Ann Benjamin's Blog, page 252
March 21, 2016
March 20, 2016
March 19, 2016
Sunday Sentence.
Walking is a virtue, tourism is a deadly sin.”
As I’ll be playing tour guide this week (to a girl I used to babysit, who grew up to be a friend – small world!), I thought this quote was appropriate. I’ve even charged my FitBit to see how many steps we’ll take over the next couple of days. Have a great week!
March 17, 2016
Colossal reading slump.
Has this ever happened to you?
Guys, I cannot get into a single book recently! It’s the most frustrating thing ever. As a person who very much enjoys my reading time, this is a first for me. Outside of my friend (and author) Elena’s most recent release, I have not been able to connect to a single novel!
Here is a list of books I have tried to get into and failed miserably: Sword, Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess, Sorcery & Cecelia, Or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, A God in Ruins, The Stolen Empire, Becoming Queen Victoria, and Bel Canto. As a recent NetGalley member, I’ve tried reading some titles not yet available and can’t connect with those either. Magazines? Nope!
Seeing Jon Hamm reading at least makes me feel better…I’ve started re-reading the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, which has thankfully provided some relief, but any recommendations for beating the slump are surely welcome!
Literally, me.
March 16, 2016
Week by numbers.
Another week gone!
36, years of age! Yes, today is my birthday. Consider supporting me by buying one of my books or writing a positive review!
1, times I was on the radio (talking about food for my other blog, A to Za’atar)
119, pages edited (The Queen of England: Coronation).
59,649, total words (The Queen of England: Coronation).
1, Emirates ID received – I am now a complete and legal person in the UAE.
1, bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge.
Hope you’re wearing green today!
Pic of the week:
March 12, 2016
Sunday Sentence.
Thirty five is a very attractive age; London society is full of women who have of their own free choice remained thirty-five for years.”
– Oscar Wilde
As I near the end of my 35th year, I am grateful. I learned a lot, tried new things and experienced new places. I made new friends and safely moved cities. I am in complete wonder at where I will be in my life for my next birthday…
March 9, 2016
Week by numbers.
Once again, Thursday.
1, crazy rainy day! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it (but mostly because I didn’t have to drive anywhere).
77, pages edited (this is out of 182 total pages, because I moved everything over to MS Word, as Scrivener was being difficult).
53,427, current word count on The Queen of England: Coronation, which means I have a deficit of about 10,000 words I’ll need to make up!
1, week until my birthday!
10, episodes of House of Cards watched (only 3 episodes left in the season)
Almost…there! I’m in the process of getting Life After Joe ready as a print version.
3, relatively amazing art pieces I saw.
Gif of the week (from the upcoming Van Gogh film, Loving Vincent):
March 8, 2016
Apensanteur: Time as an invention and concept.
This invitation popped up late last week, and with nothing going on for Tuesday, I RSVP’d to attend. Having a bit of a late one last night, as well as the gloomy weather in Dubai this week, I almost skipped the event, but am so glad I decided to attend.
Starting time? The invitation read 10:00-12:00AM and after a few many missed turns, I managed to get to the gallery at just around 10:20. A discussion was led by the director of the gallery at 10:30AM.
Refreshments? Poached quail egg anyone? Lemonade and a few others well done hors d’oeuvres were passed around. (Quite unexpected, but appreciated – 10:00AM on a Tuesday is an awkward ‘meal’ time on anyone’s calendar).
This beats my usual breakfast by a significant margin.Location? The M.A.D.Gallery, Al Serkal Avenue.
Messages? Hearing any artist speak about their work is always a treat, especially when an untrained viewer (such as myself) would completely miss out on all the fantastic meaning. Quentin Carnaille was fascinating to listen to, and there was a lot of good questions from the group.
Imagine a collection of levitating magnetized watch parts.
In reality, it’s a study of time. Time, which is a completely human construct, is this big concept that is difficult to translate into art. Yet, these pieces did a fantastic job. Not only are they literally made of time (watch pieces), but the original set was a collection of 12 (for the hours in the day). As these pieces move (each in a unique unpredictable way)…because, life is random and everything is always changing, isn’t it?
Another one of the stunning time pieces.
Not for those with arachnophobia.Personal reflections. Readers, I will be honest with you. I went into this event with limited expectations. I walked out with appreciation that there can be meaning in the day to day, that there are reminders of the human experience all around us. As Mr. Carnaille spoke, I thought of a project which has been dancing at my periphery recently. My Fates project, which I feel I have more or less abandoned for years, has a lot to do with the concept of time.
Also, and a bit of a tangent as we discussed Mr. Carnaille’s next project (related to space), I thought about my books (obviously). And how, maybe at some point in a month or day or hour, that there might be people, in different locations reading my book. And that it would be some sort of unique shared experience.
…
Swag? Some nice marketing material on artists and artwork available at the gallery. A cute wooden art man. A zip drive.
Bottom line. More of this in my life, please.
Any deep thoughts for your Tuesday?
March 6, 2016
Sunday Sentence.
Time you enjoy wasting, is not wasted.”John Lennon
For many reasons procrastination this is a good quote for me.
March 4, 2016
Literally me.
In case you wanted a moment in my head… I’m trying to get better. Last night was exceptionally difficult – we left an hour early for a ride that should’ve taken 35 minutes, only to sit in traffic for 90 minutes. I definitely needed the extra G&T at the end of the night…
