Under the Glass Bell

They Always Reach a Sorry Ending. They Always Get it in the End

I was horribly dissatisfied in that I didn't really get across what I meant to about FLW in my last post. To break it down, I knew he was a maniac when it came to form serving function. I knew that he was a stubborn pain in the ass. I thought of him as a real hard ass. So, I was surprised to see that he cultivated quiet places to sit and contemplate art. It was clear that he took inspiration from it. For him, I thought it was more about form and functionality. It was refreshing to have my opinion about him changed.

Ahhh....just playing out of the iPod:

Hillary went to hear death
because she couldn't think of anything to say
Everybody thought that she was boring, so they never listened anyway
Nobody was really saying anything of interest, she fell asleep
She was into S&M and bible studies
Not everyone's cup of tea, she would admit to me

But if you are feeling sinister
Go off and see a minister
He'll try in vain to take away
The pain of being a hopeless unbeliever

Ah, I love Belle & Sebastian. There is an iTunes only Live version of If You're Feeling Sinister. It' required listening for anyone who gives half a shit about B&S.

I just snapped this photo via photobooth. AH, this is for you...remember the discussion of the Illustrated Version of Strunk & White's Elements of Style?

The caption reads, "Wondering irresolutely what to do next, the clock struck twelve."

How about this one?

He noticed a large stain right in the center of the rug.

Finally:

But animals do not comprise (embrace) a zoo--they constitute a zoo.

Bon nuit.

It's a good book. I believe I found it on MightyGoods.

It Won't Be Funny When They Rat-a-tat-tat You Down

Been a long time since I listened to any Kate Bush. Have the iPod on shuffle this afternoon and a lot of Kate has been coming up. Do you know she was 17 or something insane when she wrote Wuthering Heights? Brilliance.

I've really tried to get into the Rilo Kiley's latest. Can't seem to do it. Nothing beats "The Execution of All Things" in my book.

Bought the hub a WII for his birthday back in November. It's a total blast. We bought the Revolution Dance Party game. It's a lot of fun. I have to wait until C is in bed, however, because we once accidentally bonked him in the head with a numchuk. I played that cow riding game with him sitting in my lap and he make a "ccpow" sound every time we hit a cow. Fun!

Went with A and a client to see Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio in Oak Park last weekend. I didn't think I was a huge fan, but ended up being totally knocked on my ass by how amazing it was. I knew he was an architectural innovator, but it went beyond what I thought. His house was designed and built about five years before our house was built. That blows my mind as our house is pretty standard middle-class house of the period. His house seemed like it was from a completely different era as ours. I guess I associated his prairie design with the 20s and on. I was so wrong.

It was apparent from both the house and studio that he required beautiful and functional surroundings. The lovely guide who gave our tour pointed out time and time again that he took inspiration from his environment. These lovely carved cranes all around the studio caught my eye. He loved them as they symbolized birth. He built places to hang or study the Japanese prints that he collected throughout the studio and his home. He believed in built in furniture. And had his artist friends paint murals in both his bedroom and the kids play room.

The biggest take away, however, was the strength of his belief in himself. He knew that he was on to something and he was going to do everything his own way. He blocked out the windows of an entire side of his house because he didn't want to see the house that had been built next door. He thought it was a monstrosity. The man was known to design dresses for specific rooms of a clients home and require the lady of the house to wear it when she entertained.He obviously went overboard, but it's still inspiring to see an artist who felt that strongly about his ideas.

Also makes me think I need to watch the Ken Burns Frank Lloyd Wright documentary again. Gets into the more scandalous areas of this life that the ladies of Oak Park didn't touch. (Also, later work.)

Going to be freezing this weekend. It will be a good time to catch up on movies. I've got Running with Scissors, Marie Antoinette and Curb Your Enthusiasm Season One ready to go.