Category Archives: Journal

Here are some pics from my annual Halloween drive around the Ohio Valley.  My sister Nicole usually drives and I jump out of the car when I see an interesting display.  I wanted to go back to get some night shots at the red brick house, but the display mysteriously disappeared several days before Halloween.  I’m guessing that neighbors complained, as the arrangement was pretty gruesome. My favorite displays always make use of household items like aluminum foil, old clothes and Heavy Metal posters.

It has been an unusual week.  It started with meeting relatives to see a Harry Potter film.  I have judged these films to be mindless garbage without even seeing one. (or reading one of the books)  Aside from the awkward – two teenage guys…one cute girl – dynamic, I had no idea what was happening, and I didn’t really care.  (Oh, I forgot to mention…there is a cool Nick Cave song in the romance scene.  I wonder if movie fans even noticed this?  Maybe in the UK?)

I’ve been eating a lot of fermented stuff like kimchi and sauerkraut. I like kimchi with rice, beans and a fried egg.  I eat sauerkraut plain by the bowlful.  I guess the cold weather has me craving strange foods.

On Thursday, I went to the André Kertész: On Reading exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of art.  I recommend checking this show out if you are interesting in reading, photography, or both.  The show has humorous and poetic moments.  It offers a nostalgia that will make you want to burn your Kindle.

On Saturday I went to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s performance (along with the The Mendelssohn Choir and world-renown vocalists) of Verdi’s Requiem.  It is pretty impressive that a world-class event like this happens in Pittsburgh.  I try to get to the symphony once a year.  I’m always amazed at how something as precise and melodic as classical music can be celebrated by the primitive gesture of clapping.

Also this week, I did some reading on the Smithsonian censorship controversy on Modern Art Notes.  It seems as though some conservative politicians are bent on promoting prejudice and fear.  Public art museums are supposed to be forums for healthy discussion of difficult topics.  They should not pander to the biased, ego-charged diatribes that we hear on conservative talk radio, in campaign ads, etc.  It is ridiculous for art museums to make decisions based on the words or actions of politicians. (or in reaction to disgruntled visitors)  Fortunately for the art world, David Wojnarowicz’s work is part of an international critical dialogue, whether conservative politicians like it or not.

I held a bulldog on a leash.  I watched an artist light a painting on fire with gunpowder.  I was nearly asphyxiated by the chemicals in his studio.  The smell didn’t seem to bother him.  I tried to visit galleries in Downtown Pittsburgh but they were closed.  I looked into the window of one and saw some random items on a blanket on the floor.  Traffic in the city was a nightmare.   A bus forced me to make a right turn (instead of a left) directing me toward a roadblock that I did not remember.  I sat in the Beehive and drank a couple cups of coffee.  A lot of old friends were there.  I recognized an actress from some local plays sitting at a table next to me.  I wanted to say hello and tell her that I had seen her performances, but that would have been awkward.  I walked down East Carson Street and stopped for hot roast beef sandwiches with some friends.  I looked around the old Brew House and wondering if the place would ever be filled with activity again.  A door was collaged with some old baseball cards from the 1980’s.

Pittsburgh City Council members deserve a lot of credit.  In standing up for the health and future of city residents, they have resisted the temptation of rapid, unregulated industrialization.  In voting to ban gas drilling in the city, they are aiming to protect communities, culture, and the ideals of creative residents that strive to hold the city up to the “most livable city” title.  Residents of Pittsburgh take pride in the transformation of the city from the soot, smog and rust image of the past, to a place of environmental and high-tech innovation.  Concern for the environment is a common topic in Pittsburgh.  It is prevalent in art exhibitions, in eco-friendly small businesses, in outdoor groups, and in almost every educational program that I have been a part of.  Kayaking in the river is now a regular pastime.  New bicycle and pedestrian paths wrap along the rivers and connect communities.  Pittsburgh is also known for restoration of buildings and creative reuse initiatives.  Fishing in the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela has also become popular.  Two nationally televised fishing tournaments have been held in Pittsburgh within the past ten years.  Thirty years ago, fishing in Pittsburgh was abysmal.  Even with the positive changes, a lot more can be done.  Cancer rates in Western Pennsylvania are high.  Sewage still overflows into the rivers with every hard rain.  Chemicals from sewage water are entering waterways, causing biological changes in certain fish species.  All in all, and despite economic struggle, Pittsburgh is moving in the right direction.

City OKs ban on gas drilling, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 17, 2010

I drove around the Ohio River Valley this morning with my sister looking for Halloween weirdness.  Most people nowadays buy cheap, generic decorations at the big box store.  Here are a few of the better arrangements.