The Mueck Exhibit at the Brooklyn Art Museum

by Erik Olsen on

Yesterday, I made way way rather randomly over to the Brooklyn Art Museum .We’d taken a nice walk through Prospect Park, delighting in the unseasonably warm weather, and there it was, the Art Museum, calling my name. It had been a while since I spent time looking at art…with the exception of seeing some stuff at Christie’s…and since there was a photography exhibit going on with the work of Annie Leibovitz I figured I’d check it out.

But in one of those lovely, unexpected turn of events, it turned out that, IMHO, the Liebowitz exhibit was crap, BUT another exhibit quite took my breath away.

That exhibit, by the sculptor Ron Mueck, was like nothing I’d ever seen. Mueck is famous …or at least known…for known for his extraordinarily lifelike, but often larger and/or smaller than life, renderings of his people who are almost all naked, with shriveled, snail-like members, and which are often placed in some state of utter misery, loneliness, desolating, abandon. There were just a few of these sculptures on hand at the museum, but lifelike is an understatement. I swear to you these works of art were breathing. I swear to you they were watching me. It was amazing, and I highly recommend you check out these odd, but exhilarating works.

If, you live in or are visiting Brooklyn, that is.

The Teaching Company

by Erik Olsen on

I’ve posted here and there about stuff you can listen to on your ipod while traveling. Way back when we even did a sort of “desert island” MP3 list, the files you’d absolutely HAVE to have on your ipod should you end up stranded somewhere in the middle of Micronesia. But we’re big fans of educating yourself ad travel really is the quintessential educational experience.That’s why I want to recommend again the stuff put out by the Teaching Company.

The Teaching Company provides lectures on CD (and DVD) on topics as far ranging as you would find offered by an entire university. The lectures range from topics like the Civil War, to the Revolutionary War, to World War II…OK, they’re not ALL about wars. There are also series on the Depression, Great Presidents, and the American Identity. The lectures are surprisingly good. Clearly recorded, not in some university echo chamber. And all the ones I’ve listened to far far have been superb. I truly deeply honestly wish they would sell their stuff at audible.com. Why they do not do so is an utter mystery to me. In the format they provide, CDs and DVDs, the files get all broken up when they are imported and become a big mess on your system. Plus you have to go through the process of ripping them, which sucks. So guys, get on the ball and get your stuff set up over at audible. I’ll be a faithful customer for a long time to come.

Stuck in the Mud

by Erik Olsen on

If you live in New York City, you are familiar with a hulking behemoth of floating metal called the Intrepid that sits in the water near 49th street on the West Side of Manhattan. It is a museum of American power, or at least a reflection of American military technology circa 1945. I’ve paddled around the Intrepid, a WWII era aircraft carrier, but I confess I’ve never actually been on board. To be honest, it all seems rather lame to me, this monstrous slab of metal sitting in the water where a nice park should be. But no matter.

The USS Intrepid has fallen on hard times lately with a decaying hull and a listfull of needed repairs. But to get the work done on the ship (some $60 million worth), they have to tow it away from where it currently sits on the Hudson River and put it in a kind of dry-dock. Or at least that’s how I understand it. The problem is, when they recently tried to move it during a ceremony with much fanfare and hullabaloo, they found that no matter how hard the tug boats tried, they could not pry the vessel from the clutches of the river’s mud. Yes, six tugs pulled with a combined 30,000 horsepower but moved the Intrepid only about 15 feet. The mud would not let go. I’m sure there is a children’s book in here somewhere about a little tugboat that could, but in the meantime, the boat squats in the water, alone, cold, and broken.

The Cook Islands

by Erik Olsen on

If I recall correctly, Neil has posted here a few times about the tropical paradise that is the Cook Islands. They are a historical place, these little dollops of land in the South pacific. They are the place where William Bligh, captain of the H.M.S. Bounty, last visited before the infamous 1789 mutiny.

And yet today they are also a major tourist destination for Aussies and Kiwis as well as many Europeans and Americans who make the long, long flight to get there.

In this fine little piece from the AP, writer Chirstina Almeida, visits the islands and finds they are, as advertised, slice of tropical heaven, a place with few cars, and where most islanders use motor scooters. You learn a little bit about the island’s storied history, but also some of the local attractions, which include (as might be expected) some fine fish meals and superb snorkeling and diving, where you can spot varied sea life from puffer and unicorn fish to giant clams. Needless to say, as we move swiftly into winter, one can’t help but sit back and ponder the fun and sun of a destination like this is.

Loi Krathong in Thailand

by Erik Olsen on

Years ago I lived for a little bit in Bangkok and it just so happened I was lucky enough to be there during a November. Why lucky? Because one of the country’s great holidays takes place this month, a holiday that I got to experience first hand and that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The event is called Loi Krathong and this year it takes place on November 5. Loi Krathong is an fascinating festival of lights, and takes place throughout Thailand, but particularly in Bangkok. The tradition is to set hundreds of thousands of flower-shaped finely-decorated, candles on the klongs or canals throughout the city. The candles are placed on banana leaves, making them little boats called krathongs. And in the meantime, everyone and their mother sister and aunt sings a catchy little song about the krathong that rises over the cit and makes the whole event magical. So if you are heading to Thailand, definitely find yourself a great spot to watch this great little event.