A Slice of Fluxus: Random Thoughts

What? An Update?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:58:23 -0500

It has been a while, hasn't it. I've decided to plug into Wordpress to continue online blathering. I'll keep these off the social networking radar as not all of my thoughts are for public consumption you see. For now, here's the link to my new blog: http://fluxpress.wordpress.com/

Going Green (an Editorial from the 5th Floor of the Talley Building)

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:33:25 -0500

Like many, I happen to LOVE my car. It's more than just what takes me from Point A to Point B, it's an experience, it almost part of the family! Don't laugh, I know a lot of you feel the same way but just aren't admitting it! So, regardless of what's been happening with fuel prices, I've just continued on my merry way zipping around town as I please. Hit the brakes. Reality check? When gas prices started inching up past the $3.00 mark, I actually did pay some notice. I started thinking about how to save some money on gas but didn't really pursue the effort. Why would I? I live in a spot that within a two-mile radius is my job, my favorite grocery, and just about every other amenity I might need along with a few key indulgences. A few months passed. In the last five weeks alone I watched the price at the nearest Arco jump almost .60. Looking from the window of my office I can see the "cheap stuff" sitting tentatively at $3.97 per gallon. Now the antennae are up and taking notice wasn't enough. It was time to get beyond the thinking point and actually do something about my own impact -- environmental footprint, if you will -- and think of the benefits to my own health and pocketbook as bonuses vs. some sort of hardship. First gear. I sat down and tried to assess the amount of energy I was consuming and where my hard- earned dollars were really being spent. My husband and I took a hard look at our home, appliances, cars, shopping habits and more to figure out how we could start actually reducing our energy consumption across the board. We patted ourselves on the back because we were doing our part to recycle, shop locally and support small businesses, use energy efficient lightbulbs, do laundry or run the dishwasher after 9PM, those sorts of things. We could be doing worse, but we could probably be doing better. Fourth gear. (Skipped few...) My concern that I could be doing better quickly flipped the OCD switch and I was spending time at night on the internet reading articles, taking footprint calculator quizzes, and obsessing slightly on the state of world and how I was going try and save it singl-handedly. I had passed a few gears and was about a lightyear ahead of where I needed to be and at midnight, not all too long ago, my husband poked his head in the office and with sleepy eyes said without saying a word, "just turn it off for now and sleep on it." So, I did. Back down to second gear. Realizing that mentally ingesting information was helpful only to a degree, I was able to take a deep breath and refocus my efforts and bring them back down a human scale I could manage...my own. The catylist. Two weeks ago I had stopped at a Chevron to fill my tank that was wheezing slighting as I'd gone a little too far past the 'E' according the monitor on my dashboard. Chevron, as you may or may not know, is usually more than just a few cents more per gallon than some of the other stations around the Valley. I noticed this as the total price flew past $35...and then past $40. I furled my brow, made a face that included a proper frown, grabbed my receipt and sped off grumbling something the effect of "...this stinks." Suddenly things started swirling around in my head and the cards started falling into place. Fact: Gas prices were going up and didn't appear to be coming back down any time soon. Fact: I was seeing more and more people riding bikes around the neighborhood and to their jobs. Fact: I live an optimal location (stated earlier regarding amenities within a very minor radius from my home). Fact: I live in a state where it almost never rains and has fantastic weather for the majority of the year. The only question was this: why wasn't I riding a bike? Third gear. That was it. That was the Gestalt moment, the next step, the third gear, the obvious solution that brought it back down to me and my own impact on the environment. I was going to make a difference. I had to buy a bike. June has just introduced itself in a milder than normal fashion for Phoenix. I certainly can't complain as the mornings are cool enough to have the doors open for a while and warm enough not to need a second layer. The super-heated mornings where the pavement just can't release the heat of the previous day is coming, I know. But for now, as I ride my new bike meandering through the neighborhoods on the way to the office or the grocery store, I notice with the sun playing with shadows through the trees and feel the breeze on my face... and I smile. I've begun to make a difference.

Mel's Diner

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:56:34 -0600

You remember the show, of course. Well, the original Mel's Diner is, indeed, in the heart of Phoenix. We ate there this weekend and I must say for a greasy spoon it was delish.

This is it...

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 01:02:00 -0600

Groovin' to Cedric Gervais' tune Halfway Love... tune in for a moment...

The Vig

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 17:54:25 -0600

No, I'm not in too deep with local mobsters... however, i'm in LOVE with The Vig on 40th Street just south of Indian School. If you know the area, there used to be a scary/crappy Taco Bell on that spot. Thank the universe that it's been razed and The Vig has popped up in its place. We stopped in and picked up a menu yesterday and loved what we saw. We decided on a late lunch today and made our first visit and we're more than pleased. First of all, the bloody mary I had was excellent... why have i not discovered the joy of the pickled green bean for this beverage previously? Yum. We ordered the Halibut Ceviche for a starter. (we're always looking for a ceviche that is palatable outside of the tropics.) Delish. For a girl who's tastebuds are substandard these days, this was pretty darn swell. We decided on luncheon fare with the Hot Chick Sandwich and the Big Azz Burger...both were excellent not to mention the seasoned shoe string fries...mmm... Both were huge, btw, so I have lunch tomorrow. Inside and outside are groovy and comfortable. This place is well designed and doesn't look like the next trendy spot (but I could see how it could easily slide into that role). Outside has a great patio with a variety of seating and for an added kick, a sunken bocce ball court perpetually green and smooth with it's turf. Nice, I'll have to dig out my set and learn to play. I think I've found a new favorite neighborhood hang out. I'll join you for a drink there anytime.

Hollywood Highlights - Part 1

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:21:29 -0500

I spent last week in the City of Angels for a conference and of course for some fun.

I thought I'd share some of the highlights and give you some insight as to why I'm sitting at home during the day on major cold meds and typing.

We left (I say we, I mean my dear friend Dana and I) on Tuesday morning. It was cloudy and wonderful for Phoenix, but hopping in my little speed buggy and heading west was really just what the Dr. ordered. There were stops along the way (yay outlet mall!) and finally arrived at Hollywood & Highland (what a CF - this girl is NOT used to any sort of traffic) that evening. The room was a room... a great view of the roof and not much else.

However, after a long day of travel and shopping, two girls needed to freshen up and head for the nearest and bestest sushi. Geisha House it was.

If experience matters, hit this place next time you're in Hollywood.

Wednesday brought a morning of sessions and mild, um, "sleepiness." After our session and giant salads at one of the restaurants in the H&H pod, Dana decided on a nap whilst I took to huffing it around the neighborhood and taking photos. I have no issues being a tourist in my own country. I met up with some fellow industry mates upon my return to the hotel and chatted for a bit before the evening's event... dinner and shows at the Magic Castle.

A big thanks to one of the girls in our group who happens to have a magician friend who belongs to this club and got our group passes to get in! Definately worth it (and the salmon wasn't bad either!). I will never turn down an opportunity to get dressed up for any occasion.

Stay tuned for Part Deux.

Fluxus - Introduction

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 01:23:06 -0500

20th century AD Art in America, June, 1994 by Jill Johnston Most Fluxus artists say Fluxus was never a movement. That could be hard for people to believe, now that whatever it was has begun to look so mausolean, with various official repositories of culture in big cities here and abroad collecting large samples of it to show to a surprised public, and scholars wrestling with it to try to fit it into an art-historical context. In July '93 the Whitney Museum brought in the giant retrospective called "In the Spirit of Fluxus," which originated at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and is still touring. Timed to the 30th-anniversary year of Fluxus were big museum shows in Wiesbaden, Cologne and Copenhagen during 1992. In view of an this attention, if Fluxus was not a The Rest of the Story...

More thanks... a.k.a. Crush Stories

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 13:43:25 -0500

Such a product of my environment. I appreciate everyone for being and sharing themselves so that I might learn a little something and carry it with me (no matter how silly or profound). This is the kind of shit that comes up when you watch your step-daughter entering that stage of life where everything and nothing is more important than being a functioning member of the family. It cracks me up and scares me to death at the same time. So, my latest thanks are so heavy [metal] and crush-like and all about boys from waaaaay back when:

...to Scott Green for adding a strange like for hair bands to my huge junior high crush you.

...to Britt for trying to get me to like death metal while being more beautiful than Sebastian Bach and so emotionally unavailable. I learned to appreciate the summer crush and remember them fondly.

...Adam Polanowski for writing notes and passing them in the hallways and feeling that you could be yourself with me. I learned to appreciate AC/CD and Metallica because of you. You were beautiful and unobtainable and friendship was more than I could have asked for in those ridiculous formative years.

...to Barry Stellrecht for planting what would become my first real kiss on me in Junior High. Hertel (sp?) Wisconsin will never be the same.

...to Eric Holmson for the sweetest crush gift.. a bunch of suckers (they were tootsie pops, I remember) by the slides at recess when we were in elementary school. I'm so glad we became friends and stayed that way.

...Jeremy Meyer for being crazy like me. I don't think I'd be the same without Dinosaur Jr., They Might Be Giants, and Tones on Tail. You accepted me...crazy family and all and then poof..you were gone.

...to Tom Forrestal for the first and last date simultaneously. I wish I could remember what was on the radio but the accident blurred every moment accept your words. It's funny coming of age and crushing on a boy that used to date your babysitter!

...Peter Hopke for having a voice like an angle and never minding that I would be taller than you in heels. I've never stopped trying to be larger than life.

...Gregg Adams for making distance not seem so far and letter, tapes, cartoons, phone calls and a rather handsome mullet. I managed to take on new vocabulary and learn to appreciate Gumby and bands like the Indigo Girls and discover a local boy named Pat McGuigan (which I still sing his little car ditty to this day). And how an I forget the Yellow Submarine?

..Andrew Koss for being a little off and helping me realize that I should always trust my instincts - crazy is crazy.

...Keith Ligler for being a little older, a little wiser, and a little nuts and going to prom with me - it must have been painful. You trusted me to teach you to swim... that took courage. I've never looked at a SAAB the same way again. 99's, baby.

...Chris Carlson for sitting across from me in confirmation class and sliding valentine candy hearts to me across the table...it made being stuck in the multi-purpose room at the church sooo much better. Tiny little crushes make life a little sweeter.

...Josh Lawson for being so close but yet so far away. Such brilliance and true friendship. I've tried to find you again so many times... I hope you're well where ever you are.

...Jason Bacchum (sp?) for the most amazing meteor shower and then almost killing me on a wet country road punctuated by an evening of Daily Affirmation quotes.... That's what memories are made of.

...Joel Mowhinney (is that your last name?) for growing up and finding me again after high school. Remember the northern lights on the old railroad bridge and coffee and audi's and silliness. The most amazing northern lights... in the place that I am now...most just wouldn't understand that spectacle.

...Country for getting me trailed by my grandfather because I'd hang out at the theatre talking to you after dark and scaring me to death when bridge jumping that summer.

...Jason Jerry for teaching my baby brother to say "fucking bitch" when he didn't get what he wanted - a lesson in patience and some great mental birth control. I had a crush on your older brother when you lived next door so there!

...Clint LaRue for being nutty and cute and letting me get you in trouble with your parents. I guess I forgot to tell you my family was condemned to hell before we met. Probably doesn't sit well with the overly faithful. I don't think I ever swapped gum again and haven't listened to Christian rock even once since then.

...Aaron Chancer for being the biggest junior high crush ever. So adorable, so something I couldn't even approach at the time in my shyness. Thank god we had the roller rink so I could crush on you from afar. It's the stuff that teenage paperbacks are made of.

Being a teenager is such a pain the ass, isn't it? In the words of the Moody Blues..."To Our Children's Children's Children."

Moments of Clarity

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:07:28 -0500

Moments of Clarity I've shared with some of you that I recently attended a conference where the focus was on 'generations in the workplace.' I sat and listened knowing that I needed to be there but wasn't sure why. Could this be the curse of the Generation X or the "13th Generation" that I'm caught smack-dab in the middle of? Perhaps and quite likely. On my arrival back to civilization after the conference, I ordered the keynote speaker's book appropriately named "Generations: A History of America's Future, 1584-2069. I could go on and on about the continual unfolding of consciousness that I've experienced, but I'll save that for another day. What strikes me is when the little things, like a CD, can spark a thought which connects to another thought and so on eventually forming a web that touches just about everything that is me to date. (That IS the bigger picture, is it not?) Good things come in fours, by the way and so the cycles of life and the history of this country has shown. The spark and then the babble: On my way home, I was thinking about grabbing a U2 cd for my car and for the remainder of the day at work. I chose Achtung Baby without thinking (or so I thought, in retrospect). I put in the disk and found myself driving without seeing and watching the slideshow in my head from a time that was clearly recognizable... the year, 1991. 1991 happens to be the year that album was released. That album has always been one of my favorites and is directly linked to my first life phase transition. The idea of coincidence begins to fade. This was a time in my life that was busting at the seams with change. Graduating from high school and starting college for starters. Track after tracks spins silently filling my ears and my mind with images of a girl who knew there was more out there but not sure what. I insisted on peeling away who I thought I should be to let out the person who I actually was deep inside. I had no one to please anymore and no more facades to carry around with me. Some think I went overboard, but I made every choice along the way in present mind and knew I was making the most of each day. I ditched the idea of becoming an optometrist for the idea of photojournalism. I found myself wanting to go beyond that still and ended up in the art department where I could spread my wings and make leap after leap looking for the gust that would catch and carry me. What a wonderful salute to my 'youth' and transition into my 'rising adulthood.' I'm currently midway through this phase of my life. It's exciting to imagine what the next transition will bring as I enter 'midlife.' I will be aware in the years that follow, much as I am now, and look back and see what was happening, what influences I paid attention to, and what will be making write a similar note to myself about that time. It's interesting that I'm part of year another, larger cycle. My generation is a 'reactive' one. Howe's simplified description of this is: "An alienated, cynical generation which challenges the ideals of their parents and develops into pragmatic, risk-taking adults. The Jungian "Artist" archetype is dominant." Following the 'idealist' boomers, is it any surprise that this is the outcome of my generation, the poor souls who were born between 1961 and 1981? And, what of the small group that's torn between two generations born on the cusp? That's an entirely different discussion. I continue to react although I can't help but nod my head as I turn page after page in this book that discusses the sociological connections of those around me. Part of me has an idea of economic, sociological, and spiritual changes that are coming based on history's cycles, but the idea of embracing it is a difficult one. Could it be the 'idealist' parents of my generation planted seeds of optimism and the will the change the course of history? There is where the monumental awareness comes in along with the ever-popular caveat: there's really no changing the actual course of history as it is defined and made concrete minute by minute. We can only be conscious of our decisions as we make them and pull from the past and map out the perceivable outcomes. We cannot, however, escape the larger cycle in which we've found ourselves. Cycles within cycles...it's enough to make my head spin but the reality of it all shocks even me. It's not so much that our paths are predetermined, but the trail has been trodden by similar generations past and it's up to me to keeps eyes open and try to leave a trail for the next 'reactives' to come this way to help open their eyes and at least be slightly more aware. Good luck seems appropriate, doesn't it? For me and those who follow. Yes, all of this from choosing Achtung Baby to listen to for the rest of the day.

reading material? yikes... that was just the beginning...

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 00:27:41 -0500

Random Thought #1: So, I go to Belize and had a wonderful time. Our 10 days were jam packed with family, food, laughter, sun, sand, snorkling and more. Believe it or not, I somehow managed to plow through four books... Ok, maybe not THAT odd since travel time and waiting at airports and such can be a bore. So, thanks to Tania Katan (My One Night Stand With Cancer), Micheal Crichton (Congo), Dean Koonz (Velocity) and finally to John Grisham (The Runaway Jury) for keeping my mind off the clock. Funny (probably only curious to me), I read what was readily available on other's bookshelves (Tania's book was a quick read on the plane to Belize so I needed more to read as the week went on) and realized that it was a first read for me with each of those authors. It's nice to be reading again...I think I'll turn off the telly, open my ears and tune into whatever's next on my bedside table.