Marcia’s birthday

I would like to state publicly how happy and proud we were that Marcia was around to take care of our mom

One of the things I guess I’ve decided to do – I didn’t think about it, it just evolved – is to note the birthdays of my sisters each year, not just on the ones divisible by 5 or 10. And no, it is not one of the “big” birthdays this year for any of us, actually.

Marcia, the “baby” sister, quite possibly had a tougher Mother’s Day than either Leslie or I did. After all, she lived with our mom for much of her life; first, my mom was taking care of her, then in the later years, her taking care of Mom. Whereas Leslie and I would visit Mom one to three times a year for a few days, Marcia would see her daily.

Leslie and I told her privately, but I would like to state publicly how happy and proud we were that Marcia was around to take care of our mom so well, with some help from her daughter Alex.

One of Marcia’s strongest attributes is that she seems to remember EVERYTHING. If you’re looking for someone to recall when we went on a particular family trip, Marcia is your woman.

So baby sister, remember that we love you.

R is for Real Rodin?

Meanwhile, the booklet and the film of his life that was shown, not to mention the irrefutable Rodin pieces that were shown, still made the visit worthwhile.


Back in the fall of 2005 at the Albany [NY] Institute of History and Art, my wife and I saw this lovely exhibit of the works of Auguste Rodin called Rodin: A Magnificent Obsession, which was billed as “a complete retrospective…

“The exhibition spans the length of Rodin’s career from his earliest bust of his father, Jean Baptiste Rodin, to his later studies of dancing figures. In addition to the bronzes, there are works on paper, photographs, portraits of the artist, and an educational model that demonstrates the complexities of the lost-wax casting process, Rodin’s favored method of sculptural reproduction.”

I remember seeing a version of piece called The Thinker. I’d viewed pictures of it many times, and it looked nice. But seeing it in person, I thought it was one of the most sensual items I had ever seen in my life!

As it turns out, though, there was some controversy over the show presented by the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation over an eight-year span. As noted in this lengthy and detailed blogpost, the exhibition “contains at best a half-a-dozen or so non-disclosed reproductions – with fifty-four of them being absolute outright fakes.

“An example of one of these non-disclosed fakes is the…Monumental Head of Balzac. In the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation’s 2001 Rodin A Magnificent Obsession catalogue, it is also listed as ‘cast 9/12 in 1980’ and ‘Signed and numbered A. Rodin.’ Since Auguste Rodin died in 1917, some sixty-three years earlier, how’d he do that?”

This was disappointing, of course, but it was so in retrospect, some three years after we saw the show. Meanwhile, the booklet and the film of his life that was shown, not to mention the irrefutable Rodin pieces that were shown, still made the visit worthwhile.

In any case, THE best webpage about Rodin that I’ve come across is this NotSorry.com page with LOTS of useful links.

 

ABC Wednesday – Round 8

5000 Questions, Part 3

My wife and I dance to At Last every time we hear it.


51. Make up a definition for the following silly words…

Fruitgoogle: find a citrus.

Ambytime: sleep.

Asscactus: pain in the rumpus.

52. What was the last thing you made with your own hands?

Something with my daughter, no doubt.

53. What was your favorite toy as a child?

My Johnny Seven OMA – One Man Army

54. How many TVs are in your house?

Two, but only one is plugged in.

55. What is your favorite thing to do outside?

Riding the bicycle.

56. How do you feel when you see a rainbow?

Lucky.

57. Have you ever dreamt a dream that came true?

Not that I’m aware of.

58. Have you ever been to a psychic/tarot reader?

A couple times.

59. What is your idea of paradise?

Massage.

60. Do you believe in god and if so what is he/she/it like?

Yes. Mysterious; or to be determined.

61. Do you believe in Hell?

This plane may be it.

62. What one thing have you done that most people haven’t?

Won on JEOPARDY!

63. What is the kindest thing you have ever done?

I’m sure that the directive to do your good works in secret applies here.

64. Are you a patient person?

More than I used to be.

65. What holiday should exist but doesn’t?

Day after the Super Bowl, the Monday before the March Madness, when everyone in offices are making their picks.

66. What holiday shouldn’t exist but does?

I’ve never been big on banning other people’s holidays.

67. What’s the best joke you ever heard?

Never remember jokes.

68. Where is the most fun place you have EVER been?

Barbados.

69. Is your hair natural or dyed?

Naturally gray/white – no one would dye it this color!

70. Do you have any deep dark secrets or are you pretty much up front?

Yes.

71. What is under your bed right now?

Stuff my wife stores there; I have no idea.

72. If you were in the Land of Oz would you want to live there or go home?

Well, not go home to Kansas.

73. If you drive do you frequently speed?

The little that I have driven, I don’t think speeding was an issue.

74. What is the world’s best song to dance to?

Disco Inferno. The album version – it’s very long.

75. What song was on the last time you danced with someone?

At Last by Etta James. My wife and I dance to it every time we hear it.

 

A dozen years

She also has considerable assets of her own. She manages money well. She’s not a religious zealot, but she has a moral center that I trust.

Carol and I have been married 12 years. Not a tremendously long time, but longer than any two other relationships I’ve ever had, so that’s something.

I submit that of course, it’s partly that she is a very good woman. But it’s also the case that I’ve probably learned better relationship skills, probably due to trial and error.

It’s not that the little stuff – you know, discussions of where to store the garbage cans, or her reading my blog in draft form, or me regularly having to clear the kitchen counter of (usually her) non-cooking/non-food stuff – doesn’t bug me. It’s that it just bugs me considerably less than it might have 20 or 30 years ago. Have I mellowed? MaybeProbably.

Still, she also has considerable assets of her own. She manages money well. She’s not a religious zealot, but she has a moral center that I trust. Also, and I’m afraid I’ve been a bad influence with this, she’s not nearly as believing of the things that people in authority say as she was when I first met her almost 19 years ago.

So happy anniversary, honey.

 

Sanctus – why so Subito QUESTION

The papal party line is that it’s happening because “the people” want it.


I’ve had a great interest in all the Popes in my lifetime, odd, I suppose, since I’m not Roman Catholic. I thought John Paul II was an inspirational political leader, who helped bring down the Iron Curtain. I think he showed great compassion to the man who tried to kill him in 1981.

When I worked at FantaCo, and the Pope comic book came out in 1982, quite early in his papacy, we got so many people coming through our doors who had never been there before and never came after. I don’t know how many we ordered, but I sensed at the time that we could have sold twice as many as we had, at least.

But I just don’t understand the rush to beatification, a large step towards sainthood. The papal party line is that it’s happening because “the people” want it. This ignores those people who are less kindly disposed. I’m not cynical enough to suggest that it is the church’s attempt to divert attention away from the sexual abuse scandal by pedophile priests, about which JP was slow to respond effectively. But it IS a part of his record.

Thoughts?

Ramblin' with Roger
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