All posts by Jacqueline Markowitz

Amobet Casino NL: Een Nieuwe Standaard voor Nederlands Online Gokken

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Welkom bij Vegas Hero Casino NL – Jouw Ultieme Gokbestemming

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Een Niveau Hoger in Online Casino’s

Ben je op zoek naar een online casino dat je het gevoel van Las Vegas geeft zonder je huis te verlaten? Dan is casino vegas hero precies wat je nodig hebt. Vegas Hero Casino NL combineert een indrukwekkende spelbibliotheek met royale bonussen en een gebruiksvriendelijke interface. Of je nu een doorgewinterde speler bent of net begint, hier vind je gegarandeerd een naadloze ervaring. De site is volledig gelokaliseerd voor Nederlandse spelers, inclusief iDEAL-betalingen en Nederlandstalige ondersteuning. Laten we dieper ingaan op wat dit casino zo bijzonder maakt.

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Vegas Hero Casino biedt honderden slots van topontwikkelaars zoals NetEnt, Microgaming en Play’n GO. Denk aan klassiekers als Starburst en Book of Dead, maar ook aan de nieuwste releases met verbluffende graphics. Voor liefhebbers van tafelspellen is er een ruime keuze aan blackjack, roulette, baccarat en poker. Daarnaast is er een indrukwekkend live casino-gedeelte waar je met echte dealers kunt spelen. Of je nu via je desktop of mobiel speelt, de spellen laden snel en soepel.

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Ice Casino GR: Το Σημείο Συνάντησης για Όλους τους Λάτρεις των Online Παιχνιδιών

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Φαντάσου ένα μέρος όπου η διασκέδαση συναντά την ασφάλεια, τα γρήγορα κέρδη συναντούν την ποιότητα, και η επιλογή είναι ατελείωτη. Αυτό είναι το Ice Casino GR – ένα online καζίνο που έχει καταφέρει να κερδίσει τις καρδιές των Ελλήνων παικτών. Αν ψάχνεις για έναν τόπο που να συνδυάζει δωρεάν περιστροφές, συναρπαστικό gameplay, τεράστια ποικιλία παιχνιδιών και άμεσες πληρωμές, είσαι στο σωστό μέρος. Σε αυτό το άρθρο θα ανακαλύψεις όλα όσα κάνουν το Ice Casino GR τόσο ξεχωριστό.

Ξεκινάμε με μια δυνατή πρόταση: αν θέλεις να δοκιμάσεις την τύχη σου χωρίς ρίσκο, τα https://casino-ice.com.gr/free-spins είναι ακριβώς ό,τι χρειάζεσαι. Δωρεάν περιστροφές που σου δίνουν την ευκαιρία να γνωρίσεις το καζίνο χωρίς να βάλεις βαθιά το χέρι στην τσέπη. Αλλά μην νομίζεις ότι αυτό είναι το μόνο τους ατού – υπάρχουν πολλά ακόμα.

Δωρεάν Περιστροφές: Το Τέλειο Κόλπο για Να Ξεκινήσεις

Οι δωρεάν περιστροφές (free spins) είναι το αγαπημένο εργαλείο κάθε αρχάριου και έμπειρου παίκτη. Στο Ice Casino GR, οι free spins δεν έρχονται μόνο στις προσφορές καλωσορίσματος, αλλά και σε τακτικές προωθητικές ενέργειες. Φαντάσου να παίζεις το αγαπημένο σου φρουτάκι χωρίς να ξοδεύεις ούτε λεπτό – αυτή είναι η μαγεία. Επιπλέον, οι όροι είναι ξεκάθαροι: δεν χρειάζεται να διαβάζεις ψιλά γράμματα για ώρες. Απλά κάνε εγγραφή, χρησιμοποίησε τον σύνδεσμο που ανέφερα, και απόλαυσε δωρεάν γυρίσματα. Απλά, γρήγορα, αποδοτικά.

Συναρπαστικό Gameplay: Ποτέ Δεν Βαριέσαι

Το Ice Casino GR δεν είναι απλώς άλλο ένα καζίνο. Είναι μια πλατφόρμα που σέβεται τον χρόνο σου και την ανάγκη σου για ψυχαγωγία. Τα παιχνίδια έχουν ρευστότητα και ήχους που σε τραβούν μέσα στη δράση. Από κλασικές κουλοχέρηδες μέχρι ζωντανά παιχνίδια με ντίλερ, όλα είναι σχεδιασμένα για να σε κρατούν στην άκρη της καρέκλας σου. Το interface είναι φιλικό, ακόμα και αν δεν είσαι τεχνολογικά γνώστης. Και το καλύτερο; Μπορείς να παίξεις από το κινητό σου, χωρίς να χάσεις ούτε στιγμή από την ποιότητα.

Επιλογή Παιχνιδιών: Από το Α έως το Ω

Αν σου αρέσει η ποικιλία, είσαι τυχερός. Το Ice Casino GR προσφέρει εκατοντάδες τίτλους από κορυφαίους παρόχους λογισμικού. Θα βρεις φρουτάκια, επιτραπέζια παιχνίδια (μπλακ τζακ, ρουλέτα, μπακαρά), βίντεο πόκερ, ακόμα και παιχνίδια με τζακ ποτ. Κάθε εβδομάδα προστίθενται νέοι τίτλοι, οπότε ποτέ δεν βαρέθηκες. Μπορείς να διαλέξεις ανάλογα με τη διάθεση σου: αν νιώθεις τυχερός, πήγαινε σε κάτι γρήγορο· αν θέλεις στρατηγική, δοκίμασε τα επιτραπέζια. Το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι θα βρεις κάτι που σου ταιριάζει.

Ασφάλεια: Το Όνομά Σου Είναι Ασφαλές

Το Ice Casino GR παίρνει την ασφάλεια πολύ στα σοβαρά. Χρησιμοποιεί κρυπτογράφηση SSL 128-bit, που σημαίνει ότι τα προσωπικά σου δεδομένα και οι συναλλαγές σου είναι προστατευμένα από κάθε ματιά. Επίσης, η πλατφόρμα είναι αδειοδοτημένη από τη Μάλτα (MGA), έναν από τους πιο αυστηρούς ρυθμιστές. Δεν χρειάζεται να ανησυχείς για παράνομες δραστηριότητες – το καζίνο λειτουργεί με απόλυτη διαφάνεια. Κάθε παιχνίδι έχει επαληθευμένο RNG (γεννήτρια τυχαίων αριθμών), οπότε τα αποτελέσματα είναι πραγματικά τυχαία. Με λίγα λόγια, παίζεις με το μυαλό σου ήσυχο.

Γρήγορες Πληρωμές: Λεφτά στο Χέρι σε Χρόνο Μηδέν

Ένα από τα μεγαλύτερα παράπονα των παικτών είναι η αργή αναμονή για αναλήψεις. Στο Ice Casino GR, αυτό είναι παρελθόν. Η πλατφόρμα διαθέτει fast payments, που σημαίνει ότι μπορείς να δεις τα κέρδη σου στον λογαριασμό σου μέσα σε λίγες ώρες, όχι μέρες. Οι δημοφιλείς τρόποι πληρωμής όπως κάρτες, e-wallets (Skrill, Neteller), ακόμα και κρυπτονομίσματα υποστηρίζονται. Επιπλέον, δεν υπάρχουν κρυφές χρεώσεις. Απλά κάνεις αίτηση, περιμένεις λίγο, και το ποσό είναι διαθέσιμο. Αυτή η ταχύτητα δείχνει ότι το καζίνο εκτιμά τον χρόνο σου.

Συμπέρασμα: Άξιζε να το Δοκιμάσεις;

Αν αναζητάς ένα online καζίνο που συνδυάζει δωρεάν περιστροφές, πλούσιο gameplay, τεράστια ποικιλία, απόλυτη ασφάλεια και αστραπιαίες πληρωμές, το Ice Casino GR είναι η απάντηση. Δεν χρειάζεται να είσαι ειδικός για να καταλάβεις ότι η πλατφόρμα είναι φτιαγμένη για την άνεσή σου. Ξεκίνα με τις free spins (θυμήσου τον σύνδεσμο στην αρχή), και στη συνέχεια βρες το παιχνίδι που σε ταιριάζει. Η εμπειρία είναι εγγυημένη. Μην το σκέφτεσαι – δοκίμασέ το και εσύ. Το μόνο που έχεις να χάσεις είναι η βαρεμάρα σου.

Pinco TR ile Mobil Kumarhanede Sınırları Zorlayın

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Çevrimiçi casino dünyası her geçen gün genişlerken, Türk oyuncular için güvenilir, hızlı ve eğlenceli bir platform bulmak hiç de kolay değil. İşte tam bu noktada Pinco TR, modern altyapısı, zengin oyun seçenekleri ve mobil öncelikli yapısıyla fark yaratıyor. Uzun yıllardır sektörde edindiği tecrübeyi kullanıcı dostu bir arayüzle birleştiren Pinco, sadece bir casino sitesi olmanın ötesine geçerek keyifli bir yaşam tarzı sunuyor. Üstelik Android cihazınıza özel uygulaması sayesinde dilediğiniz an, dilediğiniz yerden oyunların kalbine bağlanabiliyorsunuz.

Mobil erişimin önemini çok iyi bilen platform, uygulamasını sürekli güncelleyerek kusursuz bir deneyim vadediyor. Pinco TR’ye en hızlı şekilde katılmak isteyenler için hazırlanan pinco indir apk bağlantısı, birkaç dokunuşla kurulumu tamamlamanızı sağlıyor. APK dosyasını indirip yüklediğinizde, sitenin masaüstü sürümündeki tüm işlevleri – slot makinelerinden masa oyunlarına, anlık bildirimlerden hızlı para çekme adımlarına kadar – avucunuzun içine sığdırmış oluyorsunuz. Uygulama hafif yapısıyla depolama alanını zorlamıyor ve eski model telefonlarda bile akıcı çalışıyor.

Sınırsız Oyun Kütüphanesiyle Her Zevke Hitap Ediyor

Pinco TR, casino severlerin beklentilerini fazlasıyla karşılayacak bir oyun yelpazesi sunuyor. Dünyaca ünlü sağlayıcıların en yeni slot oyunlarını, devasa jackpot fırsatlarını ve klasik meyve makinelerinin modern yorumlarını burada bulabilirsiniz. Her hafta eklenen yeni yapımlar sayesinde monotonluk hissi asla yaşanmıyor. Rulet, blackjack, bakara ve poker gibi masa oyunları ise gerçek zamanlı istatistikler ve pürüzsüz grafiklerle donatılmış. Dileyenler düşük limitli masalarda strateji geliştirebilir, yüksek bahis tutkunları ise VIP salonlarında adrenalin dolu anlar yaşayabilir.

Kazancına Hemen Başlatan Cömert Bonuslar

Pinco TR’nin yeni üyelerine sunduğu hoş geldin paketi, ilk para yatırma işleminden itibaren bakiyeyi katlıyor. Yüzde yüze varan eşleştirme bonusları, bedava dönüş hediyeleri ve kayıp iadeleri, oyuna daha güçlü başlamanızı sağlıyor. Mevcut kullanıcılar için de haftalık fırsatlar, nakit iade kampanyaları ve özel turnuvalar sürekli güncelleniyor. Sadakat programı sayesinde her bahsiniz puan kazandırıyor ve bu puanları yüksek limitli ödüllere dönüştürebiliyorsunuz. Bonus çevrim şartlarının oldukça makul tutulması, kazancı çekilebilir hale getirmeyi kolaylaştıran en büyük artılardan biri.

Canlı Casino Deneyimi Dört Dörtlük

Gerçek bir kumarhane atmosferini yaşamak isteyenler için Pinco TR’nin canlı casino bölümü tam bir hazine. Profesyonel krupiyeler eşliğinde yayınlanan masalarda, yüksek çözünürlüklü kamera açılarıyla oyunun her anına şahit oluyorsunuz. Rulet çarkının dönüşünden kartların dağıtılmasına kadar tüm süreç şeffaf bir şekilde ilerliyor. Canlı sohbet özelliği sayesinde diğer oyuncularla ve krupiyerle iletişim kurabiliyor, tıpkı fiziksel bir casinoda gibi sosyalleşebiliyorsunuz. Türkçe dil desteği olan masaların sayısının giderek artması, yerel saatlere göre planlanmış özel seanslar ise bahis alışkanlıklarınıza mükemmel uyum sağlıyor.

Anında İşlem, Kesintisiz Erişim

Para yatırma ve çekme süreçlerinde hız, Pinco TR’nin en büyük önceliklerinden. Banka havalesi, kripto para, ön ödemeli kartlar ve yerel cüzdanlar gibi pek çok yöntem bir arada sunuluyor. Minimum işlem limitlerinin düşük tutulması, küçük bütçelerle oynamak isteyenleri de kapsıyor. Ödeme talepleri çoğunlukla dakikalar içinde onaylanıyor ve kazancınız hızla hesabınıza yansıyor. 7/24 canlı destek ekibi ise hem uygulama içinden hem de site üzerinden her türlü sorunuza anında çözüm getiriyor. Türkçe bilen operatörler, samimi ve sabırlı yaklaşımlarıyla güven duygunuzu pekiştiriyor.

İster fırsat anlarında büyük jackpot kovalayın ister günün stresini atmak için birkaç el rulet oynayın, Pinco TR size özel hazırlanmış mobil çözümleriyle her daim yanınızda. Güvenlik sertifikaları, lisanslı altyapısı ve sorumlu oyun politikalarıyla aile olmanın verdiği huzuru sunan platform, tek bir dokunuşla bambaşka bir casino evreninin kapılarını aralıyor. Hemen APK’nızı indirin, avantajlı bonuslarınızı toplayın ve oyun keyfine kesintisiz devam edin.

The Kitchen

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The dishwasher was broken. The fridge door couldn’t be replaced. The stove hummed, off key. I’d always wanted a fabulous kitchen. And so, the renovation began mid August and was due to wrap up in the last week of September. Perfect.  I would put my kitchen back together, and cook all weekend to have the family for my traditional Rosh Hashana lunch. The best laid plans. It’s December. Still renovating my kitchen.

Full disclosure. We did add a few things. Now it’s more like a main floor renovation. I kinda feel like the kitchen is on the back burner. “Wouldn’t it be great if we moved the closet…” Then the window turned into a door. The doorways got wider and higher… It will all be beautiful. Eventually. It’s the dream kitchen that wasn’t even in my dreams.  Ideas are glorious, and when renovating… dangerous and expensive. But once you see the space opening up it’s like a treasure box of possibilities!

On the flip side, I’m asking myself why am I doing this? A lot of my friends are looking at condos downtown. I’m at least ten years too late… clearly a renovation late bloomer. I could have taken a trip around the world instead of a new kitchen. Now, though, I fear that my travel dreams are on simmer.

The renovation is all consuming. It keeps me up at night. I wake up long before dawn frustrated that the work seems to be ambling at a snail’s pace. I send myself  e-mails with lists of all the things that still need to be done. My nightly Reno–notes.

Here I am, in the third act of my life. I will finally have state of the art appliances and gorgeous countertops, cupboards that close, and floors that match. Truth be told, I’m not so sure I care about it all anymore, least of all cooking!  In the interlude of main floor living, I’ve discovered the joy of poached salmon from The Avenue Fish Shop, the salad bar at Whole Foods and desserts from Phipps. And, I’ve learned that there are no medals for standing all day and cooking it all from scratch. I have a new appreciation for foods I do not have to cook. Perhaps they will taste even better when plated in my ‘transitional’ kitchen, and served atop those natural quartz countertops that I fell hard in love with. Love, as it turns out, does come with a price…

There are now small glimpses of completion, like carrots dangling before that proverbial rabbit. I can imagine the day when I will have my main floor back, curtains, sofas, chairs and tables…and will have finished washing every dish I own, every knife, fork, spoon, and putting it back in my cupboards and in those lovely drawers with custom dividers – organized, arranged and gleaming.  At which point, I’m pretty sure, I will not want to use any of them – just admire their pageantry!

I must say, lately I’ve been contemplating – what do we really need? Living in the basement with those few essentials for the past four months has been a lesson in simple living. I don’t want any more stuff! Just those few perfect accompaniments.  I want to refine all aspects of my life.  It’s  remarkably similar to the process of editing my novel. Instead I’m editing my space, wardrobe, thoughts, and dreams – Asking myself what is necessary, what makes sense to my personal story; an economy of the stuff of which I fill my life garnered to lay out like the perfect sentence, each element as each word, deliberated and chosen.

It all started in the kitchen, the heart of our home and our soul. We learn about what we need, and the essentials of our living from our kitchen. After all, the perfect omelet has very few ingredients. Fresh farm eggs, real butter, perhaps a hint of sharp cheese, a pinch of salt, a toss of chopped basil, a good quality whisk and a sturdy frying pan. And what do we need to savour it but a table, a chair, a window, and a beautiful plate or two, and those we love.

Paris is Always a Good Idea

Just Posted, Life Is

And in a minute it’s quiet. One went up to her room. The other took the baby outside. And with them, went that dog, and my husband. One is still at work. And, no one seems to know where the recycling bags are kept or how to open a dishwasher. I practice my breathing. Breath – I am breathing in – my mind knows the drill.

Sitting at the kitchen table facing the window, my back to the mess. The late afternoon sun filtering through the trees, they seem to have grown into a jungle from the rain, and just enough of a breeze to present the squirrels a more unreliable trapeze. I must remember to cut the lilac husks off the tree this weekend. Six years, it should have been much bigger, must have bought a dwarf, pretty though. Two white iron chairs angled in conversation at the back of the garden. I took the backrest out when we adopted them from the kitchen of the elderly couple advertising on Kijiji. The pink Swiss dots definitely cramped the style carried off by their charming curvy legs.

I feel the mess glaring at me. The box and cellophane of the organic date and lemon crackers, a plastic wrapper peeled off like a stocking from the cheese, the pile of recycling that didn’t make it to the curb this morning. The foil tin from the Ratatouille that I brought home yesterday so the girls would have something to eat, of which she said, “That was a good movie, remember it Mom?” “Yes, it had the mouse.” I think I have mice.

The white mug on the counter, half full, with the string and tag of the tea bag wound around the handle; the tell tale sign. Her signature. I know who left that cup advocating Paris is always a good idea stacked in lines of cursive. Let’s run away. The curvy legs of two chairs sitting across a round table that’s just big enough for our elbows, small strong cups of coffee, and one plate with pain au chocolat that I try to order with a French accent.  Remember the flower shop we found?  Jacqulines and you took a photograph of me after I had gathered an armful of lilies, roses and peonies. Like a corny film.

                                                             ***

Details of the mundane become relevant in the light of something we cannot control. Last week I was immersed in a writing workshop at UFT. Each night we were to write and send a piece around to the class by 7:00 pm  so we would have a chance to read the work for critique the next morning.  I wrote the above on Thursday July 14th  after school, and pressed send. Then, Lorne and I got in the car to go grocery shopping. We turned on the news, and heard about Nice.

I had just written the words; Paris is always a good idea. It hit me hard. Just minutes ago I was escaping the minutiae, imagining being in Paris, one of the world’s most iconic romantic fantasies. Just moments ago families were strolling along a beautiful street, enjoying the end of a day of celebration. And, then. Life changes. Irreparably. In a moment. And, we cling, to all the silly, irrelevant, lovely annoyances of our lives.

Firefly

Just Posted, Life Is

The moon was full. It lay a path across the lake – a glistening lane in tranquil ripples. A night for travelling on a boat with a billowed sail, for pirate ships, treasure and painted wings, sealing wax and dragons that lived across the sea. It was a night for wonder. It was also game seven with the Cavs and Warriors. Moon gazing would have to wait.

My husband and I had run away from the children for the weekend. Yes, our three adult children. It was a spontaneous decision. I left them on Friday morning. I didn’t make dinner. I left them money. It was entirely against my grain. I did pop out and buy a Challah before we left. We threw our belongings in a case, as if caution to the wind.

My shoulders notched down, like the tin man with a swig from the oil can with each ‘Oro line’ we passed heading to the lake. I needed some space. Some calm. A reprise from all the meanderings in my head – all those should-haves, things to do, wishes for things that are not mine to wish for, contemplations and mingling notions. And the practice of  that proverbial monkey, hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, or some rendition of that. I needed a re-set. A moment to set the dial back to me, to only be concerned with my own happiness ~ who said that our happiness depends on the happiness of our children.

Back to game 7.  My husband was rooting for LeBron James and was wrapped up in the Cleveland story. I will cheer loudest for my home teams, but I do like Steph Curry. Also, I really have a pet peeve about the word deserve. Did the Cavs ‘deserve’ this win because no team had won in 50 something years? Did the fans ‘deserve’ this? Sometimes we do feel entitled, and deserving.

I don’t feel entitled to this time, or deserving of it, even though there could be a long list that would support that notion. I am however allowed to give this time to myself, to maybe be a little selfish. To know that it’s okay at this point of my life to be good just to myself, even though I love spending time with my kids, and doing whatever I can do help and enrich their lives, as they enrich mine.

I am conscious of these days. Aware of the passage of time. The quickness. And, I can sometimes get pulled into ‘the stuff’. It’s really important for me to see the beauty in my life. Find happiness. Appreciate the now. These are the messages I say to myself, that sustain me, create my equanimity and equilibrium.

After the game, we did go outside to look at the most beautiful illuminating moon. The summer solstice was indeed dancing on the warm, dreamy breeze. We went to the road to find the darkness that could see the stars. There in a meadow I saw tiny flashes of light. Fireflies. Remember the nursery rhyme about the Teddy Bears Picnic, “If you go into the woods today you’re in for a big surprise… watch them, catch them unaware….” Well, I felt as if I was opening a storybook to the firefly ball. We watched the flight patterns as they signaled across the sky, between the tall grasses, amongst the trees.

As I closed my eyes that night, and my mind felt clear, as if a kaleidoscope revealing it’s magical configurations and bracketing into a shape. I could see. The moon was full. The water rippled ever so gently. The seven stars that I think must have been the little dipper, and the lights of the Fireflies that enchanted a summer’s eve.

A Day in the Life

Just Posted, Life Is, Love

Thursday morning I went into my youngest daughter’s room. She is home between adventures.  It’s 7:00 am. Phone alarm singing. Of course she doesn’t hear it. Never has.  I quietly nudge, whisper wakes ups, and then rub her back. Purrs as if she’s a kitten. I stroke her head. Steeped in a drowsy tranquility. This doesn’t happen often anymore. The morning can wait. I look at my hand twirling her tangle of curls. It looks like my mother’s hand. I’m getting brown spots.

My eldest daughter is at the hospital waiting for labour to begin. Her first child. I’m going to be a grandmother. I remember holding her in my arms. Tick tock, the hands of the clock, gingham rocking horses, round and round, rhymes, prom dresses, butterfly kisses.  Raindrop tears, hers and mine, over the years. A river flows between us.

My middle daughter is sleeping in the room next door. This too is a moment. She doesn’t live at home. I go in to say good morning. Light coming through the childhood curtain, single little bed, still the ruffled white linens. A ladybug is crawling across the cover. Like a picture in a storybook. Ladybug, ladybug fly away…  Make a wish.

The baby came after eight in the evening. Morning to night. Life changes. Love happens. Something shifts. A miracle. He rests his perfect tiny hand on my daughter’s chest. We leave the hospital three hours after he is born. She can no longer remember a life without her son. Life begins again.

Friday evening. Baby had not yet been in the world for twenty-four hours. We gathered for dinner in her new home. It’s Shabbat. We light the candles, share Challa, drink sweet wine. Welcome to family. I sit at my daughter’s table. Look at what can happen in a day. What we can create. How much we can love.  Sometimes we think that a day is not enough, we complain of all the reasons this or that cannot be accomplished today; or we never get around to doing what we want to do, no time, too busy, another day.

A day in the life. A day can change everything.

The Art of Seeing

Just Posted, Muse

Seeing the Turner exhibit for the second time I began to notice things in his work that I had completely missed the first time around. It made me think about the way that we see things – the everyday in our lives, the people, and our surroundings. Mostly, though – what we don’t see, and how we rarely give consideration or inquire what lay beneath the surface.

My initial trip through the gallery, I was taken with the breadth of Turner’s work, the saturation and delicacy of colour, the incredible light, the journey of the waves. I was awed by the idea that he had painted these through seeing, not by snapping a photograph, but by the experience of noticing and feeling the diversities and intensities of the water, the light, the danger, and the beauty. His paintings are so sensory in that way.

But, Light and Colour (Goethe’s Theory) – The Morning after the Deluge – Moses Writing the Book of Genesis captivated me on my second visit. I stood before it. Others came, looked, discussed, and contemplated. I was planted. My eyes roving the painting following the story of the flood – discovering the layers expressing beliefs that both spiritually and artistically swirl in impressions and hues of yellow, red and blue. It was actually worship. It had impact. It reached me. It had the intended effect – transitioning me from the bursts of hope and prayer in the brilliance of yellows, to the melancholy and anguish of blues.

This morning, as if a painting out my window I notice the yellow brick of the house beyond the iron fence now visible through the architecture of naked trees at the back of the garden. A bulb still on from the night. A raccoon, misplaced, edging down the rain stained bark like an engorged inchworm. The grey sky hanging still, like a hand placed across my back as I am walking.  Who is the woman that rolled up her blinds? I knew that she had opened her fridge from that white light that fanned a triangle across her windowpane – probably milk for cereal or coffee. My own red teacup with doodled flowers and dots, the brew already cold, I’ll have to put it in the microwave.

This is what Turner does. He inclines us to notice – to challenge our assumptions, to experience the story of his paintings and turn it back on ourselves – our view, perceptions, and deceptions.

Did Jack Bush influence Pacman?

Just Posted, Life Is

I’m taking a social media course at the AGO using the exhibits as food and fodder for our foray into this foreign land of communication. Those were a lot of unintentional ‘f’s’ in one sentence, although it works somehow. Somewhat how I feel about the social media.

We learned Twitter. Opened an account, added our headshot, a background banner, and spoke our first tweets. It took this class of ‘over 50 something’s’ two full hours to get this far.  Then we went to the gallery to explore the Abstract Art exhibit and experiment with how to see things in an interesting way. How to photograph the works of art, making them intriguing, perhaps taking the piece out of context, exposing the underbelly, predicating a social comment, or finding humour etc. Who knew that gaining an ‘online presence’ was such a calculated enterprise.

I mean, I’m sure it’s not that complicated for everyone – like the people who like to ‘share’ with their ‘friends’ every meal, coffee and cat. But, for those of us with general indifference for Facebook, and a flippancy to 140 characters of dribble, welcome to this ‘30,000 leagues’ of what to us is the same as an ‘under the sea’ exploration of communication. And, by the way, we may as well embrace it for all of its irreconcilable charms.

Lynn Crosbie is teaching the course. Lynn – poet, journalist, author, pop culture aficionado. First class. She intuitively has her finger on the pulse of what’s going on, what we are or should be interested in, and what is current before we even know it is. For example, when we were photographing the art she took a picture of Claes Oldenburg’s ‘Floor Burger’ and tweeted about it. Only a couple of days later, on Saturday morning there is the burger on the front page of Globe Arts, as this pop masterpiece returns to the floor of the AGO.

If I were a work of art on display at the gallery, I would probably put myself amongst this exhibit of Abstract Art of the 60’s and 70’s. There is certainly more historic and current art that I relate to, but, I am a product of that time period. It influenced my life, and continues to resonate. So, it is with a giant step that I embark on my moonwalk to social media.

I only have 5 followers. It makes you feel bad about yourself. So, follow me. I’ve posted 8 tweets, and even used hashtags, although still not exactly sure what they are, but I can  #JacquelineMarkowitz #recipeforlifeclub # AGO and  #JackBush …

I’m a work in progress.