Journal Entries
ART....CRAP...What's the difference????
Posted Jul 19, 2003
I'm not talking about that Garfunkel fellah. No, I'm talking about art!
I've been thinking about art and what makes an artist and artist. I'm thinking about this as I'm making monsters out of scrap lumber, working on writing a book of sorts, playing music and all that.
Somebody called me an artist. I looked around to see who they were talking to. Man, a lot of times, I hear that title, "Artist" used like a badge of honor or some kind of ego trip. What a crock! Here's what it is:
Everyone has something to say, express, emote, show, do. The only difference between the "Artist" and the regular schmoes, and when I say schmoes, I mean the woman at Wal-Mart in the stirrup pants or the dude in the meshback cap and the firebird that's mostly rust and body putty, is this:
ARTISTS DO!
Yeah, that's right! Everyone has something deep, insightful or real to say. The people we call "Artists" are the ones who get up and DO it!! Whether you do it for approval or because you are inexplicably compelled to do so, the important part is, DO!
Why the hell do I write this crap? I've spent 4 hours writing. Two of those hours were spent writing stuff I hope nobody ever reads. The really compelling bits are the ones I write thinking someone else will read.
Why the hell do I make stupid looking monsters out of scrap lumber and old washing machines? I don't f***ing know! I just feel compelled to do so and I'm not scared to do it. My neighbors don't say a thing but I've seen them look askance at the 9 foot tall, bat-winged "Monster" in my back yard that's under construction. (I LOVE my neighbors!)
I don't think I'm anything special. The word "artist" is not in the paragraph that describes me but, objectively, it should be. I DO!. Yeah, it's all crap. But I'm doing. Nobody who ever had a feeling or great thought or cool idea was ever an artist if they didn't express it.
At times, I feel like I should be an art cheerleader. I want to look at all these regular schmoes (stirrup pants, meshback caps and all)) and say, "Go, Go, Go! Do it! Make something! Don't be afraid!!!" All that cool stuff in people's heads is lost if they don't put it out! Making art is not a luxury! It's a way of putting the most important part of ourselves out into the world. Don't let it die in the vault of your own mind which is locked tight with fear and self-recrimination!
I do that for myself. That's what compels me to build, play and write.....
CRAP!!
Long live Crap!!
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Latest reply: Jul 19, 2003
Shout out to my Peeps!!
Posted Jul 19, 2003
Are we defined by our relationships? Many anthropologists have said that humans are sociable creatures. Do we really need other people to live? It's easy to sit in the luxury of friends and family close at hand and say, "Yeah, I'd love to be on my own."
I say, "Bull!" Even when we try to be "alone" we define that aloneness by our relationships with people. They may not be physically there at that moment but they are there. When people say, "I'd love to be alone!" I think they really mean they'd love to be away from the people around them at that moment. We think of ourselves, on some level, as someone's friend/uncle/sister/child/cousin/parent/lover/spouse. There's no escaping it. I've seen a "Twilight Zone" episode where a pilot wakes up to discover he's alone on the planet. He goes mad. Absolutely bonkers!!! We need people to show us where we are.
Tom Hanks, "Castaway."
In that movie, the character compensated for his aloneness, or lack of human contact, by creating the person of "Wilson." He made another person. Yeah, it was a volleyball with coconut hair but it was very real to him. Even if that person was a manifestation of an aspect of himself, It still served the purpose of being someone else.
We really are defined by others. Think about it. You'll always have more respect for someone who has been talked up by others than someone who does all the talking about him/herself. Nobody loves a bragger but we give a lot of weight to the opinions of others. If you don't have these others around to define you, who are you, really?
I love time to myself but I really hate being alone. I think that the knowledge that I'll see someone at some point makes my "alone time" so much more valuable. When It comes down to it, I hate being away from my people.
These people are so valuable and so critical. I don't ever want to take people for granted. It's easy to do, then I think of day to day life without someone and I get sick. I tell myself, "Don't take ANYONE for granted." I suppose that's the worst thing you can do to someone.
People are so frail and easily broken. "Poof!" They're gone! Never forget that.
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Latest reply: Jul 19, 2003
Playboy can kiss my ass! (If they can catch me)
Posted Jun 20, 2003
It's not about weight. It's not about shape. We as a society have made it easy for us to sit around. Labor saving devices abound. The most popular "activity" seems to be sitting and watching television.
We forget that we are creatures of action. That's the way we have evolved. We are made to run, fight, f**k, climb, build. We're made to DO. Do things. All the time.
We think it's an amazing thing when someone can run 26.2 miles! We admire the athleticism of the people that can play football (soccer) for 45 minutes and then again for another 45 after a 20 minute break. We admire this while sitting on the couch. Our bodies are made to do all that and more. Run all day. Hunt something down. Climb a mountain for better berries. Plow and sow all day. Walk for hours to get somewhere.
What is beautiful? It's the ability to function. Seeing someone DO something well is beautiful. Carl Lewis running, Serena Williams playing tennis, my neighbor on his 15th lap at the pool, Andre Agassi reaching for that return, the 80 something lady who's always at the lake when I run, the power of Akebono, throwing an opponent in the sumo ring, a kid pedaling like mad on her bicycle, the undeniable determination of Mia Hamm, the guy with the cane and the twisted arm who walks around town every day, Lennox Lewis in the 10th round, the pot-bellied man in the back of the yoga class that does impossible things with his body, the doughy looking guy who finished the marathon in 5 1/2 hours but finished, dammit! These are beautiful people.
I get so mad that people obsess about shape. You've all met the guy who's about 30lbs overweight, can't climb a flight of stairs without getting winded and spends his days on the couch watching "sports" yet he sees himself fit to call women "fat" or to complain that her boobs aren't big enough. Get off that couch, softboy, so I can beat the fat off your ass.
We are shaming our ancestors, we are spitting on our evolutionary and biological heritage. A whole lot of evolution has gone into making us thinking and doing organisms. Let's not throw that away. Soon we'll be 50, soft, diabetic and full of regret that we didn't go out and DO when we were young.
Runner's World, April 2003, Page18: Helen Klein started running at age 55. Now she's 80 and she has finished 59 marathons and 132 ultramarathons. In her picture she's wearing purple (of course 
), her face is all wrinkly from smiling and she's possibly the most beautiful woman in the whole magazine!! I'll bet her quality of life is tons better than softboy on the couch looking at porn and complaining about fat chicks. Let me quote Ms. Klein, "I like to inspire people. People are putting on more and more weight. They need to be responsible for their health. Good genes only go so far, it's your lifestyle that counts the most." BINGO She's having a blast!
What kind of lifestyle do we want for ourselves?
I've lost 110lbs. It took me 2 years and a hell of a lot of exercise. It's not a diet it's a lifestyle change that did it. I'm not beautiful. I don't have big shoulders, or a great back. I'm kind of pear shaped. My love handles are big enough to need 2 hands apiece. I can run a marathon, I can dance all night, I can enjoy my day, all day, without feeling limited by my own body. I'm not disgusted with myself. I kind of think of myself like an old VW. Not very pretty but it'll work just fine. That kind of confidence can't be shaken by a bad hair day, putting on a few pounds or having to let my belt out. I know that a good 5 mile run will make me feel just fine, no matter how much I weigh.
"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda
"Arrr!"
--Maddog
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Latest reply: Jun 20, 2003
A bad day on the water...
Posted Jun 16, 2003
...is always better than a good day in the office.
It was hot, it rained, the wind picked up, there were lots of drunk people out on their boats. I had a blast.
We first got underway around 4:30 and it was muggy and hot. Positively tropical. A big front moved in from the northwest, bringing thunderstorms, high winds and lots of rain. I heard a report of 65 knot winds in Occoquan Bay, about 4 miles south of where we were. We came upon a disabled boater and gave him a quick tow in before the worst of it hit.
Tied up around 12:30 am. Like I said, "A bad day on the water..."
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Latest reply: Jun 16, 2003
h2g2, writing and stuff
Posted Jun 13, 2003
I'm hoping to write more in general. I keep a journal or two, I frequently write for work but I want to use writing as a form of expression. I suppose this journal will help. This will be my public journal.
I have a private journal, the one I use for my conversations to myself. I think it will help to have a public one, for the conversations to others.
The weather here has been muggy and stormy. Typical. I've been getting back into running my house like a ship. On the days I'm home, I work and 8 hour day around the house. Fix the fridge, mow the grass, install the new washing machine, clean the bathrooms, do the ironing, replace the broken screen and on, and on. I make a list and enjoy the satisfying look of a long list with lots of things crossed off at the end of the day.
I work tomorrow. It's going to be stormy and hot. I'll probably alternate between miserable in the heat wearing long pants, body armor gun belt, life vest, etc. and miserable being soaked to the skin by the downpours. Fortunately it doesn't get too rough on the river unless the wind kicks up. There will probably be a ton of people out on then water due to the waterfront festival and that will make for a lot of drunk people on the water.
Yes, it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm not. A bad day on the water is always better than a good day in the office. I could have a boring desk job, working with people I don't like for a miserable amount of money. BLEAH!
If anyone is reading this besides me, feel free to reply or holler at me or anything. I suppose you can post to my page or leave me a message or something. I'm new to h2g2.
Hasta el proximo tiempo!
-Maddog
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Latest reply: Jun 13, 2003
maddogcooney
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