33 Years Later --- Day 5/72

Walk: City Guides: Pac Heights Houses Tour, Castro Theater (Coen Bros interviewed & Blood Simple)
Distance: 4 miles


middle:  Ethan and Joel Coen today at the Castro Theater

Interesting to encounter a movie Ciwt saw when it first came out 33 years ago but hasn't seen again until today.  At times during the watching Ciwt thought the movie had changed, but of course it is She who has changed.  Also interesting to hear the Coens interviewed ahead of the movie.  Blood Simple was essentially their first movie, and so much has changed for them too.  Still letting it all sink in - (except the blood - in regard to the stark violence, it is unforgettable.  As Roger Ebert said: If you are squeamish, here is a film to make you squeam).

Brave New World -- Day 5/71

Walk: Piedmont
Distance: 2 miles and small yoga



Take out expert Ciwt branched out today to take a kitchen tour.  Lots of 'Millennial Grey' on view.

No What? --- Day 5/70

Walk: garage, hood
Distance: 3 miles and small yoga



Ciwt's usual garage is being retrofitted (for earthquake) so she's renting one almost a mile away. Even before having to walk so far to her car, she was using hers less and less - as little as once a week. BUT she still considered herself a teenage boy about cars at heart.  Totally identified with them, road trips, keeping up with car news, etc.

But, like yellow maybe (see a couple of days ago), something seems to be changing.  A part of her can seriously imagine life without a car.  Well, not quite, but life without much never mind about her car.  Well, not that either exactly.  Hard to define the shift, but, whatever it is, she senses it.

And the car-less idea surrounds her:  A friend just send her an article about the glories of living without a car/being driven; the person she is renting her garage from is a 30ish techie-type who doesn't own a car at all; she's becoming aware of more and more techie types and a few others who have absolutely no interest in owning a car - ever.  There's the bike brigade, but these people aren't that; they are Uber riders, when they think of going anywhere, they are thinking Uber. Along with paying for everything on line, using all their apps for what they are intended to do.

Maybe more another day, but this is such a long way from Ciwt's childhood when she lived for Fall and the new models out of Detroit. I'll be.....

The Live Here Zone --- Day 5/69

Walk: Meant to but computer jail instead
Distance: 0 but got laundry and some website text done anyway and teeny yoga




Ciwt thinks we're all where the arrow is pointing these days.  Take heart; we have fellow travelers and they say it is good for us.

Sweet, Tiny Buddhas --- Day 5/68

Walk: Asian Art Museum, Civic Center (City Guides Tour), Twitter Building Market
Distance: 3 miles and small yoga


Seated Buddha, perhaps 1400-1500, Thailand, rock crystal with gold and rubies


Seated Shakyamuni Buddha, 1700-1800, China, lapis lazuli and Nephrite

Dancing the de Young --- Day 5/67

Walk: de Young, Japanese Tea Garden (City Guides Walk)
Distance: 4 miles and small yoga


Keith Haring, Untitled, 1989, enamel on aluminum

Ciwt isn't a big fan of Keith Haring's art, but this sculpture of his outside the austere and sort of self-important de Young Museum building always makes her smile.

The Colors of Our Lives --- Day 5/66

Walk: City Guides Tour (Billionaires Row)
Distance: 1 mile and small yoga



Yellow?!  There was a time until recently that Ciwt practically had a ban on yellow flowers in her home. She found them jarring, somehow apart from the rest of her environment. Now she really enjoys the yellow and feels it adds an uplifting presence to her home.

When did the change come? What is it all about?  Anything similar ever happen to you?  Ciwt has a friend whose home was decorated in a plush, serene, olive; when she moved, her carpets were white and so was her furniture (or maybe light blue) - one of her rooms was something like fuschia.   And it was absolutely tasteful and wonderful! (For a while, she tells me, her husband thought the painters must have come to the wrong house).  Go figure.  We evolve; Ciwt finds it marvelous.

Picturing Moi --- Day 5/65

Walk: Presidio (City Guides Presidio Tour)
Distance: 5 miles and small yoga



Ciwt is finding it kind of embarrassing taking selfies around San Francisco.  Today was a glorious weekend day and many people from all over the Bay Area (and beyond judging from accents Ciwt heard) were out exploring.  The City was really showing off - so photogenic that people were stopping to take pictures, not of family and friends, but of its gorgeous scenery and sites.

Except for Ciwt - who was stopping and taking pictures of herself.  As Ciwt readers know by now, she's doing it for her upcoming web site.  But people walking past her didn't know that, and as they saw her standing, posing, aiming,  at least one of them must have thought "What an impossibly self-involved woman!"

Mellowing with Age, Whew --- Day 5/64

Walk: No
Distance: 0, small home yoga



Feels like term paper time around Ciwt's home these days.  Preparing copy for her art business website means sitting at her computer, thinking, typing, thinking again, and again, then a little typing and back to thinking.  At least web content isn't graded by some teacher, and, anyway, Ciwt's inner critic is becoming much more gentle with age.

Who Needs Holland? --- Day 5/63

Walk: Garage, A-Dock, Presidio Golf
Distance: 2.5 miles, small yoga

Ciwt heard that airport security lines are hours long, and people are literally missing their planes because of them.  One more reason to love her hood.

Oh no, not His knee --- Day 5/62

Walk: Presidio, Traders
Distance: 3 miles, small yoga

She'll probably take today's post down, but for now....Ciwt enjoys most of Charlie Rose's interviews, but sometimes his (overly) chatty, (overly) familiar, (overly bearing) style grates on her.  Today he interviewed President Obama, and it made Ciwt uncomfortable to hear our President spending so much time saying things like "Just let me finish...,"  "You asked, please let me answer...," "Give me time to say what I'm trying to say...."  All these attempts to stop Rose's interruptions after only a few sentences from the President.  Finally, at the end of the interview, Rose, the interviewer, laughed at something President Obama said, and, as if he and the President were at the same level, reached over, and slapped President Obama on the knee.

In Ciwt's world, you just don't do that - to any President of the United States.

You Heard Me: Relax! --- Day 5/61

Walk: Presidio, Traders
Distance: 3 miles, home yoga



Ciwt worked on taking a vacation day today. For some unknown to Ciwt reason, it's hard to totally relax when you're in retirement.  Luckily, it's almost time for a fun, California dinner with Alex Trebec.

Life Together --- Day 5/60

Walk: No
Distance: Home Yoga

Shhh, don't tell the others, but this is Ciwt's favorite houseplant.  It was love at first sight at Home Depot about 15 years ago when the plant was no more than half this size.  It is utterly undemanding, just keeps becoming more and more charming, producing its cute leaves and little firm berries which eventually dry out, fall off but never flower.  There is  no indication how it grows. From time to time Ciwt has made attempts to look up its name, but to no avail.  Now she likes not knowing its name; it doesn't know hers either.

Warm Arrangements --- Day 5/59

Walk: Whole Foods, Cinema Club (Presenting Princess Shaw), Laurel
Distance: 4 miles, small yoga


Paul Gauguin (Fr. 1848-1903), Arearea, 1892, Oil on Canvas, 30" x 37"

Warm weather today puts Ciwt in mind of Gauguin's art.  A much more complex and intellectual man and artist than Ciwt had realized until recently.  For instance, his Tahiti paintings which seem so loose and relaxed were carefully conceived and executed.

This from Wikipedia:

In an interview with L'Écho de Paris published on 15 March 1895, Gauguin explains that his developing tactical approach is reaching for synesthesia.^[228] He states:

Every feature in my paintings is carefully considered and calculated in advance. Just as in a musical composition, if you like. My simple object, which I take from daily life or from nature, is merely a pretext, which helps me by the means of a definite arrangement of lines and colours to create symphonies and harmonies. They have no counterparts at all in reality, in the vulgar sense of that word; they do not give direct expression to any idea, their only purpose is to stimulate the imagination—just as music does without the aid of ideas or pictures—simply by that mysterious affinity which exists between certain arrangements of colours and lines and our minds.^[229]

This Goes....Where? --- Day 5/58

Walk: Legion, Garage
Distance: 2.5 miles and home yoga




Ciwt's taxes are in the mail so it is on to temporary usable selfies for her new business website.  It will be up - in some form or another - soon.

Tame and Wild --- Day 5/57

Walk: de Young Museum (Oscar de la Renta), Sundance Kabuki (The Jungle Book)
Distance: 2 miles and small home yoga



Happy day for Ciwt.  She finally got to the Still very crowded Oscar de la Renta retrospective at the de Young.  It included several small documentaries about him in a small, separate viewing room which really captured his lovely, loving spirit.  Such a truly likable man and very caring fashion designer.  But, as for the show itself, exceptionally pretty dresses for all occasions and lots of them. Very feminine, but to Ciwt nothing about Oscar's style in and of itself stands out.  Ie, if there were a quiz and she were shown pictures of clothes by Chanel, Gautier, Schiaparelli, YSL and others, she could likely name the designer.  But not so with Oscar; she would know the clothes were pretty and the fabrics often exquisite, but she probably wouldn't necessarily know they were by Oscar. So, for her, very nice man, but a kind of dull show.



Then it was on to The Jungle Book which she thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommends.  Made even a better experience for Ciwt by running into one of her dearest yoga students whom she hadn't seen for a few years.  She's still doing yoga and still thinks of Ciwt and talks with other Ciwt students about the fun they had in Ciwt's class.  Awwww...

Such a Lovely Perch -- Day 5/56

Walk: Garage, Presidio, Traders
Distance: 4 miles



Possible business venture?  Possible golf club membership?  What next?  Does Ciwt really want to leave her perch?

Scrambled, Light --- Day 5/55

Walk: Presidio, Annie Liebovitz show
Distance: 1.5 miles, small home yoga


Jackson Pollock, Shimmering Substance, 1945, o/c

Ciwt's creativity cloud is lightening up, getting a bit brighter, more spacious.

Creativity Cloud --- Day 5/54

Walk: Garage, Union Square Theater (Colossal)
Distance: 2.5 miles



Ciwt has been working with a computer tech, trying to develop thoughts/copy for possible new business, doing her taxes, looking at art and going to plays with friends, writing an application, walking to a temp garage a mile away and she's so Creatively Spent, she totally forgot about her beloved CIWT yesterday.  First time ever.  These are her excuses.  Sorry.

Rethinking 2 Prints -- Day 5/53

Walk: Trader Joe's
Distance: 2 miles, Home Yoga



Once upon a time (two years ago actually) Ciwt considered buying these two Japanese prints.  She still thinks they are lovely and make a nice pair, although possibly by different artists. (She'll have to research for titles and artist names if she wrote them down). But she didn't buy because the whole feeling, geographic location and style didn't integrate with any of her other art works. She thinks it would be difficult to mix older Japanese prints with just about any Western styles; that they are a look apart and look best with other Japanese prints or at least with other prints, Japanese or not.  Agree?

Tea Time --- Day 5/52

Walk: Day of Rest
Distance: 0, Home Yoga

Ciwt went on a food tasting outing the other day, and one stop was in an outrageously interesting Tea Shoppe.  Interesting visually:

 
Tea Tins (For Warhol lovers, Who needs soup cans?)

And very interesting financially:


Doing the math on Tie Kwan Yin tea, that's $460/lb American.

Please Bring Back Those Tulips --- Day 5/51

Walk: Goldsworthy Installations in the Presidio (in the rain)
Distance: 5.4 miles, teeny yoga stretch

 

So, if you thought thought Ciwt's dancing tulips were dull, take a look at these heavy, clay covered, dead Eucalyptus branches on the thick clay ceiling of Andy Goldsworthy's 2013 installation at the Presidio,  Tree Fall.

Ciwt is not sure what the fellow members of her tour were thinking today* as they gazed at the 7, 00+ lb. ceiling, took their pictures  and departed.....  But Ciwt couldn't get out of the small, historical former gunpowder storage building fast enough.  She's trying to like the Bay Area Goldsworthys but it's a slow process - especially after the glorious Rivers and Tides, one of the best art documentaries ever in which every single one of Goldsworthy's works was heart-stirringly lovely and ephemeral.  Watching it, Ciwt almost felt like crying as delicate ice crystals dissolved in the warmth of the sun or gorgeous, tiny fall leaves were carried past her eyes and down the river.

Goldsworthy in the Bay Area is particularly on her mind right now because she is Just About, Right on the Cusp of starting a San Francisco art tour business: codename: rasf.  CIWT readers are the very first to know.

*The docent guide for the work admitted that her first thought was "Is this ceiling going to fall on me?"  Which she checked out before agreeing to take on the volunteer 'opportunity.'  

Vaudeville Hook for Tulips --- Day 5/50

Walk: Clement Street Food Tasting Walk
Distance: 4.5 miles



Sorry to report the dancing tulips have been given the old Vaudeville hook. Usually when Ciwt buys tulips, they move unaccountably from one place in the vase to another finally ending in amazing and often laughable positions.  But this particular bunch was a boring act, so, with apologies to their audience, off the stage with them....

Tulip Ballet, Act 2 --- Day 5/49

Walk: New Garage Rental
Distance: 2 miles, small home yoga

 
Pink Solo


Red Pas de Deux

  
Yellow Waiting in the Wings

Tulip Ballet, Act 1 --- Day 5/48

Walk: Presidio Golf Club, Mountain Lake
Distance: 3 miles



Ensemble

Pas de trois

Pas de trois, II

Smaller Ensemble

Tulip Ballet, Dress Rehearsal --- Day 5/47

Walk: Traders
Distance: 2 miles, Home yoga


Full Ensemble, Dress Rehearsal

Please Keep the Pink and Purple -- Day 5/46

Walk: Trader's, Hi-Tech Nails
Distance: 3.10 miles, Home Yoga



Flying Fraidy Cat Ciwt was sad to read today that the only airline she actually enjoys flying on has been sold.  Yes, hip, communicative, Virgin America with the pink and purple lights (aka phased mood lighting)is being acquired by Alaska Airlines.

Phased Mood's system is designed to create a visual experience that projects a calm, sophisticated and dynamic environment, specifically designed for relaxation and entertainment.  No wonder Ciwt likes it!  

Apparently Alaska Airlines is (almost) right up there with Virgin in being most loved by travelers and employees.  It has snazzy leather seats, is known to be "friendly" and has good on time performance and profitability. Mark that last because profitability was not Virgin's strong point, and probably the reason it had to offer itself for sale.

According to air travel blogs Ciwt has read, the merger, while sad because we're losing California's only home-based airline, looks to be a good candidate for successfully blending two excellent cultures and reputations.  That's nice, but Ciwt's mood will be brightened considerably if they keep those cool, calming lights.

Seeking: Toddler Temp --- Day 5/44

Walk: Cinema Club (The Meddler)
Distance: 2 miles and small yoga

  ???


Today Ciwt set out to give herself a tutorial on her word processing program, Word 2010.
It has now been four hours; she didn't understand a thing. And, alas, no grandchildren to explain it all  to her.  

Young at Heart --- Day 5/44

Walk: AMC Van Ness (Zootopia), Trader Joe's
Distance: 4 miles, small yoga



Ciwt doesn't think she's regressing, but... Yesterday it was a movie about a college fraternity house, today it was a Disney animated affair.  AND she liked the animated movie best!  Fun, funny, intelligent and with a message: "Always Try!  No matter what, try for what you want."  Somehow those little kid bromides feel so good to adults, or at least to this one.

On the other end of the animated spectrum were the twenty minutes (!) of previews - each more terrifying for adults, not to even mention children.  For instance, coming soon to a theater near you will be an animated feature about each adorable (little nameless furry things), magnificent (mammoths, saber tooth tigers) species who went extinct after valiant efforts to survive the Ice Age.  Oh dear, and Ciwt thought the Wicked Witch of the North was scary when she was young.

Not Everybody --- Day 5/43

Walk: Sundance Kabuki (Everybody Wants Some!!)
Distance: 2 miles and small home yoga



Do you believe Ciwt went to a movie that looks like the above pic?  Neither does Ciwt.  The photo is a still from Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!!  And realistically she should have known from the double exclamation mark, the movie wouldn't be for her.  That and the fact that she found Linklater's last movie, 3+ hour Boyhood, boring.

She may have to change her movie going style and read a leetle bit more about what the movie is about before going.  In this case is was a never-ending (well, ending in 2 hours) frat party.  That was the whole movie, the whole entire thing.  Stultifying, but at least a get away from a leetle business venture that is constantly on Ciwt's mind these days.

Addendum: Unexpectedly Ciwt woke up this morning wondering what ever became of some of the young men in Everybody..  That would be some of the completely fictional characters in Linklater's movie.  He is very talented at subtly getting into your humanity.