Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Tuesday pics

I noticed this painting hanging in the hallway at IVC earlier today. There's quite a story behind it. May as well tell it.

Years ago, IVC's School of Humanities and Languages acquired the painting--from the artist, I believe, who taught for us for some time. So we hung it on the wall.

For many years, that seemed to be fine with everybody. And why not?

Then, about five years ago, during Dean Gensler's Reign of Error, the painting was suddenly taken down and put away. Why? Some of us made inquiries. It turns out that no one had complained about the painting. No instructor. No student. Nobody.

What was the deal then?

Well, all by himself, Howard--one of Raghu's hires--had decided that the painting was "harassing" female students who saw it.

--CORRECTION: the Reb tells me that I got this wrong, which is entirely possible, because I've tried to forget everything Gensler, and Reb has a perfect memory for Genslerian folly. (She could write volumes.) According to the Reb, Gensler took down the painting because it was harassing HIM.

The mind reels.

As soon as that asshole left (well, he didn't exactly "leave"), we stuck the painting right back up there on the wall.


o doubt you've heard about the Greenhouse Massacre by now. Evidently, the worst loss was some rare and old plant called a "Staghorn Fern" (see above).

Or maybe I remembered that wrong: my mind plays tricks with these crazy plant and flower names. Hell, I still call every flower a "posy," just 'cause I heard that word as a kid, with my immigrant's ears, and I thought, what a wonderfully ridiculous word.

They're really goin' to town building that new Theater Complex at IVC. They've got a crane there that's so tall that I had to just stare at it for a while.

I took this picture on my way home today. It was taken from just above El Toro Road. That's Modjeska Peak (5496 ft.) in the middle and Santiago Peak (5690 ft.) on the right. The view from up there is amazing.

This one's from just above Bake Parkway in Irvine (or is it in Lake Forest?).

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gee may I borrow your camera when it's time for the Saddleback BGS evacuees to move into their portables? We've been told it's "The Village," which is spooky to those of us old enough to remember The Prisoner.

Anyway, after three consecutive semesters of being told that it's "95% certain" we'll move NEXT semester, we're now told we're REALLY moving, except there's something about a contingency plan . . . . but today we read about the move in the SC oops I mean the IVC newspaper, "The Lariat." BTW, what exactly do lasers do with their lariats?

Anonymous said...

And Cartman said, "Gensler is an asshole! Gensler is an asshole! Gensler is an asshole!"

Anonymous said...

No, no, no, Chunk - you got it wroing.

Gensler felt the painting was harassing HIM, Gensler.

Anonymous said...

No, no no, the women in the painting were harassing each other - that's how Howard saw it.

Anonymous said...

Gee I can't wait until we at SC can reminisce too about the weird old days before Howard left . . . It sounds like fun.

Anonymous said...

Remember when Howard offered his "ethnic" explanation for Raghu's lying ways? What an enlightened fellow!

Anonymous said...

No more enlightened than our governor...

Rebel Girl said...

You don't wanna know, javabird.

Really.

It's the usual racist crap - the odd twist is that this guy (Haord G.) was hired and championed and defended by Raghu...

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...