Freezing rain

Posted on January 18, 2011 by ruthek

I left the house in time for a slow walk to the bus, got to my neighbor's driveway and turned around and came back home. Freezing rain is much more frequent here than in Chicago where it was always too cold in winter for rain. I bought new boots at L. L. Bean, which were supposed to be good on ice; they weren't any different than my usual shoes. Can't blame L. L.; it was the sales person who made up the story.

I'll miss the Chinese landscape painting class but hope to arrive in time for a lunch date and the Japanese scroll painting class. Last week the professor said something that contradicted what I had written in my paper: that is, scroll paintings usually didn't have backgrounds. I plan to spend time in the library looking for my reference. Unfortunately, I did not footnote it.

I've started planning my Japan trip, at least to the extent of making a two-week reservation at the Palace Side Hotel in Kyoto. To my amazement I found out one of my Israeli friends will be in Kyoto at the same time. I'm really delighted. Without the blog and the internet we would have been ships passing in the night.

Waiting for snow

Posted on January 11, 2011 by ruthek

Since last February's snow, which hung around in some places until May, we're all a little nervous here in Pittsburgh when snow is mentioned. The weatherman assured us we would have snow today, beginning at noon, but not more than 2-4 inches. I took the bus to my first class at 9:30, prepared to bail before the 2:30 class if the snow looked too bad. Well, it just started now, at 1, and the 2:30 was cancelled before the morning class finished. I'm happy to be home, snug, if not exactly warm. I have a space heater going right near me so it's not too bad, although thoughts of bed fill my brain.

Yesterday, after finally getting out of bed, I went over to the fitness place and did my hour plus exercises, then ran a couple of errands and came home to find my street blocked by police cars, marked and otherwise, and handcuffed men being led to some of the cars. No way was I getting to my garage. I walked over to one of the men, told him I lived here and asked what was going on. Drug buy, now drug bust. I just walked past and went home. A little later I saw a woman walk down my driveway to the back yard, which is all fenced in with no exit. When I looked out the back she was standing and talking to four men, I assume police, but not in uniform.

Later, I heard from a neighbor that the perps (I do watch some TV, usually police procedurals) had run into the yard with the cops and a dog, chasing them. Maybe the other men were looking for the drugs, although the snow wasn't messed up enough to account for much activity. (How do you like my detective work?)

Anyhow, I'm not happy, especially since I am in the house alone most of the time. Robin pointed out that I chose to live in this neighborhood, but somehow I never thought of something like this. I just hope Earl gets a new tenant in here quickly.

It's 1:20–the snow is coming down quickly now.

One dream, big plans

Posted on January 7, 2011 by ruthek

The sun rose at 7:44 this morning. The radio began talking to me at 6:59. I hate getting up in the dark, so I didn't. The radio told me it was 22 degrees out and wasn't likely to get warmer. I burrowed deeper into the covers and went back to sleep. The radio stopped talking to me at 7:59. I had a vivid dream about Marcia, a long-time friend who finally pushed the boundaries of friendship too far, and whom I haven't seen for seven or eight years. In that time, I moved to Pittsburgh and her studio in Chicago was emptied and sold. I don't know what happened to her; sometimes it makes me very sad. It's hard to lose a friend, even when the friendship had become onerous.

On a happier note: I am planning my next trip to Japan. I will leave Pittsburgh on March 22 and return on May 7. Six weeks ought to be long enough to satisfy my Japanese garden obsession, I hope.

Nothing on the calendar

Posted on December 22, 2010 by ruthek

No blood test; no exercise (that was yesterday); no Christmas parties (not my holiday): nothing left but to finish that paper. I don't think I've ever worked so hard to get my ideas focused and into words. Most of it is finished; just the conclusion, pictures and captions, and a thorough rereading and editing. I should be able to get it posted before the end of the year. I guess my master's thesis was more work, but it didn't mean as much to me; I'm not sure my ideas were well focused; it was eight years ago.

This is the time of year to look back. I started writing this blog five years ago–I'm rereading those early entries. Amazing how little has changed; exercise is still my number one obsession, but I've become more religious about it. Japanese art has been important through all five years–my first class was January 2006. I wrote a paper for that class, also.

Went back to Phipps yesterday, about 4 pm, so there was still some daylight along with the garden lights. Haven't looked at the pictures yet. It's after 10 am. Unusual for me, I'm still not dressed. I'll start rereading the paper, get dressed, write the conclusion, or go for a walk to think and then write the conclusion. That's today's agenda.

Phipps Conservatory

Posted on December 20, 2010 by ruthek

Phipps is one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh, second only to the tunnel under the convention center. They are open until 10 at night every night this month (Christmas excepted, I think). Last night Robin, Steve, Charna and I went to see what it looked like. We were charmed. I took a few pictures, but I want to return, alone for better picture taking, at dusk. I'd like a little outside light with all the other lights.

Some of the areas were a little spooky. There weren't many other people and it was very quiet. Here is a staghorn fern. (I think it would benefit from a little adjusting in Photoshop. Maybe tomorrow.)

This huge tree is amazingly beautiful. My photo doesn't do it justice.

Most of the rooms had holiday displays; this one is entirely devoted to the holiday.

With just a little Pittsburgh kitsch. That's a melting snowman in front of the plastic flamingos.

You can take an online tour of Phipps here, and read about their trip to India to prepare for the next tropical forest exhibit.

Term paper, Folded books and a gigapixel conference

Posted on November 14, 2010 by ruthek

Yes, Mage, it was a very busy week. While I was in New York last summer, I heard about an exhibition of artist books to be held at MOMA's PS1 on November 5 and 6. I planned to go, but finally decided I didn't have the time. Instead, I signed up for two book-making workshops here. One of them took place on the past two Wednesday evenings and was about folding and embellishing books. Here is my folded book, not yet embellished. I work slowly.

This book was particularly satisfying to fold. It was a text from a class I took while I was working on that master's degree on corporate communication. I wanted to sell the book back to the school bookstore, but they would only give me $1 so I kept it.

I began the week working on my term paper. We were each supposed to give a ten minute talk about our projects. I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning trying to figure out exactly what I would say. I wasn't even sure I would be called on, but I wanted to be prepared. Being an auditor is an uncertain life. We only got through about half of the class last week and I will be called on Tuesday. I'll append my notes at the bottom of this post.

I alternated work on the term paper with work on the poster for the gigapan conference. David kept finding typos and adjustments; I kept making the changes. The conference took place Thursday evening, Friday and Saturday. I am amazed at all the uses for gigapixel imagery–showing detail in microscopic images and detail in huge panoramas. You can see the papers here and some of the gigapans from the conference here. I think they will also post the talks. Tomorrow I am supposed to begin work on the new gigapan we shot last month (along with the term paper and Thanksgiving preparations). Here are David and Simram, another member of our team, in front of our poster.

I continued going to my Osher classes, along with all of this, and on Thursday, managed to get in another quick walk in Frick Park.

The weather has been cooler, but still sunny and most of the trees still have their leaves.

Needless to say, my house looks like it's been trashed. So I'm off to the club to exercise, then back here to clean.

Notes for term paper presentation

In fall, 2008, I was in Japan looking at gardens for more than a month. Most of the gardens were in Kyoto, but I traveled to Tokyo, Nikko, Kanazawa, Nagoya, and Okayama. Most Japanese gardens use the same elements, yet each one is unique; each one has its own design and arrangement of space; most have great appeal for me, a few left me wondering why I had bothered to come to them. Allowing for some days of fatigue and the fact that winter was nearing, I still did not understand why some of those gardens had little appeal for me. This paper is an attempt to examine the elements of a Japanese garden to determine what made the difference.

I will look at two types of gardens: those viewed from within a room or a veranda, and scroll gardens, which promote interactive viewing, each few steps presenting a different view, much like walking through a museum and stopping to examine and appreciate each picture.

The elements of a Japanese garden are greenery, water, rocks, stone lanterns and bridges. Design of a garden is governed by use of space, illusion/shakkei or captured scenery, management of vegetation and growth, and an invocation of famous places, usually in spirit or in some abstract fashion.

I will consider how each of the elements is used in a garden and some of the history of that use, beginning with rocks, which are considered the most important element by the Sakutei, the eleventh century gardening manual. Further, I will show how the use of space and illusion intensify the experience of the connection with nature for the occupants of the house.

Painters, particularly emaki painters, designed many early gardens, creating a “conceived” work of art that combines a gardener’s sense of composition with the idea of scenery “borrowed” from nature. To view the garden from within a house is very much like viewing a scroll painting. To walk through a stroll garden each new view could be another part of the scroll. I did my best to frame each of these views within the viewfinder of my camera.

In addition to a general consideration of the Japanese garden, I propose to examine Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Koraku-en in Okayama, Sankien in Yokohama and Shirotori in Nagoya and two gardens meant to be viewed from within a building, Chishakuin and Nanzen-in, in Kyoto, using maps and my own photographs for reference.

In conclusion, I propose to illustrate how the use of space in each garden made a difference to my feelings about it.

Last week in Pittsburgh

Posted on October 31, 2010 by ruthek

I am happy to report I have been to the health club three times every week since I finished cardio rehab. It's not as much fun; no one pays any attention to me; no heart monitor; no blood pressure readings; but then again, no one reminding me about my afib. Most of the time I know when I'm in afib, but I'd rather not be reminded.

I've been working on the paper, which won't be turned in until November 23, at the earliest, so I haven't been thinking about much of anything else.

Here are some Pittsburgh pictures I've taken in the last week or so.

Target is building a new store near me. I've been watching the construction and I'm fascinated. They brought in these huge slabs of concrete, used cranes to erect them, then keep them in place with those diagonal strips until the roof is put in place. It's a little like building a house of cards: put two cards upright and parallel, then a third card on top to hold them together. I hope the building holds up better then those houses of cards. I'll be happy to have the Target nearby.

Tuesday afternoon the huge storm that produced so many tornadoes in the midwest came through Pittsburgh just as I was leaving the Japanese art history seminar. I made it to the bus stop (fortunately sheltered) and first watched the wind increase and leaves fly around like they were rain. Then the rain came, absolutely pouring. After about ten minutes it stopped. About ten fifteen or twenty minutes later the bus finally arrived. I wanted a picture of the leaves; they were amazing. But by the time I got the camera out of my purse the rain had come.

Saturday was another one of those great days that probably won't happen again until spring: a little cool, but very pleasant. I took a walk in Frick Park. Here are a few pictures.

Working on my term paper

Posted on October 22, 2010 by ruthek

I struggled for two weeks to restate the goal of my project, following the professor's comments. I sort of knew what I wanted, but I didn't know where I was going with it. Finally turned in this statement:

Japanese Gardens are the subject of poetry; poems are created and read in gardens. They appear as backgrounds in scroll paintings, and emaki painters designed many of the earliest gardens. Japanese gardens grew out of reverence for nature, but trees and plantings are shaped to conform to a Japanese ideal of nature, making gardens a true art form. In some, the viewer can appreciate the scene from a special place, a frame, in others the viewer can be more interactive, he or she can enter and stroll along, each few steps presenting a different view, much like walking through a museum and stopping to examine and appreciate each picture.

Rocks, water, stone lanterns and decorative bridges, sometimes a tea house, and plants are the elements of a Japanese garden. In addition, the two concepts: illusion/shakkei or captured scenery, and replication of famous places, are often used to organize the garden space. I will explore the use of those elements and ideas to create aesthetically pleasing spaces. Then, using maps and photographs I propose to examine Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Koraku-en in Okayama, and Shirotori in Nagoya and two gardens meant to be viewed from within a building, Chishakuin and Nanzen-in, to determine what constitutes an aesthetically pleasing space for me.

Now I have to begin writing the paper. I have several free hours after my Osher music class this morning, then lunch, then just missed the bus so walked a mile or so instead of just waiting for the next one. Of course, a cup of tea was necessary as soon as I got home. Listened to phone messages. The Republicans have the wrong number for someone. Opened Word. Did you know National Geographic has jigsaw puzzles you can play with on line? Last night was a reception for a Gigapan exhibit David arranged in the US Steel lobby. If you zoom in on the right side you can see Ivetta's head, my back and Qing, one of my ESL students. Because the camera keeps moving, if the person moves, only part of her will show up.

Only an hour before I have to leave. Guess I better start writing.

Some days are good

Posted on October 17, 2010 by ruthek

Some are not. That seems to happen more and more as I get older. I heard Yo Yo Ma on Studio 360 this morning talking about his cello. He said humidity is different every day; cellos and human bodies are different every day. I really understand that.

Today is supposed to be the last great day we will have for awhile. It's truly beautiful out: sunshine, blue skies, not too warm. I've been walking for three and a half hours. First stop–health club. Since I faded out Wednesday, I've been more careful. Went again on Saturday but stopped after treadmill and rowing. I was feeling OK; just didn't feel like pushing it. Finished the workout this morning then kept walking. Took a book back to the library, went to Whole Foods for lunch, browsed in Borders, stopped for chocolate ice cream on Highland Avenue, then went to the Orchid Show in Mellon Park, finally back home. Altogether, I walked about four miles. I'm tired, my feet hurt but otherwise I'm fine. It's a great day.

Alice and Mage: I have discussed with the doctor the problem of determining how sick I am. Unfortunately, outside of collapsing or passing out, there are no black and white symptoms. So, it remains a matter of my judgment.

Start! Heart Walk

Posted on October 11, 2010 by ruthek

Sorry I've been so slow about this, Mage, but I was very tired afterward and also had some other work I had promised to do on Friday, then promptly forgot.

So, here it is: The event was held at Heinz Field, home of the Steelers. This is the first time I've ever been there.

Mostly it was held in the parking lot and the area near one of the entrances. They let us go in to what is known as the Great Hall, but the stands and the field were securely locked up.

Vendors with heart related products had booths, along with a few hospital groups. There are only a few hospitals around here. Most of them are UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center).

I had the feeling most of the people attending had some kind of relationship with the vendors or the hospitals. I don't think the American Heart Association did a very good job of publicizing the event. They were able to use the stadium because this was the Steeler's bye week. Every news broadcast talked about the Steelers not playing this weekend; it seems to me they could have mentioned the Heart Walk in connection with it.

The event began at 10 am with lots of milling around and opportunities to visit vendors. Nothing really happened until 11.

That's the Steeler's mascot, Steely McBeam, scaring a small child.

Then there was a half hour of speeches and some warm up stuff geared to thin, healthy people of which there weren't too many around. Finally, the walk began, about 11:30.

I never found my cardio-rehab people, Robin was otherwise occupied, and I never saw a single person I knew. So I walked alone among hundreds of people.

It was a nice walk; half of it was on a pleasant trail next to the Allegheny River. But the day was unseasonably hot. It would have been much better if they had walked at 10 and had the speeches afterward. I completed the entire 3 miles, but the heat knocked me out.

This is a survivors hat that was given to me for surviving heart disease. I should have gotten another one for surviving the walk. My idea of a survivor is someone who had gone through the event and lives to tell about it. I think I've only survived the skirmishes; the battle won't be over until the afib wins.

Thank you again, Mage and Robin, for helping me raise money for the event. If anyone else wants to contribute, it will count towards my goal for the next 30 days. I dedicated my walk to Arvin's memory; it would be nice if I could reach my goal in his memory.

100 Books Before I Die

Ruthe Karlin

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