who uses wet bars?  No one, but they can come in handy for an additional sink from time to time.  Unfortunately those times were waaay far apart and I did not know that - even though you don't use a sink, you need to run the water on a regular basis. 

You've got the picture.  Goodbye sink; the pipes are basically inaccessible.  So this is my public service announcement for those who don't know this about sinks.   I miss it already..

'White Gold' -- Day 2/31

Walk: Legion of Honor, Mindful Body
Distance: 20 blocks and teach yoga class

In the time of Louis XVI, the 'white gold' of France, more valuable than diamonds, was the white porcelain from the Sevres factory.  White and often encrusted with thick layers of gold gilt that is.

Real porcelain demands a certain type of soft paste from a rare clay. Only the Chinese and Japanese knew the 'recipe' until the French learned (one could say 'stole') the secrets to locating and firing it.  It is said that the secret was discovered by a Jesuit cleric in the Far East who sent it in private letter to his superior in France.  And when the French found the equivalent clay for the soft paste, no expense or energy was spared to locate the finest craftspeople and artists to create the Sevres pieces.

So valued was French porcelain that it was given as the royal gift to royals from other countries.  Once the King of Sweden arrived unannounced at Versailles for a visit.  Louis XVI of course had to offer him a treasure to take with him in gratitude for his presence.  So, he diverted an entire multi-piece serving of porcelains that had been ordered produced by and for Marie Antoinette and presented it to the Swedish King.  Then another set was produced for Marie - requiring many years of precise and concentrated work at the Sevres factory. The cup and saucer below are not that pattern, but certainly of the same quality.

 

PS - Here I believe is the exact porcelain.  This is the second version belonging to Marie Antoinetter after her first set was presented as a gift by Louis XVI to the King of Sweden.

Baaa --- Day 2/30

Walk: No, Just relaxing around Marin on an overcast day

Busy looking for cozy, thick, wool, no show socks to replace old ones that have finally worn through.  Guess too much time has gone by and the new - thinner, sleeker, run like the wind -technology has hit the sock world. Darn.

Underdog Please --- Day 2/29

Walk: TMB, Trader Joe's, JCC
Distance: 2 miles and take yoga class


I want to go into the Super Bowl as the Underdog.  Then nothing is expected, I can go for broke, enjoy myself....But, no, the 49ers are favored.  Watch out.

Remnants --- Day 2/28

Walk: Mindful Body
Distance: 10 blocks and teach yoga class

Driving home through Golden Gate Park after the Girl with a Pearl Earring show at the de Young the other day was a scenic and interesting journey as always.




Portals of the Past at base of Rainbow Falls, Golden Gate Park.  Monument to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.  The portico on the shore of Lloyd Lake are all that were left a a Nob Hill mansion.
http://www.sanfranciscodays.com/golden-gate-middle/#rainbow



And further on, are a small herd of buffalo, one of several in US/Canada/Mexico preserves which have re-established the bison population to over 500,000.
http://www.golden-gate-park.com/buffalo-paddock.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison

Morning Moon --- Day 2/27

Walk: JCC
Distance: 18 blocks and take yoga class

I love 'my' rooftops.  Puts me in mind of Paris. Woke up to this the other morning.