85 bar falls 29.75 0mph E dew-point 66 sunrise 5:53 sunset 8:44 Summer
Waning Crescent of the Thunder Moon
The hangover from the docent program continues. We have to do an Africa check-out tour with two partners. We each prepare three objects, then share the information and come ready to present any of the objects. This is a sort of multiple choice test, I guess. All of us have favorite areas in the museum and less liked areas. I love the Asian collection.
The African collection does not excite me. I’m not sure why. Africa as a continent and African history, especially pre-colonial Africa have fascinated me since college when I took several courses related to these areas as well as African anthropology. Contemporary African politics also hold my attention. The art does not. There are pieces that are, for me, exceptions. The Ife Shrine Head. Kente cloth. The Magadelene Odundo reduced black ceramics. The gold weights. The female sculptures. The rest does not draw me in. This is me, I know, for many find these objects stunning, even path breaking when it comes to representation.
Still, I have to do this check-out tour and I will.
The drive in was unremarkable, though notable for its reduced heat from the Texas weekend. On the drive back I encountered several drivers in a row who had not yet graduated from the real world driving class we all take each day. Left me with a short fuse. Again. On me.
Switched for a third time the Woolly meeting idea. First was permaculture. Second was your media stream. The third, and final one is this: What does it mean to be an American? When did your feel your most patriotic? Least? Who is your favorite American author? Painter? Poet? Poem? Book? Painting? Does America have a manifest destiny? How do we or should we fit into the global reality?
