Betty's Pub 20.1
Main Menu => Old inactive posts. => Topic started by: andyg0404 on March 26, 2016, 05:01:52 PM
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flick.
Today was a beautiful day, a little chilly but bright and clear. An auspicious beginning to the Spring Flickr, at least I hope so.
I took a walk up to the Metropolitan museum this morning to see their current photography exhibit, Crime Stories: Photography and Foul Play. These are commercial photographs shot by working photographers employed by newspapers and government services. It was very interesting. There were photos by Weegee, a pseudonym for Arthur Fellig, who covered crime scenes for the New York tabloids in the 30’s and 40’s. He had an uncanny ability to arrive at crime scenes, sometimes before the police, perhaps because he had a portable police band shortwave radio in his car. He would show up at the scene of the crime, take his shots and then develop them in an improvised dark room he kept in the trunk of his car. This is one of his more lurid photos, Head in Cake Box Murder http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/265622 I can easily see that on the cover of the current New York Post. Those of an age who live in the NY Metropolitan area will remember one of the Post’s most famous front page headlines, Headless Body Found in Topless Bar. http://tinyurl.com/jcgxrw3 The Daily News wasn’t afraid of a little blood either showing the aftermath of Carmine Galante’s murder at a restaurant. http://tinyurl.com/zuqsw52 It’s hard to see on the reproduction of the front page but Carmine managed to keep his cigar in his mouth as he was being shot. http://tinyurl.com/hryz7fo
This is a link to a New York Times article about the exhibit and it has a slide show with a dozen images. The first is my favorite, it shows a bank robber aiming and shooting his gun at the security camera in the bank trying to avoid being captured on tape. He was, unfortunately for him, too slow as the camera caught him aiming before he blew it up. http://tinyurl.com/h4xcfbz The show was macabre and a little gruesome but fascinating nevertheless.
While I was at the museum I also took in their Jan Van Eyck exhibit, A New Look at a Van Eyck Masterpiece. This is a show made up mostly of items in the Met’s permanent collection, with the emphasis on Van Eyck’s diptych The Crucifixion; The Last Judgment It’s a remarkable painting with lots of action, the left panel, solely by Van Eyck, showing the crucifixion and the right panel, Van Eyck and his workshop, showing Heaven above with Hell below. Hanging next to the painting is a drawing done in anticipation of the painting which is from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Seeing it right after seeing the Van Eyck drawing at the Met Breuer last week was a real treat. It’s not one hundred percent agreed upon that it’s fully Van Eyck or his workshop but it very closely approximates the diptych painting. This is a link to a New York Times article about the exhibit. http://tinyurl.com/j5fevs5 And this is a link to the Met website with all the images. http://tinyurl.com/j9acq5s
And on that religious note, let’s wander off to the Flickrs.
Andy G.
Boys wearing aprons making silly faces
https://www.flickr.com/photos/simpleinsomnia/25872193006/
Holiday Time!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/128562662%40N05/25150346055/
Just me crossdressing again ;)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/133877150%40N07/25029749901/
01-11-15 004aa
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31901678%40N04/23181128555/
Maid
https://www.flickr.com/photos/capitolchill/24477783094/
Forever red
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alina_694/24165192074/
2016-01-31_02-34-54
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14479876%40N04/24101764464/
Scarlet Stance
https://www.flickr.com/photos/103977268%40N06/24560849194/
DSC_2079 Milk White Dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125961445%40N02/24816212880/
Strike another pose
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefanied/24931519962/
light pink top, white frilly skirt, heels
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adrii06/25929433601/
Easter Dress Curtsy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8072809%40N05/2353359372/
-
AndyG, your weekly posts always make me wonder why some of the links are wide open, some are "must be logged in to view," and some are "adult content must be logged in." I have concluded that at least 99.9% of the difference must be in the mind of the person doing the posting. Unless it is showing certain "body parts" "Adult Content" means the poster thinks seeing guys in drag will somehow corrupt the minds of the youth. Not sure about the difference between the other two groups....
-
Hi,
I've always found Flickr to be quite arbitrary. When they made this last big update to the website they somehow fiddled with the search to the point that for the most part I only get hits on a few of my search terms and I have dozens. I also sometimes wonder why things come up when based on my search term there should be no reason for it.
Andy G.
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
Well, March seemed to have been a bit bi-polar, never quite being able to make up its mind as to whether it was going to be warm or cold. A high of 38 early on, followed a week later by a high of 82 And here we are in April, cold and rainy today with high winds and some snow in the forecast. Spring is still just a date on the calendar as far as I’m concerned.
Despite the inclement weather I took the bus into the City this morning and visited the Morgan Library. There are always a number of exhibits on display, some of which are more appealing to me than others but this time there was really only one that I especially wanted to see, Pierre-Jean Mariette and the Art of Collecting Drawings. Mariette was an 18th Century French art collector. He collected Old Masters and contemporary artists and was an artist himself. He developed a technique for separating single sheets which had drawings on both sides of the paper, verso and recto, without damaging them. And he also repaired damaged prints by adding paper and touching up images which he was able to do fairly seamlessly. This is a link to a description of the exhibit, http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/mariette The entire exhibit is online at this link. http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/online/mariette Each of the prints is listed to the left for you to click on and then you can enlarge the view. At the bottom of the Overview page is a short video which replicates the separation of a sheet into two drawings. He did not leave instructions as to how it was done so this experiment was a guess at his technique. If it’s not the actual method it must be close as the experiment ends in the successful separation of one sheet into two undamaged sheets. Very interesting. I enjoyed all of them but I thought this View of the Vatican Palace from the Colonnade of St. Peter’s by Giovanni Paolo Panini was especially nice. When you click on the print to enlarge it, you ‘ll notice controls at the bottom for increasing the magnification and moving the image up and down and side to side. The last button on the right brings the image to full screen which helps considerably in the viewing. Zoom in on the building in the background and look at the details. http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/online/mariette/8#
Not much else to report today. I like to joke that I’ve been playing a senior citizen at the museums for the last ten years but on Monday I officially become one. On 0404 Andy G turns 65. Seems to me that the people who post here on a regular basis are all senior citizens. Don’t the kids have anything to say or show? 65 is the last milestone for us in life unless we’re lucky enough to become a centenarian. As to that achievement I will end with a comment from Steven Wright. I’m trying to live forever. So far so good.
And with that note of levity on to the Flickrs.
Andy G.
Dsc_0022
https://www.flickr.com/photos/9913641%40N03/17032530795/
Sissy French maid. New video and more photos available soon at my site: AlinaWangXXX.com
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alina_694/24392851865/
June 2007
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14631241%40N07/3335769925/
Mistress enjoys her good little sissy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissy_maid_claire/1154857865/
Hello Sir glad your home
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aleesha_w/3847423456/
Sissy Dress Saturday
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24078110%40N08/8535291112/
pink sissy portrait
https://www.flickr.com/photos/22704178%40N07/9341142285/
My new dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissycindy/24278968786/
Untitled1(1)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sophie_louise69/9952848254/
423.12
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10474062%40N07/1008145517/
Make me your personal sissy princess.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135648714%40N08/25139596010/
Dreamy Dutch Damsel...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/107544285%40N05/24758257044/
-
Happy Birthday!
Every year is a milestone at our age because our time left has become limited, & we don't know for sure by how much. My 2 oldest brothers, now in their upper 60s have lived longer than any male ever has in our family. No male in our family has ever made it to 65 before. The women live a little longer. My Mom died of complications caused by COPD at 70. But at 70, she lived longer than any female in my family ever did. So 5 more years is a big milestone for us.
Actually we get a lot of younger & older people here. We just don't get many middle-aged though.
Up to & through the college years we're full of curiosity, excitement, & at our sexual peaks. Then as careers & relationships settle in as we get older, we sideline or forget about this stuff a while, & their whole sissy side gets stored away in a small box in an attic to be visited every few months.
But after 20-30 years of living the same life, or being through a few relationships, or divorce, they want to put some spark & excitement back into their lives. The box in the attic gets bigger, & visited more often. Next they're ordering a pretty dress & visiting Betty's.
So what we're having is people in their 40s or 50s returning back to things they liked in their youth. But that already happen to many of us when Betty's was still new over 20 years ago, so 20 years later we're even older.
It's sort of like why a man in his 40s or 50s suddenly buys a Corvette, motorcycle, climbs a mountain, or buys a boat. After passing his prime, & midlife, he's looking for something more, or to recapture some of the joys & toys of his youth.
We're just now getting revisited by people who used to visit us as college kids decades ago. Usually after college age, or just a few years after that they disappear, & it takes a couple decades before they come back to their sissy roots.
I put an "R" rating on our sites (no one under 17 permitted), because there are so many 17 & above visiting anyway. But the younger people just don't want to post here like they used to before tap screen tablets & phones. They seem to tweet, pin, & instagram enough, but just won't post here. The most I could do is make their tiny tap screens easier to use here, but it hasn't increased traffic or made them post more. They just stay longer now because it's easier to use on the mobile devices.
But there is also a generational gap between the real internet & some young people. They know twitter, pins, instagram, YouTube, or even Facebook on their tiny tap screens, but don't have a clue on how to join or post here. We're a site with an embedded forum (a forum that also acts as a website). How you join & post is pretty much the way you would on most forums but they can't do it. They have a hard time searching for us, because Bing & Yahoo don't like to link to sites like ours, but is the default search on many newer Windows machines & devices. They're missing more than half the internet by searching in Bing, Yahoo, or with Explorer or Edge browsers.
Some flunk the registration to join too. Almost half of them can't even type an e-mail address right on their tap screen because they're so used to auto-complete, & auto-correct. As an anti-spam & hack measure, we e-mail an activation link for them to click on to activate their membership. No membership without a valid mail. Some mistakes are obvious so I can fix them myself. I know that their mail at gmail.con is wrong, & fix it to gmail.com so it works. But the correct address isn't always that obvious.
Then there's boys that don't have a clue, using their favorite video game warrior as a username, & their gamer site's e-mail. A person registering under the name "killer" with an email of slasher at gamehacks.com will get rejected because I feel they are not sane, stable, & intelligent enough to play nice with our group. Or they register while using a proxy popularly used by spammers or hackers. One can visit from any proxy they want that isn't blocked by us. But when they want to be a member, I or my software have to decide if they're a friend or foe from the little info given in the registration. Registering through an untrustworthy proxy or mail server won't get them in. Usernames or addresses that indicate they're phucking nuts won't get them in either.
28F & snowing outside right now. About 2" of snow on the ground. 4" expected. Lows in the teens to 20s F with more snow expected the rest of the week.
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
Betty and Angela have been commenting on the weather and I can add that the weather here has not been very good either. Spring continues just to be a season on the calendar. Today it was cold, windy, rainy and just plain nasty. Snow showers in the forecast but I don't think that's going to amount to much. Hopefully those aren't famous last words. The weatherman this morning said that Spring like weather probably wouldn't be visiting until the end of the seven day forecast. I couldn't be readier for it.
Up until about 20 years ago I still had a rotary phone and didn't see a need for one with buttons, nor did I think I needed any of the services they were trying to sell me such as call waiting and caller ID. But then I started looking for a new job and I realized I needed to buy a phone with an answering machine so my rotary phone became my other phone. It still is as my current phones are powered by electricity so in the case of a blackout I will still have service. Most people have cell phones for that but I still haven't come to terms with owning a cell phone, maybe next year when I am actually retired. But when I moved into my current home ten years ago I took on the FIOS package which included call waiting and caller ID. Call waiting isn't such a big deal for me as I'm not on the phone that often and if another call comes in, it's usually from someone I don't know. Which is why I now say that I couldn't live without caller ID. I don't get vast numbers of these scam calls but enough that I only answer the phone if I recognize the number. Takes a while for them to stop calling and once one stops, it seems that another one starts. Earlier I got a call with a Craigmont, Idaho number which I didn’t pick up and, of course, there was no message. When I Googled the number as I always do to see what other people have to say about it, this number brought up the following response: “This number called and my 4 year old daughter answered, they asked her to go into my wallet for my credit card. This is a new low, absolutely unacceptable!” Yes, I heartily concur. These people are criminals and should be prosecuted.
Despite the inclement weather I went into the City this morning to visit Christie's for their Old Master's auction previews. I've been looking forward to this since the announcement and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were no really big ticket items like some of the previous auctions I've written about and as usual there were a lot of circle of, follower of, school of, etc., etc. But even these are generally lovely to look at. There was an unannounced auction which took me by surprise and which turned out to be something that made my day. It was a showing of an auction that will take place in London in July, Fifty Prints By Rembrandt Van Rijn A Private English Collection. This is a link to all the images in the lot http://tinyurl.com/glusxak I've seen many of the images before, one, Jan Lutma, I wrote about seeing at the Met in February in their Prints collection. This is a link to the version in this lot. http://tinyurl.com/zpdnfvx This is a link to the catalog, which on the first page explains how the collection was assembled and it's very interesting. http://tinyurl.com/hj74qum
While I was I in the room going from print to print there was an older couple, German I think, who were clearly there to actually preview the collection with an eye to buying, unlike myself who was there strictly for the exhibition. An employee of Christie's entered and greeted the couple and started pitching the lot explaining the provenance. He said that the original owner collected them between 1959 and 1968 and always bought quality prints. He kept them in three Solander boxes under his bed until he died. (I thought he said shoeboxes and I had to look up Solander which is defined as a protective box made in the form of a book, for holding such items as botanical specimens, maps, and color plates.) Then his son kept them in the three boxes under the bed until he died and now they’re up for auction. He wasn't an especially wealthy man and these weren't particularly pricy items back then but he only bought quality prints and now they are very valuable. The couple mentioned the lack of some images and the employee said that at the time the previous owner was collecting, the prints that he didn’t purchase went for more than he was prepared to spend. But it was a magnificent collection and really a treat to see. Unless a billionaire swoops in and buys the entire collection I imagine they will be sold to multiple bidders.
Another unexpected pleasure was a very large painting by Rubens, Lot and His Daughters, which will also be auctioned in London but for the time being was given the main space in the downstairs hall. A magnificent painting, you can see an image and read about it in this essay on the Christie's site. http://tinyurl.com/hwqkhzr
The current auction consisted of three lots, I will give you a link to all the images after the title of each phase, Revolution http://tinyurl.com/h5tjkbo Old Masters, Part 1 http://tinyurl.com/juv4psk and Old Masters, Part 2 http://tinyurl.com/hymscgt
Below are some of the items I especially enjoyed.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (Montauban 1780-1867 Paris) - Portrait Of Ferdinand-Philippe-Louis-Charles-Henri Of Bourbon Orleans, Duke Of Orleans http://Tinyurl.Com/Jrqzde8
I wrote about this back in January when this sale was announced and it was supposed to be on display but wasn't on the day I visited. But it's up now and it's a wonderful image by one of my favorite artists. Unfortunately for the Duke he died not long after the painting was finished and he never got to be King.
Jacques-Louis David (Paris 1748-1825 Brussels) - A Vestal - http://Tinyurl.Com/Hc7lf5g
David was Ingres' teacher and one of the great artists of his generation, anytime you can see a David that’s new to you it's worthwhile making the effort. As are seeing the ones you’re familiar with.
I've written about the Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun exhibit currently running at the Met which I greatly enjoyed and there were a number of her paintings in this auction. I thought these three noteworthy. The pendant paintings of the Count and Countess - Portrait Of The Count Siemontkowsky Bystry; And Portrait Of The Countess Siemontkowsky Bystry - http://Tinyurl.Com/Gwxokfz and this wonderful - Portrait Of An Artist. http://Tinyurl.Com/Hl7tq9g Her work on the clothing, the green cloak of the Count and the red gown of the Countess are very good as is the depiction of the Countess's hair.
Two wonderful landscapes by the Breughel's. Jan Breughel I (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp) And Joos De Momper Ii (Antwerp 1564-1635) - A Townscape With Figures And Horse-Drawn Carts, Carrying Vegetables And Other Produce To Market - http://Tinyurl.Com/Z5pgomf
Jan Brueghel II (Antwerp 1601-1678) - Travelers With Carts And A Wagon On A Country Road, A City Beyond - http://Tinyurl.Com/J7vhs3k
A beautiful Botticelli which probably would go for more if it wasn't noted as being he and his studio. I like Botticelli, I find his images rather cartoonlike but very appealing and the ones I've seen are very bright and open. Alessandro Filipepi, Called Sandro Botticelli (Florence 1444/45-1510) And Studio - The Madonna Adoring The Christ Child With The Young Saint John The Baptist - http://tinyurl.com/jm3xqvo
I'm including this painting by Emanuel De Witte (Alkmaar C. 1617-1691/2 Amsterdam) -The Choir Of The New Church, Amsterdam, With Figures because it's similar to one in the Met that has always tickled me as it shows a dog peeing inside the church. Don't know if this is a trademark or if he was making a statement but putting it into two paintings make it more than a coincidence I would think. http://tinyurl.com/zrq8z8k This is a link to a biography of De Witte from Wikipedia, a very unhappy life it’s sad to say. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_de_Witte
And finally, this painting by John Hoppner, R.A. (London 1758-1810) - Portrait Of William Russell (1767-1840), Three-Quarter-Length - a very pretty little boy in a dress -
http://tinyurl.com/jccetta
A nice lead in to the Flickrs I would think.
Andy G.
Womenless Beauty Pageant
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sciatfsu/26062136942/
Rubber Mistress....she who must be obeyed!..
https://www.flickr.com/photos/41321506%40N06/23424201489/
Tiffany LTU S4-2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97867932%40N05/25302367035/
Untitled
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24078110%40N08/14265477974/
Floral Skirt
https://www.flickr.com/photos/secretjess/24984192102/
照片 047
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yammy_chow/5799702167/
vrd13
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnlynx/25205694929/
Juliette017
https://www.flickr.com/photos/noirjuliette/20973070593/
Celina :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/celinatv/24626918124/
Sonja T
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sonjathompson/24995123052/
FOR YOU THIS VALENTINES DAY
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138156599%40N04/24994473726/
Instantané 4 (2015-06-18 20-01)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/97124493%40N07/18918296696/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
Looks to be a beautiful day, let’s hope winter is finally in our rear view window.
I read the Cement Garden when it was printed and never thought they could possibly make a movie of it so I was very surprised when they did. And it was a very good adaptation of the book and the scenes with Tom dressed up were a treat although the whole theme of the movie was very disturbing.
Anyway, I’m taking my friend into the City today to see several of the exhibits I’ve written about previously so this will be a short Flickr. Or should I say a brief Flickr.
Whatever.
Andy G.
My son #brandonlindsey makes a pretty little girl lol.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/137593272@N02/25678807933/
Burlesque Day
https://www.flickr.com/photos/trixydeans/25509396372/
satinsexy (353)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/77377251@N06/25780056546/
Right after coming back home
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138580735@N03/25140698164/
Hub the Scrub
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60741642@N06/25762058776/
A passion for the glamour fashion look: recent magazin feature
https://www.flickr.com/photos/juliapanther/25759896675/
An elegant pose, don't you think?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/98857454@N06/22061701380/
Don't Stand (The Police)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/55377997@N05/25673736836/
Juliette041
https://www.flickr.com/photos/noirjuliette/24286938436/
One in Vermilion
https://www.flickr.com/photos/103977268@N06/25185560226/
Leopard Romper
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24078110@N08/13358374343/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
It’s been a beautiful week weather wise but this morning suffered from the overnight hangover of rain. It was damp most of the time I was out although it never really rained enough to make me unfold the umbrella I was carrying. And when I arrived home at Noon it had finally ended and turned into another beautiful day.
I had what for me passes as a busy morning. Up early I did my exercises and went to the store then headed into Manhattan where I started off by walking down to Trader Joe’s to replenish my supply of almonds. Then I walked back uptown to my office to take care of a little business before heading over to Christie’s for their 19th Century art and contemporary prints previews. This was a very low key preview, no stars to speak of, very few recognizable names to me. At least in the European previews that is. Contemporary had the usual suspects none of whom I especially care for. A room filled with Andy Warhol soup cans, lots of Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein. Many Joan Miro which are abstract but colorful as well as lots of Picasso prints. There were a few prints that were nice, several by Cassatt. This is a link to her Woman Bathing http://tinyurl.com/zrm82c4 One of the paintings that struck me was Moonlit Bay by Sophus Jacobsen http://tinyurl.com/jv63x5t Very atmospheric and haunting, it has a very white full moon dead center among rather ominous dark clouds. Everything is shrouded in mist with the few boats in the harbor blackened by shadows. Reasonably priced with a range of $30 to $50K. Reasonable if you have that kind of money to spend on art I guess. It appears to be a theme the artist liked as I found another painting at Wikimedia, Fishing by Moonlight, once again showing the big white moon. http://tinyurl.com/hr7v6y4 There is remarkably little about the artist himself on the web beyond his dates of birth and death. On the link page to the painting the following reference is posted:
Sophus Jacobsen was a Norwegian landscape painter. The artist was particularly interested in capturing dramatic effects of lighting on landscape, often through sunsets and strong moonlight, as in the present work.
The star of the auction appears to be FRANCESCO HAYEZ (ITALIAN, 1791-1882) IL BACIO or The Kiss which they’re hoping brings $1 million at the top end. http://tinyurl.com/z2y77n3 There is an essay at the website explaining why it’s the lead painting in the auction and its significance which you may find interesting. http://tinyurl.com/zwp2ew2
In wandering through the galleries I came across a painting by the French artist CHARLES-FRANÇOIS DAUBIGNY which is a pleasant landscape, http://tinyurl.com/zrprk26 but what I found notable about it is that the Metropolitan Museum of Art is letting it go to fund future acquisitions. This is commonplace and museums are allowed to sell their possessions as long as it’s done to purchase other items. Selling the art for needed funds is taboo and that’s what got the National Academy in New York in trouble. Sotheby’s upcoming American art auction has a Norman Rockwell from the Met on the block and that surprised me as the Met doesn’t have very many Rockwell’s and this one is rather nice. http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/american-art-n09503/lot.22.html
This is a link to the full catalog of the auction if you care to browse. http://tinyurl.com/gwu6333
Afterwards I went to the Ronin Gallery and saw a very nice exhibit, DEMIMONDE: THE FLOATING WORLD AND TOULOUSE-LAUTREC. http://www.roningallery.com/exhibitions/demimonde-the-floating-world-and-toulouse-lautrec This exhibit juxtaposes Lautrec’s work, piece by piece, with a Japanese print that it emulates. Lovely items by both he and different Japanese artists. If you visit the site you’ll see the items side by side as I experienced them in the gallery and beneath them is an explanation as to why they go together. All of them are wonderful and in this case reasonably priced is even more achievable. I could have purchased a Lautrec and the Utumaro by its side for $4600. I confess I thought about it but I don’t really have bare walls to hang artwork on as most of my space is taken up by bookcases and much as I enjoy seeing the works I really can’t justify spending the money. And with the museums at my disposal I am constantly finding new things to enjoy. I’ve been to Ronin Gallery several times now and look forward to their next exhibition.
Well, I think we can head over to the Flickrs now.
Andy G.
FondantFancy
https://www.flickr.com/photos/13782433%40N03/7279933024/
Savannah Thorne
https://www.flickr.com/photos/68958443%40N08/23432277354/
Processed with MOLDIV
https://www.flickr.com/photos/27401732%40N05/25443060550/
Out in nature
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cutiemei11/25717651385/
20160316_34
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissymaidjoslyn/25848259925/
collette013
https://www.flickr.com/photos/130865463%40N08/25810471082/
Lovely yellow dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cutiemei11/25325514933/
33
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ladyboyshemale/2039246485/
78978988
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46110603%40N02/4234041884/
TM_BlackRed2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tiffmich_2000/6801177137/
Time to prepare the beauty case for the new Fotoshooting :)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/36028969%40N05/22377172002/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
It started out a little cooler today than I would have preferred but on the whole it's a beautiful day.
I headed into the City and took the long walk up to Sotheby's on 72nd Street for their Impressionist Auction preview. It was a wonderful exhibit filled with old friends and great art. Much more entertaining than the Christie's European auction I wrote about previously. Here are some of the things I especially liked.
Paul Signac - MAISONS DU PORT, SAINT-TROPEZ - http://tinyurl.com/z8zjobr - This was their star painting I think with an estimate of $8-$12 million dollars. It's a wonderful pointillist painting showing houses by the sea which are reflected in the water. Very bright and colorful.
Claude Monet - MARÉE BASSE AUX PETITES-DALLES - http://tinyurl.com/zyk5x2f - This is a beach scene, the title translates to low tide at Little Dalles with the water contrasting the cliffs.
Camille Pissarro - CHEMIN DE L’ÉCLUSE, SAINT-OUEN-L’AUMÔNE - http://tinyurl.com/hybljl3 - This is a lovely landscape with a town by a river and a man walking his horses on the bank.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir - PORTRAIT DE JEAN RENOIR - http://tinyurl.com/z7ysfcc - This is one of the many wonderful portraits of Renor's son Jean, with his long beribboned red hair. While his father loved the long hair Jean hated it and was thrilled when he was able to finally get it cut. There's a children's book that takes this as a topic with Jean getting his haircut, thus a happy ending. http://barronseduc.com/0764160419.html
Eugène Boudin - TROUVILLE, MARÉE BASSE - http://tinyurl.com/gl8xbzj - This is a nice example of Boudin's seascapes, scenes on the beach with boats in the background and in this one the cloudy sky dominates taking up more than three quarters of the space. But there's lots of movement on the beach with the horses pulling the wagon and all those people going about their business. There were a number of his seascapes in the auction but there was also a very nice still life, something I've haven't seen much of. NATURE MORTE À L'ORANGE OUVERTE http://tinyurl.com/goe275p
Maurice Utrillo - RUE À SANNOIS (VAL-D'OISE) http://tinyurl.com/jghxoqn A street scene, an open road lined with houses with no people out and about, indicating an early hour and several sprouting green trees. Very tranquil, serene image.
Federico del Campo - A VIEW OF THE GRAND CANAL WITH THE PALAZZO CAVALLI-FRANCHETTI - http://tinyurl.com/jjf9gye Del Campo is someone I only came across last year at a previous Sotheby's auction preview. He's Peruvian and paints in the style of Canaletto one of my favorites. This is a painting of a beautiful Palace on the canal with the boats traveling down it and more of the City in the background.
These are links for the full catalog of items in the two auctions, day and night - http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2016/impressionist-modern-art-day-sale-n09498.html
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2016/impressionist-modern-art-evening-sale-n09497.html
Additionally there were some previews of upcoming auctions, for one, the American in a few weeks which I am really looking forward to. They had three of my favorite artists on display.
Edward Hopper - CHURCH IN EASTHAM - http://tinyurl.com/z6r63r6 - A wonderfully bright landscape showing a portion of the church off to the side opposite the tree lined road.
Norman Rockwell - ROAD BLOCK (BULLDOG BLOCKING TRUCK; TRAFFIC CONDITIONS) - http://tinyurl.com/gpvog76 - This is one of Rockwell's busiest paintings for the Saturday Evening Post with 25 separate images in it showing a small dog blocking a street with an enormous moving van stopped and everyone in the neighborhood taking a look.
Andrew Wyeth 1917-2009 - THE PRUSSIAN - http://tinyurl.com/zp823kh - This is one of Wyeth's early depictions of his neighbor Helga.
From the upcoming Old Masters auction
Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, called Sandro Botticelli - AN ANGEL, HEAD AND SHOULDERS - http://tinyurl.com/zpg8x8z - I'm surprised that this painting of an angel, solely by the artist, not listed as studio or school etc, has a low range of $300-$500,000. It's very beautiful.
I could keep going but I will force myself to stop with one final image from the London Old Master's auction.
Jean-Etienne Liotard - A Dutch Girl at Breakfast - http://tinyurl.com/hlthbs2 - I've written many times about my visit to the Frick for the Liotard exhibit which was one of the best I've been to. It was filled with his drawings of Empress Maria Theresa and her children, one of whom was Marie Antoinette. This is a stunningly beautiful painting of a young girl sitting at her breakfast table wearing a voluminous dress that just allows a peek of her stocking and black buckle shoe. The little blue table with the tray on it and what appears to be a roll of ribbon unfurling off the table. I'm lucky to have seen this since I won't be able to get to London for the auction.
There was a lot to see and this was just a bit of it, I had an excellent time.
And so, on to the Flickrs.
Andy G.
Early Summer #1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45111478@N08/4584947711/
Winter Angel MISAKKY 002
https://www.flickr.com/photos/misakky/24009921976/
Young man holds a toy gun on another man wearing a woman's dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/simpleinsomnia/25822964932/
Danielle CD
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45187053@N07/25901998681/
Hi, nice you stopped to visit.....
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ailananata/26065679835/
Right after the make over
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138580735@N03/25705101576/
Hamburger Marys
https://www.flickr.com/photos/empresslouann/25832887152/
Cociane (3)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127246885@N03/25291602564/
2016.03-10
https://www.flickr.com/photos/samyoliver/26083398885/
CharmOlatex
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lauracdgirl/25939973672/
k-ELL_3819
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96743750@N03/16070126722/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
Our unusual weather manifested itself again this week, it was wet and dreary, with temperatures never getting out of the 50’s and usually starting in the 40’s. I’d have to get out my Roget to list all the adjectives to describe the week but gloomy seems to hover over most of them, certainly my mood was gloomy based on the lack of warmth. Let me amend that to say gloomier since I’ve always said I’m not Mr. Sunshine insofar as demeanor. Today was damp but at least it didn’t actually rain and finally there is some sun and warm weather in the forecast for next week. I’m certainly ready for it. I received my utility bill on Friday and it lists the average temperature for the prior three months and then compares that to the prior year. Feb was 15 degrees warmer this year and March was 11 degrees warmer. You would certainly have expected the trend to continue in April but this April was 1 degree cooler than last year and it certainly doesn’t look like May is going to be any different. Bring on hot and humid.
I stopped in my office this morning to do an annual mailing of annuals if that isn’t too redundant and left hoping that when this task rolls around next year I will no longer be responsible for it. Like most mailings it involves doing a merge of an excel spreadsheet into the program Word. I’ve been doing this for many years but every year I have to remind myself how to do it again since I only do it once a year. And Word doesn’t make it any easier by continually changing where things are kept and how things are done. Microsoft is a great believer in change for change’s sake which goes against my cardinal rule which is, if it aint broke, don’t fix it. But that’s a losing battle so I’ll just content myself knowing that soon I won’t have to deal with it any more.
From my office I walked uptown to the Met and took in the new Greek Exhibit, Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World. It’s another once in a lifetime chance to see these ancient artifacts without traveling to Germany from whence they came. The Pergamon museum in Berlin is closed for renovations and roughly a third of the objects in this exhibit came from the museum. Statues, busts, earthenware, jewelry, etc., all of which was excavated by German archaeologists at the end of the 19th Century. It’s only in recent years that I’ve come to appreciate the marble statues and busts and this is a wonderful collection. Walking through the exhibit you marvel at what has survived and also regret what has survived in damaged condition. And it brings to mind ISIS in their mindless destruction of our millennia old artifacts, very sad. The German archaeologist Carl Humann arrived in Anatolia in 1864 and discovered the partially unearthed Pergamon and was able to stop the destruction of the relics while he waited for official sanction from the Ottoman government as well as his own to start excavating the ruins. So we have him to thank for this exhibit. It had many wonderful things in it. Here are links to articles in the New Yorker, Wall Street Journal and New York Times that discuss the exhibit and offer illustrations. The boy pulling a thorn out of his foot that heads the NY Times piece is a particularly nice example of the quality on display.
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-show-about-the-hellenistic-one-per-cent
http://www.wsj.com/articles/mass-invasion-of-greek-art-comes-to-the-new-york-met-1460568224
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/arts/design/reaching-peak-greek-at-the-met-museum.html?_r=0
This is a link to the Met website with additional images http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/objects?exhibitionId=c81fa618-19f5-47a1-a089-fd1b22309109
And this is a link to the Met’s press release announcing the exhibit. http://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2016/pergamon
Very enjoyable.
And now let’s view some images of a different nature as we wander over to the Flickrs.
Andy G.
IMG_3382
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10792226%40N00/26524927920/
6 month transformation!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/136382964%40N05/26178490953/
house.arrest.01
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kellystar518/23188408133/
Oh yeah!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/91219737%40N08/8289058100/
MISAKKY Scarf Style 002
https://www.flickr.com/photos/misakky/5602790875/
Ruby & Rouge x
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rubytv/13804637274/
.. trip ..
https://www.flickr.com/photos/camillla_cd/26156020572/
horny-trap-littlesissy-femboy http://ift.tt/1nZWeiL
https://www.flickr.com/photos/worldtgirls/14937352135/
DSC06946
https://www.flickr.com/photos/117560929%40N03/26165201185/
Floral Print
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amandarichards/25631168814/
BWBG13
https://www.flickr.com/photos/noirjuliette/26075003442/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
Today was not a good day to renew my driver's license.
In New Jersey we have to renew our driver's license every four years and it involves a trip to the Motor Vehicle office as it's a photo ID. I had seen an article some time ago that led me to believe that senior citizens would be exempt so I was dismayed when the renewal arrived and specifically told me to go to the office. It even left out the return envelope. I finally found the article again and it turns out I had stopped reading too quickly. It said that people born before 1964 were eligible for skipping the trip to the office but only if you're one of the lucky ones to get a piece of paper allowing it. Another lottery I didn't win.
Trips to the Motor Vehicle offices in NJ are legendary for tales of anger and frustration. One of the nastier habits they have in some locations is allowing you to line up, spend four hours on line only to be turned away when the clock says the day is over, rather than taking care of those who have been waiting. Four years ago I went to the office in North Bergen, NJ and was surprised that it only took me about 40 minutes. I took a cab from my home, then when I was finished I took the bus into the City as I would on any Saturday. I planned on doing that again today. But when I contacted the cab companies in town I was given an estimate of $45 for the trip, a substantial increase from the last time and something I found rather steep. So I decided to take the bus. Actually two buses since NJ isn't the best state for public transportation within the state. I had to take the bus into the City and then travel back out to North Bergen on another bus. Of course the bus from my town into NY ran late and I missed the 7AM back out by a minute. That would have got me to the office around 7:30AM for an 8AM opening which would have helped significantly. Instead I caught the 7:15AM which got me there at 7:50 AM. As we drove past the office headed to the bus stop I heard the bus driver comment, boy, I wouldn't want to have to wait on that line! Oh boy!
I deliberately picked today to go as it is in the middle of the month when it should be the least crowded, beginning and end of month are the worst. So I was surprised to see a line with probably a hundred people when I got there. This may be due to a letter to the editor that appeared in the Bergen Record last week heralding this office for its good customer service. The author ruefully said it would probably prompt more people to use it. I got on line and waited. The office opened at 8AM and they moved people along but I didn't receive my license until 9:30 AM. They take your picture and then display it on a computer screen, the image must be 8"x8" or so. When it flashed on the screen for my approval I just gaped at it. I looked like a refugee from a horror film. I've seen mug shots of people looking better. It's similar to the time many years ago when I was walking down Fifth Avenue and saw that on the other side of the street they had a television showing you as you walk by. It was a demonstration of HD TV so I walked over to look at myself. It was frightening. Then I smiled and that made it worse. I can see why people on television wear makeup. At least the picture isn't as bad when it's shrunk down for the actual license. I didn't ask for copies to frame.
I thought the worst of my day was over but another reason this wasn't a great day to renew your license, at least in North Bergen, is that their Department of Public Works was doing public works and had the Avenue blocked off. Which prevented buses from coming and left me wondering if I was ever going to be able to get home. A bus finally showed up and a 30 minute trip took an hour and fifteen minutes. I was more tired from doing all the standing around than from one of my long walks. But I finally made it into NY and after checking on things in my office I walked up to Christie's for their American Art preview.
This made the day so much better. It wasn't an enormous auction but most everything in it was quality and many of my favorite artists were represented. There were 98 items in the auction and this is a link to all the images. http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/salebrowse.aspx?intSaleid=26087&viewType=grid&num=90 Below are some things I especially liked. Be sure to enlarge them as the initial images don't show off the highlights as well as the enlargement.
MAXFIELD PARRISH (1870-1966) OLD WHITE BIRCH - The image on the screen can't begin to show how beautiful this painting is, in person it shines and has a 3D quality to it which is saying something for me since I don't have binocular vision. The colors which are muted on the screen are bright and glow when you stand in front of it. The texturing is remarkable.
http://tinyurl.com/jhazgxj
NORMAN ROCKWELL (1894-1978) OLD MAN AND BOY: HALLOWEEN - This is from a 1952 calendar series; there were several other earlier pictures, one from 1917 and two more from the mid-thirties. This is a nice depiction of an old man carving a Jack-O-Lantern for a little boy while a small dog avidly watches. They're surrounded by three already finished pumpkins all lit up. http://tinyurl.com/zqlx9yz
JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER (1834-1903) - FONDAMENTE DEI MORI - This is a lovely pastel showing houses on a canal with boats in the water and a crowd of pedestrians. Whistler always used muted, dark colors and this is a rather hazy view. http://tinyurl.com/h3b3l24
JOHN SINGER SARGENT (1856-1925) - FRANÇOIS FLAMENG AND PAUL HELLEU - This is one of Sargent's early portraits, he was only about 24 years old and it could have easily been a part of the wonderful exhibit of portrait paintings at the Met last year. http://tinyurl.com/gm8u377
JOHN SINGER SARGENT - SAN GEREMIA - This is a very nice watercolor of a Venetian Canal with a palace in the background. He sold it to the Brooklyn Museum in 1909, probably as part of a large lot of watercolors that he split between Brooklyn and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I was surprised to see they let it go at auction in 1926. According to the provenance Joan Whitney Payson got it from her Father in 1927 and it's stayed in the family until now. http://tinyurl.com/hqgll3l
WINSLOW HOMER (1836-1910) - SHEPHERDESS RESTING - This is another watercolor, a very simple depiction of a young woman sitting in the shade of a tree on an open field. Again it's difficult to see in the image that he made little dabs of color to show fallen leaves as well as showing the blue sash of the hat falling off to the side. http://tinyurl.com/gtlgmj2
FREDERIC EDWIN CHURCH (1826-1900) - A NEW ENGLAND LAKE Church is one of the Hudson River painters as are Cropsey and Gifford below and they all paint magnificent landscapes. This is a majestic painting showing a cloud strewn sky over mountains behind a valley with a tree lined lake with cattle resting in the water. http://tinyurl.com/z3bso9w
JASPER FRANCIS CROPSEY (1823-1900) - OCTOBER ON THE HUDSON - I was lucky in that just as I got to the vacant space where this painting was supposed to be, one of the employees brought it back and hung it back on the wall. Lovely depiction of Fall foliage with cattle grazing and boats out on the lake. http://tinyurl.com/guccgat
SANFORD ROBINSON GIFFORD (1823-1880) - ON THE ANDROSCOGGIN - This is a wonderful landscape, cloud misted mountains overlooking a tranquil lake. A man in a boat with women on shore and a little house over in the far left of the painting. A very serene painting as so many of the Hudson River paintings are. http://tinyurl.com/hmposre
This was a great show, very much enjoyed my visit.
And here for your viewing pleasure as well, this week's Flickrs.
Andy G.
CK no longer makes my favourite dress, but they make this, which is very similar. Time to stock up!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51106326@N00/26855073961/
Cut out mini dress (Black)_9
https://www.flickr.com/photos/trans_kyoko/6418593785/
IMG_7464
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rafiats/25232353254
Red shoes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135626092@N07/25437038600/
Chantelle Taylor
https://www.flickr.com/photos/boyswillbegirls/24287338610/
snartjul
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93992491@N00/4123638344/
Fishnets and heels
https://www.flickr.com/photos/62740346@N08/8107138133/
Sissy Dress Saturday
https://www.flickr.com/photos/24078110@N08/8535291112/
.. trip ..
https://www.flickr.com/photos/camillla_cd/26156020572/
White Wedding Day
https://www.flickr.com/photos/57172609@N04/26107879830/
leggy blonde!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/136031688@N06/25765070404/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
We had a pretty nice week weather wise but today is cool and rain is threatening which is the forecast for tomorrow and Monday as well. Hope I’m not outside walking when it comes.
I walked up to the Met today to take in the second rotation of the Japanese gallery, the Mary Griggs Burke exhibit, and was surprised to discover that it was still being installed. It must be running late as I had notes on my calendar that it should have been hung by now. Half of the gallery was closed but there were some new items although my memory of the exhibitions I see isn’t the most reliable. I’m fairly certain though that these two magnificent screens weren’t up the last time. They are both covered with little scenes of people going about their business and there’s much to see. You have to click on the image to enlarge it but even then it’s hard to really envision how wonderful the screens are when looking at them on the computer. Here are links to both of them.
Fifty-four Scenes from The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) - http://tinyurl.com/jaayfcw
Scenes in and around the Capital - http://tinyurl.com/gsogwrk
Afterwards I walked over to the European galleries and took in a small show of four paintings, Joseph Mallord William Turner’s Whaling pictures. These were painted at the end of Turner’s long career, he was in his 70’s, and somewhat baffled the critics but overall were well received. They’re paintings that you need to step away from to appreciate. I find if I’m too close I start to see the paint rather than the painting and there is much obscuring of image here. It’s the first time they’ve been reunited since he painted them, three live at the Tate in London and the other one is from the Met’s collection.
This is a link to the four images on the Met website: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/objects?exhibitionId=09f6270c-c3c1-4e7e-9edb-4ab07c8b10f9 and this is a link to a Wall Street Journal article that discusses the paintings and the exhibit. http://www.wsj.com/articles/turners-whaling-pictures-review-a-leviathan-talent-1463520060 The exhibit had several smaller watercolors and the Journal article has an illustration of a very small watercolor done a number of years earlier. It’s a much clearer image than the four large paintings. The Frick just announced they will be having a Turner exhibit in the Fall which should be enjoyable, the Frick owns several that are very high quality.
And now, on to the Flickrs.
Andy G.
Siblings can be tricky!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60741642@N06/26129467133/
Roses grow on you.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stefanied/25891935860/
Grey hombré hair
https://www.flickr.com/photos/amandarichards/25633261863/
Casual Kitty
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31584076@N00/24342606521/
Anita 0421 - little berry dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/anita-dreamgirl/26382155255/
2016-04-09_11-29-18
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14479876@N04/26268108781/
20160408_211402
https://www.flickr.com/photos/noirjuliette/26247238131/
DSC_0061
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126049380@N07/20386976610/
Untitled
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pearlatgirl/24769368963/
DLV 2015 Thursday Night
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vivianchen05/17086221209/
Me and My Melody
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
Summer weather certainly arrived with a bang this week. Temperatures in the high 80’s, into the 90’s with plenty of sunshine, I’m definitely enjoying it. Broke out the shorts and the short sleeve shirt for the first time this week and finally got to open the windows in my house. Let’s hope it doesn’t snow.
I went into the City this morning and took a walk up to the Neue Galerie on Fifth Avenue and 86th Street to see their current exhibit, Munch and Expressionism, the art of Edvard Munch. I’ve written about the Neue, it’s funded by Ronald Lauder and is home to early 20th century Austrian and German art. It’s major acquisition was the Gustave Klimt Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, which Ron Lauder acquired for $135 million from her heirs after they reacquired it from the Austrian authorities It’s a beautiful painting and sits in the main gallery on the second floor along with a number of other Klimt paintings, all very lovely. Munch is definitely an acquired taste and he’s not someone I feel overly comfortable with. Nor with his German expressionist peers. I find his work rather cold which isn’t surprising since his art speaks of isolation and pain. Hopper’s art speaks of isolation but there’s a warmth there I don’t feel in Munch. He repeated themes in his works, The Scream, which is his most widely known painting, has a number of different versions; there’s a pastel that’s the star of this exhibit as well as several wood block prints. The version in the exhibit was sold at auction several years ago for $120 million and loaned to the museum for this exhibit. It was an interesting exhibit, some of his portraits are more open and appealing but like the Turner paintings I spoke of last week, you need to step away to see the person in the painting and not just the paint. I was glad the security at the museum has been toned down a bit. You just walk through the metal detector without having to empty your pockets and undress. In past visits it was so intense that a friend commented after going through it that he feared a cavity search would be next. This is a link to a description of the exhibit from the website, along with some images. http://www.neuegalerie.org/content/munch-and-expressionism-0 This is a link to the press page on the museum website with current articles from the major newspapers and venues that discuss the exhibition. http://www.neuegalerie.org/news
I had an interesting transit adventure upon leaving the gallery. I crossed 86th Street and waited for the crosstown bus to go through Central Park and take the subway down to the Port Authority. The bus arrived and when I stepped on there was no machine to accept my Metro Card. A sign said to pay outside. I was very nonplussed. I stepped off the bus and there was a machine by the curb which completely baffled me. It had as many buttons on it as slot machine and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do. Perhaps if I wasn’t under duress I might have eventually figured it out but I was certain that while I dithered in front of it the bus was going to pull out leaving me there. So I got back on the bus and asked the driver how it worked. He told me to move to the back so I thought there was another way of paying on the bus but as I stood there looking lost, a woman took pity on me and explained that the driver had just let me on without paying. She explained how the machine worked, it has a button that you press after which you then inset your card and it registers the transaction. Then you can board the bus through any door, front or back. I don’t remember this system being in place the last time I was at the Neue which my notes tell me was in December 2014. And it’s not in place on 72nd or 79th Streets which I cross on a regular basis so I’m not sure how widespread it is. But I’ve been riding the subways and buses since I was 10 years old and if it was difficult for me I can imagine what it must be like for a tourist. Not sure what’s gained by this new technology either. I think It’s another case of change for changes sake which I don’t like.
And I’m still waiting to receive my senior discount Metro Card. I visited the MTA website and discovered that you can actually call them although it’s not very evident. You can dial 511 between the hours of 6AM and 10PM and check the status of your application. I’ve heard of 911 and 311 but 511 was a new one to me. And I had to wait until I was at my office as it’s not a number that you can dial out of state, I don’t believe. Early Monday morning I dialed and after a remarkably long voice mail interrogation I finally got to speak to an actual person, who it appeared was actually in the office and not in some Far Eastern land. They verified that the application I had submitted a month earlier had been received and they were still polishing it up before they could release it to me, a process that would probably take another two weeks. I thanked them as I was grateful it hadn’t been lost in the mail. I had to have a picture taken and have the form notarized so I wasn’t anxious to have to go through the process a second time. You can avoid that by going to the office but it’s downtown and has no user friendly hours.
OK, I’ve finished my rant so I guess we can wander over to the Flickrs now.
Andy G.
Noble Princess MISAKKY 001
https://www.flickr.com/photos/misakky/25332219130/
08
https://www.flickr.com/photos/137432660@N02/26351724192/
still in urgent need of a shopping friend! my photography is useless!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/136031688@N06/26297435252/
SAM_0423
https://www.flickr.com/photos/74474495@N06/26434930876/
16 316w
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mariaclare/26236725000/
Meow
https://www.flickr.com/photos/davina_wayne/26228527270/
033
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sissy_alice/6667228097/
Jen - ready to dance
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96282103@N00/26338073462/
A start towards a theme picture
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132986144@N05/24235522103/
DSC03807
https://www.flickr.com/photos/117560929@N03/15860451733/
formal gown.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132986144@N05/25113086119/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
I was saddened when I woke up this morning and turned on the news to see that Muhammad Ali had passed away. He’s someone I always admired and liked. When I was a child I listened to, and taped off the radio on my reel to reel tape recorder, his first fight with Sonny Liston. Howard Cosell did the color and I believe Don Dunphy did the blow by blow. It was very exciting when Liston didn’t come out for the 7th round, a major upset as no one gave Cassius Clay as he was known then a chance at winning. I still have the tape. I thought his stance on the war was principled especially in that it cost him millions of dollars and three and a half years of his prime. He easily could have gone into the army and fought a few exhibitions and continued with his career when he got out. When the ruling barring him from fighting was overturned I listened to his first fight, against Jerry Quarry, out on the terrace of the apartment I was living in with my folks. It was October and cold and I had a transistor radio which had a short wave band and I was able to get a weak signal that allowed me to hear him win in the third round. He really was larger than life. When I was in my early twenties I worked as a messenger with a friend of mine for a week making deliveries in New York City. One afternoon we were driving down Fifth Avenue when I looked over and saw Ali walking down the street among a crowd of followers, he was literally head and shoulders above the crowd. We beeped and waved and he turned and waved back. The reports say that his Parkinson’s disease is a result of the beatings he took in the ring and I often wonder if this would have been his fate if his career hadn’t been interrupted; perhaps he wouldn’t have fought until he was 40 and not absorbed so much damage. I’m a newspaper collector and when I went out this morning to buy the papers I expected to save them but there was nothing in the papers at the 7-11 which surprised me but I guessed he had passed away too late to make the early editions. I was pleased that I was able to get the later editions when I traveled into the City. An era has definitely passed.
While I was in the City I walked up to the Onassis Center at 645 Fifth Avenue and saw the current exhibition, Gods And Mortals At Olympus: Ancient Dion, City Of Zeus. It was a nice addenda to the Pergamon exhibit at the Met I recently wrote about, filled with sculptures and other artifacts. The City of Dion suffered an earthquake in the fifth century AD and these artifacts were damaged and buried, first rediscovered in 1806 but serious excavations began in 1960. In the exhibit there are four statues of philosophers, three with heads and one with the head missing and the card said that the bodies were discovered first and later on in a different area they found the heads. It’s a great historical find. This is a press release from the Center discussing the exhibit along with some images. http://onassisusa.org/press/Dion-long-lead-news.pdf and this is brief piece from the NY Times with an image of one of the rooms. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/arts/design/gods-and-mortals-at-olympus-right-there-on-fifth-avenue.html?_r=0
And now, the Flickrs.
Andy G.
day1442-02 yellow mini wedding dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yumiko_misaki/4157842624/
sexy santa #6 ;D
https://www.flickr.com/photos/45111478%40N08/6675768769/
Léo Aquila
https://www.flickr.com/photos/61376251%40N07/25956666184/
Rock Chick
https://www.flickr.com/photos/95163690%40N07/26619453795/
0003
https://www.flickr.com/photos/137432660%40N02/26477936292/
Back to school. 2016
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachel_valentine/26099394092/
DSCF0411
https://www.flickr.com/photos/frannytv/26239788890/
Hump status: Waiting
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginalovergirl1/25975100913/
IMAG0157_1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135809499%40N02/26109732121/
I'm taking a stand!!!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobbieteevee/26202859791/
1353507806802
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69375578%40N02/8206359384/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
This will be a quick one. I’m hoping the scattered thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon aren’t too bad as I’m taking my friend to the Bronx Botanical Gardens. The rain may be good for the flowers but it won’t be helpful on our walk. The Gardens are a 20 minute walk from where I grew up; we’ll take the subway up to Bedford Park Blvd and I’ll show my friend the building I grew up in just a block away. Always interesting to go back to the old neighborhood. We moved to New Jersey in 1966 and I’ve been back a few times since just to walk around.
Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Andy G.
Catch me if you can
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saki_75153/23171405489/
Again wear the tights
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48779471%40N04/16260892781/
Princess dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/105651494%40N07/26154652873/
TranniesinTrouble Shoot 2
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vivianchen05/16468516961/
black mini dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/katvarina/26007174165/
IMG_1756
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kerrymay/26148713933/
Can Can
https://www.flickr.com/photos/donnajune77/26750513055/
Selfie!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/natalia_femina/26533178252/
Cute gingham dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53516713%40N06/26672472876/
IMAG0112_1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135809499%40N02/26055957291/
Leggy new dress
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolerosecd/26168559304/
-
Hello everybody and welcome back to My Weekly Flickr.
I’m not terribly happy with technology currently. I sent a video link to two of my friends and it went out with no problem. One friend’s reply went to my spam filter on the web, never arriving in my inbox on my desktop. I thought that odd but didn’t really dwell on it. Then I tried to send it to another friend and Verizon immediately rejected it as spam. I tried disabling the link, sending it as text, changing the subject line, sending it with no subject line, nothing I did allowed me to send the link. I finally sent it from my office email. Verizon ostensibly has a mechanism to resolve this situation on their website; if you think they’ve flagged your email incorrectly you can send it to them at a special email address and they will review it. They won’t contact you or acknowledge your email but if they decide it’s not spam, after an hour or so you can try and send it again. I did that and they still considered it spam. Then I wrote another friend one of my normal three page weekly emails and in the middle of it I included a paragraph about Verizon, also including the link. They flagged that email as spam as well. I submitted that to the website and they still judged it spam. To say I’m furious doesn’t do justice to the word furious. First of all, how many spammers send their emails one at a time? And their spam filter is supposed to catch incoming not outgoing. I Googled it and people on the web said that they were trying to send files to clients and Verizon flagged them as spam. Nanny Verizon is no better than Nanny Microsoft. And this is why if anyone asks, I hate technology. If anyone is interested this is the video. It’s a four minute animated video which was reported to have gotten the two creators jobs at Pixar. It’s only four minutes long and I found it heartwarming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96kI8Mp1uOU
Then one day during the week I had problems with my office email. I work remotely from home now four days a week. Every morning I go into my office computer remotely and the first thing I do is reboot to start fresh. On Tuesday I did this, then opened my Outlook and everything was fine. Except I wasn’t able to access the Company calendar. So I shut the email, went to the task manager and made sure it had completely shut down, then reopened it. Wouldn’t open. Just hung up on loading profile. So I shut it again and went to open it in safe mode. Same thing, wouldn’t open. So I called our outside office IT person. By the time they called me back I had determined that two other employees had the same problem but the third employee didn’t. Very odd. When the senior IT person looked into it the answer was that it was a server problem between GoDaddy, my email provider, and Microsoft, the Darth Vader of the Internet. And there was no ETA as to when it would be fixed. When I asked why one of us wasn’t affected the answer was that as long as the email was open it was fine. It was only if you closed it that you couldn’t reopen it. It finally was corrected late in the day. A day I spent sending numerous client emails through Microsoft 365 webmail which is a very cumbersome, awkward, annoying email engine. I’ve said I’m a Luddite and these are just more reasons for that.
Not a big fan of bureaucracy either. Having turned 65 I am eligible for the Reduced Fare Metro Card which is a good deal as it’s half price on the subway. I don’t use it that often, no more than once a week if that, but if you’re going to be an old fart you might as well take advantage of age related bonuses, there aren’t that many of them. I sent away for it on April 23rd. I had to have the form notarized and enclose a picture. This could have been avoided by visiting their office but it’s way downtown in Manhattan and has bankers hours so I would have had to wait for my vacation to go. When I didn’t receive it after a month I was concerned my application had been lost in the mail which would have been a pain, what with the notary and photo. So I called them and they said they had received my application and were trimming off the sharp edges and polishing it up and in another several weeks it would be ready to be released into the world. I waited another two weeks and called again and was told it had been printed on May 25th. I pointed out that two weeks had passed since May 25th. I asked when it was mailed and they said they didn’t know. What? The mailing is done in bulk and it can take three weeks. But I got home that day and it was in my mailbox.
When I was in the City last week with my friend we went into the subway and I walked over to what I still think of as the token booth even though they haven’t sold tokens in probably 20 years. I used them right up until they stopped accepting them. I wasn’t thrilled with the Metro Card, I would always see people passing the card through the slot repeatedly and cursing and I thought, that could be me. I presented my regular card and my senior card and asked to have the money transferred from one to the other. The woman immediately said NO. I was taken aback and said, what do you mean? She gave me the classic answer. I asked why and she gave me the classic answer to that as well. I confess to being perplexed, it just seemed so odd not to do it. When the regular card expires you bring it to the booth and they transfer the remaining funds to a new one.
So I called the MTA and told them the story. The agent reiterated their position. I asked the reason for the policy and was told they used to do it when the senior cards were first introduced but they don’t do it anymore. End of story. It’s like when you were a kid and you asked your parents a question and when you heard their answer you asked why. And they said because. Hard to argue with reasoning like that.
Anyway, this morning I walked up to the Metropolitan museum and took in the second rotation of the Japanese art exhibit, The Mary Griggs Burke collection. I wrote a few weeks ago about trying to see it and I had arrived a week early but this time it was completely open and it was very nice indeed. Many beautiful scrolls and screens, a number of very colorful ones as opposed to the austere black ones which are also beautiful but in a different way. The Met has changed their website making viewing all the objects in the exhibit a more tedious process than it has to be. Instead of giving you option of so many on a screen, now you have to click on more at the bottom of the page to bring up a few more images. The really bad part is that if you’ve done that a few times and then click on one of the images, when you click back it starts at the beginning and you have start to clicking more again. More technology to get irritated about. Although it occurs to me you can right click and open it in another tab. Anyway, again, here are a few things I especially liked. Be sure to click on them to enlarge them.
Scenes of the Four Seasons in Kyoto - http://tinyurl.com/hazp6wn This is a wonderful, colorful scroll that basically shows a day at the beach in 18th Century Japan.
Puppies in Snow - http://burkecollection.org/catalogue/396-puppies-in-snow - This is a screen in simple black and white depicting just what the title says, puppies frolicking in the snow. Very spare but very beautiful.
Geese and Reeds - http://tinyurl.com/zygadfq Another very simple scroll in black and white showing three Geese, two looking upward and one hunkering down.
This is a link to all the objects in the exhibit. http://tinyurl.com/gvp8act
That’s it for today, on to the Flickrs.
Andy G.
DSC02122 I think I’m in love with Mimo-Momo now, she’s very pretty.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mimo-momo/5519542905/
Red Sample 3
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vivianchen05/16540341266/
IMG_6545
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100379735%40N06/26646282862/
phase eight
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52912530%40N04/26170964783/
A brief rehearsal, some shots for hose lovers and a beautiful lace dress I bought the other day X
https://www.flickr.com/photos/annajblair/26929563325/
Strumpfhose Minirock High Heels
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127504935%40N04/26773570681/
bwEyes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deedeeburke/26719444055/
2016-04-15_21.48.40
https://www.flickr.com/photos/136382964%40N05/26454556505/
Untitled
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brinleyanne1/26545631450/
DSC04449
https://www.flickr.com/photos/43853702%40N06/26498619862/
Selfie!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/natalia_femina/26533178252/
-
Sounds like it's not a problem with technology but the people who manage & implement it causing problems. Then some people & companies hide behind a wall of tech so they don't have to deliver advertised services & deals they offered to attract you to them. They deliberately make it complicated or difficult, or have complex policies so it's almost impossible to take advantage of the "great offers" they used to reel you in. Dot a single "i" wrong, & they say you didn't do it right or don't qualify.
I'm on Verizon DSL. I get a free verizon email account with it too, but I never used it (in decades), & don't know anybody using verizon mail. But they're not the only ones blocking innocent mail, or putting it in their spam folders, while allowing obvious spam right through.
You should see all the angry letters I get when somebody registers to be a member at Betty's but they never got a confirmation or activation mail from us. My servers show it was sent, it shows their mail server received it, but I have no idea what their mail server or they did with it after that. If their mail server sucks, or they don't know how to use their spam settings/filters, it's not my fault.
Probably close to 9 out of 10 times when I tell them to just check their spam folder, they find it.
I never spammed in my life. It's the same membership confirmation form letter that common boards like PHPBB, ProBoards, Vbulletin, & SMF have been using for over a decade. Our domains are listed as very safe, trustworthy, & secure by google, yahoo, amazon, AVAST, AVG, Alexa, Archive.org, microsoft, & most big universities. So I can't understand why any mail server would tag our membership confirmation mail as spam, unless they're run by morons or their software is broke.
I'm surprised how many people don't even know that most e-mail services have a spam folder you can check to see if a mail you were expecting might have been mistaken as spam & placed there. Then you just check it off as "not spam" so it doesn't make the same mistake again.
But still, about once a week I too find an email I was expecting & need in my spam folder.
Verizon don't like people sending large files or stuff with lots of text in it in their mail system. So calling it spam & blocking it is just an excuse to discourage you from sending large emails.
Maybe you can try a free email service like Yahoo mail, hotmail, or gmail, & see if they'll handle that kind of mail. I don't send big files in mail though. I just upload it to my servers or google drive & send them the link to it for them to view or download.
Google drive offers 15gb free cloud storage. Anything you store on it, you can right-click on to get a shareable link to send to anybody you want to share that specific file with (see our movie night). They can view or download it from the shareable link. But you need a free google account, to get google cloud storage, but that's pretty easy to get. You can get 100gb of storage there for only $1.99/mo. if 15gb for free isn't enough. No commitments, cancel anytime.
After getting google drive, it automatically implements a backup system for your files on your computer, android, or phone if you wish. I'll handle my own backups my own way, & don't want google roaming freely in my computer & devices anyway. So after I got & installed google drive. I promptly uninstalled everything google, & google drive from my computer. While logged in at my google drive page on the internet, I can upload any file from my computer to it or download anything from it as easy as you can upload or download pix at Betty's. Upload times are a lot slower than download times though, so uploading huge files like a whole TV show or movie, even highly compressed, will take a while.
Uploads to google drive or youtube for me are averaging around 90-97kbs, that's about a hour to upload 350mb. My DSL upload speed everywhere else is usually around 750kbs, & with dips down to 550kbs.
I can get to my google drive just like visiting a website with my computer, android, or phone. You just click on the thingy in the upper right corner of any google page & the dropdown menu will show "drive". When you get there, bookmark it. You may also set your browser or device to remember your login, so you don't have to type it every time.
When you send a shareable link, they don't need to login or have a google account to access the files that it links to. They just click on it like a web page, like we do for movie night. They only can access the file or folder the shareable link connects to, not your whole google drive, so everything you don't want to share is still private. If you're sending a lot of files, or working remotely or from a home office, a google drive may be just what you need. You can email or text the link to anybody you want. But if you post the link at a site where hundreds may click on it a day, they may cancel your account. It's supposed to be to share files with all your devices or a dozen or so people at a time, it's not a web server.
Like, you can post a link to something on your google drive in our members only area without exceeding it's usage & bandwidth limits, but if you posted it in our main public section, it would get too many clicks, & stop working.
Yep, you can post links to media on your google drive in our private area. But if you already have a google account, you also qualify for a youtube account. You can post your videos or slide shows on youtube for everybody. If it's copyrighted material, they may let it run as long as whoever claims rights to it gets the ad revenue from the ads on that youtube page. Unfortunately that's a scam. Most of the people who claim rights to the material on youtube are not the legal right owners of the material. It's just a scam - - they just claim they own the material or something in it, & get all the ad money.
I post a lot of public domain stuff on my youtube channels, but there's always dozens of people claiming rights to them who don't own any of it. Every day there's a rights dispute going on over a few videos at my channels. I'll pull the video before I'll let them have 1 penny of ad money on material that they really don't own.
-
Hey Betty, I have Hotmail & Yahoo mail and at least once or twice a week I get emails from businesses that regularly send me info and it is dumped in the spam box. I click not spam but it still happens sometimes. I do also get spam a few times a month from ladies who would love to make my day.
-
Love the Japanese art Andy g and I would love to visit Kyoto someday but I am not holding my breath on that one. Thanks again for the pics and your comments on the galleries and art. I look forward to it every week, it helps to brighten my day.