Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

Bravo to Lisa Mattson, a comsumate professional in public relations, who has written this new book. Visit: www.theexesinmyglass.com for your copy of The Exes in My Glass: How I Refined My Taste in Men & Alcohol.

Lisa Mattson thought she’d grow up to acquire a taste for cheap beer and guys named Bubba—not spend her weekends cruising through Napa vineyards in a convertible. When she flees the rural Midwest for the big city in her twenties, she struggles with naivety, insecurity and the double standards of dating, falling for a mind-numbing string of ex-boyfriends that hone her palate and guide her destiny. Grab a corkscrew and join Lisa on her not-so-straight-and-narrow road to a fabulous life in wine country where her glass—and her heart—are always full. The witty story of her raucous journey from lust to love and beer to wine, The Exes in My Glass: How I Refined My Taste in Men & Alcohol will leave you thirsty to uncork your true potential, too.

The Exes in My Glass: How I Refined My Taste in Men & Alcohol takes Lisa from rural Kansas to South Florida’s beaches, the streets of New Orleans and the vineyards of Northern California, from naïve and love-lust while chasing pot-smoking scuba divers, waiters and models, to polished and savvy when pursued by winemakers and pro golfers. These stories of her ex-boyfriends are about much more than a young woman thirsty for worldliness and starving for love. It’s about how someone who had given up on the fairytale found the courage to face her mistakes and take a second chance at living her dreams. Available on Amazon.

Twice each year, the Library of Congress opens its magnificent Main Reading Room for a special open house to share information about how the public can access the Library’s resources year-round. The first open house of the year will take place on the federal Presidents Day holiday, Monday, Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Main Reading Room is located on the first floor of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C.

Reference librarians will be on hand to demonstrate services, offer instruction on obtaining a reader-registration card and answer questions. They also will be available to demonstrate the Library’s online resources and discuss access to the Library’s vast onsite collections, including services and collections for use in family history research. No other reference services will be available and all other Library of Congress reading rooms and buildings will be closed. Photography is allowed; however visitors may not use mono-, bi- or tripods.

The Jefferson Building will open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In lieu of the normal tour schedule, docents will be available to talk with visitors about the Thomas Jefferson Building, its history, art, architecture, the Library’s collections and exhibitions between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

An Instagram meet-up, led by the Library’s official photographer will take place from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., beginning in the Great Hall. Visitors can join the conversation that day using the tag #LibraryOpenHouse.

The Library’s Young Readers Center (YRC) will celebrate the Presidents Day holiday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with activity stations and programming for visitors. Children and teens are invited to bring their own historic props – top hats, mustaches, spectacles – and read a famous speech (or their own) at the presidential podium. Visitors can learn about the presidents as children, have fun with presidential trivia, engage in craft exercises and much more. Young people, who must be accompanied by an adult at all times, are encouraged to explore the center’s library of current and classic books, puppet theater, games and puzzles, which can be viewed onsite.

On display in the Southwest Pavilion on the second floor through May 7, 2016, “Out of the Ashes: A New Library for Congress and the Nation” marks the 200th anniversary of the acquisition of Jefferson’s 6,487-volume library. This acquisition was the foundation of the modern Library of Congress. The Jeffersonian concept of a universal library covering all subjects is the basis of the Library’s comprehensive collecting policies. Jefferson’s belief that democracy depended on free access to knowledge ensured the availability of the Library’s rich collections not only to Congress, but also to this nation and the world.

More information about the Library and the exhibitions is available at the orientation desks, at www.loc.gov/visit/ or by calling (202) 707-8000. Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at 202-707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.

The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

Fifth Annual Palm Springs Fine Art Fair Announces 2016 Programming
Presented by Leading Critics and Curators

Returning to the Palm Springs Convention Center February 11 - 14, the fifth annual Palm Springs Fine Art Fair is pleased to announce the 2016 schedule. All events included with admission unless otherwise noted. Tickets

Join us when the Fair opens Thursday, February 11 with an Opening Night benefiting the Palm Springs Art Museum. Tickets available for the FIRST LOOK Preview from 6 - 7:30 pm, followed by a VIP Preview beginning at 7:30. Both Previews continue until 9:30 pm. Tickets available here

Honorees this year include Barbara and Jerry Keller (Arts Patrons of the Year); pioneering American artist and sculptor Larry Bell (Lifetime Achievement Award); and Ralph Gibson (Photographer of the Year). Both Bell and Gibson will be participating in on-site programming. A complete schedule of events is available FRIDAY

Van Gogh’s Bedrooms Features Thirty-six Paintings, Drawings, and Illustrated
Letters by the Artist Accompanied by an Interactive Digital Experience

Vincent van Gogh’s painting of his bedroom in Arles is arguably the most famous chambre in the history of art. So important was this composition that van Gogh made three distinct versions and considered it his finest painting. Now, for the first time in North America, all three versions of the painting will be together in an exhibition titled Van Gogh’s Bedrooms at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Opening on February 14, 2016, the exhibition is the first ever dedicated to the Bedroom paintings, presenting an in-depth study of documentary, scientific, and physical evidence pertaining to all three versions. Beginning with Van Gogh’s early canvases of cottages and birds’ nests, the show explores the artist’s use of the motif of home as a haven, creative chamber, and physical reality. Enhancing the exploration of the artist’s artworks and his longing for a place of his own are several engaging interactive technologies designed in partnership with Bluecadet. A digitally enhanced reconstruction of his bedroom allows visitors the chance to experience the physical reality of the space that so inspired him, while other enriching digital components bring to light significant recent scientific research on the three Bedroom paintings.

An illustrated exhibition catalog with a lead essay from Gloria Groom, Chair of European Painting and Sculpture and David and Mary Winton Green Curator, will be published by the Art Institute of Chicago in partnership with Yale University Press.

Associated Events
Opening Night Gala
February 20, 6:30 PM, Griffin Court
The Old Masters Society (OMS) celebrates the opening of Van Gogh’s Bedrooms with a festive gala for OMS members and the Art Institute community featuring cocktails, an exclusive viewing of the exhibitions, and a special dinner in Griffin Court.

Lecture - Van Gogh’s Artistic Influences
February 25, 6:00 PM, Rubloff Auditorium
Who were Van Gogh’s favorite artists? Steven Naifeh, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Van Gogh: The Life, explores the wide range of artists who so deeply affected the brilliant, troubled young painter’s life and art.

Lecture - Van Gogh’s Bedrooms
February 24, 10:45 AM, Morton Auditorium
$28 MEMBERS, $38 NONMEMBERS
The Community Associates welcome art historian and scholar Margaret Farr as she examines the scientific and physical evidence related to all three versions of the painting that Van Gogh considered to be his greatest. Registration is open February 2–9; to register, contact Nancy Swanson at naiswanson@wowway.com. Presented by Naperville Community

Lecture & Screening - Van Gogh in Film
March 17, 6:00 PM, Griffin Court
March 31, 6:00 PM , Fullerton Hall
Using clips from feature films, documentaries, and shorts, Facets directors Milos Stehlik explores how filmmakers’ depictions of Van Gogh changed over time, followed by a screening of Alain Resnais’ Van Gogh (1948).

Screenings – Films for Van Gogh
April 7, 6:00 PM, Price Auditorium
April 9, 16, 23 and 30, 1:00 PM Price Auditorium
April 7, 6:00 PM – Paul Cox’s VINCENT (1987)
April 8, 1:00 PM – LUST FOR LIFE (1956)
April 16, 1:00 PM – VINCENT & THEO (1990)
April 23, 1:00 PM – VAN GOGH (1991)
April 30, 1:00 PM – THE EYES OF VAN GOGH (2005)

Performance - Van Gogh’s Letters
April 14, 6:00 PM, Fullerton Hall
April 17, 2:00 PM, Fullerton Hall
A cast of Chicago actors brings to life the dramatic biography and gripping words of Vincent Van Gogh, drawn from letters written to and from his family in the decades or so after Van Gogh left his home, and before his move to the south of France in 1988.