Sunday, September 21, 2008

Finally. An Exhibit


We saw a very nice installation at the Dublin City Gallery (Parnell Square North, Dublin 1). They recreated— actually re-installed— painter Francis Bacon's studio as part of a larger exhibition of his works.

It was very well done. You could peer through various nooks and crannies, windows, doors, etc. on two levels to really get a feeling for his working environment. It's rare for an art museum to rise to this level of interpretation. The chaotic studio environment leaves you with the feeling that the paintings were all that mattered in his life. And that, after all, seems right to the point.

We couldn't take pictures in the exhibit, so the image is courtesy of the internet. Sorry for the low-rez.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Nice Flags…

Actually, they're prefecture (almost like our counties) flags. But who cares?
http://www.yayhooray.com/thread/150855/Tokyo-city-flags-are-awesome.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

A Day at the Races


We were in Ireland for a few days. Stopped at a pub in Ballycastle. It seems that the place was devoted to horse racing. That is, they had a big-screen TV devoted to the ponies and plenty of advice from the locals. The telly showed real-time races in progress, scrolled upcoming races, results, and so forth. The best part, though, was that the landlord was also a (perfectly legal) bookmaker.

After sitting through a beer and a few races, Anne, using her vast farm-raised, corn-fed, up-close-and-personal knowledge of horses put a fiver on "The Battered Bride"— and won. Paid for dinner.

We could definitely get along with the concept of legal betting, especially in a saloon scenario.