Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Spring
Though it has been a decade since I left New Orleans Spring never ceases to surprise and delight me. Last year was the first year that the onset of Autumn didn't tell me the trees were dying. The speed and vigor of the spring bloom here in Kentucky seems so sudden after the long dreariness of winter.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Cinematic Dream
I had a very strange, movie-like dream this morning that I'll try to describe.
The opening shot is of a guy on a rock ledge squatting down by a pool of water in a depression in the rock. He has a shaved head and has just ducked his head in the pool. He stands and lets out a joyous shout, the camera pulls back and up, turning to the right as the man walks to the edge. As the camera pulls back the view opens to a shot straight down a nearly vertical, snow covered slope with a bay and the ocean far below and more mountains marching away to the left. The camera then plunges over the edge as a writhing mass of people come sliding by, kicking up a huge cloud of snow. There is some kind of organization to this and there's some kind of sail boat (dark blue and green with the sails furled and the masts fastened down to the deck) in their midst. There's a lot of shouting and they're obviously trying to go as fast as possible and control the boat and themselves. The camera is right in the middle of this chaos but it is moving a little slower than the people so it backs out of the flashing snow, arms, legs, and flash of the boat cloud of blinding snow and shouting people. It becomes apparent that they're all roped together and as the camera drops behind the mass of people the thick rope comes to a single person at the rear with an oversized climbing axe who is obviously controlling their speed by digging in. He is fighting to keep them under control, huge rainbows of snow spewing from the tip of the axe. Along the route are turbine heaters and at one point the brakeman gets too close to one and the thick rope is badly singed, part of the outer sheath melts. There is a new sense of danger though the rope appears to be holding.
There is a sudden shift and we're in an empty room with dark green walls and ceiling. Through an open, vaulted door (from a green hallway) comes a black woman with a little bit of gray hair holding a plaque (around 12" x 16") of some sort in her hand. She's talking about how this is the 99th time her team has won and how she needs room to hang all of them as she gestures around the empty room. A red couch and a large oak desk are brought in as she bitches about her husband's mobiles* that are being hung in the corner and along the left had wall. He explains them to a man (vaguely resembles my uncle, Dan) who has flopped down on the couch and a girl (possibly my girlfriend Tari) who stands nearby. The mobiles are specially made to tune contact with another world, place, or dimension. While this is going on the plaques are being hung on the wall.
There is a brief glimpse of the boat being carried to the water over jagged rocks and large gravel by the team that has made it safely to the bottom despite the bad rope. All the people appear to be badly beaten up and the brakeman is lying still at the edge of the snow above them.
Back in the room which now has three or four mobiles hanging and the walls covered with plaques we can hear the sounds of conflicts coming from a spot in the middle of the left wall up where it meets the ceiling. The sound is clear yet removed and the black man says this is from another place. It sounds as if a group of men has forced entry into a room and a child's voice is warning them they'd better leave. There is sound of violence from the men, obviously hurting the child and then suddenly the men begin to scream. There are more sounds of violence but now extreme like cracking bones and ripping flesh, the bodies of big men being slammed against walls. Suddenly it ends and the child's voice says, "I warned you." The black man then explains that they gave the child power just by listening and that it is important they continue.
Unfortunately I woke up at this point and don't know if the team won their bizarre sport, giving the woman her hundredth plaque, or if the powers concentrated by the mobiles become understood. It sure was entertaining in my head, though.
I had this sense the movie intentionally would not resolve any of the stories, leaving the viewer with more questions than answers.
*the suspended pieces of the mobile appear to be stitched leather pockets or pillows that are various muted dark colors, maroons, browns, greens, with metallic blues and grays almost as if they were metallic that was painted but then the paint was wiped or worn away around the stitches. He explains that they are painted foil to best focus the waves.
The opening shot is of a guy on a rock ledge squatting down by a pool of water in a depression in the rock. He has a shaved head and has just ducked his head in the pool. He stands and lets out a joyous shout, the camera pulls back and up, turning to the right as the man walks to the edge. As the camera pulls back the view opens to a shot straight down a nearly vertical, snow covered slope with a bay and the ocean far below and more mountains marching away to the left. The camera then plunges over the edge as a writhing mass of people come sliding by, kicking up a huge cloud of snow. There is some kind of organization to this and there's some kind of sail boat (dark blue and green with the sails furled and the masts fastened down to the deck) in their midst. There's a lot of shouting and they're obviously trying to go as fast as possible and control the boat and themselves. The camera is right in the middle of this chaos but it is moving a little slower than the people so it backs out of the flashing snow, arms, legs, and flash of the boat cloud of blinding snow and shouting people. It becomes apparent that they're all roped together and as the camera drops behind the mass of people the thick rope comes to a single person at the rear with an oversized climbing axe who is obviously controlling their speed by digging in. He is fighting to keep them under control, huge rainbows of snow spewing from the tip of the axe. Along the route are turbine heaters and at one point the brakeman gets too close to one and the thick rope is badly singed, part of the outer sheath melts. There is a new sense of danger though the rope appears to be holding.
There is a sudden shift and we're in an empty room with dark green walls and ceiling. Through an open, vaulted door (from a green hallway) comes a black woman with a little bit of gray hair holding a plaque (around 12" x 16") of some sort in her hand. She's talking about how this is the 99th time her team has won and how she needs room to hang all of them as she gestures around the empty room. A red couch and a large oak desk are brought in as she bitches about her husband's mobiles* that are being hung in the corner and along the left had wall. He explains them to a man (vaguely resembles my uncle, Dan) who has flopped down on the couch and a girl (possibly my girlfriend Tari) who stands nearby. The mobiles are specially made to tune contact with another world, place, or dimension. While this is going on the plaques are being hung on the wall.
There is a brief glimpse of the boat being carried to the water over jagged rocks and large gravel by the team that has made it safely to the bottom despite the bad rope. All the people appear to be badly beaten up and the brakeman is lying still at the edge of the snow above them.
Back in the room which now has three or four mobiles hanging and the walls covered with plaques we can hear the sounds of conflicts coming from a spot in the middle of the left wall up where it meets the ceiling. The sound is clear yet removed and the black man says this is from another place. It sounds as if a group of men has forced entry into a room and a child's voice is warning them they'd better leave. There is sound of violence from the men, obviously hurting the child and then suddenly the men begin to scream. There are more sounds of violence but now extreme like cracking bones and ripping flesh, the bodies of big men being slammed against walls. Suddenly it ends and the child's voice says, "I warned you." The black man then explains that they gave the child power just by listening and that it is important they continue.
Unfortunately I woke up at this point and don't know if the team won their bizarre sport, giving the woman her hundredth plaque, or if the powers concentrated by the mobiles become understood. It sure was entertaining in my head, though.
I had this sense the movie intentionally would not resolve any of the stories, leaving the viewer with more questions than answers.
*the suspended pieces of the mobile appear to be stitched leather pockets or pillows that are various muted dark colors, maroons, browns, greens, with metallic blues and grays almost as if they were metallic that was painted but then the paint was wiped or worn away around the stitches. He explains that they are painted foil to best focus the waves.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Mid-March Update
Today is Friday the 13th of March and it is also a full moon. That might explain why I just spent several hours in a parking lot swapping out starters for my van.
Earlier in the day I moved the Technocar over to my shop in Smoketown and put it up on rollers so I could move it around the garage. Despite the 1000 pound limit for each of the four dollies I sat it on (car weighs 1600lbs and the dollies should be able to support 4000 pounds), moving it is nowhere near as easy as I hoped. The casters just were not meant to roll and rotate under anywhere close to that much weight. But it can be rolled around if I can get my feet planted against and it sits a little higher, making working on the sides that much easier. The plan here is for the car to begin sprouting various and sundry fins constructed with fiberglass over a wooden frame. The poor car
Earlier in the day I moved the Technocar over to my shop in Smoketown and put it up on rollers so I could move it around the garage. Despite the 1000 pound limit for each of the four dollies I sat it on (car weighs 1600lbs and the dollies should be able to support 4000 pounds), moving it is nowhere near as easy as I hoped. The casters just were not meant to roll and rotate under anywhere close to that much weight. But it can be rolled around if I can get my feet planted against and it sits a little higher, making working on the sides that much easier. The plan here is for the car to begin sprouting various and sundry fins constructed with fiberglass over a wooden frame. The poor car
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Los Po-Boy-Citols
Some close friends of mine in New Orleans discovered a blend of latin and funk called boogaloo and decided to form a band to play it. In typical New Orleans fashion they incorporated the sound of the Crescent City into their relatively faithful readings of the classic originals they cover as well as rendering New Orleans classics into the boogaloo style.
Their debut album New Orleans Latin Soul has got to be one of my favorite albums of 2008 and they are definitely one of the best live acts I've seen in years. The band grooves along as comfortably as your best dancing shoes, feeling at once tight and precise and easy and loose. You can hear the band's smiles in every note and sitting still is not an option. Live the band transmits an air of relaxed joy that infects an audience. This music is the kind that makes the ladies dance and the men folks boogie. It is fun. Do not miss them if you get a chance to see them live. They're that good.
Los Po-Boy-Citos' MySpace page features lots of free streaming music but you should just go ahead and buy the album here (and help out a great N.O. record store as well). It will be the best $13 you'll spend this year.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Web Site Rebuild
The IFPR website is being torn down and rebuilt. We apologize for any weirdness of any kind. Sorry.
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