RIP Nam June Paik

January 31, 2006

Aw geez. Another one off the list of people I wanted to see/meet/work with/watch before they died.

Nam June Paik Studios

I know there are young artists out there taking the long road around like others on my list: Derek Bailey, Lester Bowie, Spaulding Gray, Susan Sontag, Bob Moog, (John Cage & Don Cherry went ages ago, but I was so close, I’m still bitter.) I know you need to take your time, and fail a lot first. But I still want a peek. Where are you? Not in the New York Times, or at Julliard, or Art in America.

My heart hurts for all the things passed and forgotten. It leaps for joy at the thought that for a moment at least, at the end, someone will pay attention. Paik won’t be lost: he’ll be re-and-re-and-re-invented…

Literally playing with his food.

Hamster, snake best friends at Tokyo zoo - Peculiar Postings - MSNBC.com

Apparently they tried to feed one to the other (hint: lunch-to-be’s name is Gohan) and they ended up buddies. Can it last?

pointed out by seminal minimalist over at Blogspot, who I found through flickr. You should see the cute cute pic in his post of the two former foodchain folowers, it’s better than MSNBC’s.

Tourist in my own town pt.1

January 25, 2006

mine. Self-portrait crystal ball

On Sunday we went to meet my sister Virginia at the Pacific Science Center, where she works. As kids growing up in Portland, we went to OMSI. (I loved that place - I never did get to taste freeze-dried Astronaut Ice Cream at the gift shop though, and I may be scarred for life.) If you lived in New Jersey you probably went to Liberty Science Center, or if you grew up in LA you know California Science Center- it’s like that.

I spent most of my time in the tropical butterfly house taking pictures:
transparent egg hunt Idea leuconoe 3

And I’ve spent much of my days since trying to learn about and identify them. Can’t wait to go back!!

My family

Through my sister’s eyes.

Love Monkey

January 24, 2006

Where the hell did this TV show come from?

Love Monkey on CBS.com

In the 5 short months since I’ve moved in with the evil TV overlord, I’ve become addicted to The West Wing, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Grey’s Anatomy, and freaking Animal Planet. Is TV smarter, or am I getting dumber? Am I hopelessly lost forever to the couch? Irredeemable. All I do is take pictures, obsessively categorize them on flickr, listen to music, look for better jobs, stare at my cute kitten, watch movies, and make out with the hottest guy I know (who lives here, I don’t even have to go to a bar or anything). I don’t even really jet-set anymore, and I hardly ever sing, and forget performing. And I really really need to get back to Taekwondo, don’t I?

Anyway, I liked the episode I caught tonight. It was culturally up-to-date, and had guests like Ben Folds, LeAnn Rimes, and Zoe right alongside each other. There were themes of taste, popularity, and the music industry that resonated with me. I liked the characters. It reminded me of past jobs in the industry (god help me) and fit with my embarrassing obsession with pop culture. And as with all these shows, I liked the dialogue. I liked these people. I wanted to have conversations like that.

(Maybe I just need to read the book.)

Speaking of dialogue between smart people trading in interesting ideas: now Reza Aslan is on the Daily Show talking about islam and fatwas and being young, intelligent, attractive, and opinionated - and making me want to read his book, too.

Why do I like these people? Because they share a point of view I already have? Because they’re smarter than I and I’m trying to learn something? Because I’m missing something in my life and my own conversations? Or because they soothe the wounded-American-slash-retail-clerk in me that was starting to lose hope in the direction of our society and no longer really wants to leave the house and run into consumer-robots?

(I know I know, that “slash” was redundant.)

Yes - I am blogging on my laptop while watching TV. God help me, I put off the blogging thing for so long, and the TV thing, and the DJ thing for that matter. And now look at me. On the couch, in front of the TV, and picking up 3 new books I “need” to read. To add to the pile. Next to the Sunday Times tower I’m behind on. There is so much out there, that I could entertain myself indeffinitely in my living room and still never learn much of it. (Matt Corwine, have you anything to say about this?) And therefore increase my craving for intelligent human interaction, and therefore become more and more addicted to the banter on a show like West Wing.

yikes!

Tree chickens

January 20, 2006

tree chickens

We went to visit my Aunt Pat and Uncle John in Portland on Tuesday. Across the street live a pig named Mooshie and a bunch of chickens. These chickens sleep in the tree at night! There is some netting on the trunk to keep raccoons from climbing up. I had never seen such a thing before.

Pacific

I’ve been away, here:
Dhamma Kunja
still working on re-entry.

new mantra:
I will not be apologetic about not posting to my blog often enough. I will let it grow as it goes and it will be a tool for reflection on my life, and not become the way I spend my life. I will get out from behind my computer and go outside. I will be healthy and feel alive.

I just wanted to see what posting from flickr looked like. Click on the photo to be taken to it’s page, I’ve found a nice quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson about pacifism to go with it.

Zoo Party!

January 12, 2006

2006_01090103.JPG gorilla yawn 2006_01090251.JPG rainy day zoo

Josh, Kamala, Ian and I went to the zoo on Monday! It rained, but we had fun anyway. I’d write more if I hadn’t spent so much time putting up pis this week. Josh has fallen asleep on me here on the couch. Literally on top of me, like the cat. WITH the cat. So I type with one hand…

Zoo Party 1/9/06 - a photoset on Flickr

ART / REAL Manifesto!

January 7, 2006

ART / REAL is a group on flickr (which I am addicted to), and I really liked their manifesto, so I joined. Worth a read, scroll down to “about ART/REAL”

Flickr: ART / REAL

My mouth is on fire.

January 4, 2006

I got a blender from my mom for Christmas, and tonight I made hummous! I put too much garlic in it, if such a thing is possible….

19-ounce (535g) can garbanzo beans, undrained
3 tablespoons (45ml) lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30ml) tahini
1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5ml) minced garlic (I just chopped a bunch and threw it in.)
1 teaspoon (5ml) cumin
1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) salt

Throw everything in a blender. Blend on high. Turn blender off, scrape sides of jar with spatula. Turn blender on and process and additional 30 seconds until smooth. Put in pretty dish. Serve with blue corn chips, pita wedges, or fresh veggies. Feel free to double the garlic like I did, but be prepared. Probably good with kalamata olives, red peppers, or cheeses thrown in. Makes about 3 cups. Mmm!!