People Who Need People

When I was last in the Great White North, a year ago, I noticed, passing by the Ottawa Art Gallery, that it was hosting an exhibition of works by Susan Kealey.  I thought of dropping in to say hello, or at least to sign the book, but was in too much of a rush.  Nonetheless, I was quite pleased to see that another old pal had persevered in her artistic career.

I knew Susan in the early eighties. She was a sensitive, gifted writer, who was very discreet, had a finely tuned sense of irony, and who always covered her head with a scarf.  I knew what the scarf meant, but Susan was very skilled at indicating that the subject was irrelevant.

Thinking of looking up Susan, I searched in vain in Facebook, and then cruised the web.  I was saddened to see that she had passed away in 2000.  People Who Need People was one of her last works, after what I now realise was an even more difficult life than I had thought, that she lived thoroughly with quiet bravery.

More Fun with Garageband...

...and with the Hong Kong-bought, Elvis Costello Jazzmaster.  Enough effects and it actually sounds like a guitar.

Tap Tap Tap

Hotel Rooms - Part 15 - Villa Pitiana, Tuscany

There was a time, when rejected job applicants were suing the referees who had been too honest about them, when referees took to damning applicants with irrelevant praise.  For instance, a referee for a would-be professor of philosophy might say that the candidate was a superb billards player, with no comments made about the hapless applicant's philosophical or academic skills.

Having said that, the Villa Pitiana, east of Florence, is in a superb location, that we would probably not have found without cheating with GPS.

Speaking of cheating, the Villa's website doesn't make any blatantly false statements, but makes many which are, with 20/20 hindsight, somewhat subjective, if not downright subject to hyperbole.  The website is a work of art, as are the many favourable evaluations of the hotel on Trip Advisor, that must have been made by people who have spent their last few vacations in North Korea. Du mouton habillé en agneau?