Wednesday, October 20, 2010

automaton voices

on the M train


(been a while since rode train ---- bike being pref mode of transportation -- above ground! fresh air!)

an automaton voice - something out of a Sci-Fi movie - told me -- us -- to (paraphrased [but close])


"Ladies and Gentleman, when you see a handicapped, elderly or pregnant person, please offer them your seat;

you'll be standing up for what's right. Courtesy is contagious - and it starts with you."


??


~did a.. robot voice.. just. say that to me..~ -


another message (paraphrased [close])


"Protect yourself.."


?? -


"If you see a suspicious-looking package don't keep it to yourself.. Tell a police officer..

Remain alert, and have a safe day.."


??


~did a.. robot voice just.. say that to me..~


look around at people.. no one seems to think anything is weird..


arrive at stop in Long Island City

ascend grimy stairs


there's.. a.. guy in a bright blue gorilla costume waving a yellow flag..

sign around neck advertising Mr Bubble carwash..


walking closer, hear a buzzing noise -- the buzzes of an electric motor --

and it occurs -- it's a robot in the costume..


one less employee to pay huh..


computers took over countless factory jobs..

and took its toll on toll-takers (E-Z Pass; glide on through)


set me to thinking.. ~are there any jobs a robot just won't ever replace~...


a plumber


over this past wknd my Mom was in town from Philly and told of how she found a mouse doggie-paddling in the toilet

what having climbed in the pipes -- holding breath a minute or so - swimming to the toilet bowl -- where it could climb out and perhaps go nibble on cookie crumbs ------- but, in this case, got caught -- and put out in the back lawn (that mouse has stories to tell to his buds [if he ever sees them again])


the drain in my apt used to drain so slow.. water would collect to overflowing in sink while trying to shave


i emptied a whole bottle of Draino into the sink.. no dice..


my bro took the plunger to it -- multiple rounds -- the description of the gobs and stuff that were plunged forth, yyow..


now it drains quickly


water is so elusive

if there is the smallest crack -- it will find its way out


i recall watching a documentary in which Bruce Lee instructed the viewers to "be like water"

in other wards - flexible - and 'fluid' -- 'finding the way'


my hat's off to plumbers - controlling water -- no easy task!


they are paid a lot


they earn their pay


mark my words -- you'll never pay a robot to fix your sink!


Thursday, July 1, 2010

article about an expert in the field of repairing art

here are two sections from an article in the May 11 (2009) New Yorker magazine about a German guy who is an expert as far as repairing art goes -- have a read:


placed."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - - - - - -


- - - - - - - - - - -

one could throw in the whole 'meanwhile children are starving in Africa' line at this point but

what was was.. ---- here we are in time flow - - - - -


* painting by Takeshi Murata






Monday, April 19, 2010

Visalia Cali

who knew central Cali is so great -- here a quick glance (see fb vid [below] b4 or after reading post)

Thurs night I went to a concert in East Village -- Webster Hall -- saw Caspian - band from Boston - perform -- stretched late -- rode bike round midnight to apt -- grabbed suitcase and made way to PATH train ----- cruised to Jersey -- Newark -- bumbled around airport -- checked in round 5am ---- boarded plane and soared to sunny Cali..

Fresno Airport is clean -- has sculptures of giant tree(trunk)s in it.. -
stepped out into glorious sun and radiant green palm trees
The sister of the bride (whose wedding i flew in for) picked me up in an older model Grand Marquis (yyeeaahh)..
we drive to 'Super Taco'
i've eaten plenty of tacos over the years -- these were possibly the best --
we sprayed lemon on and ate them as we cruised to house - fruit trees blurring by on both sides of vehicle

arrive at house (bride's parents) -
reeeaally beautiful place -- Cali architecture all the way -- one floor -- tall windows -- pool out back with waterslide ---- they have two big Saint Bernard dogs.. and a bunch of cats roaming around..
we drive to another farm -- big avocado tree in yard -- fields of plum trees, nut trees, on and on..
next thing i'm zooming on an ATV - along with her cousins and a local - though a vast network of sandy trails -- fruit and nut trees eeeverywhere -- rows and rows -- dips, moguls, ramps, big openings full of sand (good for donuts, jumping off ramps) -- a lake -- slog thru..
the local had all kinds of enormous tractors and farm equipment -- an Austrain prince put him in charge of tending the land -- soo much to look after (including Kiwi trees) -- but he had a good attitude about it - and a cool dog - who'd fetch sticks and play in the water

We ate a feast of a dinner -- fresh Beef, potatoes, 3 bean salad, -- walnut pie and whipped cream for dessert =d

afterwords, went to go play pool at a family friend's
we show up and it's a huge space with a movie screen playing a film -
we watch the rest - then skip pool to go grab drinks on Main Street

at the biggest venue downtown a teen-age band is rocking out on a stage -- we opt for another bar down the street - someone bought a round of shots which we threw back -- then i order beers from tap for me and a friend -- expecting a $14 bill -- 7 bucks for both(!)
place was packt -- local gals belted out karaoke

got in middle of night -- snoozed on couch -----
jolt awake around 5am -- to the Saint Bernard having a barking/howling fit --
i swivel head around to see the owner of the house standing there -- ready to start farming for the day -- 'the dog has dreams' he said

fell back asleep - till awoken a few hours later -- to talk of a clogged toilet -- a plumber pushes in an industrial-grade snake 'MAX ROOTER' written on it
he rattled it to work on the clog -- claimed it was 'roots' (grew though, blockt flow)
* someone asked him what was the craziest thing he had to dislodge -- 'small animals' he said

after breakfast at the farm, the grandpa walks in and says there's a stolen car, dumped on the land (abandoned)
we get in back of pick up and go investigate ('happens all the time -- usually they torch them' [the abandoned vehicles] --- also tells me the farmer has a thing that launches disks, which explode loudly - scaring of thieves trying to steal nuts

it's a white, Toyota truck-- wheels stripped off, windows smasht..
they get the forklift, attach chains to it, jostle it around..
not wanting to damage the irrigation hose, we pull it out from under it.. a Fresno cop pulls up.. we leave it for the tow truck to deal with..

one of the cousins shows me the bee hives --
about two hundred boxes (little bigger than shoe boxes) stacks of about 5 high
bees swarm around them (hives made inside) --
he's telling me about the business of it (farmers paying bee keepers to be near their farms -- to pollinate flowers) - wearing a pair of orange oakleys -- bees are right there close to us buzzing like mad -- sun blazes in distance - behind us are countless orange trees -- we're standing on a path made of crushed walnut shells

he also told me Visalia is well known for dairy - one of -- if not *the* -- top producing areas in the World

The bride's uncle takes me and his son for a drive -- to 'Three Rivers'
the road weaves through massive green mountains -- body of water in the valley below.. -- people fill the water (boating and waverunnering) in the summer..
we lunch at In-N-Out -- gobbled down a 'Double Double' (yyowie)

back at the house - dress for wedding - wedding photographer shows up - with the videographer - two friends show up (one from ny -- the other, la)
i take wheel of their rental car (PT Cruiser) - stop by Starbucks - and roll to church

a modern building -- felt like we were in a space ship : )

Harpist played.. Ceremony..
Groom played an original, epic piece on piano to bride, who stood at the alter in magnificent gown

candle lighting, rings, kiss, they exit

we exit, into Cruiser, roll to reception..

Visalia Country Club -- great choice -- a verdant green, lush, flowy trees, lake with big carp and swans.. drinks at the bar.. sun sets -- mystical, sublime -- as we laugh by the lake..

darkness, go inside.. fancy - steak and salmon.. wine.. speeches.. cake cutting.. champagne.. dance floor opens -- it's On.. -
tho at one point my friend leap-frogs me - we bonk heads -- he has to sit a while to recoup..
Outside, we blow bubbles on bride and groom as they walk to shiny new Corvette -- climb in -- rumble off into Cali night -- to honeymoon in Japan

Afterparty in the heart of downtown Visalia -- rowdy bar -- lots of Cali farmer kids
i ordered a drink called a 'Crackpipe' -- sip at it, yelling to others over the blaring music -- the drink goes straight to head an i hand keys to friend -- we stop by a 7eleven -- where discover atm card is missing (aaah well)

we arrive at house 1ish -- i snooze on sectional couch pull-out bed..

rise after sleeping in.. eat wedding cake basking in sun out by pool.. -- pool-cleaning robot sprays me with its hose =/

bride's sis pops up to give me a ride to airport..
the farmer dad (owner of house) takes my two friends and i to the fruit trees - we pluck fat oranges right off the trees, stick them in bags..
i eat two of them on way to Fresno airport
the other two, I left under my seat on the airplane....
I wonder if the person who found them, ate them

here's a video

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Blog

I slapt a bunch of posts up - bits of writings

would go and speed-read them what

what if you're like at a desk and like

have time

like, have freedom to read at the desk

if so

what are you gonna read -

some writing in a can on some site some dude stresst to write to

get a paycheck? perhaps? c'mon - let's lighten up

yyees paid writing can be great

'even still' let's branch

Mind expansion

Imagination quest

Newness

Pulse

Who is alive

Would they write

It is the most profound art in my book

the world

long line of Black Friday shoppers near midnight
part-time Wal-Mart employee unlocks
door smasht forward
lands on man
people trample over him
ending his earthly life
surveillance cameras pick up EMT performing CPR - goes on 11 O'clock news

'terrorists' held hostages in fancy hotels in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay)

they all got offed save one or

USA president is gonna have hands full
there's healthcare where, say you have $1000 in your bank account -
some freak who drank a 6 pack of Coors runs you and moped over with his van
%100 his fault
suddenly you owe $60,000
hospitals charging thousands to fix humans - are hospitals there to help you or - by looks of it - 'help themselves to you'
then lawyers - say you're looking to gain justice by van guy paying your hospital bill and $ missed by not being at work - good luck as lawyers - what do they charge - thousands right off bat or

hospitals and lawyers be that as it may (don't get injured or sick)
how about credit cards and banks - say you have $112 in bank -
your credit card bill is $120 - suddenly 8 bucks in debt - check bounces - they send a $30 fine in addition to demands to pay them money you don't have - where that $30 gonna come from - find a gerbil wheel to run on or
and 'interest' heh - on a loan - something like %29 - it's like asking a friend for 20 bucks (b/c broke) - they reply 'yeah, just, gotta pay me back 40 next week'

what about politicians - dress important - distribute taxes to this and that

taxes going towards building tanks and bombs
don't get me started on the military - trying to wrangle a middle eastern country into shape - how about fix problems in North Philly and the Bronx first!

or religions - forcing women to wear vails or
or bow down in front of statues or

or education system - $80,000 for a person to finish college - What!?!?!?!?!?!?!

or casinos with their mesmerized masses - all that money

what is money it's it's
it's such a part of why the above is at present as it is eh eeeeem

Daily Life

been reading Gertrude Stein of late and she's hit on point that writers through history have written of their daily lives

a Russian friend of mine recently got into an altercation with his roommate - the guy started shoving him so he punched him in the face - the guy cried and, bloodied, called cops - who took my friend to jail. he told me it was so cold and no blanket and he declared to them it was torture but they weren't sympathizing. he got bailed out - sleeping elsewhere other than apt while awaiting court time. I found the story fascinating and asked him to type it for me - whereupon I could type it - a 'writing project'. he bought a voice recorder and said he was going to tape the story as he told it to friends - then send me an mp3 of it. but then for whatever reason he got fired from his job - we worked at the same place - and I haven't seen him since, hope he's OK.

Other night was at a homeless shelter helping my buddy serve food. A Christian group - all wearing blue t-shirts - from Indiana were there. They sang a song to the group of homeless people who were real appreciative. My buddy who heads it up delivers a message based on the Bible and then everyone digs into the food - cooked by a top chef in City (who volunteers his time to cook - on this occasion Steak and potatoes). A lady locked her keys in a room - the door in plain view in the dining area. My buddy announces for no one to be alarmed - 'she locked her keys in this room - I have to kick the door in!', with that a good walking start and BAM!!! door flew open - to the glee of clapping, cheering guests.

I heard a Marine is facing possible legal action because he dropped a puppy off a cliff in a youtube clip. Interesting how people are flipping lids over a puppy while USA troops are blasting this and that and people over in Iraq. I like puppies, don't get me wrong - kittens too

Speaking of military my younger bro who's in the army - also at Parsons - has been trying his hand at fashion photography - doing quite well actually - a recent shoot was for S.I. - swimsuit edition - the photo shoot was down by Wall Street - in front of that big bull sculpture - a Slovanian model - all those suits down there - he said there was almost a riot

this same bro I went and saw the HULK with yest night
his girlfriend was there and he had in his carry bag his little flighty lapdog, Birdie, who was looking and acting very puzzled, sitting in theater as the previews played. his girlfriend had to take the dog away - to walk it to their W. Village apt - she returned after only about 15 minutes and we all enjoyed the movie - afterwards she said the dog was going crazy because of all the food around - all the people grabbing at popcorn and crunching it in their mouths - food all around 'drives him bonkers'

go buy a book in Brooklyn
I'm at work on a new book
do you know people who write - do you think it is a stronger artform than, say, painting

but how much time do Americans have to really read - what with 9 - 5s and running hither dither on this or that errand - clubs and going to movies and filling nights with activity before they wax frail and that's that in the way of participation with people on the earth - it's pretty much curtains after you pass a point right - and then what - it's like, going through motions day after day - then, after passing more points on down the line I guess life morphs into readying for death what

but that's that for another time young reader - go and enjoy life - tho know it is - as the Bible says - like a vapor - think of that steam shooting from a tea kettle - there it is for a bit - then it's gone - - - - anyhow think of one of your best looking friends - do doors seem to open easier for them - we really value the sense of SIGHT right

machines

"No nineteenth-century inventor was more prolific than Thomas Edison, no career more epic... Edison filed his first patent, for an automatic vote-recording machine, in 1868. When he set up his laboratory at Melno Park, in 1876, he promised "a minor invention every ten days and a big thing every six months or so." He kept that promise, averaging an almost inconceivable forty patents a year - one every nine days - for a lifetime total of more than a thousand. He filed his patent for the incandescent light bulb in 1879, but 1882, the year he lit up New York, marked his personal best of a hundred and seven. Given the pace and scale of technological change, and the enthusiasm for it, it's no wonder that, in Edison's age, the past, the present, and the future seemed to be linked together by an unending chain of machines."

article by Jill Lepore in New Yorker Magazine May 12 '08 edition

think of your reliance in cellphone and computer, tv, ipod, movies, light bulbs, on an on - compare that to caveman days - watching fires for entertainment.. hunting.. gathering nuts, berries..

the move to the Heights

As many of you know I moved seven days ago from here

http://gallery.east-harlem.com/showphoto.php?photo=409

to here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Heights%2C_Manhattan

Thankfully : )

Here I’ll give a quick account of a last leg of the move.

It was to collect an art-deco-style wooden chair from my 117th St apt
and transport it to my new big apartment in the Heights.

now, there were other items I had to transport as well, including the Whole Food bag in my hand, which contained 2 packages of ground beef (I was to attend a dinner in the Heights that night - just a few blocks away from new apt).

Consolidation was the name of the game. Utilising some clear packing tape, I secured to the chair (as you can see in the photo) - we’ll start from bottom up - a big New Yorker Cartoon book, a Strong’s concordance, a Bible, an Art Theory book, in the plastic bag are toiletries (including my former aptmate’s bottle of shampoo - lookt just like mine - which, incidentally, I had to reimburse) and yes, there’s the Whole Foods bag - the cashier gave me this neat hot/cold package - worked great; retaining freshness.

I lugged chair thru Harlem to 3 train (entrance seen in photo), zoomed to the 1 at 96 - uptown to 168, walked to apt - stuck chair in room, cut free the bag of beef, and made for friend’s apt up by 181. I greeted the group of friends, handed over the beef, which got formed into patties, sizzled on a grill.. We sat eating burgers happily watching March Madness.

Photobucket

Photobucket

speed metal and the future

a coworker yest gave me a cd of heavy metal music

when I listened to it later - the lead singer of the band sounded to me
a bit too much like Cookie Monster - could picture him at the mic and cookie crumbs flying all over

today I was batting around ideas of making a lunar buggy to put in the front window for display - we could make it of pipes and tin foil

before work was breakfast in Tribeca where discussed the function of art -
take for example a mask made in BALI - the person carved and painted it there w/ his/her reason in mind - next thing it’s hanging in the Met lol

how about two days suddenly in past eh - and throw your mind (enter scene of quarterback launching a spiral - long bomb - there it goes - up - up - the arch..) waay into the future - like the year 2345 - will people read in a book about my coworker giving me a speed metal cd - it won’t be in a book (will it?) - will it be in cyberspace somewheres - who will know what - and what do we know now - and are we all like brothers and sisters

influence

Readying to get a new Macbook Pro soon..

I’ve found a good fast computer to be one of the best tools to take in the most information and images per minute.. - compare it to a library ha ha ha - running around like a headless chicken - fumbling books - lit, history, thick photo books - scowling librarian - - - compared to snapping a button and surfing cyperspace..

via a couple clicks of keys you can send that email which changes the course of history eh

now, books can still influence.. my neighbor across the hall for example.. recently he lent a book to my roommate "The Master Cleanser" it’s called - have you heard of this - calls for you to drink just lemon water with maple syrup in it - and crushed peper bits(?) for 7-10 days - that’s it - no solid food and supposedly it cleans your insides out..

so he didn’t buy into it - the thin book sat on the kitchen table - - - - my other roommate however - - - - - biiiiig guy (picture a DEFENSIVE END for the JETS) saw it. and it changed the course of his life. Suddenly a whole bunch of lemons appeared in the apartment, and a jug of Maple Syrup. Pitcher of tinted water. A somber big roommate, watching dvds.

he won’t be roommie long as I’m readying to move North to THE HEIGHTS.
Now, I used to live in the Heights. It has its charms, just, my goal has been for a while now to be where I feel I belong VIZ. THE VILLAGE OR L.E.S.

thing is rent’s RATHER HIGH in both these nabe’s

at this point I’ll throw a slider into the kitten kaboodle:

VIZ. THE PROJECTS

whilst walking in LES other day I had to whip out phone and snap a pic of these horrid atrocities of arcitechture

perhaps when they were built they were in a sketch area

but now that nabe is HOT

please don’t tell me that people are staying in the projects paying peanuts because they are on welfare while people like me are working 9-5s and have to eek by in Harlem or the Heights - or like many of my friends - over in Brklyn or Queens - - - - WHAT GIVES!

What say TAKE A BULLDOZER to these awful eyesores
and build in place of them sharp apts for young artists who are diligent about beautifying the City!

no flippage of lid: not saying boot poor people out on street -
build these project buildings if we must (must we?) up in the Heights or, better, THE BRONX

not in the BEST neighborhoods in the City (Alphabet City too - Ave C and D yyyyipes - the noxious vibes those dreadful buildings spew into the air! - - - who’s idea was it to build them in the first place!!!!!!!!!)

Let’s better the City!

FreedomLovers UNITE!

Photobucket

Photobucket

<Photobucket

cliche’s!

think of the cliche aspect of art these days
that is to say what it's grown into over years -
like 'in box' factor
look, for instance, on the the menu bar on your computer -
note the icons: here a musical note - click on it - your music library pops up (bands, kinda 'boxy') -
then here's a camera icon - click on it - up pops photos (box; photography is what photography is)- dvd icon - click on and you can watch films (films are films, have grown a tad cliche, agreed?).. - the "W" icon for 'Word' - for typing - type a book (box!) or poetry (box!).. other boxes (cliche's): the theater - actors study script, get up on stage and try and strike cords in audience (box concept! - which masses continue to gobble up lol).. - you're walking about downtown and see a big metal sculpture - box(!) - and to think of all the paperwork the artist or his/her minions had to bend his/her/their brain(s) over to get it aoked by the GOV.
djing (box!) painting (boxes! 2D! 2D! 2D!) - zoning on computer (box, 2D, lots of 2D - all that 2D ingested - gazing on flat screen - reading words and listening to music and looking at pictures and watching flims and reading words and listening to music and looking at pictures and watching flims and...) museums (boxes - and all those paychecks disht out for upkeep) -
pleads the question - what's not box!?

Eeem.. multi-media art pierces through time to time - performance art can crack chains - and yes certain abstract paintings prove unfettered, keys unlock doors freeing imaginations to explore newness, this or that

conceptual art can be free as well i.e. is outside of box/cage

and yes while books hinge on (are pretty bound to) words to make them function even so a rich novel in which the writer is not shackled to getting paycheck from publishing house machines - and not sidelining originality to pander to the masses - these can really shatter cliche over the knee and send thinking and hearts beyond the day to day cliche

non fiction too - currently reading a chapter from my Dad's soon to publish book "THE SURREAL REICH" - a number of his prev books drive home that truth can be stranger than fiction / drop jaw

creating new book as you gaze on lighted screen about 15 inches away from your eyeballs
say a prayer for me and look at these 2 novels time being eh www.adamtyson.com

Health Care in USA

Health Insurance is a pretty penny in USA
Oft tied to jobs which deduct x amount from paychecks
so that you're 'covered'
say one.. falls from a tree, hits ground - 'snap' - Yyouch! Knee!
concerned bystander calls 911 - ambulance suddenly shows - zooms injured person to hospital -
do you have 'Blue Cross Blue shield' - better hope so!
say it's some curious kid - who's parents don't have health insurance - who scrape by to pay rent and put food on table -
Whatev! time to PAY THROUGH NOSE!!!
Ah - and how about Bobby's cast - SHELL OVER THE DOUGH!!!
ah - and physical therapy - wh-what's that? - you have to pay rent? - TUFF BEANS -
COUGH UP!!!!!!

yes, reality is you and I (my American myspacey friends reading this) live in such a system

and we let it go on

powers that be collecting their paychecks

While places like Canada, Britain, France - even Cuba and India - have systems where the government pays for health care

CAN YOU IMAGINE walking into a hospital and being treated and not being anxious about an astronomical bill


I tip hat to these nations - whilst inserting a feather into theirs, respectively

for treating their citizens so well

in London they totally look out for pregnant mothers - allowing Ample time away from work

in France (where they enjoy a 35 hour work week) they get like 5 weeks PAID HOLIDAY - imagine the travels possible over the years - we're talking serious branching to exotic lands and beyond!

meanwhile think of all the work-a-day folk out in some place like Kentucky who the farthest they got in 40 years is like Jacksonville FLA because they're ball-and-chained to the factory that gives them their health insurance

Wake Up My Freedom Loving Friends!

As Mel Gibson yells in that movie: "FREEEEEDOOOOM!!!"

Let's Stand up and better the Health Care system

is it any wonder the STANDARD OF LIVING is so much HIGHER in Europe

is it any wonder Brits and the French LIVE LONGER

FREEDOMLOVERS UNITE!

Wittgenstein quote and..

"Weiss sowohl als Schwarz sind beide undurchsichtig oder korperlich..... Weisses Wasser wird man sich nicht denken konnen, was rein ist; so wenig wie klare Milch"

translates:

"Both white and black are opaque or solid.... White water which is pure is as inconceivable as clear milk" Ludwig Wittgenstein 'Remarks on Colour'

what a statement
Luwig was on Earth 1889 - 1951
how did he come to write such things
have we freetime nowadays to pen such words

it is a searching
it is a trying to get things right

reminds of other night
returning to New York from Philly

on Chinabus
a family sitting directly behind me - Indians
the guy had a terrible cold - loud hacking cough
the lady spoke oft in a high nasal voice
the baby wailed crying

here was wrongness, it really seemed -
reeeally felt like.. 'wrongness'
i.e. 'why'? y'know - 'why is this?'

(how come myspace does not allow for italizization?)

anywho/how

pressing FWD:

also thought to self that I was gonna invest in some 'Airborne' on the morrow..

Recently heard from a friend about a Russian guy who, standing there, got 'sneezed on' - that is to say: someone sneezed (not covering mouth) straight in his face!!!

what he did was as follows

he went and (typical Russian style) bought a bottle of VODKA and poured it into his hand and rubbed it all over his face and drank some..

further, out tonight w/ a friend in wburg - grabbed din at a Polish restaurant -
he was cleaning the silverware with lemon slices
to ward off 'germs' -
he's torn as to whether to move to Sweden or remain in NYC

there's the aspect of moving to a higher standard of living viz. a 'better quality of life'

also aspect of (yes, Ghandi-esque) being the change you'd like to see in the place you live

if you pulled an arrow back (see it strain for release on the bow) and shot it fast -

what else is more on point than

MOTIVE

2020.. and transportation (in a sense)

new book writing these days takes place in 2020

..

'takes place'

who came up with that way of putting it

..

'came up' - who coined that to mean 'discover'

who has which grasp on the language

who 'calls shots' as it were

countless and sundry over the ages

who gets recognition

who has time to laud it

as it goes

on and on

go ahead

look at wristwatch

close eyes and gauge feelings - be they peaceful of chaotic

go on

go on

go on ahead now

and here a recent e-mail to a fellow writer - extending props to his recent book

"Anyhow a feather in the book's cap is how bizarro it is -
esp in that these days as things wax nuttier and nuttier (as it seems to me)
people are looking for heavier and heavier (more potent) doses of 'gonzo' if you will to transport them away from reality

your book is tried and true in this regard as I stick ipod earbuds in (listen to like techno music) and speedread

sad-faced folk coming down from the Bronx become a non-issue, disappear

look up and next thing know at stop"

now, is this right
is it more noble to up and change the scenario of why this and that is this way or that way

and/or pray or

so, it's.. there's..

cues

good prog on new book today
words words words

here a glimpse into a concept dealt with in recent book 'it is what it is'

the protag is at a concert
the band (fit with their long hair and black jeans) is sound-checking on stage -
the protag yells up to them
'you're all taking cues'
cues passed down and passed down
kinda like monkey sees monkey does
teen sees music heroes strumming guitar in front of a guy pounding at drum set
he goes and buys a guitar, learns, finds a drummer, a bass guitarist, they suddenly classify as a 'band'
they've taken their cues - are running with them.. regardless that it's been so done (out).. shout or whine the angry lyrics - which click in the youth (why's that?).. the photoshoot - them on a cover looking broody.. - on to playing at bars to crowds..

book strings it clearer
relates it to artists (kid sees guy splattering paint - has his/her cue - goes, gets canvas, proceeds to do likewise) to writers (one reads about the bohemian life of this or that writer and's suddenly reading novels in cafes - scrawling thoughts on memo pad) actors, directors, on and on..

can see why I'm keen on electronic and experimental music
foreign films and authors who've written true rather than tailoring their creations to please the publishing houses and editors who are paid to alter originality

gift books to pals www.adamtyson.com

and whoever is in NYC Dec
attend this ball
http://www.charityis.org/charityball/
gonna be rad
hosted by JESS STAM
would be great to see you there = )

the power of photography

so I was at the New York History Museum, Central Park West
awaiting a NewYorker magazine event -
to kill time went strolling about in new exhibit 'New York remembering 9/11':
two huge rooms - with lots of (printed-out-on-8x10-photo-paper) photographs -
floor to ceiling - and hanging from wires strung across the room - photos taken by civilians -
the buildings bursting
people running covered in white dust
exhausted fire fighters
politicians
thrashed cars
warzone aftermath shots on and on..

so walking amidst these many many photo, I slid camera from pocket -
the small Asian lady security guard shook her head no though
'no photography'

now, what *is it* about photography

take this scenario in point

essentially: do not take a picture of this room full of pictures ..

I guess one of the fears is that I'd go and make a poster of a picture of a picture
and some people would look at it and get sad

A while ago I I shot a ten second video of the Viennese museum as I curved down the lush stair case..

The stout security guard guy cross-examined me for quite a while - making it appear that at any second he could haul me off to jail

he made me delete the video

what is the problem here - do they think I'll go post it on youtube - and people would watch it - and, having, well, seen it, will go and rip their tickets up and hurl them laughing into the trashcan - 'the jig is up, baby - been there - done that!'

I'd chalk it up to how photography deals in truth -
and that's what grants it the power it wields -
a portrait shot can show glaringly clear into that window revealing the soul -

also there's power in that the photographer suddenly own a picture of you -
it's like a 'you' they now own in a sense and there's something to that eh

one could go on and on
yet that's a fun thing about blogs
you can snap them in 2 minutes and that's that

new fotos on website www.adamtyson.com

finances


Current mood: good

So I went and lookt at credit card scenario and saw that there were like three big bloodsucking high-APR-charging American gorillas on my back .

A plan of action crystalised in consolidating all these beasts - i.e. flipping them off back - into one big (peanut APR) kitten kaboodle

Now it'll be sitting pretty pretty, just, gotta watch; gotta make those payments - lest the peanut morph into a big fanged ape . - I'm all about smoothing this one over!

know I'm somewhat of a dreamer but it makes sense to me to devote like an entire semester in highschool to learing the ins and outs - *ropes* - and fineprint of credit cards.. would venture to say it woulda been leaps and bounds more advantageous to me in the longer run than, say, some of those Algebraic equations - what was up with a lot of those lol!

be sure to consider reading 7C and 'it is' as I craft new book

www.adamtyson.com

reading

reading Bulgakov these days
Russians have - from what I've heard - like 8 words to English's one in many cases

having lots of words (could say tools, weapons, paints (colors, hues), instruments) knocking about in head - from which to draw on lightning fast -
such is, needless to type, advantageous to the writer

hat's off to Dostoevsky Tolstoy Nabokov

and Bulgakov - tho stretches artistic license rather drastically at points

even so, it comes through, a vastness, when reading - variety - scale - spektrum - complexity - rich - scope

exercises faculties more

uber decision-making happens when reading -

readers are deciding much more per ten seconds than someone who's just sitting there doing nothing - or watching TV or whatever.. - needless to throw in how much more imagining goes on..

here we shift this into other areas -
say art -
music -
films -
fashion -

you see honing that *discernment* capacity via reading - viz. that 'interpreting - interpreting - interpreting' that happens per second - you can apply that interpretation muscle to gaging, ascertaining, paintings, clothes, movies, venues, this, that - even people e.g. who to call close friends. . i.e. choosing best routes based on wisdom you've accrued over time

and yes of course VITAL is *WHAT* you read

choose wisely = )

Census Bureau.. and TV show responses

recently heard that NYC has 26,402 people per square mile
35.9% are foreign born
46.7% speak another language other than English in their homes (5 and older)

that's almost half

- - - - - -

you may have watched some of Ken Burns' shows about war

I asked my Dad(WW1+2 historian)'s thoughts on it
here the response:

"On the whole I think it's very good so far, and I've learned a lot from it.

Of course, K. Burns' left-wing politics always harp on civil rights, women's lib, etc. whether they're pertinent or not. Though I found the story of Japanese internment fascinating-- as well as brave performance of Japanese army units in Europe.

He criticizes General MacArthur for not being a man of the people, and (rightfully) gives the U.S. general staff low marks for getting tens of thousands of G.I.'s killed in bungled engagements all over the world (Cassarine Pass, North Africa, Anzio Beach, Italy, Ardennes Forest, France, Pelieu in the South Pacific, etc.) He likes U.S. Marine Colonel Evan Carlson of Carlson's Raiders, for being both smart and "democratic," e.g. allowing enlisted men to address officers by first names. General Patton gets high marks for being tough and highly capable-- though not necessarily a nice guy. More casualties occur from hesitant, incompetent commanders than aggressive ones who know what they're doing.

I like the firsthand accounts of veterans who participated in combat. The pieces about Rosie the Riveter, kids in Sacramento and LaVerne, Minnesota during the war, and Mobile's labor boom don't interest me so much.

I didn't know that airmen in flying fortresses suffered so many casualties-- because German fighter aircraft could outmaneuver them, and their own small escort planes didn't have enough fuel to follow them all the way into Germany.

Kens Burns will probably condemn some of the U.S.'s bombing of civilians in Germany and Japan (as he should.)"

- - - - - - -

here a slice of a reply from my bro living in Germany:

".... think about Hamburg getting 'carpet bombed' by B-52 bombers -- by American 'good guys'..."

- - - - - - - - -

I've been to Hamburg many times.. they've kept a part of a church standing - still caked in black ash - as a memorial.. so many lives - and so much beautiful arcitechture - blown to bits..

the human spirit is resilient
rebuilding occured -
think of how people are so about making - buildings and TVs and phones - and tools..
working and working and working.. what's it all leading up to

NAM.. IRAQ

just saw Miss Saigon ..

opened doors ..

set me thinking about

Korean war - North Korea sought to make South Korea Communist

U.S. stepped in to stopped the spread of Communism

succeeded

Then Mao went and spread Communism into North Vietnam

and Ho Chi Minh sprang up

and they sought to spread Communism to the south

the U.S. flew in to regulate

but it's a jungle over there

like fighting an invisible enemy

enemies who knew their turf - burrowed underground, set booby traps, sat in trees

picked many a soldier off

it was a 10 year thing, over there

55,000 fighters dead (Iraq numbers are around 3,000)

many mass demonstrations raged in the U.S.

then we decided on an air lift - copters flew in to get our troops out -

soldiers running for the copters as the North Vietnamese pressed in

the copters flew the troops away

troops returned to the USA

and the North Vietnamese came in

and took over

and Vietnam is a Communist country to this day . . . .

and we have troops over in Iraq driving around in Hummers and getting shot at

and years have gone by

* * *

I recall running through the early morning streets of Paris -
really hauling -
suitcase in hand -
to catch train -
to catch plane -
.. . 'catch'(?)
when you think of 'catch' - as in 'to catch' -
you think of like.. - baseball player jumping up -
*catch*ing ball in glove

I like fast talkers

how well read are Americans
I like people who've read a lot
and've not morphed into bookish freaks -
such takes mental fortitude -
'takes'(??) -
doesn't 'take' - it requires or involves -
crack 'take' over the knee -
chuck it aside for the right word

at all costs

truth factor plus

ZEIT GEIST

'spirit of the times' as it means in Deutsch

what is it today

was at a talk yest nite - a photographer - big in his day - shooting fashion - celebs -
painted a picture of the times - hard charging 80's - ppl snorting coke at nightclubs through the week - during day at work yada yada..

guess that was like just after the Studio 54 days

anyway now's another time -
who can pin it -

it's like..
well I'd say one of the biggest things going is technology - who has the best computers, gadgets..

this said I work at a computer store - Mac store - which sells other stuff as well -
the feelers are out and we sell the cutting edges

movies are popular even so I rank writing above in terms of depth

my books are for sale at the store I work at

23rd St in beating heart of Manhattan

Chelsea - where the gallery scene is -

where I'm scoping to find the best - to enter fotos, vids..

you see art melts the ice - melts or cracks it - shatters

tonight my Sweedish friend and I saw a painting in the trash out front my apt -

later we saw that someone had extracted it - propped it up on a ledge in the lobby hallway - in plain view as one descends steps - we loled.. She made way to 86th and I went and got paper towels at the corner store - talking on cellphone to friend heading to party at Gramercy Hotel.

what say we go way beyond 'technology' in terms of our zeit geist

how to actuate how to actuate

- - - -- - - - - - - - - - -

sitting down at kitchen table -
having lit candle - Mexican one - tall - illustration of a hand on it - w/ a slit in it - saints on clouds above each finger -
'THE MOST POWERFUL HAND' printed in white . . . .
having opened take out container and dug into tacos from local establishment 'TACO MIX' -
set into the art form I've come to deem - after many a year dealing in 'fine' and 'visual' arts - the superior way - - - yes that of *writing* . . . keen on pushing it to the HILT and beyond . . .

you see at this stage in the (history of the Earth) story -
what is 'realistic' painting or drawing - - - when one can snap a digi pic (photography I rank 2nd behind writing - and 'engage' in time to time =) and vids of course )

beginnings of a new book unfolding - unraveling - the character's are spirit beings

with writing as with the spoken words you can go places so fast - whereas 'realistic'
paintings so lock you into that landscape - that person's room . . . - I do tip hat to abstract works (which ties for 2nd w/ fotos - and which I also enjoy making) - as they let the viewers imagination invent

on the lines of spoken word - I recall listening to a poet in Phila - at the Kelly writer's house at the University of Pennsylvania - the gist of what the guy was saying was - - - there's love, there's hate - then there's (the roughest) 'indifference -
in retrospect recently it hit me like a hammer on the head -

there's love, there's hate - then there's (which dumps more haterade on - more even than does hate) does as at least 'hating' (i.e. expressing 'hate' twrds someone e.g. calling and yelling mad words at(?) him/her] acknowledges the other person's existence/humanity..

people who are indifferent to others rank in the lowest of the low

at this point I better check self and ensure I'm not going about ignoring this person or that -
if I do go ahead and give me a good punch in the gut to set me straight -
so long as I don't have to perform an escape l8tr in the day from a tank of water in chains -
isn't that how Houdini spent his last moment(s)?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HoudiniDeath

Blessings and visit my site www.adamtyson.com
buy both books speed read and give to friends
pray as I type new one and if ur in NYC what say let's meet up

what’s what you’re doing

doing to you

think of it -
so many jobs these days at desks -
so many pear-shaped people walking about

then there's body-builders - apple shaped - what with those back muscles fanning out

how about what booze does to those who excess -
hunkered over - bulging belly - vacant yellow eyes

say you're one who listens to music all the time -
be it metal (grow long hair - wear black a lot)
or rap - hat shifts sideways - enter baggy clothes

or you read all the time - there goes the eyes - on go thick glasses

politics or your generic office cubicle job tend to wax people into wood -
rigidity holds hands w/ conformity - cogy-esque following the policies and etiquette

yes yes there are many many exceptions

then there are artists - who if they don't watch can be lumped into a ball as well

living this way melds one this way
living that way melds one that way

in what way are you forming

what are you doing -

going to be doing

what's that leading up to

what's what you're doing

doing to you

America

If we were really to sit back
take a deep breath
remove ipod nubs from ears
set laptop aside
put book down
silence cellphone
turn TV off
remove sunglasses
rub eyes..
and look - reeeally look
at the U.S.
I mean reeeeeaally look at it....
Look at it.
You have all these people groups
(picture a highschool caf - picture a University caf) ...
and they like to dwell amongst their own kinds (picture Chinatowns)
I live in a place called Spanish Harlem

Mexicans in summer like to sit out together and play bongos singing

Then you have the MILITARY

THE ARMY

(picture those bombs blasting Bagdad to bits on TV)

Then you have the Media
people getting paid to work deep into the night to print sheets of papers which people take in hand and gaze on

symbols which form pictures in their heads - pictures of Tanks and Hummers and Explosions

then they go to there workplaces and time to time converse about what they read - or saw on TV or on the net

and work to make MONEY $$$... $

and the more money people have the happier and healthier they tend to be

tho there are cases of people like making money their god and going psycho

anyway look at America
it's like a huge engine
fueled by the sweat of all these workers

and protected by the military

and how many neighbors talk to their neighbors these days

let alone love them

just.. talk..

I hardly ever talk to mine..

Most of them are Mexican..

I like Mexicans

they don't seem all that keen on batting around a topic though

or if I'm in Chinatown - same vibe many times

focus seems set like a laser beam on 'making money' to keep the body functioning
functioning in the juggernaut that is the USA

The most powerful country in the world.

utilising space efficiently

my brother James living in Germany between Hamburg and Berlin
sent me this link recently http://microcompacthome.com/ visit the site...

crisp, clean design eh - tight
reminds of ambling about in Tokyo - taking in the designs - sharp angles - compact quarters -
and the trash trucks - like mini! - - - even so could squeeze so much to such airtight compaction

the Japanese have proven themselves very adaptive; they meld to make it work

so easy on the environment these mini homes'd be - picture it - - - everyone in one - all w/ their Smartcars parkt in lot - which runs on corn - or solar power

now while I'm amenable to this - try pitching it to a Texan on his dude ranch - liable to get a 2x4 smashed over ur head heh heh

which bubbles up that Columbine movie by Moore - a best bit being the cartoon scene - shows how the Pilgrims didn't like being told how to do religion - up and left for the new world - - - i.e risked their lives rather than being told what to do - - - a proud people
'Pride' this - 'Pride' that

"Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth" Jesus

anyhow what say setting up a good amount of these microhomes and unleashing bulldozers on McMansions and their SUVs

opening up funds to beautify the architecture within cities - making it a peasant walk about - free of vibe-destroying projects - an aesthetically pleasing city - which delights the eyes, stimulates the mind

vital energy

schlubbing to 6 train early AM
note Mexican and Puerto Rican neighbors emerging from subway w/ sad faces
groups, milling about disoriented - as it dawns - the 6 train is not running..
in a zone, cut in front of jumbled line to pressing on bus
which is jam packt as I stand w/ New Yorker mag to face blocks and swaying blocks
reading article about Brit social commentator of the the 1800's Herbert Spencer
here an excerpt:
"Cerebral activity makes enormous demands on vital energy, and "if expenditure is excessiveit cannot be met without deduction from that reserve power which should go to race-maintenance." Reading interfered with breeding."
to showing up at computer store where basement is a puddle - techs with mops in hands - shop vacs wailing sucking in the water
I wade through to a dim storage area where a fat waterbug skitters up a piece of plywood to considering me at eye level - standing in the water I flash eyes about for something to smash it with - hone in on a cheap umbrella hanging on a rack - shaggy black one - the kind with the plastic hook handle - I swoosh a swing to Blam! - and all that remains of it is it's head there stuck to that sheet of plywood - anteni moving as it goes on considering me but fading away

we all managed to bail the place out and then it's free lunch: massive chicken burrito delivered - too much cheese even so

second half of work..

onto the subway (running again) to Brooklyn
where kick back and crack thick French philosophy book
here excerpt:
"It is hard to tell who is who anymore, or what anything means. Instead of a rigid line composed of well-determined segments, telegraphy now forms a supple flow marked by quanta that are like so many little segmentations-in-progress grasped at the moment of their birth, as on a moonbeam, or on an intensive scale." (1000 Plateaus)

and to address the Spencer article excerpt I've found cerebral activity to invigorate

adamtyson.com

computer spaceship

A-train to JFK today where met my mother who flew in from Frankfurt at LUFTHANSA Arrivals area to guide her to Chinatown and send her on bus to Philadelphia.
En route 6 train to Canal stop heard about her time in Ireland w/ my sister and how you'd drive down street (left side of road) and see people just standing talking out front their lil' houses - about this, that.. going's on in the community e.g. 'did ya hear Patty O'reilly got a new car?' - 'O really, what kind?' - 'A Nissan' - 'Y'know I hear that's not a bad car - my cousin Bridget - you know Bridget - she had that red one - served her well - Japanese they are, right?' and on and on.. How much of this type of talk happens in bigger cities..

Internet plays in plenty-
like people boarding their respective spaceships and zooming off into cyberspace for hours on end.. kinda like what I'm doing now..
anyhow it has it's pluses - like the cyber-friends I added today on facebook from Canada..
what are the chances that I'll be batting around how my cousin bought a Nissan w/ them tho..
'tho' - here we see a word that's come into existence (to a large extent) b/c of computers - like our lol's and btw's and 'ttyl's - or even 'talk 2 u l8tr' - is this all language we'll use when a big computer spaceship lands and we all board and fly to planet Computer - just walking around w/ laptops hung by suspenders to bellies, clickering away ichat to each other - eventually evolving into symbols ^ - ^ ~ ~ %%%%%% > > > - - - looking through telescopes time to time down on Irish countrysides scratching heads over how to get laptops in their hands asap

nutrition

stopped drinking coffee today - got a wicked headache lol
watched a nutrition video yesternight which kinda basht it - alcohol too
it was an Indian lady who spoke in a thick English accent and looked wise
she said we should eat protein, carbs, and fats with every meal -
for instance bfast: fruit and yogurt - throw nuts and seeds on that -
or have eggs, this, that, the next
and that we should nibble snacks between meals
she lookt kinda heavy to be honest - but wise - and that counts
and she said if it wasn't around 1000 years ago don't eat it

so chittering at keyboard having just downed 2 chick tacos from local mex barrio - chased down by chilled sliced mangos - feeling pretty good - she also drew an analogy that you are like a spider web - that you pluck one part (say emotions - or thoughtlife) and it effects the other parts (say, body) - so you become what you think about a lot yada yada

so most likely I'll return to coffee after a sort of 'cleanse stint' -
just, in moderation - can always flash the Terence (Roman dramatist) card eh viz 'moderation in all things'

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Terence/

500G Drive

Tirk Nerker -
renown photographer -
long white beard -
massive collection - tens of thousands - of original pictures - and movies -
having stowed them away over the course of 40 years to just about maxing out his trusty 500 gig external hard drive steps out to go for a walk along the water up by the George Washington Bridge - to think through a big artshow he's in next month - where he's to go head to head with photographer Barry Pastori - another force in the art world. the Times are seriously hyping the show - calling it best of the Century..
Now, Barry - having known Tirk as a contemporary (and rival) over the years - to point of knowing his habits - like this daily walk by the water - and how Tirk never locks his doors and always leaves his windows wide open - takes it upon himself - having grown extremly nervous over the show - the fact that Tirk is to introduce a recent batch of short films - involving dogs flying in small jet planes around central park - how it'll no doubt take the prize - leave Barry in the dust - to go down in history books as the inferior artist - takes it upon himself to climb in through an open window.. he reaches, detatches the hard drive.. A lady who saw him climb in the window calls 911 - hanging up as he climbs out and goes running - hard drive hid in flannel shirt as he shuffles along towards the water.
but Tirk took another route that day. - one that has him - peering wide eyed from behind a bush - honing in on Barry who - audibly giggling, is winding his arm back for a throw into the green sparkling water.. Tirk sees a rock by his foot - perfect - size of a tangerine - whisks it up and throws - - - the arch.. to - direct hit - something straight out of a movie - how it bounces off Barry's head - lets a loud curse - hunches over rubbing top of head - other hand still grips drive - - - and Tirk's running straight for him - it clicks in Barry's mind that it's now or never - gives it all he's got - cracking into a big wind up - but a cop - coming from no where running full speed - a lady cop - squat blond - hair pulled back in tight pony tail - dive tackles him - drive goes flying - and Tirk dives - memory of beach volleyball as a youth appears in mind as he soars totally horizontal - arm stretched full extentsion - drive lands neatly in palm - but it.. registers in head that.. - he'd dove on a steep little hill.. - it's.. taking a while to land - registers that.. - he'd leapt pretty much off the bank - he lands 'SPLOOSH'! in the water as this.. sudden storm rolls in - and it's crashing lightning and hail and it's all blurry - probably stemming from hearing what sounded like his spine cracking as he hit the bottom going in.. and that's how he went out - and into history books - but not much ink in the books because he hadn't anything much to show - as it was all on that full 500 gig drive which got lost in that storm.
Barry had his head bandaged and was disqualified from the art show.. made it into the history books too - though inextricably tied to how he caused Nerker to dive to his death.. - a few books in Europe gave him credit for one etching he did when he was 27 - which really was quite exceptional.

interactive blog

to think of a blog -
lighted symbols (letters) forming meanings (words) strung together (sentences) -
leading ur mind into directions - yea even moving you to action, this is. . it's. . .

so I've been walking around listening to newly-acquired loads of songs -
multitudinous tracks by artists 'Weather Report' and 'Pat Metheny' . . .

adds a kind of solace - balm (does not art grease the skids of life?) - to this living surrounded by dum bunny Americans - - - jklol!

em, so, interaction, yeah.. - - - we'll kick into it w/ a look at a shining light in the legend band 'Weather Report': Jaco Pastorius

called the best bass guitarist to ever live by Bass Guitar Mag, he'd completely rock the house - knocking roof clean off gig after gig

till, at 35, getting into a fight with a bouncer, he got his lights beat out and died.

read more (viz. 'interaction')

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius

transitioning interaction to next level:

go to itunes and get the song by Pat Metheny called 'Slip Away' (yes, goony title I'd say, even so, a gem tune)

Ok, now, to engage, exercise, imagination, envisioning capabilities - sharpen up friends:

here's what to do (if you're into participation - could be you're a gerbil skittering hard on that wheel - to get that paycheck - frowning brow at this chalking it up to a 'not-contributing-to-'bottom line'' item and so - 'who has the time!' - in which case keep feeding the machine ya cog - jklol! ) clamp on a good pair of headphones, set volume to high..

I've been to some great BBQs. Sure you have too.
Imagine a legend BBQ in ur head -
That time when day's shifting into night; mystical lighting.. lots of friends around - smell of the smoke wafting from grill.
tipping an ice cold one and on goes the music (press play and listen the tune through)..

* to hear Jaco in action get weather report's 'Night Passage' and listen - how about that bass right!!!!!

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me