Day 7

Today there is a 10% chance that it will not rain. And wunderground forecast thunderstorms. Not a chance of thunderstorms, but actual thunderstorms. Maybe today is a good day to spend the afternoon at the apartment. Or maybe at the Louvre, which is the only place that I can think of that can keep me engrossed for a whole afternoon. Maybe.

After class, I hurried back to do my homework. Maybe I should have headed directly out to the museum instead. I had only been home a few minutes before the heavens opened up and started the bathe the city. I spent a frustrating. It of time trying to find things on google, before concluding that the site must be down. Luckily wiki still worked. Decided on the Pompidou, since it's open until about 22:00, and the Louvre was going to be open that late tomorrow. When I left Maubert, it was sprinkling,, and the came the deluge. My lower pants legs were drenched. It's just as well that I'm wearing thin pants that dry in moments. Although, I am wearing my brown flats. Brown and black. Not chic, but very practical.

When I exited the metro at Rambuteaux, the sun was shining so brightly that I had to shade my eyes. Stopped in at the Brancusi Atelier, since I wanted a glimpse of The Kiss, which was featured in "Avenue Montaigne," a French movie that Janet got me long ago. Like some of the popular movies such as xxx, it follows several seemingly unrelated stories that 
all converge, in a charming way. 

In to the Matisse exhibit. It's astonishing to learn how deliberate he was about the development of his pieces. Using the same size canvas for the initial works as he intended to us error the final. Doing multiple studies before approaching the final. In 1936, he wrote, "At each stage, I reach a balance, a conclusion. At the next sitting, if I feel a weakness in the whole, I find my way back into the picture by means of the weakness - I re-enter through the breach -and reconceive the whole." What an amazing way to explore. If more people would explore religion and spirituality in this manner, how different would the world be today? Pieces in this exhibit that I enjoyed: "Luxe, Calme, et Volupte," "Pont St. Michel, a Paris, Effet de Neige," "Interiur au Violin," and "Les Marguerites."

Saw the Gerhard Richter exhibit, but it really didn't touch me. The only piece that I rather liked was "June, 1983." Also saw the early 20th century section. Pieces that appealed to me, and I can't remember which section they were in, were: Braque's monochromatic cubist pieces, "La Bal Bullier" by Sonia Delauney, "Traits Hoirs Enroules"  (which reminded me of a fairy trapped in the inner ear) and "Autour D'un Point" by Kupka, "Pilier de Metro, 1934" by Brassai, and "Centro de Dominance" by Judit Reigl. Also loved spending time on the terraces of the Pompidou, since the rain is on hiatus, and there are clouds racing with the wind, across the most wonderful blue sky. 

One of the wonderful things about the Pompidou is that it is open until past 22:00, so I have time, and don't feel rushed. Too bad it's not occupied by the type of art that I have a natural kinship for. The other wonderful thing is that there are English translations everywhere. One of my big frustrations is that I can't read, or write French well. Every thing seems to move more slowly, when really I want to be able to take it all in an instant. And third, there is free wifi throughout. How fabulous is that?

I spotted a chair in a deserted corner of the museum, in which to write this. When I actually got to the chair, I saw that there was an even more comfortable sofa seat a few meters behind it, that was occupied by an exhausted man in a nice suit. 

Ah well, at least there is a space for me to sit, unlike the other day, when a selfish, curly-headed pissant wouldn't even let me have the opposite side of the cart on which to sit. When I tried to sit on the opposite side, as he was having an involved cell conversation in a foreign language, he moved the cart so that I couldn't sit down. In disbelief, I tried to sit again, since I was exhausted. And then he moved the cart way away, rudely gesturing for me to get lost. All I could exclaim was, "Vrai? You selfish bastard!" 

Anyway, here I sit, with my right foot bare, letting my shoes air out a little bit. The toes are still a little warm, but improved from yesterday. I might just cancel the appointment with Dr. Brache, if the toes look better in the morning.

Alex cooked again tonight. Pasta with pesto, onions, mushrooms, squash, and cheese. Delish. I'm always so fascinated by what makes people tick, and how they've decided to express their talents.