March 19-20, 2015

Thursday after work I went to Wine Authorities and restocked on vermouth & amari & some sherry, because earlier this week I got this book called The Art of The Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level, on the recommendation of one of my favorite local bartenders, Danny at Bar Virgile (formerly of Gocciolina). 

I’ve made a few drinks from it already, and they really do make a nice change from what I usually drink. (straight kerosene)

Friday I had lunch with friends at Jamaica Jamaica, which is still there. Not going to say it’s totally unchanged, although it hasn’t changed much. We talked about … um … OK I have already forgotten what we talked about. I’m having trouble concentrating right now because M is in the other room listening to “Rhinestone Cowboy” and humming along, loud, and it’s adorable.

Friday night we swung by the shiny new museum at the shiny new 21c Hotel at the Hill Building in downtown. It’s pretty remarkable – it literally is a small contemporary art museum spread across 2-3 floors of the hotel. There were some rough edges – not all of the lighting is optimal, and some of the art was sans labeling – but there are some great pieces in the collection.

Most notably a gorgeous Kehinde Wiley. It’s amazing to think that one can wander in there at any time of the day or night & sit & look at that Wiley.

(And, given the paucity of docents, at least on Friday night, do god only knows what else in the place. Not that we did, mind you, but it was disconcerting to *not* be obviously watched as we wandered the maze of large & small gallery spaces.)

The inaugural exhibit is about pop culture in contemporary art, which is kind of a fraught topic – there were 2-3 pieces about Britney Spears &, you know, nobody really cares anymore. Some of it was predictable, and some of it – like a room full of large-format photo portraits of cosplay kids – is amazing.

I’ll definitely be going back regularly, because did I mention it’s free? And open either 24/7 or at least 18/7, depending on who you ask.

After that we came home & watched Primer. It was nice to feel free to let go & just kind of absorb the general milieu, without worrying too much about the timeline. The first time I saw it I actually tried to keep up, but it’s basically impossible, and I’m now fairly certain also unnecessary. 

March 19-20, 2015