Happy Black FridayI hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. I know I did. I had a pretty low key Thanksgiving this year, spending it with my mother and my sister out on Long Island at a very nice restaurant with some really good food. (Since it was only the three of us, what was the point in cooking?)
On the ride out there yesterday morning, I couldn’t help feel that some people were already getting ready for today, the day known as “Black Friday” due to the stampede of people ready to snatch and grab any consumer good they can get their hands on. Since I don’t drive, I have to take the Long Island Railroad all the way out to Suffolk County. What absolute madness, let me tell you. The train was packed to the gills, kids were running around all over the place, adults were whining that they had to stand…it felt like Rush Hour on the Subway. There was even a minor tiff between two middle aged men due to one accidentally stepping on another’s foot. Ah, yes, the beauty of a day of giving thanks. But that’s New York for you. While I was out there I couldn’t help notice one thing. At a Best Buy, at around 5:30pm, I noticed a growing line of people camped out, huddled under blankets, drinking coffee or hot chocolate out of thermoses, all of them waiting for the doors to open….at Midnight. I realize that the day after Thanksgiving is the traditional day for Christmas shopping to begin but I had to ask myself why anyone would sit around in the freezing cold for nearly 8 hours in front of a closed store. Deals, I am told. Screw that. If that’s what you want to do, by all means, enjoy, but I’ll be damned if I ever would do that. If there is any day of the year in which I don’t Christmas shop, that day is “Black Friday”. Thanks but no thanks. I don’t need the aggravation. I’ll forgo the stampede for consumer goods for yet another year and wait until a little later. Happy Black Friday everyone! :-) Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
New Article: "Legitimacy And The Arts"My new article, "Legitimacy and The Arts" has been published by BrooWaha New York. What makes an artist "legitimate"?
Flamenco SoloThis is just awesome. The dancer is named Sarah, but I don't now her last name. Courtesy of YouTube: New Article: "Splitting The Elephant"My new article, "Splitting The Elephant" has been published by BrooWaha New York. How the religious right takeover of the Republican Party has caused their current identity crisis.
New Article: "By Way of The Trinacria"My new article, "By Way of The Trinacria" has been published by BrooWaha New York discussing the Arabic impact on Sicily and it's impact on Sicilian-American identity.
New Article: "My Red Wagon Is Better Than Yours"My new article, "My Red Wagon Is Better Than Yours" has been published by BrooWaha New York, discussing the issue of when art becomes nothing more than a commodity and how shows like "American Idol" contribute to this.
Divertimiento # 31A Shit Week But Thankful Dept:
It’s been a trying week to say the least. Ever get one of those weeks where you just get tired of all the bullshit? This week was that kind of week for me and I’m glad the weekend is here, even though it isn’t the most beautiful day here in New York, there is something about the gray and the rain that is making it seem very peaceful right now. I welcome it. Also, this week wasn’t totally horrific. I had a quite a few articles up a BrooWaha New York which I hope some of you have read. Obviously not everyone’s cup of tea but someone out there is reading them. Since I last checked the stats are showing that all of them combined have been read something like 25,000 times over the past year. That’s pretty good, I think. So I guess there is always an upside to every downside. I feel thankful over all. Art and More Art Dept: Last weekend I caught the Art20 exhibit at the Park Avenue Armory. A really good show with a lot of interesting paintings. This exhibit concentrated more on American art over the last 100 years or so and many of these artists worked in the Abstract Expressionist style. The show was made up of a whole slew of galleries from around the world showcasing the works they have available and some of them were obviously more interesting than others but there were quite a few “knowns” there amongst all the “unknowns” (at least to me). Picasso, both Elaine and Willem DeKooning, Andy Warhol, Keith Harring, Leger, Joseph Cornell, Robert Rauchenberg, etc but I came across a few painters I never heard of before but I really enjoyed their work: Jean-Paul Riopelle, Edvins Strautmanis, Gregory Johnston, Stephen Pace, Grace Hartigan, among others. It was well worth the $20 entry fee and the shows there at the Armory never disappoint. The Holiday Season Is Almost Here Dept: The holiday season is creeping up and up and I’ve done nothing yet. It’s getting close and I haven’t even begun to descend into the consumerist madness but then again, it hasn’t really started yet. We still got another week before the real madness begins. With the economy the way it is, I’m going to be curious to see how it all plays out this year. Nevertheless, despite the drooling, raving maniacs that will be flooding the marketplace, this is the time of year I really like in New York. There is just something about the city that pleases me once the Christmas lights begin going up though it seems at the moment there isn’t going to be any snow to accompany it, but it’s still a little early. I don’t think it’s dropped below 50 degrees yet, which I like, believe me. But there’s always something about the area around Central Park at Christmas time that I really enjoy seeing. In two weeks we will start seeing all that. Let’s just get through Thanksgiving first. But I really ought to get started before I wake up and realize there is only a week left and I am short of money. That happens to me almost every year. You’d think, at my age, I’d have learned by now. New Article: "The Crooked Timber of Humanity"My new article, "The Crooked Timber of Humanity" has been published by BrooWaha New York. Some people's expectations and fear of America's next President is simply out of this world.
New Article: "The Eyes of Nostradamus"My new article, "The Eyes of Nostradamus" has been published by BrooWaha New York. Prophecies, Bible Codes and Other Interesting Parlor Games for Humanity.
New Article: "Concealed Narratives"My new article, "Concealed Narratives" has been published by BrooWaha New York. What do we really know?
New Article: "Concealed Narratives"My new article, "Concealed Narratives" has been published by BrooWaha New York. What do we really know?
New Article: "Flamenco Arabe and The Language of Music"My new article, "Flamenco Arabe and The Language of Music" has been published by BrooWaha New York. If music can cross cultural barriers, why can't we?
New Article: "Turning The Page of History"My new article, "Turning The Page of History" has been published by BrooWaha New York. Just some thoughts on the election.
New Article: "A Life In The Shadows"My new article, "A Life In The Shadows" has been published by BrooWaha New York. It asks the question, Whatever happened to "Generation X"?
New Article: "Not Better But Different"My new article, "Not Better But Different" has been published by BrooWaha New York. A little look at multiculturalism.
November, 2008 Posts
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