Dolly 2's Comments

Specialists in the rock art of the Southwest pretty much agree that the petroglyphs (which do take a long time to make, especially the more complex ones) represent either shamanic icons or actual art. The impulse for mankind to make art is basic, and certain symbols occur over a number of different cultures, often widely separated in terms of space and time. Think spirals, for instance, which are ubiquitous. Or mazes. Or handprints -- I could go on and on. These symbols are present in the human unconscious (read Jung theories of the collective unconscious) regardless of the culture. I have seen gigantic rock art sites (one in northern Arizona on the Hopi Reservation covers all the cliffsides of a 250 acre mesa) completely exposed to the open air, not hidden away at all. In fact the panel used to illustrate this article is called "Newspaper Rock," and it's totally out in the open in northern Arizona near Monument Valley. For a great look at some amazing rock art, check out "Stone Chisel and Yucca Brush, Colorado Plateau Rock Art" by Ekkehart Malotki and Donald E. Weaver, Jr. (for whom I used to work). Fascinating. Lots of great theories about who did it and why, too.
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I sent this to my son, who shared a love of Hitchhiker with me (and often hitchhiked back in the more innocent '80s). I hope he will in turn impress upon my grandson the importance of the towel. I'm sure he will!
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Sphinx cats are sweet and deserve to be treated better than that. I am appalled. My friend/neighbor has two who are lovely animals, very affectionate.
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This is one of the famous "mummies of Urumchi," an absolutely fascinating book about which is available, Written by well-known textile expert Elizabeth Wayland Barber. Here's what Amazon says about it -

The 2000-year-old mummies of Ürümchi, found in central Asia along the famed Silk Road trading route, are so well preserved as to show clearly that they seem to be of Caucasoid origin. Where did these people come from? Where did they go? You can find their pale-skinned, light-haired descendents among the people of the region, but the story of their presence in this forbidding land leaves more mysteries than it answers. Mass migrations during the Bronze Age scattered many peoples across Europe and Asia, and these startlingly lively-looking mummies may help answer some questions about this period of human history. Their intact, fantastically colored and patterned clothing captures much of author Elizabeth Wayland Barber's attention--she is an expert on prehistoric textiles. Her enthusiastic descriptions of the sewing skills of these migrant people, while focusing on details, lend an immediacy to this fascinating tale. Black-and-white as well as color photos, maps, and diagrams illustrate Barber's colorful tale of anthropology (Therese Littleton).

The Chinese government has stopped allowing people to study these mummies because of their campaign to rewrite history and claim that this region of China has "always been part of China." (Sound familiar? That's what they say about Tibet, also). They hate the "Caucasian" aspect of these people (red and blond hair, blue eyes, etc.). I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone interested in anthropology, history, human origins, arts and crafts, even. It's a page turner, which is odd for a book written about what could be a dry and academic subject. Barber brings it all to life.
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My friend and next door neighbor has two of these Egyptian Sphynx cats, Rupert (Boo-Boo) and Noni. They are great cats! So affectionate and sweet, intelligent and funny. They feel like suede when you pet them -- not gross at all, but warm and soft. They love to talk and fly through the air, so go outside and roll in the dirt. Noni also loves to swim with my friend when he's taking a bath.
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Well, I have a tv, but it only goes on when we (me and my best friend) want to watch a movie or a dvd (documentaries sometimes). As far as those people wondering what it is that we DO if not sitting passively in front of the screen, well, for instance, we are working on shows for our theater company (rehearsals or performances almost every night) or between shows, writing/editing/marketing (I have 3 free-lance jobs that involve editing or writing or suchlike), cooking fabulous meals, reading books, volunteering for a variety of non-profits, meditating, playing with the cats -- in other words, engaged in real life (well, I guess you can call theatre "real" life -- at least it's got live people to interact with) instead of just being a sponge, just sitting there looking at shadows on a screen -- illusions instead of reality. Come on people, it's not snobbery -- I used to watch a bit, especially when my husband was dying, and I would keep him company as he watched the Food Network and Chuck Norris (go figure!), but after he died, I realized that there were just too many other fascinating activities luring me away from the tube. I'm not up on a high horse, just honestly not really interested in what's happening in that world. Which is ironic, since one of my writing projects was a sitcom I developed with a friend (that never went anywhere since neither of us had any Hollywood connections). I read the newspaper, listen to NPR and surf the web for information, look at clips on YouTube sometimes (we love MadTV), but haven't the patience, I guess, to just sit -- I'm always thinking of something else I should be doing, so tend to just do it and never even think of turning on the tv. We actually were planning to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, but just are not in the habit of turning on the tv, so missed it. Oh well, no big deal. Ephemera is all it is. Not anything lasting or significant, really, if you are honest about it. Even good tv is pretty insubstantial compared to art. Is it possible for anything on tv to even approach art? I don't know. Maybe something on PBS occasionally. A great documentary (but we tend to get those from Netflix so we can watch them at our leisure). Mostly, not. I don't plan to get a digital converter box (although maybe for the 3 times annually we DO turn on the box -- for the Tonys, the Oscars, the Emmies)? We'll see.
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The city-owned parking garage here in downtown Tucson is also green -- here's a quote from the brochure:

With a fully automated payment system and round-the-clock security, it is Tucson's first 24-hour parking structure. The facility’s power consumption is
supplemented with solar panels that provide 50Kw of electricity and shade to vehicles on the rooftop. The on-line system is tied directly into the
City’s power network minimizing waste of unused solar energy. The architectural design replicates a southwestern art deco prevalent in the downtown area and identified in the City’s master plan. The historic
fabric of the site was respected by tying in design and artifacts of the original Levy’s building. The covered arcade provides protection from the Arizona sun and brings foot traffic along the retail/commercial
establishment.

Plus, it looks very cool.
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About 5 years ago, I was visiting my cousin who lives on an island off the coast of Portland, Maine, toward the end of May, and we were charmed that when we took the ferry back to Portland, on board were a whole bunch of teenagers in their fanciest finery, long dresses and tuxedoes, going to their prom by ferry. It was too cute.
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I don't think that this is technically a "guitar," but rather, a vihuela, the Spanish precursor to the guitar. Especially if it's that old. My late husband was a classical guitarist who also played vihuelas -- there were actually a number of them, tuned to different hexachords. Google "Renaissance vihuela" for a look at this fascinating instrument and its music.
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This is the stupidest "movie" I have ever seen--I can't watch more than a few minutes of the thing; it's that dreadful (although the animation isn't bad). However, I understand its origins, because my youngest daughter taught English in South Korea for 5 1/2 years and told me about their obsession with . . . well, basically . . . feces. Too odd! Three little girls of my acquaintance love "Doggy Poo," though, and their parents are not very happy that my friend actually gave them the DVD. It cracks him up. He loves stuff like that!
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A good friend of mine lost about half of one of his hands back in the late 80s shooting off (illegal) fireworks in Flagstaff, Arizona. At the time, he made up a story about what happened to his hand, but ultimately he 'fessed up. All his friends gave him a lot of grief about it, of course. Not smart, people. Leave it to the experts.
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I had lenses implanted in both eyes after cataract surgery a few years ago, and was able to ditch my glasses after many decades of having to wear them. Liberation! (I do need glasses to read and drive at night, though.)
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  • Member Since 2012/08/07


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