The other day a friend called and asked for help raking
leaves. I warned him I was in shorts
and he joked about my marble legs seeing daylight, asking what kind of columns
my legs were. I promptly replied,
"Doric". He laughed and said,
"I thought so!" I laughed
because he understood my answer even though he didn't suffer through 4 years of
art history classes in college. Ah yes,
nerd humor.
Every year I look on with interest at other people's
submissions for Inktober. I keep
meaning to do something for it, and then, well... Okay, I procrastinate and make excuses. Yesterday, I found a pen on my desk I kind of like. IF was days late with the weekly word, I saw
the Inktober list, and the universe collided into actual action. I'll sum up my expensive college
understanding of Greek columns for both IF's "History" and Inktober's
"Ancient".
The first "order" is Doric. This is the simplest style with a square on
top of the column.
The second order is Ionic.
This style is recognized by the big scrolls at the top.
The third order is Corinthian. This is the fanciest style with leaves and other decoration.
Really, do you need to know any more than that about Greek
architecture? Yeah, you can learn more
about their buildings, but I think this is all I've needed to keep in my
long-term memory. These styles were taken by the Romans and many other cultures. The US uses them extensively in government buildings as
a way to harken back to the first efforts at democracy with the hope for the
timelessness and solidity of that ancient realm.
Part of me really wants to write about current political
events in the US. Another part of
myself is screaming at myself to shut up about it. Just let things play out and hope for the best. Maybe the only real answer is to let a
little of this leak out in this post?
We're living in history right now. The president will be impeached.
That's a foregone conclusion because the House of Representatives has
the numbers and intention to do it.
Then the matter will go to the Senate who has the duty to decide whether
or not to evict the president from the White House. The Senate is ruled by the president's party, so actually firing
him is probably unlikely, but it could happen depending on what comes up during
the trial. I feel like I'm reliving my
childhood during Nixon's impeachment. I
can't stop watching today's news just like I obsessively watched it back
then. I'm really tired of reality TV
and wish for a calmer political climate.
I'm also very taken by Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager
who passionately spoke to the United Nations about climate change. She's right about it all. The world leaders bicker about stupid stuff
and don't seem to actually do the things they need to do to protect our
world. This too is our living history. If something doesn't change I don't know if
there will be anyone left to read about it in the future. I wish her success in her mission and hope.
I don't know if I'll be diligent with more Inktober
drawings. I'll give it a try. People of all levels of ability participate. If you'd like to play, go to the site here.
