Appartement: A New Word For Our Times

appartement.
noun: a real or imagined psychological discomfort caused by the expectation or anticipation of future political or socio-political events.  The term originated with specific reference to November 2010 elections but may also relate to future events (see further below under Extended Meanings).

Etymology
Appartement derives from the French word for apartment, and is preferably given a French pronunciation. The cognate English word apartment conveys the notion of "a set of private rooms in a building entirely of these".  The new word is derived from an older notion of separateness which ultimately manifests as solitary living. A paradox of appartement philosophy is an anti-communal spirit (preferring to abide alone) and this feature distinguishes adherents of appartement philosophy from earlier anti-establishment movements, for example, the hippies.

Extended Meanings
(1) Appartement philosophy began in the early 21st century as an earnest rebellion against what adherents viewed as increasingly materialist, amoral trends within United States social culture. Initially identified with a politically left-leaning philosophy, the appartement movement championed greener living, despite the need for more and more additional single person dwellings.  Appartement philosophy championed cultural diversity, indeed to the point of regarding everything and everybody as equal (but separate).  Adherents of appartement, notably white, young and affluent, actively despised cohabitation with opposite and even same sexed partners, especially if children instead of pets were involved, preferring the solitary "apart" lifestyle.

(2)  Appartement describes the existential angst of living alone in a big city surrounded by relative well being, yet having the feeling that that relative well being may unexpectedly vanish.  As a societal phenomenon, appartement sentiment first emerged as embodying independence and upward financial mobility, particularly amongst youths reaching or exceeding college age.  Appartement philosophy was best exemplified in the halcyon days of condominium speculation in the first decade of the 21st century.

(3) Appartement sentiment describes the feeling of willful detachment that adherents may feel when contemplating great swaths of fly-over-country where people live in actual family-based units which they consider archaic.

After the November 2010 elections, fictional and real portrayals in novels, films, and television began depicting appartement adherents with growing derision and scorn.  Adherents of appartement began to be seen as an isolated phenomenon.  Paradoxically, as world events incurred to unify the United States, the appartement movement smoothly blended into the fabric of greater American society.

[Added: appartement is exacerbated by modern social networking. To some degree, people "network" at the expense of forming older, more traditional social networks such as neighborhoods]
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I wrote that years ago on my blog here. You can check out the back and forth that blake I had at the time. Anyone remember blake?  I think I still have the power to summon him, but I won't at this time.

I dug this out for review because of very recent "social distancing" which certain universities are pushing. I'm predicting that "social distancing" will fail for very human reasons -- people are not geared to handle the existential angst of being alone. They will "safe cluster" instead.

When Fredo Cuomo tells you he has to call in the National Guard to combat the Coonavirus and bans all public gatherings.....Remember!

They say they just want to serve the public.

You know what they have in mind. Don't believe them or the fake news.

Salena Zito hits another one out of the park

National treasure Salena Zito hits another one out of the park in her article in the Washington Examiner entitled "What we lose by the closing of community department stores."

The crux of her very enlightened piece:

"For most of that building's storied 110-plus-year-old life, until Macy's took it 15 years ago, it was Kaufmann's department store: a place where, whether you were working-class parents or well-to-do parents, you took your babies to get fitted for their first pair of shoes, or purchased their communion dress, prom dress, wedding gown, back-to-school clothes, or bought them the sheets, furniture, toasters, and pots and pans they needed to start their adult lives.

It was also where young and old, rich or poor, went to the Adoria Salon to have their hair styled for the very first time, or have their first special lunch with their parents or grandparents at the Tic Toc restaurant.

And maybe even have their first job.'

In my neighborhood that store was Abraham and Strauss on Fulton Street. Sure there were a lot of other stores. Korvettes. Mays. Mcorey's. Martins. Still and all everyone went to A&S. You got your school clothes there. Mom would buy pots and pans and linens and just about everything  Even electronics like TV's or the first VCR's. There wasn't all of these new fangled speciality stores that the hipsters revel in. You know like a store that sells olive oil exclusively. Just a department store filled what everything you needed. That delivered.

I remember right before Christmas when Mom would take us shopping. I was old enough to sneak off to the eight floor which was the toy department. I could check out the latest Aurora models. I remember I got my classic Frankenstien one there. Plus the board games. Risk. Stratego. Battleship. All of them on sale! Of course we only got them after Christmas but still it was fun to see all of the stuff you couldn't afford. That's what you did back then. That's why Uncle would always take me to the Boat show and we would look at all the stuff we would never had. It taught you humility. Envy. Greed. You know all the things you need to grow up a well rounded individual.

One of the highlights was the bridge.

That was what you walked across to get to the parking lot. That was way cool. You used to push the cart that had the TV in it till you got to the car and realized it didn't fit. So you put it in the trunk and tied it down. You were only going thirty blocks what's the big deal. So you had to ride with your head out the window like a dog so you could be sure it didn't fall out of the trunk. Good times.

Yesterday I came outside and I saw four trucks making deliveries. They were all from Amazon. They have these new private contractors who deliver instead of UPS. It is sort of like Uber in a weird way. No other deliveries. No other human contact. You never saw your friends mother who worked at the cosmetic counter and could advise you what to buy that girl you liked in the seventh grade. No old timer in the suit department to help you pick out your confirmation suit. No human contact Just a keystroke and a email.

This is why they want to close everything down because of this overblown coronavirus bullshit.. They want to isolate us. Keep us from making a connection with our fellow citizens. Divide and conquer. Don't give in to these bastards. Go out and patronize your local stores. Remember when they read to you from their book of elitist knowledge:

It's a cookbook.

Art History Volume One.....

Often imitated by never duplicated here is the masterpiece "A Poker Game" by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. This wonderful painting was recently sold at auction and garnered a magnificent $658,00 for this seminal work of Americana. Look at the breath of detail. The expression of the doggies as they fold and raise. The heavy heart of the pooch in the middle seat who obviously thought he could catch an ace on the river. It is sublime and fabulous.

Another favorite of mine is "A Waterloo" which adds to the magnificent oeuvre of this American genius.

This painting is justly famous for the presence of a Hollywood luminary who agreed to sit for the portrait. Taking time out from saving Timmie from the well and licking the peanut butter smeared inner thighs of June Lockhart, Lassie made her debut in fine art. It was indeed a long sitting so Coolidge provided opium which resulted in the most relaxed visages you see in this magnifcent portrait.

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge who was also know as Kash Coolidge for his skill in marketing his creations had a long and productive relationship with an advertising company named Brown and Bigelow which had him designing and creating ads, calendars and other pieces of Americana that we treasure to this day. His masterpieces of course are his series of canine card players that are without peer in the current misbegotten art scene.

Of course the communist academics that pontificate today have ignored and trashed this great artist because of his status a white man and only mention him grudgingly as the great grandfather of the noted pugilist Cassius Marcellus  Clay who became famous under an assumed name. So to this very day his genius has gone unappreciated by all save the people The people who love him. The same people who love God, Baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. The people who love Donald Trump.

In other words Real Americans.

On the Eye of the Beholder, Kandinsky’s Im Blau and Covid-19

I worked on a 1000 piece puzzle of Kandinsky's Im Blue over Christmas and found it difficult to finish.  When I bought it, I thought the colors and shapes would make it a relatively easy and fun puzzle to do as I tend to go for color first, then object, then piece shape. Putting it together however, was slow going and I ended up with a hundred plus of similar blues once the rest of the colors were in place.  After one of the SonMs responded to my troubled sighs and grumbling by suggesting I resort to the more ordered and systematic approach of sorting what remained into groups and lines of like-shaped pieces, I eventually managed to get it finished but it was tedious trial and error from that point on.  Plus six corner pieces had been provided, with the non-interlocking flat sides of two of them butting up against each other in the middle of one of the edges. Though not a satisfying puzzle to work, the picture intrigued me.  And continues to do so.

Painted 95 years ago, Im Blue presents a visual that invites the viewer to project their own ideas onto it.  When I looked at it again today following SixtyG’s recent mention of influence, what I saw brought a moment of relief, awareness and levity, along with more understanding after reading more about it.  This time around, the big red circular shape resembling a pie chart and the gobbling Pac-Man, reminded me of the magnified pictures I’d seen of the virulent Covid-19 virus. And from there, my imagination took off, seeing a black triangle of death and fear stabbing through the confusion present, disrupting balance while a small lighthouse of information blinks among the signal flags erected, and the sharp pointed curves of the political scythes swing in the air and threaten stability. And there I am, on an island or life raft in the lower left corner, receiving data through a grid of awareness and misunderstanding while holding a flag with a red and a white triangle depicting my piece of the pie (how I will react and respond to this threat) with the hope of survival hovering above the whole mess as a healthy pair of lungs surrounded by light!  (Or maybe it’s an infected pair of lungs? Who knows?)

After thinking on that, I found this, with a "she" identified as the viewer, and the word “force” showing up in strength:

“A pioneer of abstract modern art, Wassily Kandinsky explored the relationship between color and form to create an aesthetic experience that engages the viewer through sight, sound, and emotions. His philosophy centered around the idea that abstraction offered the possibility for transcendental expression, which was hindered when art copied directly from nature. The deep, royal blue background of this piece destabilizes the viewer and transports her into an alternate world constructed by overlapping geometric shapes. These strong colors make the viewer feel alive, alert, and bewildered; as a result, she becomes hyper focused on the scene...After initially seeming confusing and ambiguous, the objects slowly start to gain some semblance of logic as the viewer’s mind starts its own interpretation...

Kandinsky forces the viewer to confront mysterious imagery and the unknown in order to navigate within a strange world... Throughout the painting, various elements draw attention in competing directions, making it hard for the mind to focus on one particular object long enough to make sense of it. Eventually, we are forced to surrender to the confusion and accept that as part of the experience of the piece.

And that foray ended with:   What do you think of this piece?

Corona virus videos

The Coronavirus is changing the suburban streets. #coronavirus #COVID19 #SundayFunday pic.twitter.com/clWIkTtvdT

— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) March 8, 2020

An Italian grandmother lectures you on how to handle the Coronavirus!

WKRLEM: I got the skinny

One just the best female vocalist I ever heard. Maybe the best,

Never gets old.

Marilyn's Diary

Uncle Herman and Aunt Lily were always trying to reach my little Cousin Eddie. He was a problem child. You see he wasn't interested in things that normal kids liked. He wasn't even interested in things monster's kids liked. He only wanted to peek in windows to see women pee and steal their soiled underwear. I think it was a werewolf thing. You see their sense of smell was their main sensual outlet. So he would rob laundry baskets and whack off his tiny lupine peter all night long.

There was however one exception. Eddie loved music. It was the sixties and the California music scene was hopping. There was the Beach Boys. The Jefferson Airplane. The Greatfull Dead. A black guy named Jimi with a big package. And a lot more. This gave my Aunt Lily an idea.

She decided to start a family musical group like the Cowsils or the Von Trapps or something. I should never have taken her to see the Sound of Music. Uncle Herman and Grandpa reluctantly went along and they tried to write up some songs and get a few gigs at various graveyards in Southern California.They were even approached by an agent. He told us he could even get us a TV show like the Monkees. Unfortunately it was between us and another family led by a slutty blond who was banging her step son. I think she blew into the agent's trombone and they got the gig. Aunt Lily was really disappointed and didn't go back to her music until she met her friend Charlie who had all those weird girls like Leslie and Squeaky hanging around his ranch. Grandpa went back to blowing his own horn or something like that there. And Uncle Herman went back to what he loved best.

Strumming my firm teenage nipples.

I loved my Uncle Herman.

WKRLEM: Tony needs to do something about Mini Mike

The Mayor of Munchkin Land.

Last night we were sitting around the dining room table talking about Mini Mike and all the money he blew in this election. Now the money he wasted on consultants and fancy offices and catered sushi lunches were bad enough. I just couldn't stand the nonstop commercial you were getting everywhere you went. Now I don't watch much commercial television. Everything is on a streaming service. But  he still snuck in commercials there as well.

I have the Joe Rogan app on my phone. I like to listen to podcasts and he has a bunch of them on his app. Joey Diaz. Mark Maron. Mike Francesa. Adam Corrolla. Joe Rogan is a really smart guy and he optimizes his earnings. Every time you leave one podcast to go to another a brief five second commercial comes on. Sometimes it's another app like the Meditation app or Audible Books or Blue Apron. Don't ya know that every other commercial was for Mini Mikes run for president. You couldn't get away from the midget for fucks sake.

Anywhoo we are talking and we were all coming up with better ways to spend the money. We talked about giving it to Saint Jude's Hospital for Children or funding housing for the homeless or some other worthy causes. I had a different idea

WKRLEM: Edith's favorite Goth!

Com on put on your black eye shadow and all of your black clothes and rock out like you used too!

The return of Leisure Suit Larry?

It looks like we have a troll here at Lem's place which is kind of unusual since we haven't had one since the beginning of the blog. I think that is because the readership has really declined precipitously since the early days. Which is fine since all of those who post or comment here enjoy it and that is good enough for me. The bloggers and commenters we have here are cherce. We love youse guys.

I hope it is not who I think it is because he is a really poor troll. We have masterful trolls here with Sixty, Nick and me so he is our of his league. Let's hope it is just a temporary thing since the blogger profile was started this month of March. Maybe it is just a passing fancy.

Or a passing fancy boy.

Whose that Girl?

Not the dude in the makeup. The hot older chick in the bustier. She was from a time when men were not quite men and you could never Hoover up cocaine like that again. These freaks were in a circus tent and you guys like this had it made. Man those were the days.

Whose that girl?

Why you can't do business in New York City Anymore!

Lady Gaga's father has a restaurant in Grand Central Station in the food court area. He is refusing to pay his rent because of the problems with homeless people. Joe Germanotta claims is business is down 30% because the homeless people camp out in front of his restaurant and harass the people trying to have a good time there. From the New York Post:

“The homeless go in there to stay warm. We’re compassionate, but it affects our customers,” Germanotta told The Post this week. “When the homeless invade our areas, it becomes a less attractive place.”

The response of the MTA that rents out the space: “This is a landlord-tenant dispute, pure and simple, in which the tenant seeks to blame his financial struggles on anyone but himself,” Minton said. “The fact that Mr. Germanotta does not appreciate someone who is less fortunate having a cup of coffee near his business is not the problem of the people of the state of New York, who don’t expect to have to subsidize his struggling business.”

This is typical. I remember going to the food court in Grand Central. There was the Oyster Bar and a Michael Jordan's Steakhouse. Now it is homeless people as far as the eye can see. I think there is only one possible solution to the homeless problem.

Coronavirus.