downsizing

In my ongoing effort to make the outward signs of life match the inward more closely, I have magically transformed the Jeep into a Honda Civic. I anxiously await the results of the first gas-mileage test.......

War Stories

(Reader's note: the following is not really relevant to the typical content of this blog. It is merely something that is in my mind today, and sometimes those things need to be said to no one in particular.)

I've been having dreams lately about Bob. Bob was a really close friend for the years I spent in DeKalb (grad school), and although we didn't stay in touch well after I moved, it hit me really hard when he died a few years ago. I don't really know why I related to him so well, especially since he was quite a bit older than me and came from a very different background. Yet I remain haunted by the things he told me about his experience in Vietnam, and I think that my friendship with him is the main reason that I'm somewhat obsessed with the sociological fallout from that war.

Bob was an artist, and although he was working on his undergraduate degree when I knew him, his life experience made him gravitate toward the grad students more. Some of the best memories I have of that time period are of Bob pounding on my studio door late at night, a couple beers in hand, just wanting to sit and talk for a while. I like to think that he appreciated the differences between us the same way I did. And I like to think that he was really happy in the time shortly before he passed away; I know that he had found more peace in his personal life anyway.

The things that remain, tangibly or otherwise: the late lamented '89 Dodge Caravan, the few pieces of his artwork that I have, the unrolled cigarette paper whenever he was finished with a smoke, cassette tapes ("nicotine and waiting....just wanting to keep it alive..."), and the image of the flag being handed to his wife at the funeral.

So maybe the dreams are just to remind me. It's good to reinforce the memories, good or bad, right?

in my ears

Patterson Hood: Killers and Stars
Collin Herring: Past Life Crashing
James McMurtry: Just Us Kids


"Hurricane Party" from the James McMurtry album is probably one of the best songs of 2008. It's going to find its way onto a mix, I'm sure.

in my ears

Rolling Stones: Hot Rocks 1964-71
Iron and Wine: The Shepherd's Dog
Drive-By Truckers: Brighter Than Creation's Dark

That Truckers album is pretty diverse. I never really got into them until recently; the whole "Southern Rock" stigma turned me off. I've since explored their earlier stuff, and about half of it is REALLY good. This new disc is mostly good, if all over the map. In my opinion, it's one to listen to as an "album", not isolated tracks.

form, content, meaning

It's very difficult to get students (even smart ones) to understand how to develop ideas or concepts. The conventional wisdom is that you always get the idea first, then figure out how to turn it into a visual product. What I've come to realize in my own work is that sometimes it happens in reverse: you use images, then at a later time it becomes more clear to you why you're drawn to those kinds of images. And maybe sometimes you don't completely figure it out, but that's okay too. However, I hesitate to tell this kind of thing to an undergraduate student; they have to be really ready to hear and understand it, or it can be counterproductive.

in my ears

Superchunk: Cup of Sand (rarities)
REM: Accelerate

The new REM has been hyped to death (a return to form! rock! they're back!). Turns out it actually is pretty good. If you came of age with these guys in the '80s and '90s, then you'll probably like this one. Kind of a cross between the sounds of "Life's Rich Pageant" and "Automatic for the People" (their last good album, in my opinion).