War and Peace -- Day 4/346

Walk: Cinema Club (A War), Calvary Presbyterian Church (Winter Concert)
Distance: 3.8 miles and small yoga

  Ciwt's thought provoking day began with the spring 'semester' of her Cinema Club's showing and discussion of A War.  It's the Danish Oscar contender for Best Foreign Film.  An immaculate portrait of that soul-wracking, unsanitizable thing called war.

 Then it was onto a concert at a nearby church with a strong, excellent music program.  The last movement of the last piece (Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13 "Winter Daydreams" - 1860) ended with repeated dona nobis pacem, dona nobis pacem. grant us peace.

45 x 2 --- Day 4/345

Walk: Sundance Kabuki* (45 Years x2)
Distance: 2 miles



Ciwt went to the excellent 45 Years for the second time today and found it even more penetrating. She also wonders what the age cutoff point is between those who probably feel like the movie goes on 45 years because nothing happens and those who feel everything does and go a second time. Probably at least 50.

*There's been a sandwich board poster for a while but Ciwt just noticed it today. Sundance Kabuki, one of her homes away from home, has been sold to another theater owner.  Fingers crossed. She's also of an age where the more high quality neighborhood the better.

Yoga Thoughts for the Athlete --- Day 4/344

Walk: Opera Plaza Cinema (2 Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live Action and Animated)
Distance: 1.8 miles and home yoga

Instead of doing yoga, would Ciwt mostly rather
  
Be Playing Tennis?
  
Or Volleyball?                                                Or Skiing?

And, if she were a guy, would she be engaged in a
Pick up Basketball game
 rather than 
Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock Pose)?

Yes to all of these sports.  BUT Ciwt is of a certain age with less collagen, elastin, tighter tendons, and ligaments, and a host of other things that happen to EVERY body as they age.  She does not want to break an ankle, throw out her back, wrack up her knees or worse.  So, she does an activity that covers all the bases from aerobic, strength training, balance, stretching to mental and emotional.  Yoga.

Annals of Bay Area Life --- Day 4/343

Walk: A Dock
Distance: A few blocks, small home yoga


Nothing like lunch with good friends

on their Sausalito Houseboat.  

                          

Dentist Chair Yoga --- Day 4/342

Walk: 450 Sutter Medical Bldg
Distance: 3.5 miles and chair yoga

                                                                                              Legs Right 

Legs Center

 Legs Left

Ciwt's dentist estimated the time for her appointment today at '2 maybe 2 1/2 hours.'  At hour 5 Ciwt was still in that chair and needed to move.   So she came up with the concept of dental chair yoga, much to the amazement of staff people as they walked by her room.  Lucky thing, as the whole time in the chair came to 7 hours.  (Her dentist is a total perfectionist and yoga can be a very versatile friend once you know what you're doing.  Ciwt does it at airports, on planes, in traffic jams, waiting for movies or other cultural events to begin...).

Non-Travel Fatigue --- Day 4/341

Walk: Van Ness, Trader Joe's 
Distance: 3 miles and home yoga

                               

For some reason Ciwt can't get centered since snowstorm cancelled her trip east.  Lots of momentum for that.  Now she thinks of planned March trip to L.A. art.  Meh.  Bonnard show coming here.  Meh. Some sort of a (volunteer)  job (if she could get one). MEH. Rebooking NYC. All seats filled cuz of Super Bowl people coming here, and meh anyway.

Somehow, mysteriously, she seems to have exhausted herself Not taking a trip. 

Crissy Field Tepee --- Day 4/340

Walk: Crissy Field, 4-Star Theater (Theeb x2)
Distance: 3 miles walk/jog, 1 mile walk, home yoga


Hmm, what's this Ciwt wondered on her early morning walk.


Even has a blueprint.


Someone was busy overnight.  There are symbolic placements of shells and logs within.

Is this Seat Taken? --- Day 4/349

Walk: Presidio
Distance: walk/jog 5 miles, home yoga


Ciwt is a Mezzanine Girl when she has the chance.  Here's her view of ACT's set for Saatcho at the Waldorf.

The Danish Girl wasn't very popular the day Ciwt went.

And neither were the Presidio Golf Club carts today on NFL and AFC playoff Sunday.

No Place Like Home ... Day 4/348

Walk: Maybe
Distance: Not Sure; Home yoga

Plan:



Back to San Francisco, Callie and CIWT today.....

Reality:

Virgin America Flight 25

1. Cancelled

   JFK

   SFO

   
   BUT:
2. 
   
3. 
4. Ciwt already home in rain with Callie and on CIWT.

The Danish Broadway --- Day 4/347

Walk: Marina
Distance: 2 miles and home yoga



A friend said about The Danish Girl, "It doesn't end the way you think it will."  For fear it would bore her as much as Carol*, Ciwt wasn't going to go.  But her friend's remark intrigued her, she couldn't make it to NYC**, both stars are up for Academy Awards and it's raining, so off Ciwt will go to check out that unexpected ending.  (Don't worry; no spoilers if Ciwt reports).

---After show: Whether he's in a wheelchair or full-bodied, male or female, Eddie Redmayne is just so damn endearing.  So is his/her marriage in The Danish Girl to the lovely and talented Alicia Vikander.  Ciwt can't drag anyone to the theater for this one, but, if you go, you will very much enjoy the acting - and Ciwt bets your heart will be touched.

*In Ciwt's opinion, the most overrated 2015 Academy Award nominated movie - by Far. 

** Regards, Broadway.  Sorry to miss you...





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Virgin and Picasso --- Day 4/346

Walk: Marin Driving Day
Distance: Not Far, Home Yoga

Those who know Picasso's brutish and misogynistic reputation must wonder about today's headline.  Let Ciwt explain:

Minus the predicted East Coast blizzard, today  Ciwt would be at MoMA at the Picasso Sculpture show, and she'd like to add to her comments on the show even without attending.  (Speaking of Ego).
But first she'd like to give a shout out to Virgin Airlines who gave her a waiver on flight cancellation fees.  Just one more on the Virgin chart.

Now on to comments on the show not seen.

First, let Ciwt say she has seen some of the best Picasso sculptures in the show, including:
1
2
3
4

And several others.  All thought and heart provoking - and often quite amusing.

Which leads to her second comment: The show exhibits over 140 sculptures and Ciwt can't help wondering whether the truly stirring works are swallowed up in the crowd of smaller, (repetitive?, lesser?) works. She assumes so, actually; she has seen this (uncritical) over abundance with other artists in past shows over the years.

And, speaking of crowds, even though Ciwt's MoMA membership allows her to enter the show an hour early, there is still a goodly number of members at that hour.  Then when the timed/non-member admissions begin, the true blockbuster nature of the exhibit takes over.  In these conditions it is virtually impossible to find and read signage or see much much less commune with the art.

So, maybe it is just sour grapes because Ciwt wasn't able to get back for the show(unless she takes a brief, wild, last-minute trip), but Ciwt is thinking she's lucky to have studied Picasso's paintings, drawings and prints so extensively in college and seen so much of his work in the past.  To her, Picasso wasn't (and didn't aspire to be) as talented a sculptor as he was a painter, draftsman and printmaker  - so missing this show is a disappointment but not the end of the world.  On the other hand, the show sounds like an absolute Must See for those beginning to educate their art eyes and What an amazing opportunity to feast them on one of the world's greatest artists being creative, playful, whimsical, and witty.



1. She-Goat, 1950 (cast 1952), bronze
2. Bull, ca. 1958, Cannes, plywood, tree branch
3. Bull's Head, 1942, bicycle seat and handlebars
4. Man with Lamb, 1942, bronze

Off to the Big Apple - NOT --- Day 4/345

Walk: 450 Sutter (Union Square)
Distance: 4 miles and small home yoga to get out the kinks


   NO

  NO


 YES (4+ Hours in the dentist chair instead of the Big Apple).  Quite the switch and Ciwt is still feeling disoriented).

Settling Difficulties --- Day 4/344

Walk: Union Square
Distance: 8 Blocks or so, home yoga



So, the scene above is roughly what has come of Ciwt's trip to NYC to visit friend, Picasso sculpture, Ole Broadway, other art venues, and old haunts. It was a difficult decision because Ciwt was really looking forward to seeing her friend, going to a few plays together, and generally toodling around the Apple where she and Ciwt once lived. (She for nearly a lifetime and Ciwt for a few years).

But here, as Ciwt writes, are some current forecasts by meteorologists about probable/possible weather on the days of said trip:

*A high-impact snowstorm for the region is nearing inevitability and there is some chance it will be historic, paralyzing travel and disrupting normal routines. (Washington Post)

*If the storm develops to its full potential and takes a track just off the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts, then a blizzard can unfold. The storm could shut down highways and perhaps cause airport closures.  (AccuWeather)

*...if things turn out as meteorologists expect, the East Coast could get hammered by snow next weekend, and New York could get a lot of snow — anywhere from five inches to double digits. (NY Magazine)

* "..blockbuster blizzard for the ages.."  (NY Times)

None of this may come to pass, of course.  But for Ciwt these predictions conjure up images of being one of those people you see in the news sleeping on airport floors and boarding area seats for days after their flights have been cancelled.  So, following a few texts of disappointed agreement with her friend,  Ciwt pronounced:  "Off with the Trip!!!" 

Then, for 'fun,' she went downtown* in the rainstorm out here that is going to be the blizzard  out there falling on Central Park, Mad Ave, MoMA, Ciwt's hotel, Broadway - but not on Ciwt and her friend.

*To her dentist for a new $tooth$.  Another story.

The Solution? --- Day 4/343

Walk: Clement Street, etc.
Distance: 4 miles and home yoga



Pablo Picasso, Woman and Child, 1962, sheetmetal and painting

Pre-MoMA Picasso Sculpture exhibition Ciwt will also go on record saying she believes sculpture was where Picasso went to rejoin those creative child energies he held so dear.

Will She Grow? --- Day 4/342

Walk: No, Packing/Rain
Distance: 0, Home Yoga

So Ciwt will head to the MoMA Picasso Sculpture Show this week and wants to be on record before viewing it that she sees his sculptures more as (amusing)  pass times, doodles, or ways for him to work out spacial relationships in preparation for a painting. *

Ciwt also thinks Picasso's primary means of expression - the media he most valued - were canvas and paper.  Ie, painting and drawing.  A few of his sculpture pieces she has seen are clearly more important than others and were likely completed for public consumption or display.    **  To Ciwt, even these do not carry the expressive visceral energy of the paintings and drawings.   ***

BUT she hasn't seen many Picasso sculptures in person nor studied in depth the level of Picasso's devotion and relationship to sculpture, so it will be interesting to see if (how, probably) this ambitious, sweeping, 'once-in-a-lifetime' survey expands her understanding and appreciation.

*Woman in the Garden, Paris, 1929-30, welded and painted iron
**The Goat, 1950, Palm lead, iron and plaster
***Goat Skull, Bottle and Candle, 1954, oil on canvas

No HornTo Blow -- Day 4/341

Walk: Drisco Hotel, ACT (SATCHMO at the Waldorf)
Distance:  1.5 miles



Excellent visit with dear cousin and outstanding one man show by John Douglas Thompson have (happily) used up Ciwt's creative energy for today. Now she waits with mist outside the window for both experiences to sink in..