A Day Off is Not Linear

When it comes to planning a day off, put me in charge and I'll keep you busy for a solid twelve hours.

Foolishly ignoring the eerily-warm weather, I decided our first stop would be the VMFA since today's partner in crime had not been through since the renovation.

Rather than dwell on the absurdity of that, we climbed the stairs to the 21st century gallery to see the "Ryan McGuiness: Studio Visit" show that has completely overtaken that gallery.

From the wall-size picture of his studio wall, right down to 3-D elements like plastic paint buckets and a water bottle, to the video of his studio process, it was an interesting look at the process behind the brightly-colored "Art History is Not Linear" murals that hang in the atrium, the ones containing 200 icons from pieces in the museum's collection.

What I found most fascinating was seeing some of the pieces that provided the inspiration since McGuniness' interpretation was not exact in most cases, but more of a riff on the object.

Perhaps most charming were the drawings and sketches from his childhood in Virginia Beach, a collection of work that showed an early artistic bent.

From there, we wandered all over so that the first-timer could get some sense of the new and expanded layout.

Wandering through the mid-20th century gallery, he observed, "It's like seeing old friends," as he recognized piece after piece from long-ago visits.

It was some time after the gallery with Virginia artists - Richard Roth, Cy Twombley, Richard Carlyon- that we decided that lunch needed to be the next order of business.

Amuse was satisfyingly packed when we walked in, a reminder that our museum is a vibrant destination every day of the week.

Seated at the bar, we set a warm January day celebratory mood with Mumm Napa Cuvee and our bartender noting that she loved the "almost rose color" of it.

Keeping the nice day theme going, I chose the pan-roasted monkfish with castlevetrano olives, San Marzano tomatoes, fennel and roasted garlic cous cous, a stellar combination of flavors that even impressed the rockfish-eater.

As we took our time lingering over lunch, the tables gradually began emptying until it was just us and another duo in the lounge as ominous-looking clouds began rolling in to replace the innocuous morning clouds.

When asked about dessert, I opted for an absinthe drip and my willing accomplice did the same, meaning we ended up wiling away a good portion of the afternoon with the green fairy, as ideal an ending to a day at the museum as I can think of.

By the time we exited the Boulevard entrance, all vestiges of a nice day were history as we headed to the Criterion for some literary history.

I'd chosen "The Invisible Woman" about Charles Dickens and the woman he fell for despite being married because I know far too little about Dickens and I am never disappointed watching Ralph Fiennes act (and in this case, direct).

It was beautifully shot and acted with the bottom line pretty clear: love is a blessing and a curse, especially at a time when a woman's indiscretions branded her in a way that a man's did not.

In other words, another reminder that I was fortunate to be born at a time when women had the same love and lust rights as men.

For our final meal of the day, we wanted a place neither of us had been, choosing the unlikely Flames 231 in the Bottom, notable mainly because it was the first time either of us had seen the historical marker for the Church Hill tunnel collapse nearby.

With techno music pulsing, I ordered the Italiano panini, tasty enough with the Negroamoro we were drinking, but accompanied by a mound of lackluster and flabby sweet potato fries that weren't worth bothering with.

Considering the size of the Monday night crowd, we guessed that most of them lived in the surrounding buildings since they sure weren't driving in from the counties for those fries.

And everyone needs a neighborhood joint, even when they play bad songs like Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight."

Put me in charge of your night (or day) and I'd like to think I can guarantee all kinds of fun...assuming you like to eat, drink and get your culture on.

If not, you're probably steering clear of me already.