invisibility iii

I'll try not to make all my Invisibility pictures dull ones - but in fact, maybe that's partly the point: a dully ordinary scene hides all kinds of expectations and befores and afters.  For yes, this is a seminar room - a handsome seminar room, even if the combination of chair backs and carpet pattern is faintly nausea inducing (and not unreminiscent of Murray Hall in that respect), with people getting ready for a talk, and a whole lot of card signs reading (not visible from this side) "Reserved".

Reserved for whom?  Ah, that would be Barbra Streisand and entourage!  Attending one of the Streisand Lecture Series, which today was given by Stephanie Coontz, on intimacy and the family.  So of course, I could have extracted my camera, or cell phone, and taken a surreptitious, or even overt, picture at some point, although no way was I going to be that tackily obvious.  Not that photographs didn't figure in her own actions - I saw the guest of honor, just prior to the talk, lean over to our Dean and show him a picture of her fluffy white dog on her iPhone.  So this is the invisibility inherent in anticipation, the invisibility of the event that's about to take place.  Of course, if I'd taken the picture that I actually never would  have taken, it would have revealed the invisibility of Barbra Streisand's wrinkles.  I headed straight home to try and find out (successfully! Wexler's!) what brand of face product she uses ...