Sunday, January 11, 2009

If I Were Home, I'd Head for the Hospital

If I were home, I'd head for the hospital. Very difficult for me to walk. The discomfort and tightness in my abdomen have progressed to pain. Even at rest, I feel the pain, and my breathing is labored. Getting up stairs and walking to and from the tube station are arduous. Aaron is patient with me, even when I have to make frequent stops.

Went to the British Museum this morning. Much more remarkable than I had ever imagined. The plunders of the empire! The Greek antiquities at the Getty are such a pale comparison to the treasures at the British Museum. Also loved the Assyrian collection and the Japanese screens. I can see how Londoners could spend every weekend here.

Took the tube to St. Paul's Cathedral. Quite a stunning experience. Most of the interior was roped off in preparation for a concert. The organist was practicing. Aaron did not go inside as he still has a fear of large, open interior spaces.

Walked across the Millennial Bridge to the Tate Modern. So cold!

A lot of the Tate was conceptual art bullshit. This even gave Aaron a headache. I imagine conceptual artists getting together and laughing at all the money they're making from creating stupid shit, like pieces of leather hanging from the ceiling or bricks arranged on the floor or pieces of colored paper plastered on the museum walls. Such a waste of good gallery space. As Aaron said, all the conceptual art in the world doesn't equal the emotional quality of a good painting.

Took a bunch of tubes back to the Bayswater Station, which is about eight blocks from the hotel. Aaron asked if it was possible if we could go home early. I said I didn't know. I'm getting worse each day.

I want to see as much as I can, but then again, I'd rather just curl up somewhere and sleep.

Followers

About Me

Southern California, United States
Perhaps my friend Mark summed me up best when he called me "a mystical grammarian." I am quite a mix--otherworldly, ethereal and in touch with "the beyond," yet prone to being very precise and logical, when need be. Romantic in the big-canvas meaning of the word, I see the world as an adventure, as a love poem, as a realm of beauty and wonder.

Blog Archive