Soulsavers featuring Mark Lanegan

This blog has been sitting in drafts for over 3 months. I'm posting it as is, because I want to get to the real deal - My end of year 2009/wishes for 2010 blog. All of my 3 readers know the ending to this story anyway :)

Once again, I've slacked off on the blog. Unapologetically I might add. But the events of this past weekend are a great excuse for getting it down, before I forget the details, because I'll want to remember this for a long time to come.

Soulsavers released a new record last month, another collaboration with Mark Lanegan. A short US tour was announced. No Philly date so I got it in my head to travel to Cleveland for the show there. It was on a Saturday night and I could spend time with my friend and fellow Lanegan devotee, Sergio. Sergio snagged the tickets and I started looking for flights. I wasn't having much luck and flight prices kept increasing the closer the show got. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to miss Mark this time around. I told Sergio I wouldn't be able to make it.

I began to search around for other plans for the weekend. On Wednesday, on a whim, I went online and looked up flights again. Hmm, I found a round trip flight that would have me to Cleveland and back in just over 24 hours at a price I could afford. The wheels started turning. I quickly contacted Sergio to make sure he hadn't made other plans. He hadn't. It was a go. Holy Smokes! I was going to Cleveland to see Soulsavers and Mark Lanegan!!

Brandywine River Museum

I've blogged about this museum before, but felt compelled to do it again, as this year's trip and exhibit proved just as interesting and inspiring as the last. This place is on my list of neverending things to do and places to visit and when I had my choice of mother's day activities, rather than deal with Philly crowds and traffic, I chose to go here.

The current exhibit, which ends today actually is Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey. I saw a little snippet of an illustration and was immediately intrigued. It seemed familiar, humorous and childlike, yet completely bizarre and twisted - which makes for a must see. Upon entering the exhibit, the first thing I see is a huge, full length fur coat which gave me an immediate sense of curiosity. Who would wear this thing? And maybe, more importantly, what could someone who routinely wore this monstrosity be capable of creating? Turns out I was not disappointed. I love the fact that Gorey not only illustrated, but wrote as well, giving insight to his art .

Goreyography gives a great review of the exhibit. Unlike, Elihu Vedder, Gorey's art was more accessible (i.e. reasonably priced) so I came away with a copy of Amphigorey and The Fantod Pack, which has since been the source of great joy as I've given several lovely, doom filled readings to my children, lol.

On a completely different note, while at the museum, we also took a tour of N.C. Wyeth's house and studio, as well as re-visiting the permanent exhibits and grounds. Next time, I'd like to visit the Kuerner Farm as well as other Brandywine Valley spots such as the Battlefield. I look forward to next year's exhibit as well, whatever it will be. Probably the best thing about this Mother's Day was that I was given the gift of "no complaining" which enabled me to enjoy my day without interruption. Bliss!

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Blogging in my head

I added a logo to my blog tonight, B.W.O - Blogging without Obligation. What a refreshing idea. As months go by and I add nothing to my blog, semi-guilty thoughts run through my head. Why did I set up this blog in the first place if I never use it? Then I try to feed the ego with thoughts that I must have a pretty busy, exciting life if I never sit down to blog. Experience with no time to write about it. I wish - most of my experiences lately are driving 3 girls around town. I count the amount of times I am in and out of the house each day. Not such great fodder for blogging.

So I came across BWO from following another link on Kali's blog. I liked the idea so much, it inspired me to blog about it. That's a start anyway. But no, I won't abandon the blog because I never know when I might need it or plain want to use it. Lately, I have most definitely been blogging in my head, mostly during those rides around town. Nothing coherent is left by the time I get home and honestly, the last thing I want to do is sit at the computer and type.

Tonight, I'm using it to share the BWO find as well as keeping myself awake until I have to pick up Teresa from the high school. Tonight was the last performance of Hello Dolly and the cast and crew are staying late to clean up, then I have to run her to the cast party, which thankfully is a sleepover.

Damn, I'm exciting!

Food for Thought

"Every act of perception is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination." ~Gerald M. Edelman

I read this today in a scientific context, but as soon as I read it, my mind went everywhere. I think experiences help to create our perceptions, just as our perceptions serve to feed our memories. It can be a vicious (or virtuous) cycle, but neither is ever a pure, unbiased act of thought. It'd be nice if we could train ourselves to perceive free from previous experience and judgments, and remember things in their true light. But alas, self preservation precludes us from that.

I'm going to ponder on this for a bit...