Oof Da

So much going on these days. Last night was outstanding. In fact the whole weekend was awesome. The weather on Saturday was undeniable and I went with a friend down to Stanford to the Cantor Center for Arts to see "Edge of the East," a traveling exhibit showing some of the cutting edge, contemporary art coming out of China. It was a fascinating show that included an installation piece consisting of 12 traditional Chinese school writing desks, each had a character workbook, traditional ink and brush and there was this video playing showing how to make accurate strokes. In essence it was an interactive installation where the 'art' was being created by each visitor who took the time to sit and learn a bit.

And it is MUCH more difficult to draw/write Chinese characters than I thought it would be. It is an absolute art form. Precision and accuracy, of stroke and form are the only appreciated expressions.

We also spent quite a bit of time in the Rodin sculpture courtyard where they have more than a dozen casts of some of his finest works; including a full size cast of the Gates of Hell, the seminal work that was never delivered to the client because the commission 'fell short' of expectations. It is stunning, horrifying and moving all at once.

Later that evening I had the first professional massage I've had in at least two years out at Frog's in Fairfax. It was amazing, I achieved levels of muscular relaxation I had forgotten were possible. This is something that will become a regular part of life.... and at $1 per minute, it's cheaper than some phone calls I make daily. Of course on Sunday I was a little sore, but hey you know what they say, No Pain - No warm tingly feeling in my hands and back right?