An Uncertain Green
Spring, and the discovery that my coat was ten sizes too large. I knew the different rooms of it. A cavern of wet wool in rain. For months, there under a bridge, I could raise my arm from water and drink at my own breast.
I built nests for birds and waited, on into summer. A wasp examined one made of chopsticks and watermelon rind. A possum peered into the tangle of licorice and bright finishing nails. Then a mockingbird settled in a china cup set in a cat’s ribcage. I fought sleep.
A windy, no-thought day. Calculated my heart rate by barest touch of teeth. The city employed its vehicles in miniature vistas. A man came with the mood of one checking on some report of me. A patch covering one eye; his other gazing as a whale would a moment before slipping below. He must have seen no cause.
How then to populate a day with color, in rain, without bringing a bowl for the fire of it? The sea at this city’s edge marks a kind of hollow, always seeming to say we should be amazed by any dry land. The sharks at the aquarium rasp their gray skins against my sense of water, watching a vision of watchers. So, bird, come to my eye beak first—swim into me, find that avenue that falls through autumn to black bones where perch the reasons.
Alan Clarke’s Elephant
Was astonished that I‘d not heard of this film before. From Wikipedia:
The film is set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. The film’s title comes from Bernard MacLaverty’s description of the Troubles as “the elephant in our living room” — a reference to the collective denial of the underlying social problems of Northern Ireland. MacLaverty is a Northern Irish author and wrote the screenplay for “Elephant”. Produced by BBC Northern Ireland, it first screened on BBC2 in 1989.
The film, which contains very little dialogue, depicts eighteen murders and is partly based on actual events drawn from police reports at the time. It is shot in 16mm steadicam and features a series of tracking shots, a technique the director used regularly. The grainy 16mm film, together with the lack of dialogue, plot, narrative and music give the film a cold, observational documentary feel. Nothing is learnt about any of the gunmen or victims. Each of the murders are carried out calmly and casually, in one scene the gunman is seen to drive away slowly, even stopping to give way for traffic. The victims are shown for several seconds in a static shot of the body.
the world’s loudest dick
Males of the Micronecta scholtzi species serenade their sweethearts with a three-part song made by rubbing their genitalia against their abdomens, but it remains a mystery how or why the creatures make such a loud mating call.
That’s a wrap! — Amanda after the shoot
Superhuman Bed Linen
When my friend Melanie was little, she tied a sheet around her neck for a cape and ran wildly around the backyard with her arms outstretched superhero-style, shrieking, “WooOOOooh! WooOOOooh! I’m JEsus! I’m JEsus!”
Her father sat her down and said in his most serious tone, “You should never imitate the Lord.”
Also, by way of an update, this, posted to the Dubuque Freecycle group Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:27 am (PDT):
I have a large blanket with the Incredible Hulk smashing through a wall if anyone is interested
Enter title here
The first video is Miss USA contestants discussing whether evolution should be taught in school. The next is smart people making fun of them.
You probably won’t be able to watch much of the official one, but make sure you stick around for Miss Vermont in the spoof.
(thanks, Tim)
Though the new study did not test men, Eisenberger said there’s no reason to think their reactions would be any different
“From our prior work, we knew that viewing a picture of a loved person leads to reductions in pain,” said psychologist Naomi Eisenberger of the University of California, Los Angeles. “The interesting question is, how does that happen?”
“In the literature, people talk about prepared fear stimuli — snakes, spiders, things that we’re innately prepared to be afraid of. These things have been threatening to our survival over evolutionary history. This is adaptive,” said Eisenberger. “Loved ones, attachment figures, may act as prepared safety signals, as individuals who over evolutionary history have favored our survival.”
1956 Bentley S1 pickup
Yeah, that’s a 1956 Bentley that’s been customized into a delivery truck.
quote out of context
From this paper you can surmise a bit about the origins of religion, the seen and the unseen, and the demand for conspiracy theories, in addition to robot vacuum cleaners.
from the comments
I am falling in love with these heat- and drought-resistant little tepary beans, just as I fell in love with the Sonoran desert. They are so damn tasty pretty much as they are. And they are high in protein and fiber and release sugar very very slowly.
And Tohono O’odham (Papago) legend has it that the Milky Way is made of tepary beans scattered across the sky.
I’m a believer.
Nicki Minaj – Super Bass
Deron had never even heard of this song, which made me think maybe other people hadn’t heard of it either! So good. Minaj is one of my favorite lady rappers these days, I just wish she’d rap more than two verses per song. Would love to direct a video like this though. I can probably kareoke this one.
quote out of context
Since there are almost 7 billion people alive today, it follows that they are making seven times as much history as the 1 billion alive in 1811.
Icecream
I like this so much that I want to beat Wil Freeborn to the punch and post it now for y’all to see.
I especially like the ghostly ice-cream cone off to the left. Drawing attention to something by making it absent and yet not.
molestedcars.com
They aren’t all good, but you do a have few like this.
“a deep remorse that you ever doubted him, and a profound appreciation for his contribution to the continued awesomeness of the world”
To prove to you that you love him, Michael Bay knows that he must turn everything up to 11,000 this time around. He has to blaze a pure, bright after-image of his Bay-ness in your mind, so that you walk out of the theater blinking and spitting up lung pieces and knowing what the fuck Michael Bay is all about. Your eyeballs will be twice as bludgeoned. Your adult diaper will be twice as heavily laden! This time, it’ll be in 3D! All of the excesses from the previous two films will be doubly in excess — except for the hip hop Autobots, who are gone.
Vagina Ain’t Handicapped
I saw this on the plane last night and figured I’d, you know, share it. If wheel-chair bound women with breathing tubes rapping about their vaginas isn’t acceptable in the workplace, then yeah, it’s NSFW.
“It’s all part of life’s rich pageant”
A friend of mine (who eventually became a VP at a Major Philanthropic Foundation) began his (adult) working life as a cross-country trucker. He said that although the so-called “boot-heel” of Missouri scared the bejeesus out of the most seasoned truckers, there was this place where you could go at 7:00 AM and get steak and eggs and bourbon AND watch a live sex show.
Actually, he said, that was also part of the scariness.
He also claimed that he met Patty Hearst when she was on the lam. When pressed, he said, “Well, she said her name was Tanya. And she stole my dope.”
The Bradbury Building
Another thing Amanda did while I was in Los Angeles was give me a tour of the city that was both incredibly personal and instructive. The most amazing moment was how she handled taking me to The Bradbury Building. It almost feels unfair to describe it — so you can get a glimpse of what the experience was like — because that’s the opposite of how she handled it. She just said, I’m going to take you by The Bradbury, and we parked, and then we walked in.
from the comments
Oh, that reminds me of Schoenberg’s death mask. We had it for a while but thought it belonged with a musician or a museum. Did you know that Alma Mahler had an affair with Oskar Kokoshka and she became pregnant but had an abortion and Kokoshka got so upset that he broke off their relationship but had a lifelike doll made by Alma’s dressmaker? He told her that the doll needed to have a lifelike tongue and real teeth, that was very important. And he thought bearskin would be the best use for the plumpness and feel he wanted around the hips. You should look this up on the web. He dressed it in clothes that were exact replicas of Alma’s. But after years he got mad at the doll and cut its throat and threw it out the window and poured red wine on it, and neighbors thought it was a murder and called the police, but of course, he’d only killed the doll.
dear clusterflock
What was your first online handle?
Mine was ‘The Jester’ during the few years I toyed with BBSes. For gaming, however, it’s been ‘Laggytoes’ for as long as I can remember.
thoughts on a trip to Los Angeles
It occurred to me as I was leaving yesterday that I’m not sure everyone will grasp what Amanda just accomplished. She had a crew of 40 people on set for two days and filmed her entire script. The right people were in the right place at the right time. She, and her team, created a space where she could do her job, and those around her took care of their responsibilities flawlessly. It was professional at every level, and within an hour, Amanda was at the center of it as if she had been there her entire life. It was a privilege to watch, and if it won’t embarrass her too much to say it, she should be really proud. When you get a chance to see what she brought to life, you will be amazed.
How to Draw a Penguin
The Guardian is hosting a how-to series by children’s book illustrators. In this second installment Oliver Jeffers teaches us how to draw a penguin.
Reminds me a little of James Victore’s How to draw a chicken.
(thanks, Wil)
A thousand stories
Daryl and I saw Rick and Teel yesterday. That means stories.
Evelyn: What did you do this weekend?
Joe: Went fishing in the Colorado River.
Evelyn: You went all the way to Colorado just to fish?
Joe: Evelyn, a river don’t change its name just because it crosses the state line. The Colorado’s in Texas.
Evelyn: Well. They do call me Fay in Bridgeport!
Google+
Apparently, something was announced yesterday.
(thanks, Andrew)
