Beyond Beyond Well Being

Haiku Review: GLOW - Public Art and All-night Groove-in

2008-07-23T22:46:19Z

Midsummer night's dream,
much ado about nothing.
As you like it - NOT!

]]> all-night public art exhibit on and around the famous Santa Monica pier on Saturday night, July 19th (2008). 200,000 visited the event over its twelve hours. Most of the art installations were a bit underwhelming. However a few did capture our imaginations. Greg and I rode our bikes down there, and in the spirit of Marty McFly and Doc Brown, got to work on our newest invention. We began by warming up with the perfunctory pose of the eccentric genius and the earnest young adventurer. At the art exhibit called "Camera Projecta" (a play on the "camera obscura" located in the same building) we built on the work of above mentioned Doc Brown and Marty McFly. Since the difficult work on the flux capacitor had already been done for us, it was a simple matter of improving on Doc Brown's design. Prof. Khachaturyan solved the more troubling design problems with the addition of a pig to the design. Good thinking, young inventor! Not to be outdone, and deftly striking a Devo pose, Dr. Stone considers the implications of the evening's work. Next step of course is to plug it in, sit back, and wait for the Nobel prize money to come flowing in! If only we knew what it did!

Memorial Day at Arlington West

2008-07-16T16:14:24Z

Took me a few months to get this uploaded, but this was taken on Memorial Day, adjacent to the Santa Monica pier where every Sunday an organization puts up a wooden cross for every soldier killed in the War of Terror (sic). They call it "Arlington West".

Springtime '08 @ Antelope Valley CA Poppy Reserve

2008-07-16T15:48:37Z

No image manipulation here, those are some bright wild California poppies. My traveling companion for the day takes in the majesty of the high desert's brief but intense blooming of the poppies. Poppies... poppies... poppies...

Springtime '08 @ Lake Balboa

2008-07-16T15:33:55Z

Cherry blossoms in bloom at Lake Balboa, a park in The Valley. Here I am waiting patiently for fairies to appear.

Springtime '08 @ Will Rogers Beach

2008-07-16T15:22:37Z

Had some good rains in early 2008 in Southern California. While they did little to alter the long-term drought we're experiencing, they did have a positive effect on the potency of the wildflowers this spring. Sorry I don't know what these flowers are called, but they smelled like a candy store.

The Venice Drumming Circle: Hula Hoop with a Groove

2008-06-23T21:34:17Z

There is no end to the props that people can dance with in the drumming circle. Martial arts weapons and provocative or dangerous kicks are prohibited, but now and then when there's room, you can find someone dancing with something that breathes a whole new life into an old toy... such as the hula hoop.

Why I love Santa Monica: HOT Sculpture

2008-06-23T17:19:05Z

This sculpture is actually considered to be in West LA, found adjacent to the Los Angeles National Cemetery at the corner of Wilshire and Veteran. Its inscription quotes Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address which talks about "...care for him who shall have borne the battle and his widow and orphan". It is a touching and fitting memorial to those who have lost their lives so that I might benefit. Nothing short of impressive there and I want to clearly offer my gratitude for such deeds. Now, on to my point. My god, she's HOT! Where was Jesse Helms when this sculpture was approved? She's practically naked to begin with and although this image can't really pick it up, there are fully formed nipple erections and everything. No wonder the soldier's weapons are so erect and ready for action! Seriously, you gotta check out this sculpture carefully next time you're driving by. I might also suggest that you cover the eyes of your preteen children less they erroneously begin to connect sex and war. Too late?

The Venice Drumming Circle: Yadya

2008-06-23T17:09:32Z

I'm not 100% sure that I got her name right. It was given to me by her partner, Tom (who'll I'll need to write about soon as I get a decent shot) during a moment between grooves while individual drummers were trying to get a unified rhythm going. So, it can be difficult to hear things right. She's a great dancer and presence at the Venice drumming circle. Also a regular, I don't have any particular fiction developed about her beyond my sense that she is an artist or performer of some sort.

The Venice Drumming Circle: His Honor, The Mayor

2008-06-23T16:48:46Z

A special day at the Venice Drumming Circle, father's day. The gentleman on the left is accompanied by his lovely wife of 30+ years. This is the first time that I'd ever seen her. Usually, I see this gentleman in the circle looking more like a hippy as seen below: So, I call him The Mayor. Think you can guess his name? Here are some choices:

Moon-doggy
Hizonor
Guru Arjuna Das
Steve

Yeah, its Steve. Ha. Always expected something more colorful. But in my mind, he remains The Mayor. He's well connected in the circle, he's sort of the Johnny Grant of the Venice drumming circle. He's a fixture. Always there, always a part of the larger groove. Steve, his honor of the Venice drumming circle.

Bob.

2008-05-26T17:42:12Z

This is Bob. Bob has no compunctions against sitting down on a public bench with me even though every time he does so, he can't remember me from the time prior. With the exception of some difficulty in creating new memories, he's all there. He can't remember me, but every time we sit and talk, I learn more about him. I tell him this each time he sits down, just to bring him up to speed. We laugh at the fact that I have him at a disadvantage in that I have a linear map of memories that we share, but he doesn't. Its kind of profound, if you think about it. Imagine sitting down to a conversation with someone you've never met, but that person can tell you many things about your life. That must be quite a challenge to feel comfortable. I try and keep him feeling comfortable, though. We share observations on the weather, the mood of the ocean, the startling amazement of the shear size of the pelicans that fly low over our heads. Last time we said "goodbye" he walked off repeating my name over and over to himself. He's trying to remember me. Perhaps he'll be able to do it this time. That would be special. :) Nice guy, I enjoy our talks. That is Bob.

The Venice Drumming Circle: Can You Find Me?

2008-05-24T19:33:04Z

The Venice Drumming Circle is my church. There's no sermon, but plenty of folks finding their own God to worship. I have long avoided taking pictures there because I didn't want to be one of the many gawkers who arrive every week. Still, the individuals there are colorful and have taken on a sort of fictional life of their own in my mind. As such, I will be sharing with you the stories I've written about them based solely on what I've observed at the Venice drumming circle. My interaction with these folks is somewhat limited, but after hanging there for 15 years, I consider many of them to be my friends even if I barely know their names. The stories that I present are not necessarily accurate, they are only my imagination's projections. Still, I hope that these vignettes provide a little grin for the reader as they have for me. Below is a little clip of a typical few seconds at the drumming circle. I'm the tall guy in the back with the sunglasses and an open blue shirt with a whitish t-shirt beneath. I can tell that the circle wasn't harmonized when this clip was taken. When people are just sort of swaying back and forth, it usually means that while the rhythm in the foreground that you can hear is distinct, and the dancers near that are grooving, it is very possible that the drummers nearer to me were not listening to those near the camera. This gives rise to a very unpleasant clash of two rhythms that kind of prevents anybody from really hitting a groove. But it usually passes fortunately and the circle can coalesce into a really neat experience.

The Do-It-Yourself Harmonica Microphone

2008-04-27T21:31:45Z

Greg's a good friend with whom I share a long personal history. He comes from a very musical family, the Khachaturyans. His great grand uncle (or something like that) was the Armenian composure who wrote the Sabre Dance. Greg's dad is an expert Jazz pianist and his mom has a natural talent for dance. Now that Greg has come of age, he has discovered within himself a blues harp player. OMG, he's incredible! More on that in the YouTube video. First, it's time to document our afternoon together building the coveted iMic! As a warm-up to the day's festivities, Greg gives me The Finger. No, not THAT finger, but still a finger. ]]>

Next, we use a handy heat-gun to melt together the plastic components for the iMic case.

Workshop safety is always job #1. Here's Greg demonstrating by drilling with his eyes averted to avoid any damage to the vision, never mind the increased likelihood of drilling through his hand...

Don't force it, get a bigger hammer!

A quick trip to Solder City and we're almost done!

There were about three places in which the online instructions are very weak, specifically the negative and positive wires, and where they go. So that's three places in which a simple 50-50 guess could have caused the iMic to fail. But here he is, trying it out the very first time. Worked right away... and check out his blues chops!

The finished product!

Santa Monica House Names: Percieved Added Class

2008-04-27T21:11:44Z

I'm guessing that the use of angular script as a title to a building began as a fashionable thing in Beverly Hills, at least locally. Here's an image of what I presume is the inspiration behind what follows: The Beverly Hills Hotel. "Riviera" says Rich, but the stars say Space-age! Mmmm... Cheese cans.

Santa Monica House Names: Viva La Cuba!

2008-04-27T20:58:47Z

I didn't realize that there was a theme shaping up as I take in Santa Monica's house names. These three all have a Cuban theme. The first is simply exclaiming "Fidel". Really pretty look of bold revolutionary communist red with a nice little star. Next, we have a mention of Cuba's capital, Havana. However on this house, they don't stop there. No, this is Alta, or UPPER Havana (Habana). These people are obviously of superior breeding, not interacting with the riff-raff of Baja Habana. Good for you, and welcome to Santa Monica! And finally, inspired by Fidel, we have the iconic mug of Che Guevara atop the words "Sierra Maestra". This translates literally to "Mountain Master". Not sure what the context is behind the artwork here, but there it is.

Santa Monica House Names: The GeNorge

2008-04-27T20:32:13Z

What's a Genorge? Oh, about two or three pounds. No, wait, that's a HenWay. Genorge might translate to "The Norwegian". A little difficult to decipher Norske website's words. Still, it's a cool architectural element on an apartment building in Santa Monica that has always intrigued me.