Friday, November 16, 2012

Art...Affairs...and Twinkies (oh my)





Friday...

Enjoying an evening cup and reflecting on the week.


Who would have thought the headlines of the Obama crowd (both pro and anti) and the recent year-long affair of one of the Top General's-CIA in the United States or the e-mail wistfulness of another four star general in the FBI...could be casually tossed aside this morning by the demise of a well known snack cake?

Hostess who has been flirting with bankruptcy for some time now is announcing the closure of its bakeries...and layoff of 18,000 workers...and the end of Twinkies as we know them. Already people have begun posting their favorite twink-oid recipes and admittedly it seems premature since recreational pot is now legal in two more States. But there you have it. Twinkies, Ho-Ho's, Hostess Cupcakes, Ding-Dongs...and several other American Icons consisting chiefly of sugar and grease wrapped in cellophane...extinct.

And like the GOP who are still standing in ragged clumps around the water-cooler trying to figure out what the hell happened on Election Day...many are voicing

"After 75 years...HOW could they STOP making Twinkies?"

Here is my theory...and that Little Debbie kid should take note as well...

Just like ~the times, they are a changin'~ attitude in politics. Our eating habits have morphed, as well. We are healthier, more informed consumers. No longer the 60's with a Twinkie in your lunch-box. A double pack containing all of the calories you would typically consume in a large meal. And no nutritional value.

Haven't had a Hostess or Little Debbie snack since my best (and sometimes synchronized calorie counting) friend dubbed them:

  "Fat-Cakes".

A re-name that will make you sit the package back on the shelf every time. 

So...a tough week for Generals, too, it seems. And the women who love them...or tolerate them. General Petraeus...a real life action hero...apparently the only man on the planet EVER to engage in a long term affair outside marriage. And not to be bested by the CIA...the FBI offered up another four-star General for his wistful and possibly inappropriate e-mails. (...their motto: hey we could have an affair too...if we wanted to...if she would let us...)

Get a grip, people.

It would be easy to take a broad swipe at Holly...who does in fact look a bit like Karl Rove cross-dressing ( complete with a bad wig).

Or conjure up images of that Linda Tripp woman from days of Clinton...I told ya to hang onto that blue dress, honey. When realizing that this mess was blown up after the affair was over by a woman who was not only NOT involved...but so distraught by e-mails she apparently forgot there was a delete/send to trash on her e-mail account.

And perhaps the largest problem is that we tend to forget that people are human. Like it or not...these things happen. and it isn't the end of the world, unless we make it the end of our world.  Kudos to Petraeus for not trying to lie his way out of the affair. For owning his part of the mess. In the long run it will probably save his marriage. Unlike John Edwards who denied it (and his child) until it became impossible to do so.

(...and back to omg...there aren't going to be anymore Twinkies...EVER...)

in a Nation with an ADHD attention span.

Which brings us to Art. Finished the Acrylic Abstract this weekend. Influenced by Kandinsky and Pollack  (Kanned Pollack?) Hungarian fishy treat?

 J'prĂ©sente 

                               (details)
 
                                                     "Leftover Tubes"










With the actual tubes/caps and brush incorporated into the piece. 

The use of only the primary colors to create the Cityscape feel of verticals and the layering. Representing conformity and oppression. Conversely, the freedom from the urban tedium that the Pollack like swirls and drips at the top represent...giving one a sense of art making one free. As well, the tools of the trade rising above the structured existence.  Kunst Macht Sie Frei!

 The truth of the matter much more banal, I'm afraid. 

  The primary colors (along with white and black) were the only tubes left from this year's experiment in Canvas and Acrylic.  The verticals giving me much more appreciating for Kandinsky's technique and the blending entirely more difficult that one would imagine. The drips and swirls...pure joy. Jackson must have been the happiest artist in his day. Truly requiring absolutely no talent. And the placement of the tubes and paintbrush...not as random as it would appear- as my Tucker-Cat (perhaps channeling the spirit of Henri) attempted to critique the piece while it was still quite wet and each tube (and the brush) hides his kitty "review" of my damp piece.

 ~laughing~

 C'est la vie.

No stranger than what actually happened in the Art World this week as a signed

Salvador Dali print was discovered in a bin at Goodwill!!! @@ And all I ever find there are Velvet Elvi.  ~sigh~



Settling in for a relaxing weekend with the latest Joyce Carol Oates novel! 

                             (...great...now I want a Twinkie...)