Yesterday was rainy, rainy, rainy. I barely left the house -- only to walk the dog in the early morning before the clouds opened. I'm happy for all the rain and it was soothing hearing it fall all day.
I spent the morning cleaning and doing some minor household tasks, and then settled down to finish Michiko Kakutani's book "The Death of Truth," which was an interesting look at the philosophies and forces that have combined to bring us the world of Donald Trump, where all reality is subjective and ephemeral. It was fairly scary but I'd heard a lot of it before -- mendacious politicians, partisan news organizations, voters living in increasingly siloed online communities, where they reinforce each other's darker impulses. I especially appreciated the early part of the book, which was a sort of survey of post-truth thinking over the years as expressed by other authors and philosophers. It's already a bit out of date, having been published in 2018 -- before the election of 2020, which so many of those siloed voters still believe to be falsified, and before the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol -- but still interesting.
We canceled Olga's dog walk because of the rain.
I don't think she minded.
In the afternoon I watched "Blow-Up," Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 noir mystery. It's one of my favorite movies and I bet I've seen it ten times, at least, but every time I watch it I see new things. I love the '60s "Swinging London" style. It was a good movie to watch after reading "The Death of Truth," actually, as it's all about a photographer struggling to understand what he's seen. It features a troupe of mimes who seem to suggest, at the end, that truth is subjective, or that we all live with illusions.
And speaking of movies, here's a postcard from tinseltown mailed in January 1989 that I bought in that junk shop in Greenwich I visited a few days ago. It's a rather boring card, I know -- in fact, the sender wrote the recipient, "I don't imagine you will put this card on your chimney-piece." But I liked what she had to say about the city: "L.A. is full of cars, bright sunshine, strident modern architecture, loony netsuke lovers, lots of alcohol and ethnic food -- all somewhat bewildering."
I haven't been to L.A. in about 15 years, but in my experience, that about sums it up.
(Top photo: An ornament on a garden wall in Cricklewood, on my walk on Thursday.)
It definitely looks like she didn't mind atall!
ReplyDeleteI wonder why netsuke lovers were called loony..ok some people collect them. But they are mostly fine skilled work
I wonder if Olga was thinking, “You weren't serious, were you?”
ReplyDeleteLoony netsuke lovers. How funny. And such an odd thing to pick up on. Of all the comments I could have ever thought to make about Angelenos.
"From Cricklewood to LA" sounds like the biography of a successful filmstar - like Charlie Chaplin or Michael Caine. Perhaps your own autobiography will be called "From Pasco County to West Hampstead". As soon as I saw the LA postcard, I thought "That looks nice!" - especially with the iconic Griffith Observatory on the green ridge to the left.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting description of LA. Full of cars but bright sunshine? Not in my experience unless there is a good breeze. Is strident a pejorative word? Thanks for the link to netsuke. I am just a little wiser. I quite like the post card; almost natural beauty with the city backdrop.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book so I don't know what causes are being pointed towards but in my mind, social media is the cause that creates so much focus on political polarization. Being able to hide behind a keyboard and say things that one would never say face to face and likewise, reading those things and assuming the worst without being able to read the person talking's face to see how serious they might intend their words to be, are causing most of this political divide. I'm not sure how we change things other than this polarization just becomes normalized to the point it doesn't bother us anymore.
ReplyDeleteI think the postcard would have been better if the Griffith Observatory was featured more prominently with the LA skyline as a backdrop.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo up. The peeling white wall reminds me of birch trees.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of netsuke,
I expect you’ve read “The Hare with the Amber Eyes”? I loved how the author follows these tiny pieces out into history. Everything (well, not everything but seemingly minor things) connects.
You teach me about so many things, Steve. I did not know what a netsuke was, but now I do!
ReplyDeleteNow I'm wondering how the writer connected with netsuke collectors, usually a wealthy group, since they're high end art. Sign me, not wealthy but I have a couple of netsuke! From my antique dealer days.
ReplyDeleteOlga's approach to rain is also high end!
We're still living in a time of The Death of Truth. I'm just hoping we find our way out of it.
ReplyDeleteI love how Olga is looking at you.
Blow-Up. I seem to remember that but my memory says it's about a photographer who accidentally photographs a murder and he doesn't realize it until he enlarges (blows up) the photo. could be a different movie or I could be just wrong altogether.
ReplyDeleteI wish we'd get a day of rain.
I'm glad you had a link for netsuke. I had no idea what that was. That is quite an interesting (and accurate) quote about LA. I just flipped over to the Abbey Road webcam hoping to see some rain but of course it's not raining today. It is a busy place though, very busy.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photograph of the old White wall.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link - I've learned a new word! Speaking of words, that photo of Olga and her pink blanket speaks volumes of them. 😊
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a spot-on description of LA. I love how it starts off cliche -- cars and sunshine, duh -- and becomes so very specific (I am imagining that she was taken to a party in the Hollywood Hills and the host bored her with a "tour" of his collection ofJapanese knock-knacks) and then it ends with that hilarious observation the booze and ethnic food is bewildering. (Come one, if she's a Brit the alcohol can't have been off-putting...maybe she was not familiar with American cocktails? Can a martini be bewildering?) All that in lilting iambic pentameter. This one was worth saving. Well done -- good eye and good ear.
ReplyDeleteMost of the people in the world need a major lesson on truth.
ReplyDeleteOlga (thinking) "Don't MAKE me go out there!"
ReplyDeleteI love Olga giving you side eye about the possibility of a walk in the rain.
ReplyDeleteHilarious expression on Olga's face: 'Don't you even think about it, mister!'
ReplyDeleteRainy days in summer are lovely. Time to sit and do nothing without any sense of guilt. Even Olga agrees.
ReplyDeleteGZ: Yeah, I'm not sure why loving netsuke makes someone "loony"!
ReplyDeleteMitchell: My guess is she went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which has a Japanese pavilion that's full of netsuke.
YP: I think "From Pasco County to West Hampstead" is a rather intriguing, if oddly specific, title!
Andrew: Yeah, especially back then! The smog is much better now but when I first went in the early '80s we could barely see the Hollywood sign!
Ed: Certainly social media is a huge part of the polarization and the spread of bad information -- not just the dynamics of people's interaction on social media, but the way the algorithms feed us the most extreme content.
Bob: And the skyline looks different now. I didn't realize downtown LA had grown so much since then.
Fresca: I've heard of it, but I've never read it. Maybe I should?
Ellen D: I have a "loony" friend who collects them, so I learned about them years ago. :)
Boud: I think she went to LACMA and saw the displays there. Just a guess. There are lower-end, gift-shop versions of netsuke too!
Robin: She was probably thinking, PLEASE don't make me go out there. (As Catalyst said below!)
Ellen: Yes! That's the movie. But the plot goes beyond that, I think -- more about questions of what is real, and is something still real if there's no evidence? He never does report the murder.
Sharon: It's been intermittently rainy but VERY windy.
JS: Thank you! I love a weathered surface!
Kelly: Mostly, "Leave me alone!" :)
Vivian: Maybe it was the TYPE of alcohol she was getting -- tequila and margaritas as opposed to gin and beer? I bet she saw the netsuke collection at LACMA, maybe shown to her by an overenthusiastic guide!
Red: Definitely! People don't know how to absorb information critically anymore.
Catalyst: Ha! That's EXACTLY what she's thinking!
Allison: She's definitely trying to sink deeper into the blanket.
Debby: She's warning me off!
Caro: Yes, exactly! That's how we all felt. No need to go anywhere.
Olga looks so content! I must watch Blow-Up. I can't believe I've never seen it. I'd never heard of netsuke until I read The Hare with Amber Eyes -- and now I'm totally fascinated. (But then, everything about that book fascinated me!)
ReplyDeleteLA is one of my least favorite big cities except for the food. That's spectacular. I also love the Griffith Observatory and the beach, if one can walk to it. My older daughter spent a number of years living in Santa Monica 14 blocks from the beach. It was glorious!
ReplyDelete