Warholing

"Art is what you can get away with." So said Andy Warhol, according to one of the quotes wallpapered around GOMA on Sunday. And it's very true, too - he got away with quite a lot!


I spent Sunday at the Gallery of Modern Art here in Brisbane, looking through the Andy Warhol exhibition. Like a lot of other people, I'd heard of Andy Warhol without really knowing anything about his work. He was famous for saying that everyone in the future would be famous for 15 minutes. And that, I think, is his 15 minutes summed up right there.

I spent around three hours in the exhibition. Maybe I just didn't get it, but a lot of it, the early works in particular, didn't impress me all that much. His later works, on the other hand, I thought were much better. At least, they appealed to me a bit more. Maybe that just means I'm more in touch with the spirit of the 80's than the 60's...

And I guess that's the point, isn't it? He was a pop artist, consciously so. He was speaking very much in the language and images of the day, reacting to the events immediately around him. He captured a moment in time, sometimes memorably as with his portraits, and then time moved on. The image doesn't speak as loudly any more and will probably continue to fade as we get further away from his time and the ideas that inspired him.

Overall, it's an interesting exhibition. It's more interesting for it's historical value than it's artistic value, I think, but still I'm glad I went.

I bought a fridge magnet at the Andy Warhol Supermarket on the way out. Pop art at its best!

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Stormy weather

Well, it's been a busy week so far. Lots of exciting things have been going on, including a long long bike ride on Sunday, which really wore me out. Anyway...

But the best thing about this week has been all the storms. We've had storms every day this week since Sunday. It's now Thursday and they're forecasting more storms this afternoon.

I love weather like this - as long as I'm home, that is. I love to just sit around and watch the lightning flash across the horizon, with the rain pelting on the tin roof. There's nothing quite like the sound of rain on the roof to make me glad I'm home and safe inside. And the lightning has been impressive. I was watching it on Tuesday night from the balcony and it was lighting up the street almost like daylight. I haven't seen a storm like that for quite a while now.

Maybe the Queensland drought has finally broken? Here's hoping...

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Recovery is slow, unfortunately

Well, after being all proud of myself for not getting sick while overseas, what happens? That's right - I catch a cold! Dammit!


I spent all weekend in bed with a cold, and ended up taking Monday off work since I was feeling pretty bad. I dragged myself back to work yesterday, though.

It always seems to happen when I travel these days. Once I get off the plane, I get sick. I guess I'm just lucky I didn't get sick on the way over to Vietnam, so it could be worse. But each time I've travelled this year I've ended up catching a cold. Very frustrating, especially since I've got at least two more trips this year involving planes and airports. Ah well...

So I lay around all weekend feeling miserable. Very unexciting - although it did give me a chance to finish two books. The first was "First among Sequels" by Jasper Fforde and the other was the new Terry Pratchett book "Making Money". I was a little bit disappointed with the Fforde book - it started slowly, but it did get better. Of course, the Pratchett was excellent and made me feel much better.

Ah well - here's hoping I can kick the rest of this cold soon. It's supposed to be a hot and sunny weekend. I might wander off to the beach if it looks good!

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The year that was....

It's been a great year all around. I've got out and about the great South East, had a good time with friends and family etc.

I've been to beaches, and forests.

Spent time in the city, and the bay.

I have to say, Brisbane is a great place if you like getting outside and seeing more than just the city.

Anyway, all that is just leading up to this whole new year, starting today. Yes, it's happy birthday to me - it's been a good year, and here's hoping the next one is just as good. Now I'm off for a birthday dinner to celebrate!

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Great news of the day!

My sister is getting married! That definitely counts as good news. She and her fiance announced their engagement yesterday.

I'm excited, and can guarantee that my parents are more than thrilled!

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Lets start with some good news

This story is great. Its a real feel-good story, that makes me just smile when I read it.

Hope you like it.

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