The Planets.

Shell - I mailed you Conv. Adol. art today
Upma - go you!

Laurent said: "Do you see that star? The one that is directly above us? Yes? (I saw it.) That star never moves. Every other star moves. Anywhere you are in the world the stars move around in the sky during the day and when they appear at night they are in different places. But, that star never moves. It is fixed. It shines on Monster Island alone."

I said: "How can that be? Wouldn't astronomers have seen it? Besides, I don't think that is even a star. It isn't twinkling. Stars twinkle. I think that's Mars. (It was steady and slightly pink.) I don't know for sure, but it has to be one of the planets."

Laurent said: "No, no. A scientist would never see it. It shines straight down on this island. Nowhere else. And it could be a planet, not a star. I don't know. But it is there every night in the exact same spot looking at us."

I said: "But, planets move, too. If its Mars, astronomers know where it will be. They track the planets. Mars and Venus and Jupiter are all very bright."

Laurent said: "Oh, it is none of those. Those planets are wander around, but that light stays there. Perhaps it is a monster planet. They could be looking at us."

Henri said: "This is getting silly." (The boat was rocking slightly.)

Laurent said: "It is a monster planet and they watch down on us. Who could see them but the few of us on this island? Who would ever notice a monster planet? I bet the monsters there have the biggest boats. Boats for water and boats for air and boats for land and boats for trees. And they never move one inch in the sky. We are linked to them. The monster planet prays for the monster island. It is a lovely place. They call it Le Barbare."

I said: "My friend told me there might be a place called Robot Penesula. I wonder if there is. I've never seen a robot."

Laurent said: "There are robots on Le Barbare. They share the planet, but the monsters were there first, so they got to name the planet. But the monsters lay around all day, so the robots built the city. The city is called Le Systeme. The monsters visit it in their air boats to say hello. Robots and monsters are perfect friends."

Henri said: "You are foolish. This island isn't even called Monster Island." (This was technically true. When it appears on maps Monster Island is called Monkey Island. But, the monsters are here now and no one uses the old name.) Why would they look at us?"

Laurent said: "Because they are monsters too. They don't need a map to know we are like them."

(We laid in the canoe and rocked. Le Barbare did not twinkle, but I thought I could hear the sounds of the robot city shaking its way down.)

I once saw a squirrel lick another squirrel's chubby. Good solid licking.

I laughed about it then and I laugh about it now.

I had some ideas for your party, Stephanie. Most of them are based on the movie in some way. You could have lots of little mechanical toys like the owl that continuously saves the day as party favors. You know the little wind up walkers in such. I guess that's a little abstract.

Maybe there could be an oracle that doles out everyday type tragedies in the form of riddles or gives instructions on how to "save" the party.

You could get some instruments or even toy instruments and have a battle of the bands, a different interpretation of "Clash of the Titans. Form bands at the beginning of the party with epic names. Covers or originals are welcome. Or perhaps only covers of Clash songs.

Were not the titans the big ugly things that clashed like Madussa and Ascyla (or whatever the sea monster was) and all those other claymation things. Snakes as hair, there's got to be something there. The stone cold looks, maybe you don't want that at your party though.

Ambrosia should be involved somehow. Pin the tail on the flying pegasus?

Maybe there could be some section of the party area(like the backyard) where you have to pay a boatman 2 cents to cross the river styx. There could also be a Mount Olympus area complete with a small diarama of the party with figures that represent the attendees. Control the party from "Heavan." Who gets to be Zeus? It seems like there should be so much more, I'm not doing as well as I thought I would here.

I must get back to tending to the robots now.

So my birthday's next month and I want to have a party - here's my theme so far:
Clash of the Titans
come dressed as if you clash, were in the Clash or are a Titan (think togas)
serving: red wine, lots of it, maybe grapes, cheese...
any other suggestions to make this a more fun theme party? other food?
maybe having a tape of it running?
What do you think?

um, mike, how come in the years i've known you you've never once mentioned that boston was flooded by molasses?

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

good things about it:
Ewan MacGregor - I can watch him in anything
Natalie Portman's clothes - a bit ridiculous that she changes clothes every scene and I fear these outfits will only encourage the ugly assed trend of romantic fluffy ruffles and pale pinks that are all over the mall - but very cool hair and creative use of fabric
light saber duels - yes, I'm a geek
special effects - that is what George Lucas is good at
the bad guys - so delightfully evil
the previews - good blockbusters coming our way, (The Minority Report)

and the bad:
the dialogue - well, you've seen the previews
the love scenes - wooden, cardboard, cellulose
Yoda-Fu - you'll know after you see the movie
the plot - whatever

Well, just - a look at that girl with the lights comin' up in her eyes.
She's got to be somebody's baby.
She must be somebody's baby.
All the guys on the corner stand back and let her walk on by.
She's got to be somebody's baby.
She must be somebody's baby.
She's got to be somebody's baby.
She's so fine.
She's probably somebody's only light.
Gonna shine tonight.
Yeah, she's probably somebody's baby, all right.

I heard her talkin' with her friend when she thought nobody else was around.
She said she's got to be somebody's baby; she must be somebody's baby.
'Cause when the cars and the signs and the street lights light up the town,
She's got to be somebody's baby;
She must be somebody's baby;
She's got to be somebody's baby.
She's so....
She's gonna be somebody's only light.
Gonna shine tonight.
Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight.

I try to shut my eyes, but I can't get her outta my sight.
I know I'm gonna know her, but I gotta get over my fright.
We'll, I'm just gonna walk up to her.
I'm gonna talk to her tonight.
Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's only light.
Gonna shine tonight.
Yeah, she's gonna be somebody's baby tonight.
Gonna shine tonight, make her mine tonight.

Mike-They knew my folks? Wow. You didn't happen to catch a name, did you?

you should all look at the spiderhorse website

Upma, who?

If everyone pitches in a buck, that should cover the developing costs. So, please, send no more than that.

Okay - new vote. Kanui - you started this, so I think you get the final word. But I agree, one camera, if it works out, down the road we can always do more. Start with one roll of film or two and let Zach be the end point.

Zach, I accidently typed Xach and kind of like it. You must have done that before, I mean the Z and the X are right next to each other on the keyboard and they sound the same. Listen Z X (repeat).

Dearest Lake Effectors, I'm here to advocate Zach's sweet pleas, and it's not just becasue I've been to Monster Island (it's not too far from the Robot Peninsula where I've been staying, they like me, invited me to stay, offered me a job) or that I too have a scanner and some webspace to store photos. It's becasue of this: There's a few kinds of chain letter. The kind you waste yours and your friends' time on, sending it around without receiving any of the good fortune it promises. The kind you throw in the trash because chain letters never work and ultimately end up sad and lonely with a curse because you didn't follow directions. And then there's the kind that you get and you change and you pass on and it transforms and grows like the most wonderful game of telephone you've ever played, standing on rooftops with empty tin cans, long strands of twine, GPS satelites quitely watching overhead, connecting just barely, but beautifully all the corners of a city, with a message that when it returns to you, reveals itself through the ones you love but can barely hear, who can barely hear you, and then you pass it on again. There's also the ones which involve ASCII art which I already regret mentioning.

Z(X)ach (just giving the X a shot), I'm sure at this point you're regretting my support, for one thing, there is a large run-on sentence that comprises most of the above paragraph, which may question the credibility of my already flimsy argument, but keep the faith Monster Islander. What I'm trying to say is that chain letters, for whatever treachery or joy they are created, involve some time and planning. Something maybe we could use a little more of. That last point might have been more poignant if it hadn't ended with a preposition.

I have a lot of ideas and suggestions for shaping our photo chain but I want to save them. I think ultimately Louise must develop the scenario or shape that this project takes since she initiated it and we will be using her equipment. I can implement my own ideas when the camera gets to me, which I hope it does. Perhaps Zach should be involved also since he's assuming the position at the end of the chain and will be responsible for diplaying the results. I'm always in favor of close cladestine conversations between these two, the world changes a little every time. My only suggestion is that it be about something more than "us." Every project we take on as a group will be about us because we're doing it, which means it can be about something else also.

Finally, what a beautiful idea secret camera is. How great would it be to unexpectedly receive a package with a camera in it and a note that says: "Shhhhh!!! I am secret camera. Take four pictures of secret things and pass it on" I think it would be really great. Unfortunately secret camera is no longer a secret. I've been reading the blog and I think everybody knows about secret camera.

Oh, I'm tired. Telephone, PopSwatch from Paris, remnant of purple fabric, lonely silver star, lakeeffect. This is what I see before I close my eyes.

Before anyone mails anything, explain what we're doing. Why are there two cameras? Two cameras mean twice the lateness, twice the work for whomever posts and develops the photos (likely me), twice the amount of time waiting for the results to appear online. Also, twice the amount on postage when you mail the damn things on to the next person and twice the trouble keeping track of them. And for what? If we use one camera and include two rolls of flim everyone gets, what, eight shots, and they will all be posted at the same time AND they will all be a part of one single art project. A bunch of loonies mailing cameras to each other willy-nilly isn't the best way to get a complete and satisfying finished product.

Am I alone in seeing the good sense of this?

I don't understand the "secret" camera idea. What's secret about it? Are the two cameras taking pictures of different things? Wouldn't it be easier to use Weezie's cheap camera with two rolls of film? Not only would it be easier, it would be faster, safer (for the camera in the mail) and much, much less of a hassle for me to post. Plus, we would have the benefit of more photos per person.

Zach - those are good ideas. I'll hold off on starting on the camera until the whole blog has voiced an opinion.

Unless I'm mistaken, all cameras have to end here, considering I'm the one with the scanner, the webspace and the posting know-how. I'm sure some of you could do it if you wanted to, but so far, I've been the one posting photos and things, right? So, as long as I'm at the end of the chain, I'll be happy with whatever.

We could make it literally a chain, too. For example, Shelly could take three photos, one of her rats, one of herself and one of her art bra, then send it to Mike with a note saying what the last photo was. It could be vague or specific. Say Shelly says, "Mike, last photo was an red art bra." So then Mike has to find something to connect it to his life and he chooses either a bra of some value in his life, or maybe something red, or maybe some piece of art that he did. Get it? Then it passes through all the L. Effecters and comes to me and I have to take my last picture to relate to the very first thing. In this case, rats.

I'll post them all on a separate page from the blog. Maybe we can include captions or something after the fact.

I like these ideas, guys.

Mike -great idea. I have a disposable camera - I can start one - maybe send it to Angie next (work its way North). Weezie - why don't you start the other one - since you'll be seeing Shelly soon.
How does that sound?

mike-I have some space, sure.

Weezie - you are awesome. (and now continues a very non sequitar post)
I shot this race on Saturday morning. There were lots of runners over 70 - whose finish times for the 5K would probably beat me. I want to be the I can't believe how old they are and still kicking old lady.
"Sunshine Day" was just played on our local NPR station. Given that the song was going through my head nonstop on Saturday, it feels satisfying to hear it.
I went to a thrift store yesterday. Found a Vera Wang silver dress for $10. I may sell it on eBay.
Saw SpiderMan -loved his angst. But I though Mary Jane was a bit of a drip. I can't wait for the Hobgoblin in part 2. I went and Fandango'd tickets for Attack of the Clones for this weekend. It may suck, but at least I'll be in a theater opening weekend with lots of excited fans, waiting for it to suck.
Swam lots this weekend and walked around the lake.

For my friend Ann's wedding - I want to do a picture book for her. So last night I went to the place where her wedding is being held and took lots of photos - it's pretty scenic - small waterfall, lush green trees, cobbly paths- I may try and carry a camera in my bouquet (as bridesmaid) to take more action shots during the actual event.
Work is sloooow this week. And I went to http://www.reprodepotfabrics.com and now was to try and sew a skirt out of the green sushi fabric.

yesterday there was a lone duck wandering around in the parking lot of the grocery store. a few people eyed it hungrily or warily. i'm not sure which. one woman asked the duck where her husband was. the grocery store is not especially near a pond or lake.

i went to see a performance piece called "Loving in the Dark." it didn't make the mistake most performance pieces make of being way too long and there was a potluck and dancing afterward. it did involve dena making love to the food and dancing while making a monte cristo sandwich. my favorite section was called spinning gold from balls of yarn and memory (or something like that, i don't have the program with me.)

last weekend i hung out with the 55 year old son of my 85 year old friend. the son is a composer who builds his own instruments and a pretty interesting and bizarre man. now i've come to find out that my friend would like to hook me up with his son. i'm ~so~ not into that.

speaking of creepy things- do men regulary have to go to any doctors appointments where in addition to being poked and prodded they have to answer incredibly specific questions about their sexual history and practices?

On the North-Eastern side of the island, near the boat docks, there is a clearing with a large oven on one side. Albert sleeps in the clearing with his kiln. At night, he sits with the gate open working in the firelight. From someone, a Parrot Island trader probably, he gets sacks full of clay. And slowly, deliberately with his shaggy monster fingers his sculpts and paints with a few bottles of glaze. Then he fires.

Whenever he hears the Parrot Island shuttle steam into the bay, he hefts a sackful of the figures (in the sacks the clay came in, of course) over his shoulder and sets out to the shore. Along the short concourse at the dock, there are a few stands. Mostly, they are owned by Parrot Island tourist groups. They offer drinks and suntain lotion and sunglasses and maps. Albert sets his figures down on the ground a respectful distance from the tourist shops, then he plants himself a few paces behind them.

When I arrived off the boat, I didn't see him. I'm sure he was there, but I missed him. I was heading south and they tour groups usually make a northward pass, thus Albert sets up on the north side of the concourse. But, I have seen Albert everytime I have been to the dock since then. He is quiet. He doesn't speak to the passersby. And he never, ever sells anything.

The clay figures are interesting. If I were visiting, I might buy one from him. But, I've never been nervous around monsters. Or maybe I was and I can't remember it now. The figure Albert gave me, despite my protesting that I couldn't just take one from him, is a banana painted with shockingly bright yellow glaze, wearing a dark green raincoat carrying a dark green umbrella. The banana is not a grinning cartoon banana with human eyes or anything like that. It is simply a regular banana in rain gear. It's beautiful. Lovely work.

There is also a monkey (brown) pushing another monkey in a wheelbarrow (green). The monkey in the wheelbarrow is holding a lit candle (yellow). There is a giraffe (yellow and brown) wearing shorts (blue). Albert says the giraffe is wearing swimming trunks. The figure of the mountain is green with monkeys holding hands circling it. There are fish painted with what seemed to be every color glaze. There is figure of two monsters in a canoe. Henri and Laurent are smiling. I think it is unlikely they posed for the sculpture. The sculpture of a crab is wearing dark frame eyeglasses.

Last week we were talking. I asked him about snakes and why he no figures of snakes.

"Oh, I do, I do. I have a whole bunch of snakes, but I never bring them here."

Snakes on Monster Island are no much like snakes in the rest of the world. They aren't poisonious and they never bite. They are all about the same length and color (deep green). Monster island snakes always travel in twos. Albert agreed with me, that, after the fish, snakes were the most friendly things on Monster Island.

Once, before I came, Albert had two snake figures in his for sale collection. Both were smashed by Parrot Island Ferry Captain Harmer after a little girl jumped and cried at the sight of them. These days, Albert keeps his snake sculptures back at his camp.

"I bet they're nice," I said.

"I'll get you one," Albert said, "Just watch the stand for a minute." Before, I could say anything he loped off into the trees behind us.

He might have been nervous, because the ferry was just then beginning to unload its passengers. Monster Island tourists tend to where shorts and shirts with big logos on them. It's bright here, so they all have sunglasses and hats. And if they don't they buy them at a shop on the concourse. Their are mothers, fathers, son and daughters, grandmas and grandpas and sometimes uncle and aunts.

They browsed, looking through the maps and pamphlets, trickets and tshirts. Some glanced down at Albert's sculptures. I was sitting right behind them. And most passed right on by, trying to find where their tour guides expected them to line up.

But, one family stopped. They were a wife and a husband and a grown son and his wife and a grandchild. The older woman studied each piece. "Well, aren't these unusual. Lois, look at these." The grandchild stooped over the crab with the eyeglasses.

"I don't think crabs can wear glasses, can they?"

"Some can," I said. And the grandfather shot me a look. The grown son and his wife were looking at a map.

"Really?" Lois asked.

But, I didn't answer before the grandmother said, "Do you make these, son? They are adorable. Look, at that pineapple, Lois, it has shoes just like your's." The pineapple figure was wearing flipflops. "How much are they? Tom, do you have the traveller's checks?" Tom, the grandfather gave her the look this time. "Bernie, do you have the traveller's checks?"

Bernie looked up from the map and said, "What, mother?" But, his mother didn't answer.

"Oh, these are darling. Where do you find your inspiration?" She said.

"What is that giriffe doing?" Lois asked.

"Getting ready to swim."

Bernie: "What giraffe?"

"Well, I have to have that one. For Lois. She just loves it." The Grandmother look over her glasses. "How much are they?"

"They aren't mine to sell. I'm sorry. My friend Albert makes them. He should be back in a minute, if you don't mind waiting." The grandfather seemed to mind.

Grandmother: "Albert is my doggie's name!" She clapped her hands. Her husband groaned.

And Albert crashed out of the woods with two snakes in his hands shouting, "These snakes are the best two!"

The Grandmother screamed. The grown son's wife screamed. The grown son threw the map in air and ran. The Grandfather said, "Holy shit!"

"Whoa, whoa," I said trying to calm them. But, the grandmother picked up the crab with eyeglasses and threw it at Albert who had no idea why anyone was shouting. She missed but the crab broke where it landed. She reached down and threw the monkey and the wheelbarrow. It missed and crashed.

Lois said, "Monsters can't talk."

The grown son's wife grabbed her up with one hand and with the other threw a flipflop at Albert. Her aim was better and Albert's snake figure snapped in half. "My snake..." he said.

"Monsters can't talk," Lois replied.

The crew of them turned a fled back to the dock and the ferry. Capt. Harmon looked our direction.

"Better go, Albert. I'll clean up here." And Albert sniffed and turned back toward the clearing and his oven.

Capt. Harmon banned Albert from the concourse. He didn't have the authority to do so, but he did it anyway.

Albert sat by the fire that night. He had tears on his face and his nose was running. "It's okay, pal," I said. "Monster Island is the best place for monsters. It has the friendliest snakes." He shook his head yes. "And clear water. And singing fish."

He wiped his nose and looked at me. "Monsters can to talk."

I'm sorry I have not posted in a long while. This semester has been quite busy. I've had several of my own pieces performed, performed several others myself, built my first working Robot, I'm still assisting with one of the largest new music festivals in the nation and still am trying everyday to see both truth and beauty, project love, eat well, practice yoga, sleep and dream. Failing about as often as I succeed. I have hardly been lake efficient or effective. What's exciting and mundane, I still have a paper to write that's a year overdue, another that's due on Friday, a brass quintet to finish writing for a performance in June and a robot to polish up for a exhibit at a local gallery that opens June 1st.

More importantly, lake effectors, I'm interested in a summit, but I would like to propose that a summit is not just simply a meeting of important people, but a meeting of important people for a purpose. The summit has to be more involved for me than just getting together. The potential for something special to happen when we get together is great, the likelihood that it will without any planning is perhaps less so.

Given that, my suggestion for a locale is MONSTER ISLAND
whether imagined or real, prefabricated or fabricated on arrival. It's where, at the moment, I would most like to see all of you. I don't really know where I'll be or what I'll be doing in a year, much less two and I barely know what I want now but I'm willing to keep some part of my future set aside for such an event.

I'm free for part of the summer, I may do some travelling but probably won't. You are all welcome and encouraged to visit me under the following conditions:

*********************************************************************

Dada Rex Buffalo Access Residency
Host: J.T. Rinker

Residencies Begin - July 15, 2002
Initially this Access Residency is open to members of the Lake Effect Blog.
The Residency includes up to a one week residency at 133 Elmwood Ave #5 Buffalo, NY. Participants will have their own private room, full of pillows which is their own for the duration of the residency. Residency also includes food for the duration of the stay but does not include travel fare.

Artists will have access to the following types of equipment:
Film and Digital Video equipment
Digital Audio equipment
Analog audio equipment
Various acoustic and electric instruments
An Apple G4 with video and audio editing software including:
-iMovie
-Final Cut Pro
-Premiere
-Flash
-DreamWeaver
-Adobe Illustrator
-Adobe Photoshop
-ProTools
-Peak
-MAX/MSP
Sewing Machine (and some fabrics)
Sewing accesories
Crafts Materials, Art supplies etc...

Proposals for residency should include a brief summary or outline of the intended project to be worked on during the residency as well as a proposed arrival and departure date for the residency and the types of materials/equipment required for the project.

The host will offer as little or as much technical support, general or creative assitance, and collaborative effort as the participant desires.

Results of the residency will be displayed in a fashion appropriate to the project. Either On-Line, as part of the Resident gallery or screened/performed in a public forum.

This Residency is also offered in conjunction with Mary Thyme's Convalescent Adolescent Mail Art Project, in which case the product(s) of the residency would be sent to Thyme and displayed in the online gallery.

Please contact J.T. Rinker at jtrinker@acsu.buffalo.edu for inquiries and proposal submissions.

Made a few cosmetic changes to the blog. I hope you like them. If you don't, I can change it again.

Go Postal


Convalescent Adolescent Mail Art Call
Are you an adult? Do you feel like one? Do people treat you like a grown up? Is this what you thought being a grown up would be like? What do you love or hate about it? Is it what you expected?
Send any mail on this theme to:

Convalescent Adolescent Project
c/o MARY THYME
410 East Denny Way #20
Seattle, WA 98122

Media: open
Size: open
Deadline: open but real gallery space in the works for late 2003, early 2004. virtual gallery coming soon online to http://www.convalescentadolescent.com - and the sooner you send work in the longer it will be online!
Documentation to all online.
No returns.
No fees.
No jury.
send questions to M_Thyme@yahoo.com

this has been in the works for over a year (aka the piggy bank p.o. box fund). so turn that angst into some art and mail it to me!

Upma - that made me all warm and fuzzy.
So - photo happiness this weekend. I took my Lomo camera (go to http://www.lomo.com for more lomo joy) to the Kentucky Derby party and besides winning the $50 pot (War Emblem - thank you), I took two rolls of film. Now, the lomo rocks, cause it doesn't have a flash, but will keep the lens open long enough for light to get in - taking photos outside - looks like a point and shoot, but inside or other low light situations, you get fuzziness, motion blur, and lots of other super cool effect. I picked up my film yesterday (yeah, 1 hour processing for those impatient types like me) and am really happy with the results. Especially some where one person is still in the photo, but everything around them is kinetic. The party was also fun cause I wore a big old black hat and lots of rhinestones. Ted wore a pink shirt and suspenders, besides looking like a dandy, he also looked slightly Amish.
The next theme party coming up is a Smartie Pants party (cause my friend Paul just completed his Masters Degree) - you have to wear fancy pants. I've got some I call my "lady golfer pants" that I think I will sport.
Upma - how was Spiderman? I decided to avoid crowds and not see it yet.
Weezie - that sucks about the paint color. Will you paint over it? Or just hang some fabric over the walls - maybe something gauzy to get a tropical flavor? One cool thing my friend Andy did - he took large white canvases - painted them in almost solid colors and used those to cover his walls in spots.
As for the summit - Canada sounds great, waiting two years to get $$ to cover it sounds reasonable as well.
Oh - I went herb garden crazy on Saturday. I now have three window boxes growing rosemary, parsley, purple basil, speremint (which I am OCD smelling), and have some fennel/tarragon/oregeno/cilantro seeds to plant next. I think it's a combination of the end of spring and everytime one of my friends buy a house, I have to buy more plants.

Upma - we did the Rocky thing on the steps of the Philly Museum of Art - they even have some shoes imprinted in the cement and the label "Rocky" so you can know most accurately where to stand and feel silly.
B&H only smelled like wet people when I went, but it was so overwhelmingly cool. Kid in a candy store. I looked at digital cameras, and lighting and camera bags and film and on and on.
That's cool about the domain name.
I think I'm about to become eBay's bitch, and try and sell bunches of stuff on it this summer.

guess what guys? i bought the lake-effect.com domain name for the next two years. we'll have to have a design pow wow and figure out what is practical. oh and my friend josh runs a really cheap hosting company if any of ya'll on a budget need a site hosted. let me know and i'll put you in touch.

eating brunch makes me feel like an adult in the good way.

i have paintings all over the living room in every place that rats aren't. the tub and sink are full of re-fashioned clothes soaking in dye. all of the camera equipment is out and websites are in the works. happy happy.