1. At 43, heart attack, on life support for two days before being disconnected. Wife, 10 and 2 year olds, family and neighborhood network and support system. How the world has changed for those who remain.
2. Brain tumor diagnosed at the beginning of the year. Surgery and prognosis for "three years minimum". Within a month he awakes and feels tired, then dies that day.
3. Self-reflection. I am my worst critic. I am humbled and acknowledge cowardice.
4. "Are you living the life you want? If not, what are you doing towards it?"
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Supermoon
I love this image, taken a few days ago.
A supermoon is “the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, or perigee, leading to the technical name for a supermoon of the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system".
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| Photo by Ira Serkes, Berkeley, May 5, 2012 |
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Line
Heard a line that took my breath away because when I said it awhile ago the response was different from the response observed this time. Regret, rueful, poignant - I'll be away for a while longer.
Sampler 2
As a followup to Book 1, Tabby, Book 2, Twills, was completed on April 30.Fibers: wool/nylon, wool, hemp.
Inadvertent exercises: inserting a string heddle,
splicing a warp thread,
looking at the gap-tooth grin.
Page 1, the front cover, followed by pages 2 and 3.
Pages 4 and 5 followed by the back cover, page 6.
Flipped, page 1 followed by pages 2 and 3.
Flipped, pages 4 and 5 followed by the back cover, page 6.
Don't know what to do about that gap, though.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Esse
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| Photo by Bill Martin, Berkeley, April 12, 2012 |
It's precipitated through volition.
And a charge or flash coalesces the mass so that it can come forward with its own life.
If it's not delivered, not fed, not recognized, or if it's abandoned, then it dies.
Or maybe it mutates into something else - but the original form, for which it was intended, deforms.
And we're told to hawk this as a "design feature."
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| Photo by Phil McGrew, San Francisco, April 12, 2012 |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Hana lima au i ka lapaiki
I ka kakahiaka i ka Lapule hana lima au i ka Lapaiki.
A i ka 'auinala hana no lima au.
Using a small chisel and a hammer I continued the shaping. I reminded myself that the point of the shaping was to remove material. Then I realized that simpler tools such as sharpened stones and mallet rocks could be used for this task, and here I was with a sharp chisel and hefty hammer with leverage. I began to know the wood and tools, and my hands began to learn how to hit the chisel and position the blade in several positions. Some moves were easier than others whereas some moves took several slow deliberate attempts before succeeding - very much like dancing.
My hands got tired. I felt like stopping. But I continued because I knew this was the only time I would have in daylight to focus on this task. I looked at the garden and wondered when I would weed it. It had rained a few days earlier, the ground was soft and warming up, and I knew the weeds would explode soon. I'd already postponed the weeding from yesterday to today, yet I was using this afternoon to shape the drum and I wasn't weeding. Gah.
I focused on the shaping and several hours later this is what I had. It is not polished, and there are flaws. But I will look at it again after a few days and decide how to proceed before sanding it. My hands hurt.
I looked at the weeds and their toxic potential spurred me to put my gardening gloves on. My intent was to pull just the fluffy-seed weeds. But as I started I wondered why I would limit the weeding to one type if the others were actually easier to pull out. I filled five 32-gallon cans and completed the weeding. It all had to be done because of the limited time frame and the opportunity in the amount of time.
My hands still hurt. I think my back and legs will join them soon.
A i ka 'auinala hana no lima au.
Using a small chisel and a hammer I continued the shaping. I reminded myself that the point of the shaping was to remove material. Then I realized that simpler tools such as sharpened stones and mallet rocks could be used for this task, and here I was with a sharp chisel and hefty hammer with leverage. I began to know the wood and tools, and my hands began to learn how to hit the chisel and position the blade in several positions. Some moves were easier than others whereas some moves took several slow deliberate attempts before succeeding - very much like dancing.
My hands got tired. I felt like stopping. But I continued because I knew this was the only time I would have in daylight to focus on this task. I looked at the garden and wondered when I would weed it. It had rained a few days earlier, the ground was soft and warming up, and I knew the weeds would explode soon. I'd already postponed the weeding from yesterday to today, yet I was using this afternoon to shape the drum and I wasn't weeding. Gah.
I focused on the shaping and several hours later this is what I had. It is not polished, and there are flaws. But I will look at it again after a few days and decide how to proceed before sanding it. My hands hurt.I looked at the weeds and their toxic potential spurred me to put my gardening gloves on. My intent was to pull just the fluffy-seed weeds. But as I started I wondered why I would limit the weeding to one type if the others were actually easier to pull out. I filled five 32-gallon cans and completed the weeding. It all had to be done because of the limited time frame and the opportunity in the amount of time.
My hands still hurt. I think my back and legs will join them soon.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Sampler
It was started March 31 and completed today. It's an experiment of materials and color.
Here it is, bottom to top followed by top to bottom.
Perhaps it's best presented as a book with accordian-folded pages.
Page 1 (the cover) is followed by pages 2 and 3.
...and pages 4 and 5 are followed by page 6 (the back cover).
Here it is, bottom to top followed by top to bottom.
Perhaps it's best presented as a book with accordian-folded pages.
Page 1 (the cover) is followed by pages 2 and 3.
...and pages 4 and 5 are followed by page 6 (the back cover).
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Tabby
There's a lot of variation just from changing colors. So I'll make a sampler using weft of different colors and materials.
