3rd House Journal

PEM

[East India Marine Hall, Peabody Essex Museum; 2/25/12]

The weekend was sunny but chilly with high, gusty winds. So as we weren't planning to walk around town this weekend, it seemed a good day for a drive up to Salem to the Peabody Essex Museum. The PEM, which has its origins in the "curiosities" collected and brought home by sea captains, specializes in art from Asia, Oceana, India, and North America.Their current featured exhibit is Shapeshifting, with Native American art from across the country and from 200 BC to the present. I found myself "placing" each piece geographically as well as in time. Since the plaques stated the tribe/nation, but not region, you mostly had to have heard of the tribe to know its location. I recognized all of the beautiful southwest work (mostly Hopi and Navaho) from my visits to New Mexico, the local tribe names from New England, and a few others. I'm not as familiar with the Pacific northwest, but you couldn't miss the giant totem pole from that region. I knew they were big, but it's a different thing to stand next to one, dwarfed by it, and see the gorgeous carving.

Speaking of the northwest, I was thrilled to see Brian Jungen's "Cetology" installation at the exhibit. I first saw one of his astonishing "natural history" type (ie, hung from the ceiling) whale skeletons made from white plastic resin chairs installed at the contemporary art museum on a visit to Montreal in June of 2006 with a bunch of blogger friends. That exhibit in Montreal also had his wonderful aboriginal masks made from Nike footwear.

[Clouds over the Yin Yu Tang house]

We left the PEM just before closing time, and it so happened that just next door at the charming, independent Salem Cinema, The Artist was playing in about 20 minutes. It was up for an Oscar last night and was predicted to win Best Picture (it did), so we couldn't pass it by. It was, as many have said, a lovely piece of froth to top off our day.

Stirrings

[Witch hazel blooms, Public Garden, Boston; 2/18/12]

The drab, snowless winter hasn't inspired me to take the camera out of my pocket much lately. But the warmer than usual temperatures may bring Spring early. A week ago I saw crocuses on one sun-catching lawn near the office, a good month early. And yesterday I spotted the early-blooming witch hazel opening up in the northeast corner of the Public Garden. Hey, pitchers and catchers report for spring training today! - normally a blessed event that serves to warm the hearts of fans here in the Northeast weary of battling blizzards, icy sidewalks, and bone-chilling cold. We are, of course, happy to not be dealing with those bothers this winter. But, still, something feels missing.

[Ducks make do with muddy puddles in the drained lagoon in the Public Garden]

I went for my interview last week for a job that I'm very interested in. I think it went very well, but you never know what other circumstances may be at play. The HR person said they'd know something within a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, I've been unable to stop myself from thinking through the commuter routes and even buying a few wardrobe items since I'd need to be more presentable than in my current job where some colleagues occasionally roll in in sweat pants. Even if this position doesn't come through, I'm looking at jobs for which I actually leave my cubicle on occasion and interact with people, so decent workclothes will be needed regardless.

[Congregating shrubs, Public Garden]

It was a bit of an exhausting week, but the weekend has been nice and relaxing. Last night we used a discount coupon of D's that was about to expire at the French restaurant La Voile on Newbury St. Wow. The food was delicious. D had the cinnamon-spiced duck l'orange and I had a red snapper filet that was perfectly seasoned. We also sprung for dessert, which we usually skip, and shared a little molten chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Yum.

With D off at at event today, I'm home, enjoying my sunny living room. I really must get out for a walk. I also have tomorrow off for President's Day, which I'm afraid will mostly be spent doing my taxes. At least it will be a shortened work week.

Windows and Whirlwinds

[Pushpamala-Arni photographs, Sackler Museum; 2/4/12]

I've been in a whirlwind of activity for the past few days. It started last Thursday when I got a call inviting me for a phone interview on Friday. I spent the evening prep'ing for it, plus packing up for the weekend since we had tickets to a play in the city Friday evening and I'd have to leave right after work. I took the phone interview at home at lunchtime (it went well and I was invited to come in next week, keeping my fingers crossed because it sounds like a great fit), then back to the office for the afternoon, and back home after work to gather my things and go with D into town. Leaving my bags in his car, we headed out for dinner, then to see Superior Donuts at the Lyric Stage (very enjoyable).

We normally wander around the city near D's place on weekends, but we thought we'd try a different destination and hit on taking the T over to Harvard Square to Harvard's Sackler Museum, which had some new photography acquisitions and a re-sorting of collections from Harvard's other art museums, the Fogg and the Busch-Reisinger, while they're renovating.

[Julius Faulhaber's Gas Station (photography), at the Sackler]

[Window in the lobby of the Sackler]

And, well, since I had a discount coupon for the Harvard Square Alsatian restaurant, Sandrine's, burning a hole in the zipper-pocket of my purse, we had a lovely early dinner before heading back to crash on D's couch. Sunday was, fortunately, more restful, despite being Super Bowl Sunday. D brought me home in the afternoon so I wouldn't be stuck in town late when the game got over, and he went back and had his buddies over. I was able to have a good night's sleep - luckily, as Monday was an all-out, mad, take-no-prisoners take-no-lunch-break scramble to meet a deadline by the end of the day. (sigh)

[2nd floor landing on the stairway, Sackler Museum]