2.28.2001

I live just off a traffic circle called Dupont Circle. One of the interesting facts about the circle was there was a food court built underneath it. Using what was left of an old train station, the developers planned Dupont Down Under and it opened for business in February of 1995. The developers quickly went bankrupt, and the food places closed within a year, I believe that there still might be a court case going on around it.

So, these entrances still exist around Dupont Circle, I think there are 5 of them, though all have padlocked gates at the bottom (you can see them on this page). Still, on the walls, as you walk down the stairs, are these neat stencilled pictures, that look a lot like what students painted during Prague Summer, and are very unlike most of the graffitti around the city. One day I hope to be able to take a look in to this failed food court, but until those locks come off, I don't think it will be possible.    2:29:24 PM

2.26.2001

21st and P, NW, 9:17 AM     10:34:05 PM

19th and I St., NW, 7:03 PM    10:29:54 PM

I strongly suggest a visit over to Jimformation to read the Simple Philosophy (scroll down a page or so). It's written in plain language, but the words carry a lot of strength and apply directly to everyday life.    7:46:23 PM

Direct action to combat greedy landlords and help those without homes.    6:56:42 PM

2.25.2001

Walking around yesterday, Char and I saw a "Beauty Shop Sale" with this huge mirror and barber chairs which wouldn't been a neat addition to my apartment.    9:00:37 PM

Yikes. I know AAA as the life saver who made a key in a Burger King parking lot after my friend broke his key while turning it in a car door, on the way to Vermont.

Little did I know, they aren't just a friendly roadside service.    8:27:39 PM

Ed Harris' Pollock was a movie I'm glad I saw, but by no means was it a great movie. It depicted the tumultuous life of artist Jackson Pollock who essentially rewrote all the rules regarding art. The scenes of him painting were amazing and organic, the energy exhibited in his paintings was equalled by the energy he gave to creating them. His paintings shown in large size on the movie screen made me appreciate the purity and immenseness of what he was doing, something that no smaller reproduction can equal.

See him painting here, or some of his images here.    5:08:43 PM

2.23.2001

Way too much hair, NJ Department of Motor Vehicles, 9/26/95.

recorded for posterity

    4:51:50 PM

2.22.2001

Dupont Circle, 9:05 PM    9:13:37 PM

An American account of visiting war-torn Iraq.

I know that I post a lot of links regarding the sanctions in Iraq. The reason is that I think about them a lot, about how many children die in the time it takes for me to walk to class (4), or the time I spend at work (73). These children don't die from diseases that plague the rest of the world (like AIDS, or any form of cancer), but from easily curable diseases, like dysentary, and malnutrition, diseases that could be completely, 100% prevented with very little effort. The sanctions are a black mark on an already tarnished history of the United States in the last decade, and it's just not something that I can stop thinking about.    8:55:55 PM

    12:03:00 PM

Bombing Iraq is nothing new, it hasn't actually stopped since the Bush formerly known as president got involved with the Gulf and decided to make a war. The article of course, does not mention anything about civilian casualties, though if these bombs actually did miss their targets by more than 100 yards, as the article said, and, "He emphasized that a bomb that misses its "aimpoint" -- the actual spot where it is supposed to strike -- still can damage its target as it explodes and sends fragments flying for hundreds of yards," one wonders if it's even possible that there weren't civilian casualties.

Furthermore, these bombs cost from $250,000 to $700,000 apiece, an amount of money that the majority of the people in both the US and Iraq won't see in their lifetimes. The fact that both Bush and Gore preached for the need to "strengthen our military" clearly shows the complete lack of regard they have for the problems our nation faces that have nothing to do with outside enemies, and everything to do with internal mismanagement of issues like racism, poverty, and the total and incomprehensible mistreatment of drug offenders.    6:58:41 AM

2.21.2001

 

Today I had good pizza (this first picture is Char's), saw some graffitti (and a hubcap) very near to where my car was broken into, and found nearly perfect light and sky on a building as I walked home from class.

    6:14:10 PM

2.20.2001

(click to enlarge and see whole picture)

Man with traffic light shadow.

Self portrait in elevator.

My favorite building on the 20th St. walk I take to class each day.

New digital camera is exciting and tiny, haven't figured out how to present photos yet, but here are 3.     8:57:06 PM

2.16.2001

Nike now allows you to customize your shoes online, well, most of the time.    2:13:07 PM

2.15.2001

Words and photos from nighttime in Washington, DC.    6:50:07 PM

A wonderful story by Keith Abbott about meeting Richard Brautigan for the first time. Abbott later went on to write Downstream from Trout Fishing in America, a biography of Brautigan that is nearly impossible to find at a reasonable price.

Don't know Richard Brautigan? He's one of my favorite authors, and you can learn a little about him here, and find some samples of his writing. His poems and novels are beautifully sensitive and sad, reflecting the dark woods and poverty of the pacific northwest that he grew up in.    12:23:43 PM

So I'm walking up 18th Street, looking at all the wheatpasted flyers that are slowly decaying on payphones and electrical boxes. I see a good shot, begin framing it in my camera, and sense someone walking by me. I take the camera away from my eye, look up, and see Guy Picciotto from Fugazi. I open my mouth to say something, can't think of a thing to say, and just smile as he briskly walks by.     12:10:58 PM

2.14.2001

For the first in a series of MP3 downloads, I offer what I consider to be one of the greatest songs ever.

The Minutemen were one of the first important punk bands in the early 80's, who, along with Black Flag toured the country and brought punk rock to the masses. Fueled by the singing of Mike Watt and D. Boone, they put on intense live shows that were far from the standard three chord punk that was to become common in the 90's. Boone sadly was killed in a van accident in 1985, and listening to this song, History Lesson, Part II a tribute to his own punk heroes, makes it all that much sadder.

History Lesson Part II
Our band could be your life
real names be proof
me and mike watt
we played for years
punk rock changed our lives
we learned punk rock in hollywood
drove up from pedro
we were fucking corndogs
we'd go drink and pogo
"mr narrator!"
this is bob dylan to me
my story could be his songs
I'm his soldier child
our band is scientist rock
but I was e. bloom
then richard hell
joe strummer
and john doe
me and mike watt
playing guitar.

    3:46:28 PM

2.12.2001

Mmmm.... jelly roll (Char sent me this link, Char likes the jelly rolls).

Note: I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of a digital camera after which this daily will become a little more photo-centric, and a lot more frequently updated.     6:03:41 PM

2.11.2001

A little more site integration finished. The About page is done, but not really complete. Also, I've redone the /experiences section to fit in with the new site template. If you haven't gone through these, they may be worth your time, I'm happy with the writing and photography throughout.    5:53:35 PM

2.9.2001

My rules were simple:
- No driving on I-95 or any other interstate, since I wanted to make the road a large part of my vacation and see what was along the route.
- No stopping at national-chain restaurants or motels, since I didn't want to bite into the same burgers and unwrap identical little cakes of soap all the way down.

This sounds like a wonderful way to take a trip.    8:54:02 AM

2.8.2001

When people talk about creativity and photography, they generally are referring to interesting composition or inventive darkroom techniques. It's rare for the physical act of taking a picture to be the creative root of the photo. Justin Quinnell, a photographer from Bristol, England, takes photographic creativity into his own hands (err... mouth).    10:58:31 PM

Somehow a free copy of The Sun appeared in my mailbox yesterday. I glanced through it as I rode the elevator up to my floor, and put it aside on top of the boxes containing back issues of my zine. That night, after coming back from seeing back to back episodes of Politically Incorrect taped (which was generally a good experience, though seeing one would have been fine, more on this later), I got in bed and picked the magazine back up.

The magazine really grabbed me quickly, the mix of fiction, poetry and political writing, all of which was intensely readable and riveting kept me up until 2:30 as I finished every word of the 52 page magazine (without a single ad) before falling asleep. There was a fascinating interview with a man named Jan Lundberg, who leads an organization that is calling for a moratorium on new road building, and who, in 1997, tore up his driveway and planted a garden.

So, if you have a spare $5, and like a mix of personal and political writing, I'd suggest you try out a sample issue, I think it's worth it. (Disclaimer: I don't work for, or get any kickbacks from the magazine, I just think it's amazing).    1:39:23 PM

2.7.2001

I think the majority of stuff sold on Ebay is bought, not because of its quality or demand, but because of the way the seller describes it.    8:26:22 PM

2.6.2001

Surf frogs sound like a lot of fun (except for those kids, who are freaking me out). This live-animal-through-mail thing has always fascinated me, I've gone through a few ant farms (eventually setting the ants free out of guilt), and am definitely considering some frogs. I'm not so sure they'd get along with Basho and Issa though.    1:06:45 PM

2.4.2001

My favorite search terms for finding this site: "Does Bush know where Nigeria is?" I'm honored to be linked from a search like that.    8:41:45 AM

2.3.2001

Day two of an all-day print fest. I discovered the wonders and beautiful tones of warmtone matte paper today. Once I get these babies spot-toned and matted, they'll be up here.    10:25:56 PM

2.2.2001

Wow, I had a creative day. First, I just about finalized a new t-shirt design for Skatedork, then I spent the last 4 hours in the darkroom, preparing some photographs and making some good quality prints. All this time I was wearing my favorite pair of pants ever, my Dickies traditional work pants. I bought these pants at a church rummage sale where you gave them $5, they gave you a garbage bag, and you got to fill it up as much as you wanted. For the most part, I stuffed my bag with clothes that were monumentally bad stylistically, but this one pair of Dickies was worth way more than the $5 I paid for everything. When bought new, these pants are quite stiff and not particular comfortable, but after many washings (as these pants had obviously had), they get soft and comfy like no other pants do. Mine have a few paint splashes from when I was painting a skate obstacle red, and they also have a tear on the left knee where I fall every single damn time I skate.

So really, I just wanted to talk about pants.    10:58:04 PM

Woohoo! For whatever reason, I haven't been able to update the site for a few days. There's sad news at the company who make the very fine product that allows me to easily add new stuff here.    2:52:53 PM