Jeanne-Claude Has Died

Over the years, you've probably been peripherally aware of some nutjob, would-be artist named Christo doing things like this:



and this



and this



Well, all of those projects and several more were co-created by Christo's wife, Jeanne-Claude. The two of them worked together for 51 years making really odd, useless, beautiful images. They never took any kind of outside funding or sponsorship for their projects. They paid for everything with money they raised by selling drawings, paintings, and plans to collectors with a lot of cash. They never left any kind of footprint, always making sure the materials for their projects were disposed of in environmentally friendly ways. They were in love and made art for half a century and I think that's pretty cool. I just read on CNN.com that Jeanne-Claude died Wednesday of complications related to a brain aneurysm. So, in honor of someone who simply made the world a more interesting place, I thought I'd share some images from the most recent (and my favorite) Christo/Jeanne-Claude project, The Gates.







Honestly, I think the world would be a better place with more saffron-colored flags.

Tuesday Levity

toothpastefordinner.com


superpoop.com


superpoop.com


superpoop.com

Parker's Nicknames So Far

Suzanne and I are nickname-giving parents. I don't know why but we both take joy in giving our children ridiculous monikers. Here's what we've come up with for Miss Parker so far.

Park Ranger
Central Park
Yellowstone Park
Park Attack (Shark Attack)
Smacky Von Smackerston
Smackenstein
Count Smackula
Nugget
Little Bits
Peanut Butter Brown
Park-tastic Elastic
Bug
Boog
PFB-You-Know-Me

Ludicrous, I know. But so fun.

Taylor Swift on SNL

I'm not a Taylor Swift fan - but this sure went a long way in making me one. Made me sad I missed this episode of SNL.

Exam Report

So, yes, I passed both portions of the qualifying exam. Last Friday, I arrived at Wayne State a little before noon. I headed into the same conference room I occupied last time and found Dr. Shaviro and Dr. Thompson already there. My third committee member, Dr. Brill, showed up after another minute or two. Once we were all there, they asked me to step out for a minute, presumeably so they could confer about what I wrote the week before and to strategize their question-asking.

I stepped back in and they started asking me questions about the essays I'd written last week. Could you clarify what you meant by. . . how does this idea fit in with that theory. . . you wrote this but what about that. . . etc. This went on for about an hour and a half. Almost every one of their questions was centered on film noir and on last week's essays.

Most of the time, I felt okay about my answers. When Dr. Kirsten Moanna Thompson of Christchurch, New Zealand asked me questions, however, I became a tongue-tied mess. That woman is so intimidating it's ridiculous. The natural state of repose of her face is a look of boredom and irritation so, as I'm talking, she's looking at me as though I am just bugging the hell out of her. Two times during the exam as I was trying to answer her questions, I made the mistake of looking her in the eye. As soon as I did, I just stopped short and kind of petered out. It sucked.

Stammering intimidation notwithstanding, after they asked me to step out again at the end, I felt pretty good. They called me back in and told me I'd passed. We talked about my plans for a dissertation, the need for me to track down an outside reader for my committee, and then they let me go. By 2 p.m., I was free. I went outside thinking the air would be sweeter and the sky would be bluer - but I was in downtown Detroit so clean, blue air, even on the best of days, is in short supply.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for your prayers, good vibes, good wishes, and support. I truly did feel them.