Grandpa on the dock with Elise at sunset on Lake Vermillion.

Last week my tulips were finally in bloom. I’ve been so busy I had already missed the riotous azaleas but managed to get outside with a camera before the tulips were completely gone.

Proof that flowers bloom in the land of the starter-castle. Not my castle, BTW.

I just got around to seeing the movie “Pollock” starring Ed Harris.

I am predisposed to like stories of self-destruction. My high school English teacher must have made an indelible impression in my mind about the tragically flawed hero. I liked this story.

Last fall when I tried some drip painting myself, I came away realizing that is was much harder than it looked. The experience itself was much more visceral than I ever would have guessed.

The oddest thing happened when we displayed the paintings at the office. People, not knowing who completed which painting, would point to mine and say they sensed anger in the painting or the painter. No one could articulate why they felt that way, but it was not an uncommon response.

I really liked the movie a lot. It portrayed Pollock as a very complicated and difficult character who was still loved. How did Lee Krasner live with him given his inner demons?

I loved seeing the “aha” moment when he began experimenting with dripped paint, although I don’t know how accurate that scene was. It was sad to watch a movie showing his life as a long slow train wreck ending with his early and senseless death. Better to feel sad watching a movie than to feel almost nothing real at all, which is the case with a lot of movies I’ve seen (Revenge of the Sith, ahem). Psychological self-destructive dramas are my favorite kind of horror movie and this movie in particular is an excellent example of the genre.

If you ever get a chance to see a Pollock painting in person, you really should take a look. They are really worth seeing in person. The reproductions lose the texture and the movement that you can see and sense when viewing in person.

I finally saw the movie “Revenge of the Sith”.

Stop reading now, if you want to avoid spoilers or allowing my opinions to spoil your own viewing.

Read the rest of this entry »

I ran across an interesting read on the FBI attempting to get library records summarized on a web page of the Pen American Center. This was of particular interest in light of the recent FBI request for additional powers to get information without the approval of a judge.

The library article is especially interesting to me as it shows that the FBI, before securing a subpoena, will just ask for information. This confirms what I already believed. Most of your private information is in the hands of others for example your doctor, your bank, your travel agent, and your credit card company among others. You already are at the mercy of the whims of those organizations who just might decide to give your information away without a fight. The legal protections which require a subpoena can already be circumvented by the FBI just asking. The FBI wants more, they want to subpoena the few people and companies who stand up to them and say no to their fishing expeditions without a judge looking over their shoulder. Why are they afraid of tiny bit scrutiny and transparency? It’s not that I think a persons library record can’t be used in a court of law, it’s that I think there needs to be a legitimate, auditable process that incorporates checks and balances and resembles the 4th Ammendment to the constitution.

What kind of society do people want to live in? Do you really want Big Brother looking over your shoulder approving your reading material? I don’t. Unfortunately, at this moment I have no faith that either major party is willing to stand up for freedom so I can’t vote my conscience unless I choose to vote for fringe parties and candidates.

I went to a dance with Jeannie last Saturday night. Other than the dances sponsored by the health club, where I took my dance lessons five years ago, this is the first dance I’ve attended since high school.

It was swing dance held in an airplane hangar containing vintage aircraft. It was Forties themed and lots of people showed up in vintage clothing and army or navy uniforms. It was fun just to dance with a live fourteen piece orchestra. I also enjoyed watching the couples who were really good at dancing. I couldn’t believe how smooth people were when performing really complicated moves.

People always like to suggest that dancing is a lot like human relationships. I supposed it is. I got my foot stepped on, I forgot more moves than I remembered, we got out of rhythm, at least once I spun my partner a little too hard in the wrong direction, my partner tried to lead, I led poorly on occasion and I got too sweaty at least once. When it was good, for a microsecond it felt like two people moving as one. Yup, sounds vaguely like marriage to me. I wish I was good at it. I know … practice, practice, practice.

I’ve received another note from the bear-napper I mentioned a while back.

bear misses his home
but there is money to pay
i'm still waiting

Along with this picture.

If anyone has seen this bear please contact me. He was last seen wearing a Green bay Packer’s jersey. Please return the bear unharmed.

Lawrence Lessig is one of my hero’s.

I was always impressed by his understanding of emerging technology and copyright, his ability to communicate complex legal issues, and his willingness to take up difficult legal fights, not to his contribution to the Creative Commons movement.

Today, when I read more about his personal story and the legal battle he is currently fighting, my estimation of him as an individual and a public figure grew exponentially.

Hat’s off to you Larry, you are amazing.

P.S. I wrote this up last night and didn’t publish it because I really felt a little uncomfortable about the subject. I don’t know if it was the discomfort talking about sexual abuse in general or spreading someone else’s story or what exactly. I realized after reading Julie’s post, I was participating, perhaps accidentally, in a societal prohibition on talking about sexual abuse. From this article and from my vantage point in life, it seems that the societal prohibition on talking to trusted people about abuse is one of the root causes that allow the perpetuation of the abuse. So in defiance of the cultural ban, I pressed the “Publish” button.

I’ve always enjoyed Bruce Springsteen’s quieter darker albums. These include the seminal “Nebraska” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad”. Perhaps “enjoyed” is the wrong word. Some of the songs on these albums are dark & foreboding and some are downright depressing. Maybe it’s cathartic for me, maybe I’m just relieved that the police aren’t after me and I’m not on death row.

Naturally I picked up his latest album, “Devils and Dust”, a couple of weeks ago. Like the other albums I mentioned it’s pretty dark. You won’t find loud rocker anthems like “Born in the U.S.A.” What you find is powerfully poetic lyrically driven ballads without a lot of happy endings. For example, check out the chorus from the title track.

We've got God on my side
I'm just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love
Fear's a powerful thing
It can turn your heart black you can trust
It'll take your God filled soul
And fill it with devils and dust

You’ve probably heard the album mentioned on the news as Starbucks won’t carry it due to a song about prostitution called “Reno”. It’s an uncomfortable song to listen to, no doubt about it. At the same time it conveys a kind of lonely sadness that has few rivals. Reminds me a little of “Leaving Las Vegas” with Nicholas Cage. Odd to hear a song as graphic as this one paired with Jesus Was an Only Son and Leah later on the same album.

In the end, “Nebraska” is still my favorite Springsteen album, but there are some great songs on “Devils & Dust” which will stay on my playlist for a long time. My favorites include “The Hitter“, “Black Cowboys“, “All I’m Thinkin’ About” & “Matamoros Banks. I liked “Devils & Dust”, but I’m prone to like depressing music so what do I know?

P.S. Thanks to Gretchen’s pointer, I found a segment with Mr. Springsteen on NPR. It includes some background on the songs as well as some streaming songs. Most interestingly was the fact that “Devils & Dust” was written from the point of view of a checkpoint gaurd in Iraq. Thanks Gretchen.

Speaking of Nebraska, 89.3 has been playing a song by a local group called Halloween, Alaska. They have an awesome cover of “State Trooper” by Bruce Springsteen. You can even stream the whole song from their website if you click on “music” and have something that will play Shoutcast streams. They are playing Friday, June 10th Cedar Cultural Center. I think I’ll be there.

Tanner’s WoodFire Grill in Blaine (I think) provided me one of the worst dinners I’ve had in the Twin Cities in a long time. The food was truly forgettable and tasted industrial. I had the “Pulled Pork” sandwich which truly reeked of cinnamon. I’m never going back there if I can help it. The service wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t too prompt either. If you like Chammps style Americana food and you are in the Northern ‘burbs, consider going to Chammps in New Brighton you’ll be much, much happier.

Tanners Woodfire Grill
(763) 398-1110
133 Coon Rapids Blvd NW