Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Magazines
When we got home from Scotland, I had a big pile of mail waiting for me. Among the junk mail I found a notice from the airlines that I have frequent flier miles with. Apparently my frequent flier miles were expiring, and, being an infrequent flier, I didn't have enough miles to get any free tickets. Instead, they offered me my choice of up to ten subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. So, very soon I shall be receiving free issues of The Wall Street Journal, Jane, Vibe, and several other publications. Dude, I dig free stuff :-).
In other news, I finally started my garden this weekend. With this rather late start I was unable to grow any early crops such as peas, so I am only growing tomatoes and peppers this year.
In other news, I finally started my garden this weekend. With this rather late start I was unable to grow any early crops such as peas, so I am only growing tomatoes and peppers this year.
Jessica 4:48 PM
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Thursday, May 24, 2007
Scotland
Hello, my dear readers! I have returned from my grand Scotland adventure. And quite an adventure it was, including visits to castles, a flat tire out in the country, my sister getting kissed by two Italian boys (at the same time! pictures coming soon), trips to the art museums, visits to the local pubs and bars, and lots of shopping. As most of these adventures are fairly self-explanatory, I shall only expand upon the art museums. In all, I visited four museums in Edinburg: the National Gallery, the Dean Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the Portrait Gallery.
The National Gallery boasted works from artists such as Rubens, Van Gogh, Monet, Botticelli, Bernini, Rembrandt, Titian, and (gasp!) Vermeer! Seeing a real genuine Vermeer was quite an experience. The painting that they had is believed to be his earliest piece still in existence. Being an early work, it was not as refined as, for example, The Milkmaid or Girl with a Pearl Earring.
I was also quite happily surprised to see Titian's Venus Anadyomene in real life! One can easily appreciate the painting on the big screen in Professor Parrish's classroom, but seeing it in real life is a whole other experience.
The next museum I visited in Edinburgh was the Gallery of Modern Art, which really blew me away. They had a fantastic collection of art from the 20th and 21st centuries, by artists ranging from Picasso to many present day up-and-coming artists. My sister and I were especially impressed by the work of an artist (I sadly forget to make note of his name) who did a design on the floor using colored vinyl tape. I plan to emmulate his work in our bathroom once Sara and I move into #47.
The next museum I went to was the Portrait Gallery. I regret that I was unable to spend much time there; however, I did see many impressive busts and paintings during my short visit. One painting especially impressed me, but I forgot to make note of the artist or the title, so I am unable to share it with you dear readers.
On our last full day in Scotland, I visited the Dean's Gallery, which had an impressive array of 20th century art including works by Picasso, Paolozzi, Lichenstein, and Dalí. My favorite exhibit was a room that had been refurbished into a reproduction of Paolozzi's studio. The walls were lined with shelves containing inspirational objects, supplies, and numerous finished and unfinished pieces that had been donated by Paolozzi himself. The center on the room was his working area, and the the left, there was a tall loft bed. Under the bed was a large cabinet for drawing paper.
As you can see, I was able to see quite a lot of exciting things in Scotland. My only regret is that we did not go to the RP church in Glasgow. I was unable to persuade my parents to go, so instead we spent Sunday touring beautiful Stirling Castle and driving around the countryside.
In closing, please do not feel hurt, rejected, let down, forgotten, or unloved because I did not send you a postcard. I didn't send any postcards (not even to my fiancée!) as I didn't bring an address book. I think my sister sent some, though, so if you received one from her feel free to feel loved and remembered.
Oh, and one more thing. As I said earlier, I only decided to give details about my art museum adventures in order to keep this post at a decent length, so if you have any questions about the rest of my trip such as "which castle was your favorite?" or "were Sara's Italian boys good-looking?" please comment, and I would love to tell you all about it. Or you can call me. If you have Cingular.
The National Gallery boasted works from artists such as Rubens, Van Gogh, Monet, Botticelli, Bernini, Rembrandt, Titian, and (gasp!) Vermeer! Seeing a real genuine Vermeer was quite an experience. The painting that they had is believed to be his earliest piece still in existence. Being an early work, it was not as refined as, for example, The Milkmaid or Girl with a Pearl Earring.
I was also quite happily surprised to see Titian's Venus Anadyomene in real life! One can easily appreciate the painting on the big screen in Professor Parrish's classroom, but seeing it in real life is a whole other experience.
The next museum I visited in Edinburgh was the Gallery of Modern Art, which really blew me away. They had a fantastic collection of art from the 20th and 21st centuries, by artists ranging from Picasso to many present day up-and-coming artists. My sister and I were especially impressed by the work of an artist (I sadly forget to make note of his name) who did a design on the floor using colored vinyl tape. I plan to emmulate his work in our bathroom once Sara and I move into #47.
The next museum I went to was the Portrait Gallery. I regret that I was unable to spend much time there; however, I did see many impressive busts and paintings during my short visit. One painting especially impressed me, but I forgot to make note of the artist or the title, so I am unable to share it with you dear readers.
On our last full day in Scotland, I visited the Dean's Gallery, which had an impressive array of 20th century art including works by Picasso, Paolozzi, Lichenstein, and Dalí. My favorite exhibit was a room that had been refurbished into a reproduction of Paolozzi's studio. The walls were lined with shelves containing inspirational objects, supplies, and numerous finished and unfinished pieces that had been donated by Paolozzi himself. The center on the room was his working area, and the the left, there was a tall loft bed. Under the bed was a large cabinet for drawing paper.
As you can see, I was able to see quite a lot of exciting things in Scotland. My only regret is that we did not go to the RP church in Glasgow. I was unable to persuade my parents to go, so instead we spent Sunday touring beautiful Stirling Castle and driving around the countryside.
In closing, please do not feel hurt, rejected, let down, forgotten, or unloved because I did not send you a postcard. I didn't send any postcards (not even to my fiancée!) as I didn't bring an address book. I think my sister sent some, though, so if you received one from her feel free to feel loved and remembered.
Oh, and one more thing. As I said earlier, I only decided to give details about my art museum adventures in order to keep this post at a decent length, so if you have any questions about the rest of my trip such as "which castle was your favorite?" or "were Sara's Italian boys good-looking?" please comment, and I would love to tell you all about it. Or you can call me. If you have Cingular.
Jessica 4:12 PM
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Wednesday, May 09, 2007
~Zeta Eta Beta, 2006-2007~
It is with great sadness that I announce the death of our dear friend and beloved fish, Zeta Eta Beta. He passed away peacefully in his fish bowl early Sunday afternoon. Zeta will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him. Thank you in advance for all of your well-meant condolences, flowers, and cards.
Jessica 6:32 PM
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