Topic: Personal
I almost got kicked out of the Mingei Museum again on this past Sunday. If they didn't want people touching the exhibits there should be signage. It wasn't behind glass cases, or velvet ropes, it was furniture (okay, artisanal furniture, but still, it's table and chairs and cabinets); nonetheless I nearly gave the docent a heart attack - "Stop that! Stop! Just stop touching it! Aaaaarrgh!" This is not the first time I've gotten into trouble at the Mingei, but probably not the last time either - their exhibits frequently are characterized by beautiful textures that frankly invite further tactile investigation. They had finally done away with the creepy Japanese dolls and now have an exhibit of Jewelry from Five Continents, including the extravagant silverworks of the Miao people, an ethnic minority group of Southeastern China, as well as pieces from their permenant China collection. It was very neat to see jewelry pieces in display cases that resembles pieces that I own - "Hey, I have a silver hairpin like that!" - although of course museum pieces are much more delicately made and better cared for than mine, which gets used and abused.

There were what felt like thousands of people in the park today, it's like half of San Diego brought their out-of-town friends to the park. Even the Japanese Friendship Garden, which normally is tres, tres tranquille, nigh on bustled with people. I thought the koi fish in the pond might die from a surfeit of surreptitious bread crumbs.The plant house had really been spruced up for spring and their carnivorous plants are coming along nicely, although I can't for the life of me figure out what they get to eat. I had a Venus Flytrap plant once but it starved. My apartment was just too clean. No flies on us.