A conclusion.

I have decided NOT to ride my Suzuki across country this summer. Although there should have been the thrill of a cross-country motorcycle trip, there was not. I'm going to be in Nashville for pleasure and business, meaning that I will have my laptop with me. My 6-month old laptop, to be exact. A braver soul might back it up obsessively, pack it in a swarm of Styrofoam peanuts, insure the hell out of it, and then (a) trust it to a carrier service, or (b) call it a two-thousand dollar back-protector, but not I. Perhaps I just made up an excuse, but the reality is I can focus well on just one thing at a time. A leisurely motorcycle trip is one thing. A 2000-mile trip by myself on a motorcycle as a form of transportation is another. I just didn't want to do it this summer.

Plus, I've decided that keeping a bike at my mom's house is a good thing. The scenery is beautiful there, the roads are pleasant and it will help me stay sane.

The show at TAG art gallery opened last night and the show at Kristi Engle came down. I stayed at home and read Esquire. Matt arrives back from NYC tonight. He visited some galleries in Chelsea and asked me if I knew Christopher Wool's work. Of course. And not only that, I'm gaga over just about every painter that shows there. Luhring Augustine. One of my fantasy BFF. Well, actually Albert Oehlen, in particular, but I discovered Josh Smith's work while swooning over Oehlen, so I've added him to my list. Smith received his BFA from University of Tennessee too. For some reason, that makes me happy. He's also in the Saatchi collection, so I'm thinking that trumps the BFA from UTK.

And not to sound like an ingrate, but I've aways felt more vested by my BFA than my MFA, though I'm sure I'm not vested by either. Still, I'm going to call it fond feelings of earnest questioning as opposed to the post-modern, hitting-my-head-against-the-wall ennui of the early 90's.

But honestly, I just like to paint, so I kind of don't care anymore.