Sing the Rock and Hum the Stone.

I got to go to the desert.  Gallup itself was similar to west 11th street in Eugene, but everything around Gallup was Beautiful, and really old, and amazing.  The images above are of Window Rock, in Arizona (HEY!)  as the sky is getting darker.  There is much more to it than this but: The rock was singing, and I heard it.  

Giddey-up!

Tomorrow I leave Albuquerque (BURQUE) for the first time since I got here!  I have been localizing and ingratiating myself into this city for almost two months.  It's practically in my bones.  Why, one small section of Central Ave. in downtown ABQ has almost become my stomping grounds for heavens sakes!  Tonight I went into the Anodyne (My absolute favorite bar in town --of the three I've been to) and the waitress actually addressed me by name!  I am used to biking without a bike lane, to the sun shining, and to those weird purple and green lights they shine on the bank offices at night.  I'm also growing accustomed to a preoccupation with designer coffee flavors such as "pumpkin spice" and "persian vanilla almond honeysuckle."  Today I not only learned what a pinon nut was--I also got to try a free sample, handed to me by an old man, on the bus!  I've been eagerly pedaling/bussing around town in order to teach kids art only to be reminded that I have no business making a syllabus at all- especially around Halloween! But I've found, all the same, that the kids are accepting me and pulling me into their world just as small mushrooms would accept and suck in a small and rather damp lake.  Although I principally identify as "artist" I am not "Picaso," nor have I "cut turquoise" as yet another old man on the bus unintentionally reminded me today.  But I wear turquoise, I talk to the old men on the bus, I seek out and cling to the organic food stores, I also eat tacos from sketchy little stands by the side of the road, I try to swear in Spanish, and I drink Shiner's instead of Pabst.  I think I've really melded myself in. 

Therefore, I am thoroughly interested in unsticking myself from the streets of ABQ and witnessing the much dreamed of desert.  I am equally curious to see what wonders await in the fine city to which I'll be traveling to post-haste, ...Gallup! 

A is for A

Recently my time has been spent working. "Working" by definition includes

1)Building a female robot with my young friend

2) Sewing extremely long pants

3) Discovering the word "Abecedarium" and using it

4) Making a zine

5) Perusing the children's section of the library, and

6) Eating a bagel.

Next Step: Master America

Here is a mural I helped to paint, for America! It was inspired by the work of an artist named O'Connor.

Tonight we had a potluck at our house. We ate sushi, macaroni and cheese, halloween cookies, and wine--with gusto! As we feasted we discussed some very exciting plans for the future. It comes down to all of us finding a bus/converted-three-story-station-wagon with which we will tour the country for a year as the Americorps mascot. Our key goals would be as follows 1) Visit each of our home towns and perform an art service project therein 2) Act as representatives for both Americorps and President Obama (both of whom will, as we see it, be funding us wholeheartedly) 3) Paint a Kevin O'Connor based mural in each of the fifty states, thereby making this man from Albuquerque into an American legend.

Although some of our ideas became a bit outlandish towards the end of the discussion (towing separate cars with "string," creating a fold out stage on top of the bus/wagon, driving to england and all of "the underground cities" too, etc. ) I would say that our plan and it's basic points are within reach. The next step is to either attain non-profit status or form some sort of group that can then apply to have Americorps volunteers (the roles of which we will be filling). From there attaining celebrity as America's artist role models should pretty much fall right into place. Go Team.

The "Birthday" party went well.

Click Right Here Folks To See Some Photos...

On Bed Bugs

(mattress)

In walking home through an alley I witnessed this.  There is something of a debate as to whether things will decompose in the desert.  That is: I have heard: "Compost works really well here because it's so hot" and "Things don't compost here, the heat preserves them."

The image above illustrates that bedding at least starts to decompose. It should be noted that there are a plethora of bugs (possibly bed bugs) that come out at night.  They might be working on this mattress too.  

None of which explains why there is always a small collection of dead bugs scattering the floor in the morning.  They are always lying on their backs, which leads me to guess that the cause of death is an inability to get back on their feet.  But how do they get flipped over to begin with?

Maybe in the course of eating mattresses and things they get so full that they have to take a nap.  It is only once they have lain down that they realize they are too top heavy to get back up. This speculation is kind of saddening.  Perhaps there is another cause of death I am overlooking: like bug poison.

I do like the bugs that come out at night.  They crawl around on the warm concrete while I sing them slow songs on the guitar.  Then they either go to the alley to gorge on mattress, or come into my house to tempt a fate of bug poisoning.  Or perhaps they just run around until they are too tired to go on.  Maybe they have very busy short lives that end well only if they are on their backs looking up at the sky.

In any case I am going to try to do some composting.

It Makes Me Want To Be Quiet

The Last Few Days have been beautiful letter receiving days...

I have been greeted from afar and I am in love with you people (saying that, that way, reminds me of a wonderful person named Graham Trim).  The strange and exciting ways you express yourselves makes my fingers anxious to do something in return.  I am enclosing images of the beautiful letters, and I am titling them as if they were art hanging on the white walls of this, my art gallery.  

A Letter Redirected

Christopher Porter

Worship For Lunch

Sarah Daegling

Fall For Someone in the Sun

Ilana Jakubowski

Of the Day

Quote of the Day!

"cause' also some transient folks hang out there and take pisses, poops, and shoot up"

-D.B. describing the outdoor play area for our class

Picture of the Day!

Website of the Day!

"The Opulence"

It's worth a look. You can't even read the text because it's sooo opulent.  The real reason I am linking to "the opulence" is that I really want to think about opulence later, and it's a reminder. 

love,

C

It's raining

It's raining in a drizzly way for the first time in Albuquerque.  I'm listening to music and editing the title of my blog (soo much), and thinking.  I just put up a story on facebook. Please look at it.  Click Here

I've been thinking about la llorona, because of a play I saw, and I would like to write about how she is the same as Ophelia very soon.

Also:

Hey, yeah...

My dad is in France, and has posted several videos of the beach, and the boardwalk, and you know the view.  So I thought, hey, why don't I publish a video all about what I'm doing?  So here it is, this is exactly like my life. yeah...

Lymerics 1,2,3

An elephant pegasus shrine, that I made and will always be mine

Shall sit on its shelf, like an organic elf

Or a beast that's been into the wine.

There was a party last night.  The mood was elated and light.

The family came, and each said each name

And I slept on the couch out of sight.

There once was a house on a hill.  The hill wasn't steep, but still...

The bicycles fell, as they strained on it's shell

And the house kept incredibly chill.