The Linear Journal Thread

[ARTelevision]

This journal thread is here for those who prefer linear relationships. I figure if linear sequencing is good enough for DNA, it’s good enough for me…

I feel some need to write down my thoughts, observations, ruminations on experience, and so forth. I’ll do that here until the ol’ journals make their reappearance. I invite anyone else who desires so to do the same. Folks who care to can find their way through these entries easily enough, I think.

We3 were enthralled by the Olympics – as we are every two years. After a few days of vicarious participation in these noble events, the world changes. Especially the world as perceived via media. Television became, for once, a medium of global communication – well a medium of significant human communication and participation. I’ve often said the best we can do for each other is to inspire one another. This was our experience of the Olympics – an inspiration from start to finish.

Then, the Rebublican convention came around. It was a bit of a comedown from the lofty Olympian heights, but it was worth it all for me to grab Arnold’s top-notch speech on videotape. I’ll watch it more than once. He’s a real good man.

Our house painting proceeds, albeit more slowly now. We’re back to overtime and homework. I’m teaching a class – an art appreciation class at the university level and as I haven’t done that for 5 years, there’s a ton of preparation – translating my knowledge, notes, and lectures to PowerPoint presentations, etc. We’re about 60% done with painting the house. The tough parts above the first roofline remain – dormers, second floor rooms, etc.

We sit out gazing at our pastoral and wooded 14 acres as it moves from late summer toward early fall. Life is as good, great, excellent, as it ever was and ever could be!

[Mephisto2]

Can we post comments or questions?

Mr Mephisto

[ARTelevision]

The thread is open to anyone's use in the absence of the journals. Post away.
Thanks!

[Mephisto2]

So I'm intrigued Art.

You say you're teaching an art appreciation course at University. Yet in a recent thread you said that you believed all master-pieces should be destroyed! I presume you're not telling your students that?

I remember in an old thread, where I argued for the inherent value of such art works as those of Yves Klein and Damien Hirst, you seemed to agree (maybe my memory is playing tricks on me).

Also, just out of curiousity... how popular is the new Govenor of California? It all happened when I was last over there on business, but at the time there seemed to be quite a bit of bitter recriminations going on; what with Busamante [sp?] running against his own party, sexual harrassment charges against Schwarzaneggar etc. Didn't he promise an independent inquiry and then later change his mind?


Mr Mephisto

[ARTelevision]

I teach a subject. I don't teach my opinions about the subject - as I consider them out of place in a university setting. I understand most of my colleagues do not hold this sort of view. But I do.

No comment on Arnold's popularity.
I like him as a human being.

[anleja]

I'll go for it. I usually write in a book journal, but it is packed away somewhere due to moving.

Latley I feel my perception of the world is changing. Not merely in simple terms, like "it's a small world after all" but in a way that involves my senses. This is hard to explain, but I'll do my best... for example, I cut the tip of my thumb at work with a small saw. Of course, I thought "my thumb hurts" but then I had the thought that my THUMB wasn't actually in pain, it was actually my brain sending the pain signal. So, even thought the cut was ON the thumb, and the pain appeared to be IN the thumb, I knew that the pain I was experiencing was really in my brain. I've always known this, but until recently I've never actually thought too deeply about this. Now my perceptions are changing. It is a humbling experience to look in the mirror and see that ALL of your experiences, thoughts, senses, dreams... are in that little head of yours. It makes me a bit uneasy, but I'm managing. No, I don't do drugs, either.

[ARTelevision]

Yeah. I have been doing some regular dental visits for some long needed root canals. I tell myself the same thing. Tough concepts to grasp. heh.

....................

Sure, journals are good. When our regular journal space is back online, you'll now have a start on yours. Good deal.

....................

On the home front, our weekly visits to the local farmers/flea market yield great fresh local-grown summer produce and I've started collecting duck decoys. I like the quirky ones with evidence of hand-carving, unfinished qualities, notes, signatures, and dates scrawled on the bottom. Makes me want to start carving again. Guess when we get our workshop/studio set up and the big tools and vices fastened down...

14 acres and no visible neighbors - just the rolling hills, valleys, pastures, and woods. Telecommuting is moving forward well enough. There's always just enough work to stay busy. Life is good. Real good. Especially home life. The culture is another matter. But that's the nature of the culture...

[roachboy]

the journals are sorely missed. i cant do the threaded thing--for some reason i feel like i am pressed up against a sheet of plexiglass in that form--there is no room to move around, no distance.

clairaudient is doing the performances that we have been working on for the summer next weekend--11 and 12 september---if you are around philadelphia, you should come (pm me for directions and stuff)--which means that the weekend is one of shilling for the shows, postcards and related material--with all the attending mental attrition. am about to go to a party and shill there too. everyplace is merchandising space. we hope the strange graphics on our material function to draw folk to the Headcleaner Events.

at the moment, however, listening to shivkumar sharma play the raga jog means that all is well in the world. but to maintain that requires i do not go outside. so it slips away, like everything else.

[ARTelevision]

The other day, I received a digital version of The Amazing Spider-man, 36, from a friend. After my usual carping about how the essential aspects of things are never quite captured by their digital simulacra, I settled down to reading and viewing the images in the famous 911 edition of this comic series.

The artwork is over-the-top, of course – beyond pop, into heraldic postmodern super-chromaticism – an ecstatic riot of line and hue that’s characteristic of current comics. There isn’t really a storyline. Instead, it is an extended meditation on the events of that day – just about three years ago now.

Spider-man is there among the multitude of citizens and rescuers. He gazes, dumbfounded by the terrible spectacle. His thoughts move in epic prose, somewhat ponderously, through disbelief and shock toward some ability to derive a sense of purpose, direction, and meaning in moving forward from the devastation of the scenes surrounding him.

He conjures up his superhero buddies who function as witnesses only – as if offering their silent support for the man inside the suit – Peter Parker. This is his home city, after all. The symbolic appearance of Captain America signals something universal and epochal is occurring and links this event to the events of the century past.

In the end though, it is a very dated conception. We’re unable to conjure up the emotions of that time. The events that have transpired seem to have somehow disconnected us from those moorings. I’m left with a sense of the ultimate randomness of things and not with a sense of their manageability. And that is disquieting.

[Supple Cow]

I miss the journals a lot, but I miss TFP even more. I've been super busy with something that I'll eventually write about, but not until it's over. For now, this short break to make my "To Expound On Later" list will have to do.

This has been a long year of difficult and painful changes for me. Last summer, I reached the height of my "effusive happiness," as a then-new acquaintance pointed out. Soon after, all the changes began. I know that my natural inclination to be happy has been what carried me through what has happened so far, as well as a small number of good changes in the form of wonderful new people in my life. Still, these days, I spend a lot of time thinking about what kind of person I am becoming.

Art, I always appreciate the precision of your words and knowing that you and ubertuber, at the very least, will read my words with the same precision. I think the most difficult part of being part of a sentient species that uses language is that words themselves don't inherently have meaning and we all have different ways of dealing with this. Some people decide that a limited vocabulary is enough as long as others know what they mean, but that always seems to create trouble with folks who use exactly the words they mean and wish to be understood in that context.

Furthermore, there are some things I think that cannot be expressed in any words that I know. Perhaps I haven't learned enough words yet. Or perhaps the English lexicon isn't rich enough to house all the thoughts that a foolhardy young woman like me can conjure. Both of these ideas bother me, but they do give me a reason to believe that there is a need that may be best met by the visual and performing arts, though I'm not sure exactly what I think about that either. It tickles me to think of how meaning gets lost in translation every moment of every day, and not just between different languages.

[ARTelevision]

roachboy, good to see your daily thoughts again.
Supple Cow, I admire the precision and the emotion of your experience-as-words as well.

Good stuff here...as always.

[raeanna74]

Sorry this is so long. I've been saving up sortof. Can't wait for the return of the journals.

This is going to be a very long week.

Monday - Mom has been whining at me because her brother is visiting and I've been busy with day care kids and had plans yesterday. I had asked her over a month ago when I first learned of his planned visit to let me know when they planned any family activities so we could be a part. She let me know on FRIDAY that they were going to have a picnic SAT at a state park. We don't have a state park sticker either and don't want to have to pay for one this late in the season. We could pay for a day pass but why couldn't she have it at any one of the almost 10 other parks in town with pavillions. Even so we had made plans. The labor day parade is Mon and Mom has told us where she plans to sit with her brother to view it. I know if I were to sit with Laura's friends a block away where they usually sit that my mother will give me more grief about it. Her friends are moving away at the end of Sept. But I want to keep the peace simply because I know already that she's casting aspersions about me to her brother. He's a good guy and decent and I like him. I'd rather she not be given more opportunity to cast me in a bad light. She called Sat morning to as me when I was going to do ANYTHING with my uncle. He only arrived this past Wednesday and I've been busy babysitting/working until Friday night. I had already told her that I planned to see him MON and TUES. I had told her that more than once even. She chose to forget it. I kindof got irritated with her when she kept saying I'd not given her any indication of WANTING to see him. I was quite firm that I had told her so MORE THAN ONCE. Finally she just says "Oh well chalk it up to senility." She's only 57 but in the last couple months she's mentioned to me things like "So what are you going to do when I'm totally senile and can't walk?" Like I really want to have to make that decision?! I'd like to think that she is coherent and capable until she's taken in her sleep. It's tough enough when you have to actually face that decision. Errgh!
So I'm going to view the parade with her and Uncle. Then hubby will join us at her house for a family lunch and making homemade icecream. It should be fun. I hope she doesn't lay on the guilt tripping much. Especially with Uncle around.

Tuesday - Going with the kids (Emma, Laura, and Jordan-the baby) to a raptor center just north of here about 45 min. Last fall my mother found a hawk. I forget what kind but something about red winged (I know it wasn't red-tailed) hawk sticks in my mind. It had been wounded with shot in the wing. She knew of a friend who knew of this raptor center and got their number from her friend. The woman at the center told them how to capture the bird carefully and where to bring it. The center took it in, removed all the shot from the wing and has been rehabilitating it. Next spring they will release it as it should be strong enough by then. This particular center is special because it has one of the largest "runs" (or whatever they call it) in the country for the birds to fly and excercise in. We are going with a group of Mom's friends to tour the center. It should be interesting, educational, and inspiring I think. (I will see my Uncle once again that day as well.)

Wednesday - 7:45 MRI. I was told that it should take about 45 min but from what I've read it can take up to 2 hours on that hard table in the tunnel if they have any trouble getting the scans to come out right. A little nervous about it. I hope it doesn't take too long.

Thursday - 1:45 - Mother PROMISED to babysit for me and she BETTER not back out. I have one of my wisdom teeth pulled. They all are in fine but this particular one leans a little toward my jawbone and its impossible to fit a toothbrush between it and my jaw. Consequently I've developed a cavity there. Better to just get rid of the problem because I know it will recur in this situation. They gave me the choice to pull and I said to go ahead.

Friday - recoop. Possibly hear back about the title. Should have the papers by then showing the title is clear - the research is already done. Should be close to having the new title prepared already. Once that's ready we can pay our insurance and a day or so later sign and close on the house. It could potentially happen THIS week but if not it WILL happen next week. Whichever week we close I have to immediately send out a letter to our apt management company terminating our lease. I have found a loophole that should free us from any obligation. Hopefully they won't fight us about this. I know we can win but if we have to use legal help it may cost us. If they fight us though I have found other flaws in their management which I could hold them accountable for. If we have to hire legal help I will pull out all stops and instead of allowing us out of the lease they could owe us over $500 or who knows how much. I half expect a small fight but I intend to show my cards only when they force my hand.

Well wish me/us luck this week. It could be fairly smooth sailing or it go all go like crap. I'm prepared for the worst at least. Just gotta relax and not worry about it.

[ARTelevision]

wow! you have been saving up!

good to read about your days again, raeanna.

all the best of luck with the all things that are happening!

[ARTelevision]

Posted this in a Politics thread today. I'm saving it as a journal entry:

I watched my friends and colleagues – radical, anarchist, ultra-liberal, intellectual, creative individuals move unchanged from decade to decade. I saw that as quite the oddity, as the world changes daily.

In addition, I came to doubt my own life-long convictions because I could not separate those instilled in me by decades of so-called “alternative” media, which in time, I saw become the assumptions of mainstream media because the biases of my friends, peers, and colleagues were carried along with them directly into it.

At some point, I decided that my identity was my essential aesthetic creation. Since then, I have consciously crafted it and it exists as does any other text – in a constant state of evolution, flux, and re-interpretation.

My convictions today are the result of life-experience, introspection, and the creative application of aesthetic principles.

[maleficent]

Ok, so I made a huge mistake on Saturday.

I went and bought a box of Herbal Essences PassionBerry Hair Color. The color on the box was a very pretty dark red, close to my natural hair color. Now, I don't normally do something as silly as color my hair myself, I generally know my limitations, however, it seemed easy enough, and the picture on the box was really pretty. And it was 9.00 versus 75.00 - so - I'll save some bucks. Good Plan.

NOT.

Now a few months back, I was at my colorist, and wanted something different, to hide the quickly coming in gray. To fool myself that I might still be young. So Oscar the flamboyant colorist, he's a trip, talked me into coloring my hair a chestnut brown, away from it's normal dark red, and putting in some lighter brown highlights. And it looked good.

But hair grows, and I had roots, and I had gray, and I really didn't have the time to go see Oscar, so it was do it yourself time, I figured the next time I go see Oscar I can tell him I was in a store and a bottle of hair color fell on my head or something, I just needed something to get me thru a few weeks. (sounds like a drug)

SO, into my bathroom, with a towel a comb and a bottle of hair color, and a timer, I followed the instructions, waited the alloted time,a nd then washed my hair. I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror, and my hair was....

Magenta

I was ready to try out for the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Yes, Passion Berry is kind of a Magenta ish color in Crayola land, but on the Clairol box, it was dark red.... NOT MAGENTA...

Oh shit what do I do know...

So, the next morning, I called Oscar for an emergency appointment. Is he there? NO, he's off on Fire Island with his cronies. DOuble damn.

OK, I live in North Jersey, there's a hair dresser on every corner, I started making phonecalls, actually I threw a dart, and picked the first one I found called them and scheduled an appointment for a color correction, good lord is that an understatement.

I arrive at the salon, with my hair covered in a baseball cap, I really am not vain, but this was just scarey. She removed the cap, and laughed, I was ready to cry, she says, "Not the look you were going for?" , I just rolled my eyes, what do you think? It's embarassing having to have something this bad corrected.

So she asks what color I really want, and said my real color, go for dark reddish brown, and I'll be happy. Problem solved, big tip given. However, this second round of hair color, stung my scalp like you wouldn't beleive, I have ever exeperienced such pain before. Was not pleasurable, but the price we pay for proper hair color. And I'm back to my normal hair color, with a big lesson learned, you are a moron, leave the hair coloring to the professionals.

[ARTelevision]

Great to see your entry.
Sounds like everything's all better now and back to normative.
That's always good.
Live and learn, ain't?
heh heh

[DEI37]

Originally Posted by maleficent

Ok, so I made a huge mistake on Saturday.

I went and bought a box of Herbal Essences PassionBerry Hair Color. The color on the box was a very pretty dark red, close to my natural hair color. Now, I don't normally do something as silly as color my hair myself, I generally know my limitations, however, it seemed easy enough, and the picture on the box was really pretty. And it was 9.00 versus 75.00 - so - I'll save some bucks. Good Plan.

NOT.

Now a few months back, I was at my colorist, and wanted something different, to hide the quickly coming in gray. To fool myself that I might still be young. So Oscar the flamboyant colorist, he's a trip, talked me into coloring my hair a chestnut brown, away from it's normal dark red, and putting in some lighter brown highlights. And it looked good.

But hair grows, and I had roots, and I had gray, and I really didn't have the time to go see Oscar, so it was do it yourself time, I figured the next time I go see Oscar I can tell him I was in a store and a bottle of hair color fell on my head or something, I just needed something to get me thru a few weeks. (sounds like a drug)

SO, into my bathroom, with a towel a comb and a bottle of hair color, and a timer, I followed the instructions, waited the alloted time,a nd then washed my hair. I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror, and my hair was....

Magenta

I was ready to try out for the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Yes, Passion Berry is kind of a Magenta ish color in Crayola land, but on the Clairol box, it was dark red.... NOT MAGENTA...

Oh shit what do I do know...

So, the next morning, I called Oscar for an emergency appointment. Is he there? NO, he's off on Fire Island with his cronies. DOuble damn.

OK, I live in North Jersey, there's a hair dresser on every corner, I started making phonecalls, actually I threw a dart, and picked the first one I found called them and scheduled an appointment for a color correction, good lord is that an understatement.

I arrive at the salon, with my hair covered in a baseball cap, I really am not vain, but this was just scarey. She removed the cap, and laughed, I was ready to cry, she says, "Not the look you were going for?" , I just rolled my eyes, what do you think? It's embarassing having to have something this bad corrected.

So she asks what color I really want, and said my real color, go for dark reddish brown, and I'll be happy. Problem solved, big tip given. However, this second round of hair color, stung my scalp like you wouldn't beleive, I have ever exeperienced such pain before. Was not pleasurable, but the price we pay for proper hair color. And I'm back to my normal hair color, with a big lesson learned, you are a moron, leave the hair coloring to the professionals.

Hey...can we get pics of this? You know...just for good times sake?

[maleficent]

Your monitor couldn't take it...

[raeanna74]

lol That sounds like quite the adventure.

At least you didn't try my SIL's solution. She is normally brown. She went blonde, it turned yellow instead, she dye it back to her normal brown, it turned bright orange. She had quite the fixing to do. I think she did it on a Sat too and so had to wait till Mon to get it repaired. At the first mistake DON'T try, try again.

These kind of stories are the reason I've never tried to dye my hair. There have been times I would have liked a chesnut brown instead of pale or dusty(the way it looks in winter) blonde. Oh well. Glad you're back to normal again.

[maleficent]

Actually, apparently I have really bad lighting in my apartment, either that or my shampoo had some bizarre reaction to all the chemicals in my hair, I really never noticed it until I looked i the mirror in the restroom at the airport.. I could be a stand in for Lucille Ball -- This is more natural looking than the pink, but my eyebrows don't match... And I'm afraid to do anything else to it for fear that my scalp will erupt in festering boils or all my hair will fall out (which right now, might not be a bad thing)

My friend at the airport told me it looked good, I'm not so sure, it's definitely attention getting, don't go red unless you like attention. I don't... At all... But at least now I have an excuse to match my foul mood, I'm a firey redhead... Don't mess with me

But I still want to find a hat and cry...

[maleficent]

There's another site that I pop into occassionally, generally in moments of extreme boredom. The site itself has a lot of interesting information and articles and also has a discussion forum. All age groups are reperesented in this place, but clearly I am one of the older folks on the forum, and there are a lot of younger girls.

These girls ask questions, about a variety of things, about school problems, about boys, about life and love, about boys, about makeup, about boys, about movies and music, about boys. It's kind of interesting to see what goes through the head of a teenage girl, and what questions they ask. Now, I'm sure some parents would hate me and think I'm doing the wrong thing, but if a girl has a question about sex, I'll answer it, honestly, I won't go into graphic detail, but they'll get an answer. Yes, they should be asking their parents, but they aren't, they are asking their peers for advice, and the advice given is so very incorrect. (Some actually believed that you couldn't get pregnant the first time you had sex)

Well, one girl, normally, I try to be pretty PC when discussing the female gender, I'm not overly fond of the word "girl" when discussing people over a certain age, but that's just a hangup of mine, I try to use the Young women whenever possible. This girl was a girl. Her problem was that her boyfriend was pressuring her to have sex, and she was really confused because he said he loved her but she didn't feel right about it. It was explained to her by a few of the old folk, that if she didn't feel right about it, it wasn't right, and if her boyfriend loved her, he'd wait and not pressure her. She eventually opted to not have sex with her boyfriend. I happened to check her profile, this girl was 11 years old. Her boyfriend was 12.

There's another girl, who was looking for advice on how to make a boy like her. You see, she gave him a blowjob at a party in the backyard, behind a tree, it was his first blow job, and well, now he doesnt talk to her,a nd what can she do to make him like her. This wasn't her first blow job either, and she's having a hard time understanding why the boys don't see her as a girlfriend... She's just turned 14 years old. How to explain to a girl that young, who's self confidence are clearly non-existent, that she doesn't need to give head to get a boy, and if she continues to do so, she'll never get a boy, without further damaging her self esteem. So, we talk about respect for self...

Another girl, was discussing a problem she was having with itching in her nether regions. It could be a lot of things, she claimed to not be sexually active, but what exactly does that mean anymore. She was too afraid and too shy to go to her mother and have mom take her to the doctor to find out what the problem is, so she's asking her peers for advice. The only advice I could give was go to the doctor, talk to mom.

It's interesting... It's also really sad... Makes me glad I am not a parent... Makes me scared for all the parents of young girls out there, and what thoughts those girls have running through their heads... And sadly that I'm not sure these girls are talking to their parents (not that I ever did, but I hope that I was unique in that matter)

[bigoldalphamale]

college football is finally back. THANK GOD!!! my vols stormed to a triumphant win on sunday night over UNLV and the long lingering question of who will fill the shoes of casey clausen has been answered with an equally titulating drama between two exceptionally talented and NFL bound true freshman quarterbacks. all i need now is for the leaves to turn and for the weather to turn crisp and chill at night. man i miss college...part of the reason i went back to get my MBA was to try to recapture some of the old glory days. but nothing brings it back like the fall and a visit to knoxville to see my beloved vols play florida, geogia, bama, sc, or anyother great SEC conference foes. and for the weekends i dont travel to the alma mater, sitting with friends and talking trash about VaTech or the Terps and the ACC in general. Drinking beer and bbq'ing. Waking up early saturday morning to print out all the match ups and to watch the gameday (Chris, Kirk, and the 'Hater') guys on espn. college football is finally back. THANK GOD!!!!

[anitra]

this journal seems to be a place where one can put down thoughts that are on their mind, thoughts that they have been wondering about and maybe by the writing of them answers will come. i've been looking for just the place here to do that.

my thought is why have been members been banned from here. i can understand not following the rules. one individual i know is not allowed on here anymore.

he is a good man. his heart is pure. he likes to have a good time and a good laugh. some may find his personality quirky but we are all quirky if we look at ourselves.

i really don't know what happened in this instance. from what i can gather he spoke his mind, used his intellect and very much used his humor.

there are many members on here i don't agree with, don't particularily don't like and even some i find disscusting. there are many members on here i find very interesting, extremely intellegent. sometimes their intellegence scares me and i wonder why i come here. i feel i don't fit in here but i keep coming back hoping to find a place.

it hurts me that the banned member i spoke of is not allowed here anymore. the majority of you meant a lot to him. he was only looking for a place to fit in too.

maybe members aren't allowed to disagree, especially with the higher ups. but it seems to me this would be a place to do it and not be juged.

i've just been wondering about this. you can all kick me off if you like, i don't really care. it just makes me angry to see the other member hurting for speaking his mind.

[ARTelevision]

You're welcome to PM a member of TFP staff with any questions like this you may have.

[maleficent]

Ok, so I just got called Jessica Rabbit with my new and improved hair color... Still trying to figure out if I have been insulted or complimented... Harumph...

Jessica Rabbit?



Heh, but I think I have a cool new avatar...

Hopefully I can last the week...

[Cynthetiq]

jessica rabbit is sexy

wanna play patty cake?

[raeanna74]

*sigh* Long Morning. The kids were pretty good at the raptor center. It was quite interesting. I want to post more here about it, partly because it's completely a non-profit center with no government funds coming in. It depends completely on donations. They rehabilitate around 500 birds, of all kinds, each year. They focus mainly on predatory birds. I will tell some details later about the specific birds that we got to see. VERY interesting and educational.

Got done with the raptor center around noon. Got back, ran to the bank, took money back to mom (Had borrowed some to fill up with gas before the drive this morning) and the grocery. Finally got back here. A was here waiting for me already. Then in a few minutes I've got 3 more kids getting off the bus. Then E and J who I have had since 7:30 am will be leaving around 4:30. Then at 6:20 I have 2 more kids coming over until 7:20. So from 6:20-7:20 I will have 7 kids. Thankfully only 2 of them are under 3 yrs old. After 7:20 I will once again head over to my friends with 4 kids and get her 3 to bed and lay down with mine until she gets off work at 11:30. Tomarrow AM at 7:45 I have my MRI and when I get home I will have the same schedule minus the 2 kids from 6:20 until 7:20. I am actually looking forward to Thursday even though I anticipate that being my most PAINFUL day. I will have no other kids around that day HOPEFULLY. Looks like I may have a number of kids around on Friday though. Hopefully I will at least have a prescription for some pain killers but if not I plan to at least get a couple videos and let that babysit the kids that day so that I can be under a little less pressure. I tried to plan to have no kids but unfortunately it didn't work out that way. Arrggghhh I'm tired and stressed already and it's only Tuesday. *sob* I just want to go to bed now.

[ShaniFaye]

I too, miss the journals, I had just gotten started and actually gotten in the habit of making a post in them everyday...I tried doing the journal thread thing on my own board, but it didnt go the way I wanted it to...no constructive advice or comments

I miss Mal making a comment, I miss ART making a comment, I miss lurkette commenting, and avrette too (I KNOW I spelled that wrong)

I've been looking at some places online the last few days tryin to get a mindset on wedding plans, and the kinds of things we want and where to get them etc. I've found some really cool stuff...but expensive too...good thing the wedding is a little over a year off so I can save for these special things.

Dave and I got matching tats for the anniversary of our first date...its SO hard for me to believe that in 11 days we will have been together one year. In that time we havent even had a fight OR argument...thats so unlike me...my mother always says that I will argue with a brick wall. I also had this thing about getting bored with having a person around VERY quickly.. but I could (and do sometimes) spend 24 hours a day with Dave and its still not enuff. He knows me SO well....better than I know myself I think sometimes. Im sitting here worried now because the weather is SO bad here and he's got a long way to drive to get home from work...but even with the weather bad he's stopping to get us dinner so that we can veg on the couch...do our board time in various places and watch the Sound of Music before he drags me off to the bedroom

I'd question what I did to get so lucky to get him in my life...but I dont think that'd be a good idea hahaha

Mal....take us a picture of your hair from the back

[maleficent]

I should have taken the pink hair - but -- gawd... It just so wasn't me...
When I am home this weekend, I'll take a pic of the back of my head

First picture of me -- ever -- and my hair looks like this?


then when i wander into bad lighting, or too much lighting, it turns a fascinating shade of orange...

[maleficent]

Congrats on the anniversary- that's very cool - and well deserved... Don't think of it as you being the lucky one, he's pretty darned lucky too ya know.. Don't forget that...

OK, I can't let this pass.. Musicals? Showtunes? Surely you can do better than that in the way of movies or is that movie chosen to expedite the dragging into the bedroom things... In that case, pretty sneaky...

[World's King]

My eyes hurt. I'm slight hung over and there isn't shit for food in my house.

I'm in love.

I'm broke and I need a drink like like a crack head needs a hit.

I want a Whopper Jr.

[ShaniFaye]

Originally Posted by maleficent

Congrats on the anniversary- that's very cool - and well deserved... Don't think of it as you being the lucky one, he's pretty darned lucky too ya know.. Don't forget that...

OK, I can't let this pass.. Musicals? Showtunes? Surely you can do better than that in the way of movies or is that movie chosen to expedite the dragging into the bedroom things... In that case, pretty sneaky...

oh now you're making fun of me hehehe we both love musicals...Brigadoon being our most favorite, but I saw TSOM when I was so young I dont remember it, and he had the special edition on DVD, but he's got SO many DVD's we just hadnt gotten around to it yet.

He tells me all the time he's the lucky one...he wont let me forget ha ha...we're both extremely blessed to have each other

Original King...you're in love? thats so cool......make her buy you a whopper jr

[maleficent]

OK - here ya go...



and very cool on being in love - that's just so --- sweet...

[ARTelevision]

matching tats is nice, ShaniFaye. maybe I'll talk to the girls about that...

love is good, King.

...........................

[ARTelevision]

Teaching 40,000 years of world history as it relates to the history of art brings things back to the forefront of my mind that have not been here for a while. It’s always illuminating to review what’s happened to our species since that last ice age and to see how all that is reflected in the procession of images, sounds, architecture, and texts that have issued from us as from an endless fountain. It’s also significant to consider the contemporary version of this process in relation to all the history that precedes it. To be true to the task, I’ll need to be willing to reconsider my current frame(s) of reference. This is something I do anyway, but not always in relation to the massive array of information that constitutes the aesthetic history of our kind.

[bigoldalphamale]

how is that you are able to change frames of reference so easily? is this just something that becomes easier to do with age? boy i wish had access to an infinite number of frames...alas, as a 28 year old white male working in corporate america...my frames are quite limited.

[roachboy]

the academic year starts today for me.
it is a bit of a shame to think about how the summer shuttled away.
the Big Project for the summer will be unfolded in performances this weekend, so the pivot seems to me to be sunday, when the performances end for the time being.

the first classes:
here is the syllabus kids.
these are the books.
this is why we are reading them.
this is why you cant get any of them yet.
how do you write about music?
how do you link music to social contexts without reducing sound to symptom?
why is there a soundscape recording of a village in new guinea done 10 years ago on the sound system as you are sitting here?
what is going on?

for my first trick, i get to do a jazz history class that vanished into the administrative maze for a while only to pop up again last week, then vanish, then reappear as scheduled for this afternoon but in no particular room.
the up side: the class runs from charlie parker forward, so i get to blast the children with sun ra, the art ensemble of chicago, and, if they are really good, a ton of anthony braxton.
the down side--i am not sure what room this will happen in.
the real down side: it is raining today, so teaching outdoors is not an option. besides, i need sound equipment for this.

if i seperate the content of the class from the possibility that i will be teaching it outside somewhere, then this can be looped about to the problem of a history survey class.

i find that the same problem turns up in a jazz class as turns up in a longer survey---teleology--the result is that i usually do not make strong causal connections between the works at the level of the course logic--rather i set up sort of conversations between works, local things, that work backward (later works reprocess the earlier--there is no starting point to it, rather the recycling is an a priori almost...no origin story requires no absolute beginning so...).

surveys are kinda like juke boxes, greatest hits packages. i avoided doing "europe and everywhere else from 1550 until just now...just now...just now..." this year.... an absurd course that is required for all majors...what bothers me in principle about surveys is their tv-program character--the Great Pageant of History moving in front of the students, who can be set up to feel more secure in thier sense of the present by cramming a parade of the past into it. i would rather the past corrode the certainty of the present. so big narratives do not work. recursive narratives seem to work better.

listening to a repellent radio show about the presedential campaigns on npr as i sit here. the analyses seems to be centered on the assumption that people in "the hinterland" respond to simple-minded messages that emphasize fear. which seems a simple-minded message that emphasizes fear insofar as urban populations are concerned.

[ARTelevision]

roachboy, good to hear of your pedagogical duties. They are something we have in common.

bigoldalphamale,
For me, it goes like this…

When, one day, I heard my given name in context as the silly and inappropriate sound it was, I rejected it. When I was clear that I was of a particular and narrow national/ethnic strain, I rejected it. When I discovered myself in a Parochial school ruled with an iron fist by joyless nuns, I rejected religion.

Casting aside name, ethnicity, and superstition allowed me to drift more freely within myself and in the world. I suppose I began to step lightly, avoiding the quicksand of identity and culture we’re coerced to be immersed within.

This was my habit until I realized that this type of behavior is paradigmatic of my personality formation. Since then, I’ve crafted both self and context aesthetically as a work in progress – a work of art. I don’t know any other way to explain myself.

[ShaniFaye]

Its Friday...yay...I'd be more excited if I hadnt had my airplane dream last nite...3 different times...I finally gave up trying to sleep at 4 this morning and got up because that dream creeps me out SO much....cant wait to see if anything comes of it....I've been lucky and havent had it since the last space shuttle disaster.

The yellow daisy festival is at Stone Mountain this weekend....the weather looks like its going to be perfect for it...no rain...not too hot...so hopefully Dave and I can have a nice day tomorrow and I wont spend TOO much money ahahaha I have to spend enuff on our vacation next week..

Its only 750....Id really like to be at home sleeping, but if I was with my luck I'd still be having my dream.

[rat]

It just hit me that I haven't posted in a while. It also hit me that it's now been 4 weeks since he died. Things finally slowed down enough last week for me to begin grieving. Damnit I miss my grandfather. There was just something about him being in remission for 16 years that made me hold out hope he'd make it another 16 years to his 100th birthday. By then, he'd have great-grandchildren to dote on and another generation of our family to teach and nuture. There's just something about seeing the toughest person you know dying in a hospital bed with a smile on his face and a chuckle on his voice every time he talked. The old son of a bitch gave it a good run, and even with his body failing, there was still strength in his handshake to the day he died. But Jesus I miss him something fierce.