Thursday, August 25, 2005

"A Space in Which to Create"
9:12pm

There I was, looking at the doodles of another artist, when I felt that irresistable urge to grab a pen and let my pen-equipped hand wander:

The creator is in a bubble of hir own making, a space in which to create. Failed results are crumbled up in the 'not' bin. Pen in one hand, perhaps one in hir mouth, eraser in the other, a work is in project. A book with a question mark begs the question when s/he will be published.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

"I Am So Frustrated"
10:33 am

I cannot upload my Friday Illo! The FTP keeps 'timing out'. I went to the dreamhost site, and I've learned they have upgraded their server, or somesuch, a 'Sarge' Operating System.

I thought maybe with this upgrade, I needed to upgrade my Cute FTP program. It was only version 4.0, and perhaps the 7.0 PRO version could handle their upgrade.

Alas, it still times out. I get way more sophisticated time out messages, though:
"The server forcibly closed the connection.
This normally results from a loss of the connection due to a timeout or a server reboot.
1) Try connecting to the server again later..."
"Can't read from control socket. Socket error = #10054"

Sigh! So hopefully soon, a message of happy upload?

Sunday, August 28, 2005

"Surreal"
11:55 am

I napped, oh delicious sweet indulgence to enjoy the pleasures of rest!, and then woke to read a couple of pieces in the 'Fire and Force' book. This book has a permanent bend in it, as it was jam packed into our tiny PO Box. (Good thing I went to Post Office last night...)

We watched 'The Brothers Grimm', a weird and fanastical production. Those twirling, living moving trees in the 'Black Forest' - fears of the forces of darkness?, the vain Queen and her mirror and her elaborate murderous plot for immortality, it was quite surreal. It put me into a surreal mood.

When we left the movie theater, it seemed surreal that the sky was dark. (Perhaps this is because we nearly always go to the first morning showing?) I felt the presence of Set within me. For a few minutes as we slowly made our way to the car, (no rush for the infernal sun was not burning me), I felt his consciousness within me. The surreal heat (all too real), and I 'felt' him thinking, "Was it ever this hot in old Khem?"

The surreal mood continued when we stopped at home long enough for Julia to get the water bottles. Sounds of a party were intriguing me. I fed on the energy floating about, youth and its assertion of 'partyness'. When we returned from getting water and buying a few food items, that music still was playing. One song was infectious with its beat. I sang to it, and danced a bit, "Mumbo Jumbo!" it sounded like. I don't think the younguns would have appreciated a couple of middle aged folks busting into their party, but for those moments, I enjoyed the assertions of youthful vigor.

I enjoyed that as much as I later enjoyed my own assertions of ageless restfulness, via my nap.

Monday, August 29, 2005

"Surreal, But Too Real"
6:20pm

The only thing surreal about Yuma is the heat. It reached 112°F (44°C) today. But we have no other difficulty. Unfortunately, this is not true for those in the Southeastern States. In particular, the news is not good for New Orleans and surrounding areas:

(from AP news)
"As Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Monday, experts said it could turn one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries...

Estimates predict that 60 percent to 80 percent of the city's houses will be destroyed by wind. With the flood damage, most of the people who live in and around New Orleans could be homeless."

That news report came early this morning. Perhaps it will be not that dire, as later we've learned the storm moved to the east, and did not hit the city full on, which would have indeed caused catastrophic flooding.

I send good thoughts to all those affected by the hurricane, in particular those who are my readers and who are in my various forums, that all will be safe.

Friday, September 2, 2005 A

"The Deep Roots"
6:29am

The news reports continue to pile in about the dreadful conditions in the southeast. Anyone that could evacuate, did evacuate, and now only the poor and desparate remain. But hopes remain strong. Harry Connick Jr., a singer who grew up in New Orleans, spoke for the hopeful and declared the city will rebuild and that its residents are "freakishly strong." And so it seems they are. I salute those who are determined to be a part of the process of that rebuilding. I salute the 'freakishly strong' and admire them immensely.

I've been busy the past few days artistically. First, another image of Set, this one showing some major teeth:

Set, patron of the 'freakishly strong'

Wanting to finish off this year's work on my Book of Life project, I thought a photo of me NOW would be a nice way to celebrate my evolution to this point. Then I thought it would be interesting to make a photo spiral showing how my face has evolved from 1958 to 2005. I've gained wrinkles, but my face gives hints of a maturity and strength I did not used to have.

Wednesday, while listening to some most inspiring and unusual music, I did an automatic drawing which is rather evocative of nighttime magic:

Reach and Stretch
I was in pulse with the ancient rhythms, the deep roots, and in that mood, it is easy to draw on what seems to be 'the collective experience'.

Now a three day weekend awaits. I'll tell you about it later and meanwhile hope your 'NOW' is as good as it can be.