Tuesday 23 February - But is it really art?

I had a mission for myself in the morning.

I was going to get to know the back streets of the sestiere Castello, I know the main byways and arteries, but I wanted to get into the small nooks and crannies so I would be more familiar. This is the only sestiere where I have to still look at a map to get from one church to another. I want to know wehre the hardware store is, the guy that makes keys, where to get another hairdryer when I blow mine out.

I made one wrong turn at the outset and ended up walking in circles pretty much for an hour. Dead end. Dead end. Dead end.

I did find the hardware store, and I do know where to get keys made. And I discovered the best housewares store in Venice. They have EVERYTHING. Even Hello Kitty pantyliners. Because, hey girls, you know you need some of that.

My journey of self discovery completed for the time being, I had a date with the Galleria Accademia. This is the one time in my lifetime I may be able to look upon Leonardo da Vinci's original copy of the Vetruvian Man from his writings. They haven't pulled it out for the public in about 30 years, I think. They also have a great interactive components to go along with it. Genius observed.

At the Palazzo Grassi is a contemporary art exhibition, a showing of the collection of Francois Pinault, this generation's Peggy Guggenheim. Meaning he buys a LOT of art. Who's to say it's any good or not? I am not impressed thus far. The outside of the museum has an installation of a giant pack of cigarettes imbedded in a chair. What?

In comparison with doodles from da Vinci, I know what I vote to win as to what should rightfully be called 'art' but I know it's all subjective.

Hello Kitty pantyliners. I can't get over it. Ick.

I headed over to the see Chiara for the afternoon. She kicked my butt in cards again. In preparing lunch for us I managed to slice my thumb across the pad. It feels like a gaping wound, but it's about a half-inch. I couldn't find a bandage at their place, so I put some superglue on it. Chiara thinks I'm crazy of course. I explained this was the original reason it was made (or so I heard.) I read about how medics in the Vietnam war used to it patch soldiers up in the field. It did the trick until a bandaid could be found when Mamma & Marco got back from church.

After dinner Mamma insisted that Marco get out of the house for a while. We opted to go to the movies. We were almost there when I asked him what was playing. He told me it was "Amabili Resti." Oh crap. The last thing you want to see after recently burying your sister is "The Lovely Bones." I told him I had read the book, please don't go see it, it's about death and reaching out for your family from the beyond. He agreed he didn't want to see it. Crisis averted.

We went for a vaporetto ride to Burano instead, one of the outlying islands in the lagoon. It is the island of lacemakers and fishermen. I've never been on the boats out that far at night. There was a couple near us on the way back that were having a very animated conversation in Venetian dialect. I've stated it before that I don't understand it - sounds like talking with oatmeal in your mouth. There was plenty of gesticulating and passionate statements were made between them. I wondered if we were witnessing a breakup in process. We moved away from them as the boat came into the landing. What on earth were they arguing about?

"She thought the chicken was dry at the restaurant. He didn't like the vegetables."