Cooper's Tapes (Revisited)

2011-01-30T14:19:00.000-08:00

Great Shocks and Disappointments from All Managers

2009-07-15T23:34:00.001-07:00

Rick's Menu Board

2009-07-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

This is a lot of work. The surface is un-sanded. The thing is huge. The chalk is good but keeping it pristine may be difficult. The lettering looks great but may be difficult to work out completely. Apprehension over my ability to finish on time.

Moon

2009-07-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

Wow. That was a trip. Go see it.

2009-07-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

No word from the exterminators today. Management will not answer or return calls. Fun at the gallery, though. The cacti are dying. Abe's house for dinner and a movie.

2009-07-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

The exterminator did not come today. Assurances that they will arrive tomorrow. This has been over a month in the making.

Letter found on all door at 11PM

2009-07-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

Dear tenant,

We will be spraying for pests tomorrow at 9AM. All items must be moved from carpeted areas onto linoleum. Closets must be emptied. Beds should be taken apart and stacked with mattresses and box springs against the wall. Remove all electrical outlet face-plates. Pets should be out for at least 4 hours, until carpets are dry. Basically, your apartment should be like your [sic] moving out.

Thanks for your help.
Management

Decided To Go

2009-07-07T23:44:00.000-07:00

Early morning meeting today at work. We talked about everything except for the largest concerns of the employees. Those questions sat like the proverbial elephant in the main dining room. When the subjects were broached talks broke down and the conversation became an impenetrable lecture. The time has come and once again, instead of leaving when it's appropriate I have decided to leave only when I feel pushed.

Early Morning Rain

2009-06-30T00:52:00.000-07:00

9AM or so. Some relief from the heat the remainder of the day.

Stochasticity in the News!

2009-06-28T00:53:00.000-07:00

Iran

New York

2009-06-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

pests sneak about at night, heat is brazen in the daylight

Twitter

2009-06-25T22:50:00.000-07:00

Twitter is the overjoy of the sound bite (with the sound bite transmogrified into a text bite). It is no surprise that it has become so popular among the political classes. I will not Twitter for work. I love to text message, but I don't like the idea of my texts becoming social networking propaganda.

102 Degrees

2009-06-24T22:10:00.001-07:00

My air conditioning went out today. The heat is crumbling the world.

Mandola's the Chili's Way

2009-06-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

ITALIAN CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
with margarita marinade (made with real tequila!) and asiago queso. Served with refried cannellini beans over a bed of garlic parmesan fries and a side of ranch dressing. $12.99

ITALIAN MINI-BURGERS
made with ground fennel sausage, slices of hickory maple pancetta, bleu cheese alfredo queso queso sauce, and sliced jalapeno poppers. No rabbit food here! Just meat and cheese. Four to a plate, have them as an appetizer followed by a full-size burger entree, then one of our burger-flavored Italian Ices for dessert. Blam-o! $10.99

Hunting the Bugs that Have Invaded

2009-06-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Bufo houstonensis
Originally uploaded by SPeND

Our protector has come to save us from the crusading invertebrates.

WALL-E is R2D2

2009-06-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

Just confirms my theory that all the establishment animation talent has jumped ship for PIXAR.

Back Ache.

2009-06-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

New chocolate chip cookie recipe care of the New York Times. Wow.

Creeps Crawling Through the Dead of Night

2009-06-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

DSC_0001
Originally uploaded by SPeND

Invaders at the door.

Pumpkin Tortellini

2009-06-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

I/4 package Central Market brand frozen pumpkin tortellini

1/4 stick European style butter

Handful fresh sage, oregano, & rosemary, finely julienned

Salt & Pepper

1 tablespoon Lemon juice

1 1/2 cups dry, fruity white wine

1 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Small piece of firm sheep's milk cheese (manchego or grana padano work best)

1. Reduce lemon juice, 1/2 tsp olive oil, and white wine over high heat in a skillet with salt & pepper and herbs till the mixture is a thick slurry. Add butter and reduce heat until butter is melted and incorporated.

2. Boil pot of water with salt and 1 tsp olive oil and add tortellini. Cook until soft and strain. In a bowl, grate cheese over tortellini. Add sauce and stir until coated.

Serve with a sprig of oregano or fresh sage leaves as a garnish.

Stephen Colbert

2009-06-17T22:16:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Stephen Colbert's recent show in Iraq is not his rising star power, cited as being like a new Bob Hope, but the president's cameo appearance and comedic charade. It is not so interesting to me that Stephen Colbert ascends to new level of pop iconography but that the president is also bleeding his office into a pop cultural jester and magician. He complains of having his hands full with two wars, a financial crisis, and several big legislative issues intended to re-imagine American society, but he also makes time for standup routines and satirical send-ups of life in the corridors of power (which is not to say that this sort of thing is time consuming, but it has a powerful effect on how he is perceived by the citizenry and points to the sort of memization his image handlers aim to engender and how they have sought to accomplish their aims). Does the public really want a government which operates increasingly in the sphere of the meta?

Also, Stephen Colbert has lopsided ears.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Obama Orders Stephen's Haircut - Ray Odierno

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Stephen Colbert in Iraq

Sunrise.

2009-06-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

Heat wracked day.

2009-06-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Shifted Schedules.
Mystery Mom.
Out of Order.
Still Studying.

Trying

2009-06-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

Theatre at the Unitarian Universalist Church down the street. Grocery shopping and lunch with my mom. A slow and quiet evening at home, new recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I look forward to days off and then the boredom sets in.

Garden Thieves Return

2009-06-13T02:11:00.000-07:00

Thyme, jalapeños, cacti and a tomato plant.

I Had a Dream

2009-06-12T02:09:00.000-07:00

My affliction of substances was replaced by an addiction to work. Night terrors invaded by the truth of my waking hours.

My Visit to North Korea

2009-06-11T02:12:00.000-07:00

The People's Revolutionary Theatre of Pyongyang is rather tired. Stay away from the Soviet-era kim chee-flavored popcorn. All the movie posters are for films at least 10 or 20 or 30 years old; pixelated ink jet print-outs from thumbnail images by Google Image Search. Cult of Personality, Kim Jong Il's face cut out and taped over Christopher Reeve's in Superman II. They call the move The Flying President Makes Help for the Proletariat Also. Kalishnakov rifles re-assembled into cobwebbed film projectors. Their dim bulbs are the only lights in the city and all the celluloid of the old reels has been donated to the missile program so that the projectors are empty and flicker without purpose. A collective of old men live here. They are the Union of Projectionists, now defunct since not even the Ministry of Information & Propaganda makes films anymore. Anyway, they are sleeping now and only the machine gun rattle of the Kalishnakov projectors can be heard. The city is a ghost town.

Crusher by the Soda Fountain

2009-06-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

At work, if there are no games, then it's a death sentence.

Maybe I Don't Feel as Strongly as I Once Did

2009-06-09T22:25:00.001-07:00

My posts have been rather reformed lately. I don't know what's gotten into me or what's been taken out.

Shopping

2009-06-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

Found

2009-06-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

A big pile of stuff behind the adjacent apartment. Mostly clothes, some tools, foot creme for fungal infections. A small photo album and a large vignette frame 60 per cent full. A box with a hatch at the top marked "taters" and a drawer at the bottom marked "onions." Small ceramic hippos and ponies and giraffes. Fingernail polish. Woven baskets, large, thin, wooden box with leather handles and flipping latches. A small folding table. Fabric swatches, the glass doors to a living room media console, carpet samples. All of them in mighty plastic Tupperware storage containers.

The Lunatics Come Out of the Woodwork on the Weekends.

2009-06-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

I Dreamed of You

2009-06-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

We had a long talk about why you don't love me. I was made a mad man when you disappeared at the end. I woke up today with a feeling of longing again.

Beans & Peppers

2009-06-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

Beans & Peppers
Originally uploaded by SPeND

Garden Fruits

All Over the Map

2009-05-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

I want to move away, I want to start a zine, I want to hole up in my home, I want to get a show, I want to read a book, I want to make a call, I want to walk around, I want I want I want I want. Limited action breeds regret breeds regret breeds regret.

Selah

2009-05-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

Listen:

Victim Fetish has found a new home and it is now finished. It just needs a coat of shellac. I rediscovered Shellac and Big Black. They are good bands. Steve Albini is on the money. Also, McSweeney's is the publisher of Wholphin. I had a feeling that this was the case, but was recently confirmed of my suspicion. I don't know if you are familiar with the series, but you ought to acquaint yourself. They are brilliant. I cry sometimes when I watch them. It's just a magazine-in-DVD-format released on like a quarterly basis (I think) and they simply collect a small set of stunning cinematographical miracles. Really just great stuff.

Up.

2009-05-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at the Omelettery. Wait and nap. Still foggy. Paint slowly. Dinner at Titaya's with mom & Abe. Up at the multiplex. All of Disney's talent has seemed to jump ship to Pixar.

Oh, the guilt.

2009-05-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

I am not ready. I bailed early. Cab ride home.

2009-05-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

There's nothing here. A bunch of flunkies. Austin is flooded with them now. That's likely thanks to the AfPak war. Turns of a distorted world.

2009-05-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

Wiped out. Full of apprehension. Wait, it will get worse.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

2009-05-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

I missed the clinic check-in.

2009-05-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

Fight your co-workers and prepare for clinicians.

BabyDick

2009-05-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Scott woke me up far too early but presented the consolation of strong coffee. We talked and drank our starter fluid for an hour. Off to Kelly's house where she prepared for commencement and after-parties and Scott fixed her bike after a trip to Ozone for parts. I am called in early on top of already being early to work where there are crowds of nightmare proportions. Another Long Long Long day and Scott arrives at 11:15 to escort me away from servitude. We ride down to 710 and watch RUSSL belch out screaming Morissey covers with his voxbox as fake smoke fills the club and chubby girls pump their fists in the air and their punk rock-cheerleader outfits sway with the ocean. Cody hangs out after the show and a weirder, more organized band plays tunes like "White Boys Eat Pussy." Scott goes to a party and I go home. I probably won't see him again while he's in town. I vow to stay in touch with him better, though. I love you, man.

"He hasn't an enemy in the world - but all his friends hate him." -Eddie Cantor

2009-05-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

No gallery today or for 2 weeks. Feelings of guilt.
Late Late Late Late Late working. Phone was dead. Home, charge, Scott, Shangri-La. Arrive at 1. The drunk girl in front of us keeps falling and smashing her head against the wooden bench. Her friends explain, "Don't worry, she just does this," as if it's just one of the wonderful mysteries of life. We talk and talk and I reassure him of our friendship. Too late for last call. Bike ride home and we sit outside watching YouTube. He fell asleep curled up with one foot on the railing, avoiding the bed of coat hangers that was his alternative. I stayed up and painted.

Deutsche Meet-Up

2009-05-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

Exhausted all day. Burn was roiling. Made soup. Took a nap too long to meet Abe for studying. Went to West Campus for German-Speakers Meet-Up. Too crowded and loud; a basketball game on big screens. Chad and I settle up the street instead. A short night. My blanket irritates my sunburn. Forgot to call Scott.

Radiation Burns

2009-05-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Meant to go at 11AM, woke at 8:30 and split by 10. Coffee, banana, orange, drawing supplies and a book. Stopped in at at the cafe down the street and drank a tall glass or orange juice and snagged a copy of the both the New York Times and Austin American Statesman front pages. Lay in the sun and read of the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran. The Sri Lankan government sent text messages to every citizen after their final firefight to announce their successful assassination of the separatists. So many rebel movements in the news of later. I suppose it's that time in history again. Chad came to hang out and we stayed till 3 or so. Ran into Kelly and promised her I would help take Scott off of her hands as much as possible during his visit this weekend. I do not call him enough. Took the long road home. Work. Immediately afterward away to Emo's; got in just in time. Melvins on stage energizing the crowd by silly banter. Launch into their set with devastating power. An awesome show. My burn was beginning to make itself known and the violence of the pit was a flaming reminder of my poor care during the entire show. The pit, however, was rather more quiet than I expected and a few times people gave me a dirty look for even dancing. I got some good pictures. I slept well.

Happy Birthday

2009-05-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

A few hours' sleep and wake to Sunday morning. To work and a long day ahead. So hungry my stomach feels ready to collapse. At lunch my boss asks if I would like to leave early; there are too many folks working. I split for the Springs and meet Eliot for soccer and drawing in the sun as a cool breeze blows. Later at his house we grill and all the gang is here. Leeks and corn and salted carrots over charcoal and mesquite; a chimenia converted to suit our purposes. Cake and videos of young men dancing shirtless while Eliot serenades a flaming horse skull half a continent away. Late talking we challenge the hegemony of Facebook among grad students and the frivolity with which Yale spends its endowments. The long way home a broad overview of Austin and seeing it with new eyes as it was in days of old. Everything's changed now. Wish it were.

Goodbye Solo

2009-05-15T02:31:00.000-07:00

Shopping for supplies, banking. Liz is back from visiting her daughter and son-in-law in Marfa. Ecology Action. The finer points of translating Czech: the beguiling Oldrich Lipsky. Copies of The Wire soundtrack for Lisa and Katherine. Dinner with mom & Abe at Jason's Deli; not so hot. Goodbye Solo at Arbor theatre; not so great, not so bad. Afterwards coffee and designed a flier for a movie that will be made never. Painting til late.

2009-05-14T02:04:00.000-07:00

Loads of painting. Correspondence with Bay6 Gallery; all materials sent in. Abe & I eat a big dinner and play Scrabble. Ought to work at the GRE, no luck through goofing off and learning new words (most of them being of the obscure 2 & 3-letter variety). Long chat with Chad, the intricacies of CPR, publishing and the like. Finish by watering the garden and discovering an $800 Pell Grant check in the mail; The Wire soundtrack.

If I were on Twitter:

2009-05-13T02:07:00.000-07:00

What will the human race do when confronted with (the likelihood of) the processing of powers of cheap computers being on par with the entire human race?

(Regional American Dialects)

2009-05-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

The Story of English is built from the ground up. Watching the fishermen of Tangier Island speak with Scot accents hundreds of years old is a majestic thing. MacNeil's command of the arc of time is powerful. All of it taken together is worth investing several hours. You won't consider language or cultural the same way again.

Technology In Its Birth

2009-05-09T23:04:00.000-07:00

After seeing a history of language dissect the collusion of technology and linguistic evolution I found downstairs a Commodore 64. What will it do? Ought I keep it? What would Shakespeare say to this coincidence?

Trek

2009-05-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

Star Trek movie tonight and dinner at the 3,000 foot caesar salad. Perhaps sickness is spilling over into sadness.

I want to ask you: do you remember how much I love you?

I can recall all the details, but maybe not the whole story.

Day 1 of 2

2009-05-07T02:51:00.000-07:00

I worked an extra shift at the gallery. They're looking for a new director. I ought to have applied but I don't know where I am and hope to be somewhere else in a year.

I'm feeling low and cannot perform.

inTreatment

2009-05-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Gabriel Byrne is a wonderful actor. It is a study of actor's skills; it's their faces and words.

It is more tragic than one imagines and is powerful. It reminds me of so much that I miss and am troubled by.

Gibby received her treatment today. Fleas be gone.

I bought a thermometer.

2009-05-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

Perhaps allergies can be Swine Flu in the mind.

The capitols are all infected with Swine Flu and always have been. The high priests distribute the toxins gratis.

You can build up your immunities out in the wilderness.

2009-05-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I don't know who I am or what I want.

Act 4

2009-05-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

I heard this today. It made me very homesick. I love you. This is a reminder of what was.

Paraphrased from Terry Gross's Interview of W. S. Merwin

2009-05-02T02:27:00.000-07:00

"Does one try to document one's life and hang on to all the fleeting pieces of information, or does one accept that all one has is memory of any given moment at any given moment?"

"I think that we always are doing both."

Also, he said, "The early, early morning rain, which is something that I love very much."

Finally, I still have memories of you every day. I don't know that I can help it or suppress it. I love you, and I made a painting: Hey R____ I miss you in the rain. Neil Young is playing now, it is raining now, I miss you now, and it is something more complete than sadness. He spoke of nostalgia. I think I know what he means.

Spores

2009-05-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

Busy day at the gallery. Great work done. Mom was late picking me up and I had a lot to carry. Met Abe and then dinner at Star of India. Not much in theatres and late. Went to I Love Video and got free rentals from Gabe. We ought to be friends. New plant gift from mom; Costa Rican tree-thing made out of a stick. Withnail & I at Abe's house. Mom liked it, and I liked seeing it again. Richard E. Grant is super. chin Chin. Abe and I set our eyes into Spore-mode for several hours. Returning home very late I found this on flickr. Wow. Lisa said today that she imagined my house messy and cluttered with art supplies piled to the ceiling and spilling out my ears (in so many words). She is likely right. This house needs a bath.

fat man
Originally uploaded by shohei　■

A Day

2009-04-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

I stayed at home so long this day and ate well and watched movies and read and ran an errand and bought a bike trailer. I went to Abe's house and we studied for the GRE and went for a walk and laughed and speculated and made creatures. I came home exhausted and satisfied and still wired by espresso. And the atmosphere may have changed from air into quicksand.

This Week's On the Media,

2009-04-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

serial fillers, Nancy Grace, enough has been said.

Garden in the Rain

2009-04-28T23:18:00.001-07:00

Garden in the Rain
Originally uploaded by SPeND

By way of some tactical pressure my garden was returned. A little worse for wear, but all accounted for. There will be tension between me and my neighbours. I am happy to endure their disgruntled attitude if it means that I can eat fresh striped tomatoes.

So this is the Allegory of Love

2009-04-26T00:36:00.000-07:00

"The railroad company wanted you to meet your God through some other agency, Dad explained, because there would be damage suits...

2009-04-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

for taking religious faith too seriously." -Upton Sinclair, "OIL!"

The garden thieves have taken at least 40% of my plants. Really valuable stuff. 3 basil plants, cabbage, 4 tomato, one of my favorite succulents, 2 sages, cactus, jalapeños, rosemary, others. I want to throw someone under a train. Belligerent venomous fucks.

Homemade potato leek soup comfort and insurance against GARDEN THIEVES. Sniveling greedy shits.

10
Originally uploaded by SPeND

Death and Dance

2009-04-24T23:35:00.000-07:00

Errands and no camera purchased. érection was much better than Diavolo. Death at a Funeral was alright. Frank Oz has a mild humor to him. The take-what-is-thought-to-be-aspirin-but-turns-out-to-be-hallucinogenic-drugs-gag is a bit played out. La Madeleine is not so bad. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure seems to be a precursor to Wayne's World. A duo of blond and brunette geeks who are also very spacey, and have occasional soliloquies, wish to play loud guitars and get embroiled in a fantastic quest/situational comedy. They live in their parents' homes. Sex is a highly farcical goal. Heavy metal ballad soundtrack. Was it simply the era, or was this coincidence, or was this the intention all along? Which film is better. Although it is much more dull-headed, I would say Bill & Ted's was better. You cannot underestimate the power of George Carlin phoning it in.

The One I Love

2009-04-23T23:46:00.000-07:00

Robin
Originally uploaded by SPeND

This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind
A simple prop to occupy my time
This one goes out to the one I love

Fire (she’s comin’ down on her own, now)

This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I’ve left behind
Another prop has occupied my time
This one goes out to the one I love

2009-04-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a pale woman with dye-black hair dressed all in gray climb on the bus in fear and trepidation and silence all in her eyes.

Today I sat and listened to a man tell me of the miracles due to me by the earnest application of meditation and I did not nod in agreement because I had not heard anything to which I could agree but meditated for myself and found some comfort in it.

Today I saw a boy dressed in black and denim and his natural black hair was drawn back, his dark arm was marked at the shoulder with George Washington's dollar bill-portrait and Washington wore a bandit's mask and when he departed the bus to run across a grassy empty field I wondered who he was.

Today Soviet songs in the space between my ears and I became teary eyed for their love and beauty.

Today all of this happened on Manchaca Road.

"Only about 10% of the excess manure."

2009-04-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

I can't clearly capture everything that happens in a day. I hope you do not expect for me to do so.

Hallway (increased saturation)

2009-04-20T23:48:00.001-07:00

Hallway (increased saturation)
Originally uploaded by SPeND

This is where I sit.

Flickr

2009-04-20T23:34:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

It's Nobody's Fault

2009-04-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

The Street

2009-04-19T20:58:00.001-07:00

The Street
by Leonard Cohen

I used to be your favorite drunk
Good for one more laugh
Then we both ran out of luck
And luck was all we had

You put on a uniform
To fight the Civil War
I tried to join but no one liked
The side I’m fighting for

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

You left me with the dishes
And a baby in the bath
And you’re tight with the militias
You wear their camouflage

I guess that makes us equal
But I want to march with you
An extra in the sequel
To the old red-white-and-blue

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

I cried for you this morning
And I’ll cry for you again
But I’m not in charge of sorrow
So please don’t ask me when

I know the burden’s heavy
As you bear it through the night
Some people say it’s empty
But that doesn’t mean it’s light

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

It’s going to be September now
For many years to come
Every heart adjusting
To that strict September drum

I see the Ghost of Culture
With numbers on his wrist
Salute some new conclusion
Which all of us have missed

So let’s drink to when it’s over
And let’s drink to when we meet
I’ll be standing on this corner
Where there used to be a street

Gala Ganesh

2009-04-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

Davis was on my ass the whole night. Some people take their little power too seriously. Beautiful night and borderline racist. The rich and their guardians.

Dance or Not?

2009-04-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

Diavolo at Paramount Theatre. Lots of flash, little else. Embarrassment of the choreographer at the Q & A. Long day at the office. Much done. Termite boxes were destroyed and rain all day. I met Sam. He is not well.

Opening Reception

2009-04-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

Quiet day. Shopping with mom. New hose and GRE prep literature. Opening reception for Megan Geckler at Women & Their Work. I wish I had been invited to the Clay Pit afterwards. No such luck; Board members and family only. Dog & Duck. Pootein. Johnny was Johnny. Chad was Chad. I was I. Great fun by all and an early bedtime.

Say hi to Richard Jordan as he sleeps.

2009-04-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

Amnesty Day at the I ♥ Video.

After the Apocalypse

2009-04-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

I will be a painted indian riding a bicycle through the jungles and forests of Cambodia and Laos and Viet Nam and Cuba and Washington State and Congo and Germany and Japan and California and Hawaii and Oceania and gliding Sun Fish across and bright mirrored sea. Sailor and Indian are one and the same. Hemingway & Conrad & Melville knew these things personally.

(Real Aviation Daring)

2009-04-13T01:51:00.000-07:00

Little Dieter Needs to Fly made me weep. It is a masterpiece.

And then Solomon Linda, and Tuvan throat singers, and Hiran'ny Tanoran'ny Ntao Lo, and on and on and on.

The whole world's tragedy can be made more incessant by the attitude of one man towards his unique suffering.

My Afternoon With Shawn

2009-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Co-Lab and their garden. Cafe Mundi. Fresh chard, lettuce, herb and tomato salad. Antics of spray paint color-mixing. Declarations erased from the sides of buildings and declarations stamped onto hands.

None of this would be possible without the magic of toxic solvents.

Bells Tolling

2009-04-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

Early at the restaurant; late at the gallery. Meet with Alex, then listen to St. Austin's Catholic Church ringing in the resurrection with wild tolling. Rapture.

2009-04-10T22:21:00.001-07:00

Reading FreakAngels by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield. No Sleep Tonight.

Nothing Big

2009-04-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Just Grapes of Wrath at Zach Scott Theatre.

A green-spotted just rotten orange hurled across a field.

Young and brash children with no curfew before Passover/Good Friday talking loudly over dinner.

Soft cool weather of a cool front.

Alex and Steve give support of Cuban cinema.

Paintings prepared for safe-keeping.

Toast and eggs.

From the Cradle to the Grave

2009-04-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

I am worn to dust. Little sleep last night and a bludgeoningly long day of work. A big sale that came my way vanished mysteriously. I am exhausted.

Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G.
Un vino per ogni occasione (della settimana)

Il vino: dai migliori vigneti dell' azienda, la produzione dei quali viene mantenuta molto sotto il limite consentito da disciplinare, vengono selezionate le uve per la produzione del Brunello.
Caratteristiche del terreno: terreni detritici argillosi con buona percentuale di limo.
Densità d'impianto: 5000-5500 piante per ha.
Sistema di allevamento: cordone speronato.
Vitigni: 100% Brunello di Montalcino (selezioni clonali di Sangiovese).
Tecnica di vinificazione: pigiatura soffice, fermentazione in acciaio inox a temperatura controllata di 26-28°C gestita con rimontaggi moderati; macerazione sulle bucce di 15-20 giorni, con macerazione post-fermentativa a 28-30 °C.
Tecnica di affinamento: 24 mesi in botti di rovere da 25- 60 q.li. Gli altri due anni di affinamento sono svolti in acciaio inox ed in bottiglia.
Possibilità d'invecchiamento: è un vino che pur esprimendosi ai massimi livelli al momento della sua uscita, riesce nel corso di svariati anni di affinamento in bottiglia ad esaltare la gentilezza del tannino e la decisa evoluzione aromatica.
Conclusioni: Grande vino, dai profumi intensi e dai tannini equilibrati, che sa esprimere tutte le caratteristiche del "terroir" per la qualità e tipicità, sia nella selezione dei cloni, che nella scelta dei terreni meglio esposti e soleggiati.
Un vino di classe ,che promette un'evoluzione interessante e prolungata nel tempo. Si consiglia nelle occasioni importanti, per festeggiare una persona cara, o un ospite di riguardo (domenica).

(Copyright 2009 Camigliano)

Always

2009-04-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

So close to exhaustion.

JFK

2009-04-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

We worked long tonight on the JFK Book. We have a clear a grand document of his assassination. It will take me much longer to finish composing the images than it will for Chad to finish re-working the text. But the end product is in sight.

This Will Do Justice

2009-04-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

Seeing Leonard Cohen will make up for missing American Analogue Set and Staple.

Catching car thieves will make up for some of my injustices.

Finding a copy of William Burroughs will make up for what I have not found at Ecology Action.

Adjusting my bike chain will make up for not doing regular maintenance.

Eating a full meal at Titaya's tonight will make up for losing my appetite last week.

Meeting my neighbor tonight will make up for not being friendly to him in the past.

Doing work on the Cuban Poster Catalogue will make up for deferring it this week.

Buying cannoli will make up for eating a free dinner.

Investing in art supplies today will make up for scratching from dust for so long.

Pitching a rock across the parking lot will make up for missing the thieves license plate.

Drinking a cup of coffee at 360 Primo will make up for the shitty espresso at Caffe Medici this afternoon.

How do I forgive my sins?

"If I could move I'd kneel for you. A thousand kisses deep." -Leonard Cohen

2009-04-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

If you want a lover
I'll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I'll wear a mask for you
If you want a partner
Take my hand
Or if you want to strike me down in anger
Here I stand
I'm your man

If you want a boxer
I will step into the ring for you
And if you want a doctor
I'll examine every inch of you
If you want a driver
Climb inside
Or if you want to take me for a ride
You know you can
I'm your man

Ah, the moons too bright
The chains too tight
The beast wont go to sleep
I've been running through these promises to you
That I made and I could not keep
Ah but a man never got a woman back
Not by begging on his knees
Or I'd crawl to you baby
And I'd fall at your feet
And I'd howl at your beauty
Like a dog in heat
And I'd claw at your heart
And I'd tear at your sheet
I'd say please, please
I'm your man

And if youve got to sleep
A moment on the road
I will steer for you
And if you want to work the street alone
I'll disappear for you
If you want a father for your child
Or only want to walk with me a while
Across the sand
I'm your man

If you want a lover
I'll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I'll wear a mask for you

2009-04-01T21:40:00.000-07:00

"The funny thing about regret is that it’s better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven’t." -Gibby Haynes

2009-03-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

Take me
Break me
Tell me a good one
And maybe i`ll cry
Go with me
Show me
And maybe i`ll die

Lately i`ve been dancing in ceiling fans
Into the kitchen, and out the back gate
Well I know it sounds strange
But It could be the other way
Round to the ground where I know I must stay

Take me
Break me
Tell me a good one
And maybe i`ll cry
Go with me
Show me
Tell me a good one
And maybe i`ll die

Lately i`ve been dancing in ceiling fans
Circled in secrets and playing a game
Well I know it sounds strange
But It could be the other way
Round in a town where they don`t know your name

Aristide is Back

2009-03-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

I will ask him why he chooses to go to Austin every time he visits the states. Surely he has the means to travel elsewhere, no? Ai, Minchia!

2009-03-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Chad and I take photographs of Jesus and Willy called Sonny. When Chad drinks in excess we argue about the President.

Dear R,

2009-03-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'll be going to see Leonard Cohen play on Thursday. I wish I could take you along.

-Noah

I couldn't finish my dinner.

2009-03-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

I saw you and I was just again a ball of nerves and sorrow. I've had this sadness in me, deep in the heart of my bones and I cannot shake it and it's like a cancer. I miss you so much and I sit behind you and I can't stand it. The feeling is so visceral. I've thought over and over about calling you and I am reminded again that this is a dream that I cannot perform without quaking and tremors and falling apart for you. I wish you would be with me. I don't think there's anyone that would every be you again. Please.

Late to Work

2009-03-26T23:33:00.001-07:00

No eat all day.

Another Amends

2009-03-25T23:54:00.000-07:00

The pot-smasher has given me a new, smaller, blander, white one and replaced the cacti they knocked out of it the other night. This take and give still leaves me in a slight deficit. Who would terrorize a garden this way?

No Rest for the Weary

2009-03-24T23:37:00.000-07:00

Day 12 at Work

Another Garden Terrorism

2009-03-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

My plants have been attacked again. Now another nice little yellow pot of cactus and succulent has been smashed to bits and the pieces shoved into the soil of another planter. Why?

Not Fair Trade

2009-03-21T23:13:00.001-07:00

Someone, perhaps they who took my little red pot yesterday, left a wooden box. It was a wooden box filled with styrofoam and topped with plastic and nylon vines and papier mache fruit. It was a chochki like those you find at Hobby Lobby.

THIS IS NOT A FAIR TRADE

The Wrestler

2009-03-20T23:13:00.001-07:00

Only 4 hours' sleep last night and only 2 the night before; a somnambulist battle. Slate Audio Book Club recommends David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest as good insomniac reading. I ought to investigate.

Opened the restaurant today. Forged 5 hours of long work. Upon my relief I took a nap and went to school. New paintings and some found photographs onto Flickr. I saw R and fought desperately to control my want/need/desire to approach her, to say hello and look her in the eye. I can only imagine the weakness such an encounter would bring.

Work at the gallery was slow and quiet. Olivia and Berto stopped in, having not seen them since their trip to the continent. There was a tired and chipper mood about.

Back home and mom came by. Dinner at Mother's Cafe of molé enchiladas and apple juice. Then 360 Primo Café and a movie. I think that Mickey Rourke deserved the Academy Award. A far better character than Harvey Milk's stilted and idealized story.

Final photographs upon Zeb's motorcycle. Struggle to find a way to recreate Pulp Fiction:

"Whose motorcycle is this?"

"It's not a motorcycle, it's a chopper."

"Whose chopper is this?"

"It's Zeb's."

"Who's Zeb?"

"Zeb's dead, baby. Zeb's dead."

Someone stole a couple of plants and a gorgeous little red pot. I will put them in a head lock if I find them.

12 Mile Bike Ride

2009-03-19T23:27:00.000-07:00