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long interesting day
Mar. 17th, 2001 02:23 amI don't recall whether or not I even posted anything earlier... I may not have had time.
We decided to go out to a big outdoor art festival about 90 minutes away. This festival is very good, very hard to get into, and one of the best in the state. Tons of amazing things to be seen, but strangely a lot of the mixed media sucked - either people taking the easy way out with color copiers and laser printers (that's "i'm afraid i'll screw up my original"-itis) or people who did interesting constructions with no real thought in the thematic elements. We did see a mixed media booth that looked good but was full of braying middle-aged tarts who wouldn't move aside and let anyone else look at anything, and who weren't actually looking at the art. We bought from another mixed media booth that tended to whimsy - my mother got a pillbox, as she collects boxes, and I got a pair of earrings which use clockwork parts in their design. The other good mixed media we saw was that of a guy who builds "deluxe rocket ships" out of spare parts and retro junk. We only saw about 1/3 of what was available, though, because of time constraints.
We ended up buying from a Wisconsin couple who do lino-block prints, somewhat surreal and inspired mostly by their reading. Bought a good-size print that looks alchemical and says "As above, so below"... hard to describe and I don't remember the name, I'll write more about it when we take the frame out of its wrapping. He had smaller things which were wonderful; it makes me want to take up lino-cutting. This guy was after my own heart thematically, and I can only hope to be as skilled one day. (Printmaking class keeps getting cancelled because it doesn't "make" - meaning not enough people enroll - so I'm going to have to take printmaking either at another college sometime in the future, or in the community rather than at school.)
After this we wandered about, ended up going here and there, picking up a few cds (newest Hooverphonic, Pure Jazz, etc) at The Best CD Store In Orlando (that would be Park Ave Discs), and wandered into a graphic design firm's promo open house. They took my picture, put it on a "passport" they handed out at the door. They were on the second floor but replaced their elevator button with "13". I toured the offices and went home with something rolled in a tube.
I made the mistake of drinking a coffee at Starbucks, which made me miserable for most of the rest of the evening. I have yet to recover.
Went to another cd store, the place where they hide the industrial kids, and picked up VNV Nation and Meg Lee Chin cds. Long story there I am not up to telling. Apparently everyone's mom likes VNVN.
After this we went to Barnes and Noble mostly for their bathroom, but stayed a while. I looked at books by Harold Bloom and the Vintage anthology on Amnesia that Jonathan Lethem edited and the Li-Young Lee poetry book I keep not buying. Left with some magazines and my mother bought yet more cds (this was a common theme this evening; of those I've mentioned so far, only the Meg Lee Chin cd is mine). I left feeling positively ill. Dizzy, nauseous.
Decided that since we hadn't eaten all day, we should probably do that. Wandered down to Downtown Disney and the Wolfgang Puck Café. I've eaten in the a la carte line before, but never had table service. It was excellent. We had an appetizer of vegetable spring rolls, which were amazing; my mother went for the butternut squash soup and a piece of uber-chocolate-cake; I had lemonade and a curried chicken salad which was like the drag version of caesar sald (the same dressing-soaked lettuce, but amazing amounts of chicken, and apples, bananas, golden raisins, sliced grapes, etc... delicious) and the crème brulée sampler (classic vanilla, banana, and chocolate). Also an interesting and tasty bread service. This is the best meal I've had in a while that I didn't prepare myself, and I'd recommend the place to anyone passing through the area. It's joining Ran-Getsu on my short list of Good Dinners.
After that we wandered around Downtown Disney (which is a "shopping and entertainment complex"). Went into the Hoi-Poloi Gallery shop, where we were able to find some things by Pei-Ling Becker, who does lovely little origami-inspired pieces. We almost bought one of her larger works last year at the same art show we went to today, and only didn't because we had intended to go back for the third day and didn't feel well enough. We didn't buy anything large, just two small frameable cards, but it's nice to have her work nonetheless.
I found some possibilities for my new glasses-frames at the eyewear store there - some adorable Cynthia Rowley frames, tip-tilted and rhinestone-trimmed. I don't think I have had new frames since 1995, so I will be happy to get something updated. I like my current frames but they are not my style anymore, so I only wear them at home or sometimes when I drive.
We stopped at the ubiquitous Virgin Megastore on the way out (where I used to go, like, once or twice a year - this was my third time this month?!?) - more cds for mom. Geoffrey Oryema, to whom we took a liking after seeing a video of his on WorldLink TV, a compilation called Planet Chant featuring different types of chant from around the world (Bulgarian, Tibetan, and ppl like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ladysmith Black Mambazo), and a trance classics compilation which is secretly mine. Also got some stationery. Got very very very sick in the bathroom, but not from the food... it was the culmination of how ill the coffee from earlier in the day had made me.
And then we drove home, which was hellish, just because it was, but at least we made it. And here I am. And now I am going to take a shower, drink tea, and go. to. sleep.
(and probably spend tomorrow in bed trying to recover, though L. seems determined that we-his-pals are all going to find a town and paint it garish shades of red.)
We decided to go out to a big outdoor art festival about 90 minutes away. This festival is very good, very hard to get into, and one of the best in the state. Tons of amazing things to be seen, but strangely a lot of the mixed media sucked - either people taking the easy way out with color copiers and laser printers (that's "i'm afraid i'll screw up my original"-itis) or people who did interesting constructions with no real thought in the thematic elements. We did see a mixed media booth that looked good but was full of braying middle-aged tarts who wouldn't move aside and let anyone else look at anything, and who weren't actually looking at the art. We bought from another mixed media booth that tended to whimsy - my mother got a pillbox, as she collects boxes, and I got a pair of earrings which use clockwork parts in their design. The other good mixed media we saw was that of a guy who builds "deluxe rocket ships" out of spare parts and retro junk. We only saw about 1/3 of what was available, though, because of time constraints.
We ended up buying from a Wisconsin couple who do lino-block prints, somewhat surreal and inspired mostly by their reading. Bought a good-size print that looks alchemical and says "As above, so below"... hard to describe and I don't remember the name, I'll write more about it when we take the frame out of its wrapping. He had smaller things which were wonderful; it makes me want to take up lino-cutting. This guy was after my own heart thematically, and I can only hope to be as skilled one day. (Printmaking class keeps getting cancelled because it doesn't "make" - meaning not enough people enroll - so I'm going to have to take printmaking either at another college sometime in the future, or in the community rather than at school.)
After this we wandered about, ended up going here and there, picking up a few cds (newest Hooverphonic, Pure Jazz, etc) at The Best CD Store In Orlando (that would be Park Ave Discs), and wandered into a graphic design firm's promo open house. They took my picture, put it on a "passport" they handed out at the door. They were on the second floor but replaced their elevator button with "13". I toured the offices and went home with something rolled in a tube.
I made the mistake of drinking a coffee at Starbucks, which made me miserable for most of the rest of the evening. I have yet to recover.
Went to another cd store, the place where they hide the industrial kids, and picked up VNV Nation and Meg Lee Chin cds. Long story there I am not up to telling. Apparently everyone's mom likes VNVN.
After this we went to Barnes and Noble mostly for their bathroom, but stayed a while. I looked at books by Harold Bloom and the Vintage anthology on Amnesia that Jonathan Lethem edited and the Li-Young Lee poetry book I keep not buying. Left with some magazines and my mother bought yet more cds (this was a common theme this evening; of those I've mentioned so far, only the Meg Lee Chin cd is mine). I left feeling positively ill. Dizzy, nauseous.
Decided that since we hadn't eaten all day, we should probably do that. Wandered down to Downtown Disney and the Wolfgang Puck Café. I've eaten in the a la carte line before, but never had table service. It was excellent. We had an appetizer of vegetable spring rolls, which were amazing; my mother went for the butternut squash soup and a piece of uber-chocolate-cake; I had lemonade and a curried chicken salad which was like the drag version of caesar sald (the same dressing-soaked lettuce, but amazing amounts of chicken, and apples, bananas, golden raisins, sliced grapes, etc... delicious) and the crème brulée sampler (classic vanilla, banana, and chocolate). Also an interesting and tasty bread service. This is the best meal I've had in a while that I didn't prepare myself, and I'd recommend the place to anyone passing through the area. It's joining Ran-Getsu on my short list of Good Dinners.
After that we wandered around Downtown Disney (which is a "shopping and entertainment complex"). Went into the Hoi-Poloi Gallery shop, where we were able to find some things by Pei-Ling Becker, who does lovely little origami-inspired pieces. We almost bought one of her larger works last year at the same art show we went to today, and only didn't because we had intended to go back for the third day and didn't feel well enough. We didn't buy anything large, just two small frameable cards, but it's nice to have her work nonetheless.
I found some possibilities for my new glasses-frames at the eyewear store there - some adorable Cynthia Rowley frames, tip-tilted and rhinestone-trimmed. I don't think I have had new frames since 1995, so I will be happy to get something updated. I like my current frames but they are not my style anymore, so I only wear them at home or sometimes when I drive.
We stopped at the ubiquitous Virgin Megastore on the way out (where I used to go, like, once or twice a year - this was my third time this month?!?) - more cds for mom. Geoffrey Oryema, to whom we took a liking after seeing a video of his on WorldLink TV, a compilation called Planet Chant featuring different types of chant from around the world (Bulgarian, Tibetan, and ppl like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ladysmith Black Mambazo), and a trance classics compilation which is secretly mine. Also got some stationery. Got very very very sick in the bathroom, but not from the food... it was the culmination of how ill the coffee from earlier in the day had made me.
And then we drove home, which was hellish, just because it was, but at least we made it. And here I am. And now I am going to take a shower, drink tea, and go. to. sleep.
(and probably spend tomorrow in bed trying to recover, though L. seems determined that we-his-pals are all going to find a town and paint it garish shades of red.)
