August 27, 2009

Today I learned that my father and the late Ted Kennedy were born in the same year (1932), some months apart.

Today I also learned that the symbols in van Eyck's "Arnolfini Wedding" may indicate that the wife was actually dead at the time the painting was finished or even before it was commissioned (The lit candle on his side and the snubbed candles on hers; The Passions of Christ, the ones during His life on the side of the groom while Christ's posthumous acts lay on the side of the bride; The pregnant looking belly that could indicate a death in childbirth...). It's a very interestign explanation for the mystery of the painting though I suppose we may never know.
(I may have heard this theory before but today was the first time I heard it fully explained).


In other news, you might have noticed I haven't quite got the hang of updating everyday. I'm going to try to work on that.

August 22, 2009

Today I learned that my mother took a took a night class in home improvement at the local high school when my older brother was a little kid. I guess it explains why she's so much better at that sort of thing than my dad, and more interested. I always figured it was just because she watched so much HGTV.