Yesterday I was working on something important when the Internet stopped working. For a while I thought it was me or my IPad, but eventually I called Time Warner to learn from the talking robot, which is able to research my problem online, that there was a disruption in my neighborhood.
This afternoon the robot called back to advise that the problem had been fixed. After fiddling with the modem and the router for a while, I realized that my problem had not been solved. I immediately fled the house amid much frustration to calm down by taking a walk to buy some bagels. As I trudged up the hill, I spotted a distinctive little Time Warner repair truck double-parked 5 doors up the block ( with 2 double-parking tickets compliments of NYC decorating the windshield.) Maybe the City thinks he should carry his little truck upstairs with him when he makes house calls in a neighborhood known infamously as No Park Slope.
Throwing myself on the repairman's mercy, I gave a brief history and pleaded for help. After listening politely to me, the repairman explained that he couldn't help me unless I was on his manifest, which I clearly was not. This sounded very familiar to me, because it happened the same way several months before. It took a long time for a Time Warner repairman to appear after making an appointment.
Anyway, hope springs eternal, and I am sometimes optimistic and naive, so I tried again. Contrary to what he might expect, my internet problems are usually very basic and easily fixed. I tried to impress on this young man my expectation that he could solve my problem in probably two minutes. If you can't fix it in three minutes, you should just leave, I told him. He was very nice and decided to bend company rules to try and help me.
Up we went to my house, and sure enough, within two minutes the modem and router were readjusted and everything was back to normal. I am used to this experience with both of my sons; they smile indulgently whenever they fix one of my bedeviling problems. This is undoubtedly what happens to a lot of people who didn't grow up with the Internet.
After the repairman left, I considered Time Warner's dilemma. Clearly they can't let any subscriber flag down a repairman with a prescribed list of customers awaiting his services willy nilly. This would create chaos and would be akin to jumping a line on a checkout counter. On the other hand, my "repair" was just a tweak, and it really took no more than two minutes, from start to finish. He created tremendous relief for me and lots of goodwill for his employer. A little discretion and judgment lodged with TW's repairmen might not be a terrible thing now and then. I sure wished I could have sent a commendation for his assistance to the company, but we agreed it would do more harm than good. I can't help thinking though, that in the "good old days" they probably let the local policeman or other public servant create tons of good will by such little acts of kindness so much appreciated.
One final part of this experience struck me like a thunderbolt. Not so long ago, I regarded the Internet as an interesting curiosity. After a short time it became a fascinating addition to my life. Now, with experiences like these, when the Internet is taken away from me, I suddenly realize that this advance has become essential and indeed indispensable in my life. Not just for email, or news, or vital research information, but in every aspect of my life. I ask it questions, like how to cook something, explain Einstein's theories to me (simply), or what do 100 people think of the restaurant I'm going to tonight (Yelp). The need has become addictive and endless.
So thanks again to my hero from TW -- whose name I shall not mention lest the old saying comes true in his case: No good deed goes unpunished!
Toucan
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Victoria Behm
Victoria Behm is a very fine artist. You've probably never heard of her. I didn't either until her one-person show opened recently at the 440 Gallery, a small artist co-op gallery in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Her work is reminiscent of the drawings of Saul Steinberg or early David Hockney, without being derivative or copies of either artist. In a short printed statement about her work available to visitors, Vicki says the following: " I draw what I see: sardines, San Pelegrino water, Vespa scooters. I like getting all the little details right whether it is the seed pattern in oranges or the hinges on a box...I draw every day and have filled over 150 journals."
It is one of the tragedies of the art world that an artist as outstanding as Vicki can languish in relative obscurity while others with far less artistic talent sell their work for exorbitant sums and bask in undeserved glory. There is some saving grace in all this, however, which is that an ordinary art lover like me can easily afford to buy her exquisite framed ink drawings for $150-175 each from her current show. This is exactly what is happening during the course of her exhibition at my neighborhood gallery, where much of the work is steadily being purchased.
If you look up 440 Gallery on the Internet and then hit Vicki Behm under the list of gallery artists, you will see what I mean when I say that her ink drawings reflect great draughsmanship and contain memorable graphic imagery. I should also qualify my statement about her obscurity, because it isn't totally accurate. For example, in recent years Vicki unfortunately experienced the dual trials of breast cancer and heart problems. Focusing her artistic sensibilities on these problems, she created a memoir of her experiences in the form of illustrated journals which constitute a totally honest record of her illnesses. The drawings, especially in the heart book, are masterpieces. They wound up being published online by Health.com and can be found on the Internet under the heading " Artist's Notebook: My Adventures With Heart Failure". I believe I read that over 300,000 hits were recorded by visitors to the site.
It is difficult to pin down in words exactly what makes Vicki's drawings so outstanding and memorable. I take comfort,however, in the words of Edward Hopper, who said the most important thing about great art is something that cannot be expressed in words. Like Steinberg and Hockney, however, Vicki Behm's images display a combination of great technical skill in line drawing combined with the ability to capture a beautiful yet quirky image. I have also always been a fan of artwork which incorporates writing into an artwork, and her work has plenty of examples of that partnership.
One of the other nice aspects of the Internet is that, even if you don't read this blog in time to catch her current show, the images will remain for future reference and her work will still be available at the gallery.
Her work is reminiscent of the drawings of Saul Steinberg or early David Hockney, without being derivative or copies of either artist. In a short printed statement about her work available to visitors, Vicki says the following: " I draw what I see: sardines, San Pelegrino water, Vespa scooters. I like getting all the little details right whether it is the seed pattern in oranges or the hinges on a box...I draw every day and have filled over 150 journals."
It is one of the tragedies of the art world that an artist as outstanding as Vicki can languish in relative obscurity while others with far less artistic talent sell their work for exorbitant sums and bask in undeserved glory. There is some saving grace in all this, however, which is that an ordinary art lover like me can easily afford to buy her exquisite framed ink drawings for $150-175 each from her current show. This is exactly what is happening during the course of her exhibition at my neighborhood gallery, where much of the work is steadily being purchased.
If you look up 440 Gallery on the Internet and then hit Vicki Behm under the list of gallery artists, you will see what I mean when I say that her ink drawings reflect great draughsmanship and contain memorable graphic imagery. I should also qualify my statement about her obscurity, because it isn't totally accurate. For example, in recent years Vicki unfortunately experienced the dual trials of breast cancer and heart problems. Focusing her artistic sensibilities on these problems, she created a memoir of her experiences in the form of illustrated journals which constitute a totally honest record of her illnesses. The drawings, especially in the heart book, are masterpieces. They wound up being published online by Health.com and can be found on the Internet under the heading " Artist's Notebook: My Adventures With Heart Failure". I believe I read that over 300,000 hits were recorded by visitors to the site.
It is difficult to pin down in words exactly what makes Vicki's drawings so outstanding and memorable. I take comfort,however, in the words of Edward Hopper, who said the most important thing about great art is something that cannot be expressed in words. Like Steinberg and Hockney, however, Vicki Behm's images display a combination of great technical skill in line drawing combined with the ability to capture a beautiful yet quirky image. I have also always been a fan of artwork which incorporates writing into an artwork, and her work has plenty of examples of that partnership.
One of the other nice aspects of the Internet is that, even if you don't read this blog in time to catch her current show, the images will remain for future reference and her work will still be available at the gallery.
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