February 9th, 2008
(match each number to a letter)
1) swing set
2) daddy-man
3) makko bird
4) stool chair
5) Father Mike
6) Uncle Art
7) Dr. Pfarrer
8) whitey rock
9) worm pits
10) Frank
11) Dodgie
12) Uncle Don
13) Hoc-Hoc Man
14) silver paint
15) Hugh
16) Uncle Joe
17) spring house
18) Uncle George
19) Roy Macy
20) Dante
21) Uncle Bobby
22) funny face
23) Paul
24) Orville
25) Barnamoe
26) gitzen |
a) Grandma
b) Flint
c) wasps
d) MVRBA
e) Hazel
f) Green Plane
g) Arlene
h) machine
i) big horse
j) Billy
k) sicu
l) grapevine
m) Vaseline
n) boundary
o) haircuts
p) bookshelf
q) rhubarb
r) Gravely
s) X-15
t) Cecilia
u) blackboard
v) Chippers
w) trampoline
x) Fibber
y) Lucy
z) Greenbriar |
(see comment for answers)
Posted in Family, Playtime, Trivia, Words | 2 Comments »
February 6th, 2008
The new Salvation Army leaders, Chuck and Karin, are in town, so I met Chuck at the Advocate-Messenger for an introduction to the executive editor, a good friend of the local Corps. After that we met up with Karin, and the three of us had sandwiches at the deli on Fourth Street. I really like this young couple, recently arrived from Pittsburgh (not unlike most people with the Army, they’ve lived many places). Given the bizarre circumstances which caused the departure of our previous Captains, they had only 24 hours to decide whether or not to move to Danville last month. Unbelievable.
Earlier, while at the newspaper, we’d talked about a welcome interview that was supposed to take place today—before the deadly storms struck in the middle of the night. This morning they took off with the mobile canteen, headed for one of the disaster sites. What a way of life! I’ve met many caring people in my journey so far, but these extraordinary people who call themselves Salvationists are the most selfless servants I’ve encountered.
Blessed are the pure in heart;
for they shall see God.
—Matthew 5:8
Posted in Community, Current Events, Friends, Scripture, Words | Comments Closed
February 5th, 2008
Super (tsunami) Tuesday Update: A presidential candidate is campaigning with vigor today, saying he is for life and that he supports marriage. What kind of a bizarre future have I been teleported to, where these are positions accepted at face value as vote-gathering selling points?
Posted in Current Events, Political Affairs, Presidency | No Comments »
February 1st, 2008
— Month of January workout totals: Swim-1; Bike-2; Run-0; Lift-2; Yoga-5; Pilates-4
— I’m barely hanging on to athletic respectability, thanks to Yoga/Pilates, but that doesn’t do much for my aerobic fitness. This hasn’t been one of my better annual kick-offs, “exercise-wise,” compared to the past few years. My hope is that our traditional Super Sunday mountain-bike ride will help me turn this around, because I have no intention of not being in decent shape this year. Good. That’s settled.
— “Health is wealth,” but here’s another important reason I need to stay in noticeably sound condition: the mayor asked me to think through the idea of establishing a permanent Bicyclist/Pedestrian Advisory Committee for the city of Danville. Sounds like he intends to take my recommendations to the Board of Commissioners as soon as I finish my homework. It came out of nowhere, but seems in sync with my desire to disengage at the state level to focus more on local action. As I’ve probably said before, my days as a Kentucky Commissioner are undoubtedly numbered, since the governor who appointed me wasn’t re-elected, and my term on the KBBC will expire before long.
— Seeing Ken Watanabe in Clint’s Letters reminded me of his other emotional performances in Geisha and Samurai. And then I became even more sad, because I recently found out that Hollywood set decorator Gretchen Rau died of a brain tumor. I was really wanting to enjoy more of her exceptional work.
— I’ve been hearing funny things about The Producers since I was a college student, but it never occurred to me that it would take 35 years before I finally saw the show. This evening Dana and I had fabulous seats at Norton Center for the excellent national touring production, and I don’t know if I’ve laughed that hard since I first saw Blazing Saddles. When I’m in the right mood, nothing is more hilarious to me than Mel Brooks at his very best. I’ve always figured he was a comedic genius, but after experiencing “Springtime for Hitler” tonight, I must appreciate that he’s a genius—period. I was reminded that, when facing down the wicked, many unavoidable things are required by our warriors, but art is the best—the only true—revenge, and satiric comedy may be the ultimate—the most difficult?—form of that. Would that every aspiring dictator could look ahead only to having his personality cult reduced to an object of ridicule and gut-cramping laughter.
There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.
—Edmund Burke
Rhetoric does not get you anywhere, because
Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric.
But if you can bring these people down with
comedy, they stand no chance.
—Mel Brooks
V & S
Posted in Art, Community, Craftsmanship, Dana, Exercise, Movies, Personalities, Political Affairs, Public Service, Theatre | Comments Closed
January 30th, 2008
I haven’t posted one of these in some time, so here goes…
Message to Frankfort—
You can spend my money if it helps Kentuckians become smarter or healthier. Otherwise, back off!
Prediction: DEM Party Nomination—
Edwards will directly or indirectly throw his support to the Clinton faction, and he won’t wait much longer to do it. He needs to stay relevant and be tied to the winner. By supporting Hillary, he can do both, with enough extra percentage points to virtually ensure the outcome. It will happen before the so-called Super Tuesday vote, either openly or though the union clout he’s already in a position to maneuver. This will be enough for her to clinch the nomination when Obama loses steam after too many individual state losses. Edwards always knew he would be facing Clinton in this contest and entered the race prepared to strike a deal, if it came to that. He didn’t count on a “Ba-Rackstar” to emerge and knock him out so soon. He’ll take what he can get from someone who, ultimately, the Party will not bring itself to reject. He won’t easily forgive the young politician who ruined his campaign to be the Clinton alternative.
Prediction: GOP Party Nomination—
This is a tougher call for me to make tonight. McCain edged a surging Romney in Florida, thanks to the significant endorsements of a popular governor and Cuban-American senator. This trend could continue into next Tuesday’s vote, if numerous politicians across the country jump on McCain’s bandwagon. Romney’s potential to take a decisive lead depends on whether rank and file Republicans have forgotten McCain’s maverick actions against the conservative base as quickly as the Party establishment. Call me cynical, but I’m afraid they will, with too many worries about who can beat Hillary. McCain will win the big states next week in the winner-take-all format and seize an unstoppable momentum, unless Huckabee drops out and backs Romney, which I don’t see in the tea leaves. The right wing will wake up with a hangover and start demanding their kind of conservative as a running mate.
Prediction: General Election—
Too far away to envision the result, but much of the country will be bummed out when the reality sinks in that this election will not be about a new era of leadership. Basically, Republicans already hate the Clintons. Democrats will attempt to manufacture hatred for McCain. Turnout will rule the day. For way too long, way too many citizens have stayed away from the polls because they haven’t believed there was a meaningful difference between the tickets. The political-observer side of me looks at the logical eventualities and informs you, sadly, that next November is shaping up to be more of the same. On the other hand, my heart yearns for the kind of clear choice that a youthful idealist vs mature technocrat would provide. Obama vs Romney would truly be about the future, and it would energize a huge electorate like no contest the Republic has seen in a very long time.
Posted in Current Events, Personalities, Political Affairs, Presidency | Comments Closed
January 29th, 2008
At times the world can seem a bit surreal, but what in God’s name is going on when a president must call upon members of congress to ban the patenting of human life?
Posted in Current Events, Political Affairs, Presidency | No Comments »
January 27th, 2008
My nephew is really on a roll with his story site right now. Seeing Anacrusis pop up on the screen each weekday is sort of like watching a slugger come up to the plate with a hitting streak on the line. Everybody gets nervous, but the player is out there just doing his job, trying to get some decent wood on the ball.
Hey, I’m only kidding around. Brendan was already in my Hall of Fame long ago, when he turned away from Benedict’s 9 to devote himself to better ideas.
Posted in Brendan, Fiction, Sport, Words | No Comments »
January 25th, 2008
Some things catch me off guard when they shouldn’t, like Brendan’s revelation that my visual style influenced his knack for strong image making. Well, there’s been plenty of artistic cross-pollination occurring within our extended family for quite some time, and his effect on the way I communicate with words has been equally significant—otherwise, nobody could stand reading anything at this site.
Brendan has his own way of describing the contemporary high-contrast style under discussion, but I’ve always called it “graphic illustration.” I’m no scholar, but it certainly has its historical pedigree in the printing arts (the anonymous masters of the 1400s, Dürer, Grien, up through the centuries: Rembrandt, Thomas Bewick, Rockwell Kent, Munch, the Expressionists, the Arts-and-Crafts printmakers, and the Bauhaus designers). Of course, the “look” has been radically influenced by photomechanical techniques (including cinema), and their appropriation by innovative artists and legendary illustrators (Warhol, Glaser, Otnes, Holland, Schwab). Few may give credit to the nameless pulp or movie-poster artists, but they also made their contribution to the style, as did the legendary comic artists, such as Harold Foster and Milton Caniff (genre exemplars of chiaroscuro, who probably had a more formative influence over generations of creative youngsters than the art history books).
I see it all as a moving stream of visual development in Western art, periodically spiced with Asian influences, but always a binary interpretation of how highlight and shadow define form. It’s how a visual decision maker has always tried to give the most simplified illusion of volumetric reality, by the handling of light sources, minimizing modeling, and harshly controlling the equilibrium of figure-ground relationships on a two-dimensional plane, culminating today in the ubiquitous tool of Adobe Photoshop (just as a reminder, I reserve the right, without warning, to squirt India ink in the face of anyone who uses Photoshop as a verb).
Wow, that’s an awfully wordy bit of rambling, and it could really use some editorial refinement. Naah. I’ll just click the “Publish” button instead…
Posted in Art, Brendan, Craftsmanship, Dadbo, Family, History, Personalities, Time | Comments Closed
January 23rd, 2008
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…
—Kipling
My expectations for January are now cast aside, miserably out of character with harsh developments and deficient efforts. There is nothing to do except press on with the same clear appraisals and cautious optimism that I would apply to more agreeable circumstances and outcomes.
Bring on tomorrow!
Posted in Business, Psychology, Verse | Comments Closed
January 22nd, 2008
• He was my first true friend, a co-conspirator of the imagination, and comrade in callow youth.
• He was called a “Handsome Brute,” and once upon a time he was surely both, although he chose to confine his measured brutality to the mat or gridiron.
• Even as he carries outwardly his Seitz heritage, the quiet attributes of his father are in clear evidence—a deep love of the land, with steadfast devotion to his work and family.
• Also like our father, to whatever he turns his hand or mind, he does it exceedingly well, and to those he turns his heart, there is no greater loyalty or trust.
• He found a way to fuse the world of his dreams with the practicalities of daily life, and, thereby, his contributions to the legacy of our Clan are immeasurable. Indeed, his greatest achievements may lie ahead.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother, James. I love you, forever…
Posted in Birthdays, Family, James | Comments Closed
January 19th, 2008
Earlier today I was playing a CD of favorite Russian melodies (Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic), and our disc player got stuck in a loop, which is happening more frequently as of late. A fragment of the soft clarinet introduction to Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia kept repeating itself as seamlessly as if it had been written that way, and I had little desire to go fix it.
I couldn’t help but accept it as a vague metaphor—a somewhat melancholy, insidiously pleasant rut that would probably cause damage if allowed to continue…
Posted in Angst, Music | Comments Closed
January 16th, 2008
Is it just me, or has this been a rugged year so far? Joan is emphatically right when she keeps an emphasis on life’s blessings, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of struggles along the way. I just spent the better part of a week scraping back together a functional workstation, and, as you’ve no doubt heard me whine before, my lifestyle dependency on computers is a major source of distress from time to time. For me, few things trigger such a sense of the forlorn. Perhaps it will continue until I learn to transcend it—or finally accept at an even deeper level that there’s a supreme power in control of my existence.
I remind myself that any flirtation with modes of complaint is without validity, for is there really a soul in the world who isn’t weathering his own vicissitudes? (Tom Cruise doesn’t count, dammit.) I think of my friends the Bells, or the school community in Marion County, or Janet and Jerome, and I can’t help but consider that much of life involves suffering. I suppose it’s about how we deal with it.
Take my niece Hayley, for example. Surely she had a much different expectation of how her 11th-grade basketball season would transpire, compared to the difficulties that came around the corner instead. A recent media story laid it all out before the public. Good grief. Nevertheless, among her top competitors, she still leads the area with an 80% free-throw percentage. Hardly anybody on the court has been pressured this winter as much as Belle, but she maintains her composure at the line.
Like I said before, it’s about how we deal with it. Keep plugging, “gril.”
Posted in Angst, Family, Gratitude, Personalities, Psychology, Sport, Studio, Technology | No Comments »
January 12th, 2008
The treacherous plot against Ian has found its way to my studio. Symantec’s Norton Disk Doctor has violated the Hippocratic Oath by completely screwing the hard-drive directory on my Mac G4.
I’ll spend most of the weekend rebuilding my computer from back-up files, and I might as well look on the bright side, seeing it as an opportunity to upgrade the operating system and organize things anew. To keep my positive outlook, as my nephew seems to have done, I’ll hold pleasant thoughts… hmmm… oh yeah, like visiting the Cowboys locker room when we were in Dallas last year.
Posted in Ian, Sport, Studio, Technology | No Comments »
January 11th, 2008
Bells reassigned for safety reasons
Man accused of harassing Salvation Army workers
The lamentable revelations in yesterday’s Advocate-Messenger allow me to end a period of confidentiality and share a burden of knowledge with all who valued the presence of these Captains in our five-county community.
Posted in Angst, Community, Crime, Friends | Comments Closed
January 9th, 2008
I’m ashamed to admit that instead of going to Hayley’s game last night, I “glued down” with primary coverage from New Hampshire. I wonder how I would’ve held up, had I gone, because just reading today’s newspaper article was almost more than my nerves could endure. Yes, I do get worked up about our Lady Rebel, and so I won’t be able to keep my distance from the upcoming contest with Danville.
Posted in Angst, Family, Political Affairs, Presidency, Sport, Television | Comments Closed
January 7th, 2008
We knew it would happen eventually, but none of us expected the abrupt reassignment of our local Salvation Army officers at year’s end.
Our good-byes were said after today’s worship service, and I tried to contain my personal sadness at the departure of a young man who I’ve grown to admire greatly, and who became a true friend over the past four years. Zach was the first person who believed I could do some of the things I’ve done, as I helped provide leadership to the Advisory Board. I shall always remember his maturity, compassion, dedication, and strong faith.
“And when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all, and followed him.”
—Luke 5:11
Posted in Community, Friends, Scripture | Comments Closed
January 1st, 2008
— Month of December workout totals: Swim-2; Bike-2; Run-3; Lift-3; Yoga-8; Pilates-2
— Year of 2007 workout totals: Swim-23; Bike-58; Run-25; Lift-33; Yoga-21; Pilates-16
— This is the 70th installment of a series that has no meaning, other than it precludes me from using the word “sundry” within any other post. I was part of the Class of ’70 when I finished high school, and the seven has always been significant for me, since it’s my destiny number. This is the 763rd entry in this journal, which is a seven, since numbers always reduce to the single-digit sum for numerological analysis. For me, this is also the first day of a new year governed by the number seven. Other practitioners of numerology have marveled at the fact that Dana and I share the same annual number—not rare, but somewhat uncommon for married partners.
— The recent violent unrest in Kenya has provided days of concern for Dan and Sheryl’s Elizabeth, but word has arrived from Neil that she and her group are safe. It will be good to hear from her directly, and hopefully that will happen soon.
— I completed a twelfth work in my series of “Grandy-bo Variations,” but I won’t be including another in the current format for our Christmas exchange, because, for the past two years, my painting has ended up in the hands of a household that already had a “G-bo.” I’ve got to think of a better way to disseminate new pieces to those who haven’t received one, or switch to a medium that accommodates limited-edition printmaking for wider distribution.
(Variations on a Theme by
Grandy-bo, Part Eleven)
— NBC lives up to its reputation for prematurely yanking some of the best dramas on TV. In the spirit of keeping profanity to a minimum at this site, I’ll let another blogger express my profound dismay.
— During my recent morgue reorganization, I came across a post card written by Dana’s father in 1932 to his younger brother. Clearly, it was one of those items we’d rescued from a spasm of “movin’ madness,” before Aunt Marian and Uncle Dick gave up their home in Dayton and moved to San Diego. The card is from the Art Institute of Chicago and depicts a Vermont landscape Rockwell Kent painted in 1921— Mount Equinox, Winter. Almost twenty years after coming into our possession, neither of us remembers how it ended up in the reference files, but we both deemed it too valuable to exclude from the family archives. I put it on the scanner earlier today, never imagining that tonight we’d stumble upon Part One of the PBS documentary about Kent that I missed seeing earlier this year. Familiar with his work as a book illustrator and wood engraver, I knew little about his paintings, nor did I have a coherent appreciation for his life as an artist and adventurer. The man certainly had his flaws (addicted to infidelity and cruel practical jokes), but, Good Lord, what an amazingly prolific creative genius!
— Well, I’d better quit. Tomorrow begins a new cycle of productivity, and 2008 should be a great year. Nic and Michelle will marry, Marty will begin to drive, Peat will finish her degree, Bruce will get a place of his own, Brendan will publish his book, and the “Bay-bo Gril” will make her way to Yorkshire Estate. Follow it all here at Uncle John’s!
V & S
Posted in Art, Blogging, Brendan, Bruce, Current Events, Dadbo, Dana, Exercise, Family, Holidays, Marty, Nic, Numbers, Personalities, Television | Comments Closed
December 31st, 2007
Having read Happy Ever After and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, back to back, I’m not certain how much more I understand about happiness, but I know what literature is, that’s for damn sure.
Happy New Year!
Posted in Fiction, Words | Comments Closed
December 27th, 2007
“Art is to take from life something real, then to build it anew with your imagination.”
—Taha Muhammad Ali
— I made good on the recent advice from Irina to paint fast and complete a work within one day—I spent most of Christmas Eve executing a heron in watercolors for Nic, my Godson. It turned out rather nicely, so I’m encouraged about continuing with a series of single-day images for display at Wilma’s new gallery. Nic likes it, using the term, “shagpoke,” which he learned from Dadbo. Since I was unfamiliar with that name, I dug into its background and came up with this: It’s a variation of shitepoke, which made reference to a bird’s habit of defecating when disturbed, but is generally applied to the green heron (Butorides virescens), the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) or the American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), none of which is the bird I painted, the great blue heron (Ardea herodias), that familiar creature which, for me, is always a symbol of good fortune. Interestingly, nicknames for the great blue include “long john” and “poor joe.” Perhaps Dadbo called any heron he saw a shagpoke, or hadn’t thought it necessary to make distinctions with a young lad developing his fondness for the world of animals. I can’t help but think of my father’s early days fishing the Stillwater, and wonder if great blues populated that part of Ohio in the 1930s. One more curious observation is that double ‘nyc’ in the scientific name for the night heron.
— I finally got to meet Jerry R at Kelley Ridge, and was happy to see him again when we gathered for Clan Stew. Does this make him an official ”sweetie?” I enjoy hearing him share his historical knowledge. This is the kind of man that has the capacity to unlock Marty’s natural desire to study history. Dana and I have resolved to take the lad on a visit to Boonesborough in 2008.
— Although there are numerous commercial tasks facing me in the studio right now, I can’t help but spend a good portion of my energy this time of year looking ahead to the coming cycle and getting organized. Rather than get caught up in an assessment of past months, I tend to flush all my thoughts and feelings about what’s behind in favor of anticipation for what lies before me. Januaries are full of hope and fresh confidence, with my mind turning to “Max Organ.” Now, don’t let visions of spam-email lewdness dance in your head, because I’m talking about my age-old effort to sort and categorize my morgue of visual materials and other personal papers, along with structuring my work space, and, in general, just dealing with all my accumulated stuff—Maximum Organization. It’s an ideal that can’t actually be reached (if you intend to accomplish anything else), but always remains a worthy goal. It makes me think about the mathematical concept of the asymptote. Max Organ shall always remain the valiant endeavor that draws one closer and closer to the unattainable standard. Nevertheless, “finished is better than perfect.”
— There should be a strong contingent of Clan at the game tonight, rooting for #3. Tomorrow is Belle’s 17th birthday, and I think she’s due for a good performance on her home court. Like a knucklehead, I got so worked up about watching her play last night that I drove us out to the high school before it became obvious I had the date wrong.
V & S
Posted in Art, Birthdays, Dadbo, Dana, Family, Friends, Marty, Nic, Priorities, Studio, Time | Comments Closed
December 23rd, 2007
At last night’s deeply satisfying Kelley Ridge Open House, people were talking about Russia, and I said that I had no desire to go there, even as my long fascination with Russian art, music, and literature continues to grow.
Today I read the last chapter of Happy Ever After. If there was anything Tolstoy did not understand about life and human relationships, it is probably not worth knowing.
Posted in Art, Fiction, Music, Personalities, Words | No Comments »
December 22nd, 2007
Dana recently prescribed an in-house faucet replacement, and today was the deadline.
In 1922, the Town House was a very modern residence. Featuring four bathrooms, it was meant undoubtedly to be a showcase for indoor plumbing. Fast forward to 2007, and now we face dealing with four sets of 85-year-old pipes, valves, and fixtures. Although we both detest it, Bruce has more patience when it comes to tackling this sort of thing than I do. “Kicking and screaming” barely does justice to my attitude.
Plumbing for new construction is a trade I can somewhat comprehend. On the other hand, there’s a guy out there who we almost had to call—the kind of guy who would willingly crawl under the sink of a house built when Warren G. Harding was president.
On the Saturday before Christmas.
For money.
We all recognize, humorously, that there’s a bit of the exhibitionist in most plumbers, but what kind of freakin’ masochist would make his living repairing plumbing in old houses? (Brendan might have used some variant of fuck, but, trust me, I would never allow a word like that to appear in my blog.)
A beautiful basin with a big pitcher of water—not a bad notion of civilized living—until some twisted devil invented threaded pipes and called it progress.
Posted in Angst, Blogging, Brendan, Bruce, Dana, Family, Home, Presidency | Comments Closed
December 19th, 2007
As I prepare to execute the portrait of Mr. Brady, I’m using every bit of illustrator’s trickery that I have, especially the old illusion where I convince myself that I know how to paint. The facial study and color rendering are both finished, but I hesitate to commence the final piece without a reaction from Mrs. Brady. I suppose the typical fine artist would plunge ahead, but I’m too accustomed to a process that involves client interaction.
I haven’t devoted much time to anything else over the past week, other than some Christmas decorating and our annual Clan\Power bell-ringing contribution to the Liberty kettle campaign. We covered all ten hours, with the nastiest weather staying north for the day, thankfully. I couldn’t hang around town all day, unlike past years, so Rita and Seth were the only members of the family I got to see. They both looked great. It fills me with anticipation for Christmas Eve Stew at the Hall.
The overall Salvation Army fundraising effort for our five-county area of service is running behind where we were at this time last year, and it’s difficult to put a finger on the reasons. I think the Liberty kettles are doing fine, but the big difference is the Wal-Mart locations in Danville. Marty and I rang for a couple hours in front of the grocery entrance and it did seem less active that in the past. The Advocate-Messenger is sponsoring an online kettle that anyone can use to make a contribution to our local campaign, so maybe that will kick in during the closing days. The Captains are optimistic that the community will come through to meet the goal. It always has.
On Sunday I called Barefoot, my best chum from high school, and, because I hadn’t spoken to him since summer, I found myself giving a “state of the life” summary. It made me feel ill at ease. I can’t understand why. And yet I believe that my household has successfully crossed a challenging divide. Perhaps it’s taken so long that I’ve forgotten how to be at peace. If so, it’s the perfect season to work on that. Father, grant me the peace of Christ, Your newborn Son, who fulfills every requirement.
Tomorrow is a new day in the studio, and all shall be well.
(Of course I don’t know how to paint. Only Andrew Wyeth does.)
Posted in Angst, Art, Community, Family, Friends, Marty, Prayer, Studio | Comments Closed
