| PIG! |
[Mar. 22nd, 2011|10:26 am] |
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This makes me hungry. |
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| Florence: City of David |
[Oct. 28th, 2010|03:41 pm] |
 Perhaps the most overexposed piece of art in Florence is Michelangelo's "David". It is everywhere -- cheap plaster reproductions, t-shirts, strategically screen-printed underwear. When Shell and I ducked into a cafe for a sandwich tonight, the music was even all David Bowie (a better choice than David Cassidy, I suppose; and the sandwich -- prosciutto, formaggio, and pomodoro on a freshly-baked, split ciabatta -- was heavenly).
None of that prepares you for the impact of the actual sculpture or spoils the experience.
Shell and I had some free time this afternoon after arriving in Florence and decided to take a chance on the lines at the Galleria dell'Academia, which houses the famous masterpiece. Emma told me she stood in line for 3 hours the day she came to Florence so we were prepared to wait. But, as luck would have it, the Accademia on this late October afternoon was almost deserted. We paid our €10 and strolled right through the doors.
The museum has done a fantastic job of presenting their most famous attraction. You walk through an initial gallery of important western Church art and turn right into a long hall lined with unfinished statues that Michelangelo left in his Florence workshop when he moved to Rome. These statues were intended to become part of the grand tomb commissioned by Pope Julius II, but Michelangelo never completed the massive project, which would have included more than 40 sculptures. The bits and pieces of the tomb that were completed were haphazardly assembled by Michelangelo later in his life, long after Pope Julius' death, and placed in the Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Rome. (In a lovely serendipity, we visited that basilica and the extremely odd tomb of St. Julius just yesterday.)
These unfinished sculptures are extremely rough. There is no fine detail and chisel marks mar the surface. It appears that the images are trying to escape from the block of marble in which they are encased.
This series of imperfections seems the perfect contrast for the enormous image of David that stands at the end of the long hall, rising 17 feet from its pedestal into the dome of an apse, bathed in natural daylight from the windows that ring the dome. It is perfection in marble -- a contemplative David who has just slain a giant, his sling slung over his back, the veins in his right forearm still bulging from the effort.
As one of Michelangelo's contemporary critics remarked: once you have seen this, you do not need to see any other work of sculpture of any era. This one outshines them all. Truly amazing.
The Accademia also boasts an impressive collection of Orthodox icons, including a particularly beautiful and moving version of "In Thee All Creation Rejoiceth", an enormous "Theotokos of the Passion" (aka "Formidable Protection"), and an unbelievable example of a Menaion icon, with images that are almost microscopic -- probably painted with a brush consisting of a single hair -- but still easily recognizable. Of course, these are relegated to a stairwell (seriously) and the commentary that is provided remarks on their "primitive" aspects, singling out for highest praise one icon of St. Catherine that was very obviously influenced heavily by western aesthetics.
Treatment of icons aside, this was certainly a visit worthy of the €10. I would even wait in line to do this again. |
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| Rome: more impressions |
[Oct. 26th, 2010|02:38 am] |
Canadians love Rome. We have met a ton of Canadians here. They all seem to be headed to a Mediterranean cruise.
Also, I think we are the youngest turistas in Rome at the moment. |
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| Rome: first impressions |
[Oct. 25th, 2010|02:25 pm] |
So, we are in Rome. I haven't slept in about 36 hours. But here are some random thoughts:
It was very cool to run into Fr. Timothy Cremeens at the airport, just after clearing customs. Small world!
So much history!! It is everywhere. There are, for instance, 13 ancient Egyptian obelisks in Rome. Ancient columns, walls, roads, buildings, monuments, etc., are around virtually every corner. It is inexhaustible.
There are nuns here. Real nuns, in real habits. All over the place.
Oh, my, the Churches! So much detail; such beautiful art. So big!
Driving lanes, stoplights, and rights-of-way are just theoretical constructs in Rome. I have seen no SUVs but Smart Cars are everywhere. Driving does inspire faith, of a sort.
There are more shops here than in NYC. And they stay open after 6:00 p.m.
The food has been amazing. For "brunch" I had a sandwich of fresh split cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella di buffalo, and fresh basil, on a crusty, chewy ciabotta. Washed down by cappuccino (which complemented it surprisingly well).
Panhandlers stand on their knees on the cobblestones silently praying, their cup for change on the road in front of them. Pretty impressive. I can't decide if this is a tactic or true piety.
Plan for tomorrow: Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica. |
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| Barbecue: A Love Story |
[Oct. 15th, 2010|03:44 pm] |
For the unschooled: barbecue has a specific meaning in NC – first, it is a noun, not a verb. It is pig, not cows, sheep, goats, or what have you. It is smoked with hardwood – hickory is a favorite (none of that dang mesquite!) – and cooked over actual fire, low and slow. Finally, it is adorned with the simplest of sauces. There are important variations on the sauce theme but there should be nothing thick or sticky about it; the primary ingredient is always vinegar, which is the perfect foil to the smoky, sweet flesh of swine properly prepared.
( Read more... ) |
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| Acquisitions: VSTI and Memex |
[Jul. 16th, 2010|09:25 am] |
After a whirlwind couple of months, I have managed to close two substantial acquisitions for SAS. Yesterday's target was VSTI, a professional services company in Maryland that delivers advanced analytics to the US intelligence community. Very cloak and dagger stuff. This closely followed our acquisition of Memex late last month. Memex delivers intelligence and information management solutions to law enforcement and other government agencies to combat terrorism, organized crime, and fraud. Can you see a trend?
These transactions were back-to-back marathons and I have been able to think about or accomplish little else since about the middle of May. I always enjoy these kind of projects but I do look forward to getting my life back a bit. Hopefully there is a breather before we spot another attractive target.
Press releases here and here, for the record. |
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| Fun Facts from Larousse Gastronomique 1961 |
[May. 29th, 2010|01:41 pm] |
LION—Lion meat, though edible, is seldom used in cookery. It is rather tasteless and must be steeped in an aromatic marinade before cooking.
All recipes for beef are suitable for lion. |
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| Fun Facts from Larousse Gastronomique 1961 |
[May. 24th, 2010|09:20 pm] |
FORK. Fourchette—A table utensil designed to pick up meat and other food. It is of very ancient origin as it is mentioned in the Old Testament, in Samuel, but it served first of all as a ritual instrument to grip pieces of meat destined for sacrifices; only later was it used in the kitchen. According to the eleventh century Italian scholar, Damiani, forks were introduced into Venice by a Byzantine princess and thence spread through Italy. They are mentioned in 1379 in an inventory of the French King, Charles V, and Edward II of England had a favorite, Piers Gaveston, who is recorded as having eaten a pear with a fork in the early fourteenth century, but these instances do not mean that forks were in general use. In fact, eating with forks did not become at all fashionable until the seventeenth century. |
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