Daily Entries for the week of
Sunday, December 20, 2020
through
Saturday, December 26, 2020
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It’s Saturday, December 26, 2020
Welcome to the 979th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Aline Marie Chazal Tristán, (1825–1867) "The Artist's Mother",
1889, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
Paul Gauguin - Digitaler Katalog Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
Depicted person: Aline Marie Chazal Gauguin (1825-1867)
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2.0 Commentary
What I’m looking forward to?
The day that the news leads with the accelerating pace of vaccinations.
The day that the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths are overshadowed by the growing body of vaccinated Americans.
Indeed, to the day when we’re not desperately guarding America’s ownership of vaccine production against the rest of the world.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
“The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries;
on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude,
and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust.
A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development.
But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist,
a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them,
if they succeed in loving the expanse between them,
which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
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5.0 Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Lots of wishes for Happy Holidays.
Blog meister responds: And back at you!
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Thursday night, Christmas Eve, I hosted my dear cousin Lauren and her boyfriend, Rob, a nice guy.
We had a slow-roasted turkey and eggplant Szechuan.
And the more mundane peas and corn.
We started dinner with And a small palter of Tripe.
The company and dinner were fine.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of color and Synthetist style that were distinct from Impressionism.
Toward the end of his life, he spent ten years in French Polynesia.
The paintings from this time depict people or landscapes from that region.
His work was influential on the French avant-garde and many modern artists, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, and he is well known for his relationship with Vincent and Theo van Gogh.
Gauguin's art became popular after his death, partially from the efforts of dealer Ambroise Vollard, who organized exhibitions of his work late in his career and assisted in organizing two important posthumous exhibitions in Paris.
Gauguin was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer.
His expression of the inherent meaning of the subjects in his paintings, under the influence of the cloisonnist style, paved the way for Primitivism and the return to the pastoral.
He was also an influential proponent of wood engraving and woodcuts as art forms.
The vogue for Gauguin's work started soon after his death.
Many of his later paintings were acquired by the Russian collector Sergei Shchukin.
A substantial part of his collection is displayed in the Pushkin Museum and the Hermitage. Gauguin paintings are rarely offered for sale, their prices reaching tens of millions of US dollars in the saleroom when they are offered.
His 1892 Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) became the world's third-most expensive artwork when its owner, the family of Rudolf Staechelin, sold it privately for US$210 million in September 2014. The buyer is believed to be the Qatar Museums.
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It’s Friday, December 25, 2020
Welcome to the 978th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Medieval miniature of the Nativity, c. 1350
Master of Vyšší Brod, Mistr Vyšebrodský - The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202.
Meister_von_Hohenfurth_002
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2.0 Commentary
So much of every holiday is taken with friends and family.
That’s what it’s all about.
So why do I keep wondering if I’m taking too much time to celebrate,
not spending enough time working?
Happy Christmas, all.
Happy holiday season to our non-Christian friends and neighbors.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
“And now we welcome the new year.
Full of things that have never been."
~Raner Maria Rilke
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Wednesday night Kat and I shared a steak.
We served Chinese Fried Watercress with it.
All good.
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The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Christ or birth of Jesus is described in the Biblical gospels of Luke and Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, his mother Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, who was descended from King David and was not his biological father, and that his birth was caused by divine intervention.
The nativity is the basis for the Christian holiday of Christmas on December 25, and plays a major role in the Christian liturgical year. Many Christians traditionally display small manger scenes depicting the nativity in their homes, or attend Nativity Plays or Christmas pageants focusing on the nativity cycle in the Bible. Elaborate nativity displays called "creche scenes", featuring life-sized statues, are a tradition in many continental European countries during the Christmas season.
Christian congregations of the Western tradition (including the Catholic Church, the Western Rite Orthodox, the Anglican Communion, and many other Protestants, such as the Moravian Church) begin observing the season of Advent four Sundays before Christmas. Christians of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church observe a similar season, sometimes called Advent but also called the "Nativity Fast", which begins forty days before Christmas.
Some Eastern Orthodox Christians (e.g. Greeks and Syrians) celebrate Christmas on December 25.
Other Orthodox (e.g. Copts, Ethiopians, Georgians, and Russians) celebrate Christmas on (the Gregorian) January 7 (Koiak 29 on the Coptic calendar) as a result of their churches continuing to follow the Julian calendar, rather than the modern day Gregorian calendar.
The Armenian Apostolic Church however continues the original ancient Eastern Christian practice of celebrating the birth of Christ not as a separate holiday, but on the same day as the celebration of his baptism (Theophany), which is on January 6.
The artistic depiction of the nativity has been an important subject for Christian artists since the 4th century. Artistic depictions of the nativity scene since the 13th century have emphasized the humility of Jesus and promoted a more tender image of him, a major change from the early "Lord and Master" image, mirroring changes in the common approaches taken by Christian pastoral ministry during the same era.
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It’s Thursday, December 24, 2020
Welcome to the 977th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Rilke in 1900
Unknown author - http://www.zeno.org/Literatur/M/Rilke,+Rainer+Maria
Photo of Rainer Maria Rilke
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2.0 Commentary
Tuesday, the 22nd, was my family Christmas celebration.
A total of six people: my oldest son, Dom, and daughter-in-law Amanda, they in their fifties.
My grandson, Dylan, age twenty-three, family friend, Cindy, about Dom’s age, my daughter Kat, age twenty-two, and myself, now 147 years old. Or so.
The six of us were the largest grouping I’ve had at my apartment for six months, and no other gatherings planned for more than four people. Our household is three: myself, Kat, and her boyfriend Will.
On a pick-up bill of $150.00 I left a $15.00 tip.
The Peking Duck requires a lot of accoutrements and someone had to assemble and package that.
I had a minor tweak, extra mustard and hot oil.
And it was a big order.
And the industry is hurting badly.
But I don’t see takeout as always requiring a tip.
For example, I buy two muffins.
She bags them and I pay her.
Is there a value-added there?
I don’t think so.
At DD you order coffee and the server adds milk and sugar for you.
A tip is mandated.
At a café, the coffee is made to your order.
Value added.
A tip is mandated.
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
Our holiday celebration took a bunch of time that might have gone into more research for my trip.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
"The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things"
~Rainer Maria Rilke
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5.0 Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
The office water cooler the site of a confab that shared holiday plans.
Almost everyone attesting to a smaller than usual family get together, nonetheless a family get together.
Blog meister responds: Probably better if the celebrations are limited to nuclear households without other family. We’re only several months away from effective vaccination levels. Let’s get more and more cautious.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Tuesday we enjoyed a Chinese-takeout banquet at my apartment, taking care of distance and ventilation: large open windows and doors and a well-placed fan.
We had Peking duck, baked salted chicken, deep-fried flounder, fried watercress, Szechuan eggplant, vegetarian fried rice, and egg drop soup and hot and sour soup.
We bought the food from Peach Farm in Boston.
And happy we did.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), better known as Rainer Maria Rilke was a Bohemian-Austrian poet and novelist.
He is "widely recognized as one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets".
He wrote both verse and highly lyrical prose.
Several critics have described Rilke's work as "mystical".
His writings include one novel, several collections of poetry and several volumes of correspondence in which he invokes images that focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude and anxiety.
These themes position him as a transitional figure between traditional and modernist writers.
Rilke travelled extensively throughout Europe (including Russia, Spain, Germany, France and Italy) and, in his later years, settled in Switzerland – settings that were key to the genesis and inspiration for many of his poems.
While Rilke is most known for his contributions to German literature, over 400 poems were originally written in French and dedicated to the canton of Valais in Switzerland.
Among English-language readers, his best-known works include the poetry collections Duino Elegies (Duineser Elegien) and Sonnets to Orpheus (Die Sonette an Orpheus), the semi-autobiographical novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge), and a collection of ten letters that was published after his death under the title Letters to a Young Poet (Briefe an einen jungen Dichter).
In the later 20th century, his work found new audiences through use by New Age theologians and self-help authors and frequent quotations by television programs, books and motion pictures.
In the United States, Rilke remains among the more popular, best-selling poets.
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It’s Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Welcome to the 976th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Spacex
SN5 hop at Boca Chica, Texas
Steve Jurvetson - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/50189736298/
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2.0 Commentary
It’s decided.
Kat will be with her mom.
I will be Home Alone this Christmas.
Alone with a two-pound lobster,
the only issue being how I will cook it.
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
Eleonora di Toledo, Bronzino
People have used the portrait as a basis for describing Eleonora as cold and aloof.
She does appear to look down on us, and there is very little interaction between her and her son.
This is very different compared to paintings of the Madonna and Child that Bronzino produced, which do show the Virgin interacting with the Christ child in a genuinely warm way.
However, in Mannerist painting, there is a great difference in the way religious and secular subjects are portrayed. The coldness that we perceive in the portrait of Eleonora was typical of court portraiture,
and cannot be used as evidence about her character.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence."
~Leonardo da Vinci
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5.0 Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from Howard D quoting a recent post and responding to it:
“Racing?”
Really?
As in
Racing upon us,
The holidays.
The vaccines.
The problems obscured by the pandemic; but waiting their turns.
The start of the winter season.
The back half of the winter season, Valentine’s Day, and its annual well-founded hopes.
Hope for health.
Warmth.
Light.
Normalcy, if normal good – it isn’t for everyone.
Diversity.
Exciting, this.
Glad to hear you’re excited.
As for me, mine is more a Shakespeare-driven experience:
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time…”
As for what it signifies, I’m still hoping to get an inkling while my mind still works, sometime before I drop dead…
Racing? The vaccines? (just to choose one)
Really?
I’ve got to get the name of your optometrist. Or maybe it’s your pharmacist.
xoxo
h
Blog meister responds: Racing towards us, yes. Forgot to mention the all-important elections in Georgia in early January, adding more acceleration.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Tonight I had dinner alone: leftover leg of lamb.
Still so good!
And almost zero work.
I will finish the half-bottle of red Meursault Thierry that I started yesterday.
Yesterday’s wine tasting notes:
Appearance: Dark saturated ruby; bright
Bouquet: Cherry, chocolate, spice, earth,woodland flowers
Taste: Delicious; spicy; a touch earthy.
Texture: Perfect balance of fruit acid and fruit; Medium-bodied; alive in the mouth
Aftertaste: Appealingly long-lasting finish; mellow and fresh.
Gestalt: An eminently quaffable wine
Below:
Howard’s Pasta with Meatballs, Eggplant, and fresh Basil
©Howard Dinin, 2020. All rights reserved.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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The SpaceX Starship system is a fully-reusable, two-stage-to-orbit, super heavy-lift launch vehicle under development by SpaceX since 2012, as a self-funded private spaceflight project.
The second stage—which is also referred to as "Starship":16:20–16:48—is being designed as a long-duration cargo, and eventually, passenger-carrying spacecraft.
It is being used initially without any booster stage at all, as part of an extensive development program to prove out launch-and-landing and iterate on a variety of design details, particularly with respect to the vehicle's atmospheric reentry.
While the spacecraft is currently being tested on its own at suborbital altitudes during 2019–2020, it will later be used on orbital launches with an additional booster stage, the Super Heavy, where the spacecraft will serve as both the second stage on the two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle and the in-space long-duration orbital spaceship.
Integrated system testing of a proof of concept for Starship began in March 2019, with the addition of a single Raptor rocket engine to a reduced-height prototype, nicknamed Starhopper.
Starhopper was used from April through August 2019 for static testing and low-altitude, low-velocity flight testing of vertical launches and landings, and was followed by two additional full-size tank prototype versions (SN5 & SN6) which also made low-altitude test flights in August and September 2020.
On 9 December 2020, Starship prototype SN8 performed the first high-altitude test flight, executing a successful skydiver-like descent using high-drag body flaps, followed by a reorientation burn and propulsive landing in the center of the landing zone. The hard landing was a result of lower than expected pressure in the methane header tank, resulting in the vehicle exploding on the landing pad, nonetheless the successful completion of many test objectives on this test flight was a major milestone for the Starship program.
More prototype Starships have been built and more are under construction as the iterative design goes through several iterations. All test articles have a 9 m (30 ft)-diameter stainless steel hull.
SpaceX could potentially launch commercial payloads using Starship no earlier than 2021.
In April 2020, NASA selected a modified crew-rated Starship system as one of three potential lunar landing system design concepts to receive funding for a 10-month long initial design phase for the NASA Artemis program.
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It’s Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Welcome to the 975th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Bronzino - Eleonora di Toledo
Eleanor of Toledo with her son Giovanni by Agnolo Bronzino, 1545.
It is considered the first state portrait to depict a ruler's wife with his heir.
The picture was intended to demonstrate the wealth, domesticity and continuity of the Medici.
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2.0 Commentary
The inmates have taken over the asylum.
All those who love our country please stay in the Cabinet until the last day.
All Trump advisors who have not lost your minds, please stay in your positions.
Occupy space that, if you leave, will be filled with more inmates.
Stay close until the bitter end.
And it is the most bitter end.
I admit to having lost the tiniest shred of respect and empathy for the man.
For single-handedly threatening the greatest democracy our world has ever seen,
He’s to be relegated to the lowest circle of hell.
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
I worked on Eleonora di Toledo, one of Bronzino’s most famous works, and considered one of the preeminent examples of Mannerist portraiture.
Eleonora was Cosimo di Medici’s wife and constant companion, and even acted as his regent when he was ill.
Because of her role as “first lady,” she is often regarded as the first modern woman.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
"Learning never exhausts the mind."
~Leonardo da Vinci
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5.0 Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
The traitorous talk being permitted in the oval office is the angry office cooler talk.
Blog meister responds: Justifiable anger.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Roast leg of Lamb for Sunday dinner.
Rubbed with garlic-oil and ties binding fresh rosemary sprigs to it.
Slow-roasted for 42 minutes per pound, finished with a 15-minute rotation under the broiler and then let settle for 30 minutes.
So simple.
So good.
Served with fresh peas, mashed potatoes, and lamb gravy from my freezer.
When we’ve eaten enough of the lamb, I’ll make a lamb stock and then reduce the stock dramatically until It’s strong enough to add to my freezer stash of gravy for the next meal.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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Eleanor of Toledo (Italian: Eleonora di Toledo, 11 January 1522 – 17 December 1562),
born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, was
a Spanish noblewoman and Duchess of Florence as the first wife of Cosimo I de' Medici.
A keen businesswoman, she financed many of her husband's political campaigns and important buildings like the Pitti Palace.
She ruled as regent of Florence during his frequent absences and founded many Jesuit churches. She is credited with being the first modern first lady or consort.
Eleanor was born in Alba de Tormes, Salamanca, Spain, on 11 January 1522.
She was the second daughter of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, Viceroy of Naples, and Maria Osorio, 2nd Marquise of Villafranca. Her father was the lieutenant-governor of Emperor Charles V and brother of the Duke of Alba. Through his side, Eleanor was the third cousin of the Emperor since their great-grandmothers were daughters of Fadrique Enríquez de Mendoza, grandson of King Alfonso XI of Castile.
In May 1534, two years her father's appointment as Viceroy of Naples, Eleanor, her mother, and siblings joined him in Italy. The children were brought up in the strict and closed surroundings of the Spanish viceregal court.
13-years-old Eleanor seems to not have attracted much attention, except for the furtives glances of the visiting page Cosimo de' Medici in 1535 when he accompanied his cousin Alessandro, Duke of Florence, on a visit to Naples.
Eleanor's high profile in Florence as ducal consort was initially a public relations exercise promoted by her husband, who needed to reassure the public of the stability and respectability of not only his family, but the new reign. Her motto was cum pudore laeta fecunditas (meaning "happy fruitfulness with chastity"), making reference to the plentiful harvests of her lands, her marital fidelity, and numerous children.
Eventually, Eleanor gained considerable influence in Florence through her involvement in politics, to the point that Cosimo often consulted with her.
So great was his trust in her political skills that in his frequent absences, the Duke made his wife regent, a station which established her position as more than just a pretty bearer of children.
Eleanor ruled during Cosimo's military campaigns in Genoa in 1541 and 1543, his illness from 1544 to 1545, and again at times when the war for the conquest of Siena (1551–1554) required either his absence or greater focus on military matters.
Contemporary accounts of Eleanor give a different picture than her cold, stern portraits might lead people to assume.
Much like her husband, the Duchess was realistic, practical and determinated, quietly but surely making important actions.
Though she was sick much of her adult life, Eleanor was considered very charming, loved to gamble and was a devoted traveler, moving endlessly throughout her palazzi and villas.
40-year-old Eleanor and two of her sons, 16-year-old Giovanni and 19-year-old Garzia, got sick from malaria while travelling to Pisa in 1562.
Her sons died before her and within weeks of each other.
Weakened by her pulmonary tuberculosis, Eleanor died after on 17 December, in the presence of her disconsolate husband and a Jesuit confessor.
Her funeral was held in 28 December, before she was buried in the Medici crypts in the Basilica of San Lorenzo.
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It’s Monday, December 21, 2020
Welcome to the 974th consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Leonardo da Vinci
Francesco Melzi - Portrait of Leonardo
Attributed to Francesco Melzi - File:Francesco_Melzi_-_Portrait_of_Leonardo_-_WGA14795.jpg
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2.0 Commentary
Racing upon us,
The holidays.
The vaccines.
The problems obscured by the pandemic; but waiting their turns.
The start of the winter season.
The back half of the winter season, Valentine’s Day, and its annual well-founded hopes.
Hope for health.
Warmth.
Light.
Normalcy, if normal good – it isn’t for everyone.
Diversity.
Exciting, this.
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3.0 Tuscany, extracting an essence
Worked on Perseus Freeing Andromeda by Piero di Cosimo.
A recreation of the myth of Perseus: the demi-god slays the sea monster and saves the beautiful Andromeda.
The painting is based on a story created by the ancient Roman writer Ovid, in the Metamorphoses.
The themes of the painting include platonic love, ideal beauty, marriage, and natural beauty.
The painting includes portraits of the Medici family and many of Florentine's elite upper ruling class as characters in the story of Perseus Freeing Andromeda.
The painting also represents a paragone between painting and sculpture.
See ’11.0 Thumbnail’ below for a definition of paragone.
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4.0 Chuckles and Thoughts
"Art is never finished, only abandoned."
~Leonardo da Vinci
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5.0 Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
Communications yesterday centered on the growth of the movement to memorialize the injustice perpetrated on Sacco and Vanzetti.
Surprisingly, neither their politics nor the potential distraction from the efforts of those trying to erect a statue of Christopher Columbus seemed to faze anyone.
Blog meister responds: The enthusiasm is terrific. If any part of the potential materializes into support, the effort will gain substantial credibility.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
Kat and I had dinner at Douzo.
We love the variety, the touch of elegance, the quality, and the fair prices.
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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Paragone (Italian: paragone, meaning comparison), was a debate from the Italian Renaissance in which painting and sculpture (and to a degree, architecture) were each championed as superior to – and therefore distinct from – each other.
While other art forms, such as architecture and poetry existed in the context of the debate, painting and sculpture were the two art forms that the debate was primarily focused on.
The debate extends beyond the fifteenth century and even influences the discussion and interpretation of artworks that may or may not have been influenced by the debate itself.
A comparable question, generally posed less competitively, was known as ut pictura poesis (a quote from Horace), comparing the qualities of painting and poetry.
The debate began around the 15th century.
Leonardo da Vinci's treatise on painting, observing the difficulty of painting and supremacy of sight, is a notable example of literature on the subject.
Bendetto Varchi further sparked the conversation between well-known artists in 1546 by sending out letters inciting opinions.
Painters and sculptors each vied for their respective side in the debate.
Michelangelo was notable as the only artist who offered support for both mediums.
However, he was also found to be less invested in the discussion despite his contributions.
The essence of the debate had many facets. Comparisons of the two mediums ranged from conceptual themes to practices, underscoring the intellectual role of the artist in renaissance society.
Each medium had multiple points in support of it.
Much of the debate lacked specific examples of supporting work, though the ideas were extensively discussed.
Giorgio Vasari argued that drawing is the father of all arts, and as such, the most important one.
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It’s Sunday, December 13, 2020
Welcome to the 973rd consecutive post to the blog,
existentialautotrip.com
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1.0 Lead Picture
Charlie Brown (left) and Linus (right) with the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
Source (WP:NFCC#4)
Screenshot of Charlie Brown, Linus, and the "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree".
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2.0 Commentary
A day of cold weather following the winter storm.
No wind blowing.
Many surfaces suitable for walking.
Plenty of snow around for winter activities.
A typical Northeast Winter Day.
Many people will actually have fun outdoors.
Reading in the Globe about efforts to winterize Boston with fire pits, lighting installations, outdoor dining, ice sculptures, and a host of other ideas designed to lure us slugs off the cozy couch and into the soon-to-be-great outdoors.
Sounds like First Night all winter long.
We love First Night.
Let’s encourage the planners.
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4.0 Chuckles/Thoughts
“What fragile and unknown threads the destinies of nations and the lives of men are suspended.”
~Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers
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5.0 Mail
We love getting mail.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
A friend from whom I have not heard in seventy (70) years found me through the Internet.
We had a lovely conversation.
So comfortable and easy it’s almost difficult to fathom.
Blog Meister responds: It appears to me that early relationships have an ease difficult to repeat as we mature.
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6.0 Dinner/Food/Recipes
On Friday night Kat and I enjoyed a feast of a traditional Italian Gravy with meatballs, spareribs, beef shoulder roast, and pigs feet.
Served over freshly-made gnocchi.
So good!
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7. “Conflicted” podcast
Conflicted, by Dom Capossela, is a spiritual/fantasy story about a sixteen-year-old mystic-warrior conflicted internally by her self-imposed alienation from God, her spiritual wellspring, and, externally, by the forces of darkness seeking her death or ruination.
https://soundcloud.com/user-449713331/sets/conflicted-dom-capossela
The podcasts are also available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher, Pinterest, Pocket Cast, and Facebook.
Search: dom capossela or conflicted or both
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11.0 Thumbnails
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special, and is the first TV special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez, the program made its debut on CBS on December 9, 1965. In this special, Charlie Brown finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. Lucy suggests he direct a neighborhood Christmas play, but his best efforts are ignored and mocked by his peers. After Linus tells Charlie Brown about the true meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown cheers up, and the Peanuts gang unites to celebrate the Christmas season.
After the comic strip's debut in 1950, Peanuts had become a phenomenon worldwide by the mid-1960s. The special was commissioned and sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, and was written over a period of several weeks, and produced on a small budget in six months. In casting the characters, the producers took an unconventional route, hiring child actors. The program's soundtrack was similarly unorthodox, featuring a jazz score by pianist Vince Guaraldi. Its lack of a laugh track (a staple in US television animation in this period), in addition to its tone, pacing, music, and animation, led both the producers and the network to predict the project would be a disaster. However, contrary to their collective apprehension, A Charlie Brown Christmas received high ratings and acclaim from critics. It has been honored with an Emmy and a Peabody Award, and has become an annual presentation in the United States, airing on broadcast television during the Christmas season. Its success paved the way for a series of Peanuts television specials and films. Its jazz soundtrack achieved commercial success, selling four million copies in the US. Live theatrical versions of A Charlie Brown Christmas have been staged.
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