you do the math...

Another day, another measure! And We got continual film (this is a snippet of my mom (who you can see in my glasses at the beginning) using the measuring stick). Soon I will make a final edit... Also, here's the math for the measure- ((42 passes x 370 feet between goal posts) + 117 extra feet) .3048 meters in a foot... FINALLY!

locked in my deep sea diving suit...

So, I'm looking for scuba gear. Actually, any SCUBA gear will do, should anyone have a line on it. Specifically if it could go with this suit (NO BLACK)... I'm going for a found object collection on this one. This was one of my grandfather's 1950's suits. Unfortunately the jacket was eaten by left handed moths. Anyway- the call is out!

Another week, Another attempt

Ok, so I'm a sucker for cat pictures.

So, on Orthodox Easter I made another attempt at documenting and measuring the ball. And, once again, had malfunction issues. This is getting a little tedious. But, hey, at least the cat wanted to help! My mom and I are now fairly assured we know how to get the whole process to work, and on Sunday will attempt again, equipped with extra cards and card readers and sunscreen and and and...

I make stuff with stuff!

So, recently my mother decided that the ugly shed that's in front of our house (and was put there by someone else, but held all of my stuff from when I "moved back" a couple years ago) has to go. Specifically, it has to go to a neighbors. Anyway, I had to clean everything out. Now, mostly against the side of the house, all my art work is living in rubber tubs until I can more thoroughly integrate it. Sigh. Nothing says "broke" like using your last $200 to buy rubber tubs.

Anyway, onto more cheerful subjects!

Yesterday I "finished" my first piece for the semester! This is the Pipclini! (so dubbed by Lydia, who was texting me through the process). It's made mostly of clothes hangers, sequin wrap, and pipecleaners (and bailing wire and blue tape, because, let's face it, all my work is made using bailing wire and blue tape. Uniquely, there are no drywall screws involved in this work...). I'm thinking it needs some of those silver Christmas balls to hang off the hangers before I photograph it.

Working in pipecleaners is remarkably fun. They have such a lovely dense texture and wondrous resistant quality. If I have time I want to make some props to accompany this piece, but we'll see... (Anyway, it now has a rubber tub of its own...)

Famous Costumes, Famous Birds.

So, I admit it. I watch movies for the costumes. But I've actually never seen "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues," just read the Tom Robbins book of the same title. And when you google "Uma Thurman, Crane Costume" this is the ONLY image you get that actually fits the description. You'd think this movie never got made. And how could this not be a famous costume?

However, we do have a sandhill crane event happening around here. They generally fly over in the spring and fall- high black birds you hear more than see, and only if you are lucky enough to be out. But instead, because of the odd spring weather (?), they have been hanging out. You can hear their garbles almost anytime you're outside, which is amazingly comforting, as well as watch their incredibly awkward landings in fallow fields right next to the road.

The pelicans have also recently arrived, the magpies are looking resplendent and the goldfinches are mostly done with the moult. Must be, Must be, Must be spring at last! There are swallows, dammit! Finally!

Anyway, back to the readings, and hence why these musings are relevant.

I read "Even Cowgirls" as well as a lot of hippie fiction (back when I used to have time to read fiction) in high school. As such, I got a very jovial introduction to a lot of fairly serious and also some very not serious topics, (specifically race, gender, body image, animal's rights, sexuality, the environmental movement, mental health, reproductive rights, pharma fun, etc.) basically through 4 white male writers - Tom Robbins, Ken Kesey, Kurt Vonnegut and John Irving. And, honestly, I don't think they did a bad job of exposing me to the adult world I was about to enter. All their characters are complex, sympathetic, passionate and, more than anything, they are diverse. Especially with Tom Robbins and John Irving, it almost seems like they try to take as many outsiders as possible and throw them into an unpredictable situation. Very infrequently is there a true "evil" component to any character, everyone is believably motivated.

I also read Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and August Wilson, but they just weren't as much fun. They were kinda preachy, and I just don't like preachy. Also, their characters weren't as, well, diverse as I was interested in at the time. They told a cultural tale, but without the same joyous pizazz, and thus didn't hold my interest.

So, I take some issue when people tell me that the reason I'm not as interested in the African American Experience as I should be (Talking Back, Bell Hooks, Race and Representation, Maurice Berger, Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference, Audre Lorde), or that I should appreciate the rants and raves of people because they have a different cultural background than I do. It's not the background I have a problem with, it's the approach.

I glimpsed Bill Cosby talking about Trayvon Martin yesterday on CNN. I'm far more interested in studying Bill Cosby than any of the readings we had to do. His records were brilliant at talking about the horrors of growing up Black in the 40s and 50s. Maybe he can't talk about being a lesbian writer, but he certainly talked about talking back. He certainly could poke fun at the ridiculousness of the white ideal body, not to mention the bizarre idea of male superiority.

Anyway, yadda yadda! there's the tropes du jour!

Color Changes Everything.

I've been finding the coverage of Trayvon Martin fascinating, especially all the hoodie interest. And then I came across this display at Target, which seems like an amazing unintentional commentary. I don't actually have more to say, either about Trayvon or Geraldo, or Target, except that I'm wearing a hoodie, and I'm kinda proud that it's an act of protest. I had been thinking of following up the bikinis with a series of hoodies, but now that may be a bit too loaded...

Tax Time!

Here's a piece of ineffectual sculpture if I've ever seen one. Thought we could all appreciate that this will stand outside my tax guy's office longer than most of our site specific art works will ever hang out anywhere! yey! go art! By the way, somehow with no income I'm still managing to get $10 back from the government this year. Is that enough for bacon covered nachos at the Tap Room?