Musing about art

Admire/appreciate but not love: modern art

Musings: freaking merc retrograde

How do I know we’re in mercury retrograde?

Because I’m losing my mind due to numerous dumb little details frustrating me on projects I just.cant.finish. When a couple days becomes a never-ending litany of miscommunications, mislaid items, “bad luck,” just weird occurrences, interruptions, and I’m just riled up by the ceaseless annoying details of modern life… And the thought then pops in my head: When does this freaking merc retrograde end?

I’m generally not a woo woo, supernatural, superstitious person. But GOOD LORD, mercury retrograde is a thing. I don’t check my horoscope or pay attention to Merc Retrograde dates — ‘cause I don’t want to be *expecting it* and make it be a thing unconsciously.

Every single time I have this thought — When does this freaking merc retrograde end? — and I look it up, … yep, it’s ending in a few days. I can sense it when the growing snowball of merc retro fuckery is at its worst.

Like right now, we’re in merc retro, and it ends Dec 15. And it cannot come soon enough. I’m trying to get shit done, damnit.

Maybe I’ll just go to bed until Monday.

*deep breaths*

Anyway, the earrings I made a big deal about on FB yesterday? I already lost one yesterday. Looked all around my desk at work. I was so sad. Wasn’t going to post about it since I’d so publicly thanked AnnaMaria for her help. Then today, there’s the earring right at my feet at my desk. WTF? Yay, but also could we have skipped this drama?

And the passport I just posted my long story about? I’ve got the form filled out, printed & signed, the envelope addressed, have the photos that I got at Walgreens last month ready to staple in form… and then I see the detail: no glasses allowed in photo. So I have to go back to Walgreens AGAIN to send off this passport. @%#*@$&

ALSO: got a letter from IRS. Short version: IRS is notoriously inefficient and the Covid years are even worse. Spent a lot of time on nothing to confirm that what they think is a problem, isn’t. 🙄

ALSO: Rescheduled Peter’s eye doc appt to a later week. Then an hour later, his dentist called and they needed to reschedule. It’s like, argh, rescheduling medical appts over and over. Well, thank god they called, ‘cause I’d just scheduled that eye appt at same time as dentist appt! WTH? 😆😆😆

More stories about cable guys breaking our sprinkler pipes, things mistakenly thrown out, photos not working… blah blah blah.

I’ve got other projects to work on. I’m seriously moving everything on my To Do list to Tuesday. Ive got books to read, and a cat and husband to cuddle. Whew. Thank you, universe, for a sign I need a break.

Small Joys — good night!

Day 49

Random number is 296

Go to bed earlier

I love this one. I was in my bedroom by 8:15 pm. I put a fireplace video on the TV. I’ve refilled a month worth of pills, put away a few clothes, moisturized.

Now it’s 9 pm. All electronics going away, all lights but one, and I’ll read another chapter in The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. I may wake up at 3 am… or maybe I’ll get 8 hours of sleep. Who knows! This is also a terrific kind of adventure!

LOOKED UP: not Aristotle

No, Aristotle did not ramble on about the beauty of snowflakes.

LOOKED UP: NYC art exhibitions 2025 and other NYC things

 Caspar David Friedrich and Sargent at the Met this spring. Sargent opens the week I want to go.

How to get tickets to Colbert show -- one month ahead of time

NY Transit museum -- near the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway where I can ride a bike.

Small Joys — Agony of Da Feet

Day 48

Random number is 386

Tidy, inventory shoes; buy new pair of shoes

Timely as we had to clean up front door area. I had 12 pairs of shoes there. I threw out one pair, and took 5 others upstairs si de they aren’t worn often.

Upstairs, I tossed a pair of heels that I LOVE… but are falling apart and I hardly wear.

Also timely as I’m starting to — again — have foot pain. Need to see a doc about the Hallux Litmus. Refound my old Birkenstocks. May need to wear these more often.

New shoes? Do I get party shoes or new Birkenstocks?! Comfy may win out.

shoes from downstairs shoe rack:

Small Joy — beloved art

Day 47

Random number; 400

Buy Escher print for house

We so loved the Escher exhibit at the Vero Beach Art Museum in 2023, and the museum gift shop had nothing related to the exhibit for sale (decision by Escher estate they said). So I thought we should finally get something. I looked on Amazon. A few options, mostly his most famous works. I did out a jigsaw puzzle in my cart.

But then I thought, the Escher Foundation (or whoever is in charge of the estate) might have more choices, and would reward his family more directly. And yes, it had many more choices! It was hard to pick only one, but we settled on Puddle. Who knows how long it will take to get here. And then I have to have it framed. But it feels right buying directly from them, shipped from The Netherlands. Even if shipping was 2x the cost of the poster!