I have had a fantabulous time since I last blogged. I got back from Chicago last night at 1:00 am (this morning). I had a lot of fun shopping on Uncle Sam's money (income tax return- woo hoo), eating Indian food, going to the Art Institute of Chicago, and seeing some really cool plays.
Bobbie Jo and I hung out a lot this weekend and had a great time shopping in all of the expensive stores. We actually found some cheaper places to shop, which was really nice in comparison to window shopping Tiffany's or something. I got to see the mac mini in person at the Apple Store on Michigan Ave. They didn't have a shuffle out though, so I didn't get to play with that.
The art institute was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. Here's just some of what I saw:
This is a painting by Van Gogh- it is a self-portrait. His paintings are especially cool to see up close because he gunks the paint on the canvas.
Dots- this painting is made up of a bunch of little dots. You get up close to this one and you can hardly tell what it is because Seurat uses a technique called pointilism or stipiling.
This painting is by Andy Warhol and is HUGE. It is at least 15 feet by 15 feet.
The art institute had a bunch of work from one of my favorite artists, Rene Magritte. This painting is called "Time Transfixed." Magritte is well read and a huge fan of Michel Foucault. His paintings are embedded in theory. In this painting Foucault is asking the question, how does your thinking change when your assumptions about time and space are disrupted?
The plays in Chicago were also thought provoking. My favorite play was "The Love Song of J. Robert Oppenheimer"- the creator of the atomic bomb. The play questions the responsiblity of the scientist. If we know what will be done with our creation, how are we to be held responsible for the affect? Oppenheimer was just playing with science and it just so happened, as a result, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were obliderated. Is he responsible?
Besides the ideas in the play, I loved the references to one of my favorite poems, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot. There is a character in the play named "Lilith." In Hebrew mythology she is considered to be a demon. She was the first wife God gave Adam, but she "wouldn't lie down." For her disobedience, she became a demon and God created Eve. I had never heard about Lilith in the Bible. The name means "in the darkness" and she is said to be the mother of darkness. I wonder if she is the figure in the "Passion of the Christ"- the one holding the baby and who follows Jesus around? Anyone else heard of Lilith? I also wonder if she is a symbol for feminists? eg. The Lilith Fair?
Well, that is it about the weekend- now for last week...
Becca was in town!!! Whoa! She surprised me on Thursday, just as I was about to lay down and take a long nap. O-well. I would have rather hung out with Becca any day. She came to my door and I just opened it and was like, "Hey Becca... ... ... what are you doing here?!" It was wierd. I couldn't get used to her being in the room- something like what Freud would call the uncanny:)
We went to Grounds and talked a long time- sat at the same table we had our first d-time-- boo hoo--- It was so good to see her. We then went to Leslie and Kari's place and later we went out to eat at Panera. We came back to my room and watched That 70s Show for awhile and crocheted, and then I had to go to bed, so she left. Here and gone- oh so fast.
Last week I was in the school all week. It was a good time and I think I am going to have a lot of fun when I get to teach. I made a Napoleon Dynamite bulletin board that the H.S. kiddies loved.
Well, I am tired of typing and I should do some work on this lovely day off:)
ttyl,
boo
