AK-47

Late this afternoon, while on my way to a service of Advent Lessons and Carols, I observed, leaning against a wall, a full-size plastic replica of a gun, which strongly resembled an AK-47. The dominant color was electric orange, over which were painted bright green stripes, spaced diagonally three or four inches apart, from one end of the object to the other. I suspect that the object was actually a water-gun.

Royal Treasure

Yesterday at the Legion of Honor Museum, I looked at the Royal Treasures exhibition from the Louvre. There weren't too many other visitors. The pieces, at least half of them small and exquisitely worked, were well worth looking at. I spent some time imagining the people who had them, and used them, when they were new. It is an interesting exercise, to determine which pieces actually were meant for use, and which were meant only to be looked at. Did anyone actually place figs, say, or sugared fruit, or wine, in a remounted 11th century Byzantine cup?

Juggler

Late this afternoon, while I was waiting for a J line streetcar at Market and Church, I observed a young man on a Market Street boarding island, balancing himself on a unicycle. Simultaneously, he was juggling three clubs, and soliciting donations from passing motorists and pedestrians. Quite the most complex street performance I have seen in some time.

A Sign of the Times

A Sign of the Times, outside the front door of a neighborhood second-hand goods shop: "Apocalypse Survival Seminar."

Field Conditions

This afternoon, during a visit to the SF Museum of Modern Art, I walked across a large white room with a black-and-white tile floor, and many fluorescent lights, which rotated slowly, like ceiling fans, as I passed under them. I reached a doorway, where a group of visitors and a docent were watching the lights move. The docent thanked me ("the nice man in the black suit") for activating the installation, which was called Field Conditions. I was wearing a charcoal-grey jacket, red button-down shirt, a dark blue sleeveless sweater, and black pants, sox, and shoes.