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Aug. 21st, 2022 09:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madbakerFriday we went to see "The Treasures of Ramses II" at the DeYoung. I didn't feel strongly about it but the wife really wanted to - and unfortunately the membership is in my name, so I have to attend with her as my plus-one. Last time I renewed I tried to switch it to her, since there are more exhibits she wants to see without me; but no luck.
Anyway...
The good: it's worth seeing bits of our cultural heritage that are 2000-4000 years old. Jewelry, carved stone, painted coffins, etc.
The not: This was apparently designed to be a blockbuster headline mass appeal show rather than a serious exhibit. There are no treasures of Ramses II, because his tomb was looted about fifty years after his interring. One alabaster urn found outside his tomb that was probably left because it was too heavy, and a couple statues of him. Instead it was various ancient Egyptian treasures, but many of them were from the Ptolemaic era, which is actually closer to our period than to Ramses'. Le sigh.
Even worse, this was designed to appeal to the millennial-and-younger gamified "immersive" experience. Lots of "re-enactment" videos a la History Channel or murder porn shows. Even the actual exhibits had constant scrolling videos. The videos had stronger production than the exhibit lighting! (Yes, I know ancient items often require special lighting. Museums know how to do this in ways that make the exhibits visible.)
So... not a bust, but clearly this was not for us.
Afterwards we walked over to a local Italian (mostly pizza) restaurant. They seated us but told us we needed to be out before a 7:15 reservation. Since it was just past five o'clock I didn't think it would be a problem. Until we ordered... and waited... and waited... and eventually our order was delivered to the table around 6:30. The two pizzas we got were pretty good (one clam and chile, one sweet corn) but not worth the kitchen screw-up. I'm guessing our ticket got lost in the kitchen. They comped us a dessert, but. I didn't hose them on the tip but I didn't give a stellar one either.
The shingles vaccine shot did a number on me. Last night I had the opposite problem from the previous one: I don't know if I had a fever, but I woke up completely soaked in sweat. I had to go towel off. This is a worse reaction than the actual case of shingles I had - but mostly because I got the eye infection treated quickly both times.
Anyway...
The good: it's worth seeing bits of our cultural heritage that are 2000-4000 years old. Jewelry, carved stone, painted coffins, etc.
The not: This was apparently designed to be a blockbuster headline mass appeal show rather than a serious exhibit. There are no treasures of Ramses II, because his tomb was looted about fifty years after his interring. One alabaster urn found outside his tomb that was probably left because it was too heavy, and a couple statues of him. Instead it was various ancient Egyptian treasures, but many of them were from the Ptolemaic era, which is actually closer to our period than to Ramses'. Le sigh.
Even worse, this was designed to appeal to the millennial-and-younger gamified "immersive" experience. Lots of "re-enactment" videos a la History Channel or murder porn shows. Even the actual exhibits had constant scrolling videos. The videos had stronger production than the exhibit lighting! (Yes, I know ancient items often require special lighting. Museums know how to do this in ways that make the exhibits visible.)
So... not a bust, but clearly this was not for us.
Afterwards we walked over to a local Italian (mostly pizza) restaurant. They seated us but told us we needed to be out before a 7:15 reservation. Since it was just past five o'clock I didn't think it would be a problem. Until we ordered... and waited... and waited... and eventually our order was delivered to the table around 6:30. The two pizzas we got were pretty good (one clam and chile, one sweet corn) but not worth the kitchen screw-up. I'm guessing our ticket got lost in the kitchen. They comped us a dessert, but. I didn't hose them on the tip but I didn't give a stellar one either.
The shingles vaccine shot did a number on me. Last night I had the opposite problem from the previous one: I don't know if I had a fever, but I woke up completely soaked in sweat. I had to go towel off. This is a worse reaction than the actual case of shingles I had - but mostly because I got the eye infection treated quickly both times.
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Date: 2022-08-22 06:29 pm (UTC)I'm going to the Ramses show. Thank you for managing my expectations.
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Date: 2022-08-22 06:52 pm (UTC)Compared to an average case of shingles, a couple nights of discomfort from the vaccine is a great trade.
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Date: 2022-08-23 02:35 am (UTC)My mom came down with shingles around June 1 and she's still coping. It's pretty miserable.