This blog is now located at __FTP_MIGRATION_NEW_URL__. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to __FTP_MIGRATION_FEED_URL__.
LINK | 12:52 AM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

People make wonderful, wonderful things. Such as this needlepoint of the Photoshop tool bar. Be patient, it may take a long time to load, but it's worth the wait. It's a beautiful, uncanny thing. (via cheesedip.com)
LINK | 2:40 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

One of the best things -- I mean -- the very best thing I toted back with me from San Francisco was Serial # 200201 of Circular Breathing, a personal breathing recorder built by my dear friend Scott, a work of seductive electronic art. It's amazingly sensitive, and can record even quiet, inaudible breathings. I was worried they were going to confiscate it at airport security, but they didn't even slow down the x-ray's conveyor belt to have a longer look. I carried it on my lap all the way home so it wouldn't get bumped.

Art! It makes me so happy.
LINK | 1:26 AM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Possible wackiness. I am both moving this domain to another name server and switching over to Movable Type. The archives, in particular, may be wonky.
LINK | 7:46 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Playing Six Degrees: anyone know Whit Alexander and Richard Tait from Cranium? If so, write me at caterina (at) caterina (dot) net. Thanks!
LINK | 4:04 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I read the papers every day, disgusted by Bush and his administration, repulsed, helpless, signing petitions, sending emails to congresspeople, feeling utterly powerless to do anything. Even readers of Time Magazine, when polled, say that the U.S. -- *not* Iraq or North Korea -- poses the greatest threat to world peace. Time Magazine. Today someone posted this poem to a list I'm on, and it resonated, and stung:

The latest issue of Numb is now out, and it includes the interview I mentioned I was working on several months back, which was with Moses Znaimer, Canadian TV mogul, and founder of Citytv, the Bravo! channel, MuchMusic and 20-some other TV channels. The article is titled Let 6 billion flowers bloom -- referring to Znaimer's idea of everyone having "their own" TV station. Riad did a particularly beautiful cover for this issue, pictured here, and I am very pleased with the illustration for the article, which was a collaboration between Riad and me. Numb is available from the web site, and, if you are in Canada, at Chapters and Indigo. If you see the magazine on the shelves, please do Riad a favor, and put them at the front of the rack -- the big distributors pay to have their magazines put at the front, to maintain the hegemony of the mainstream press.

LINK | 1:40 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Excellent illustration by Jeff Crosby in the Village Voice, based on Where The Wild Things Are, for an article on a repulsive organization known as "The Military Order of the Carabao" which meets annually to wallow and celebrate the conquest of the Philippines and declare that "war is heaven and peace is hell".
LINK | 5:55 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Langpo Alart (yes, deliberate typo). Language poet Ron Silliman, editor of the well-known anthology In the American Tree, has an excellent weblog:

Other poetry weblogs I've been reading lately include Jonathan Mayhew's, and Ululate by Nada Gordon and Wine Poetics by Eileen Tabios, who is also pinay.
LINK | 10:31 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Raisins from the Universe: Yesterday, after a lovely breakfast of French Toast and conversation, I was wandering aimlessly around in Cole Valley sunk in one of those inexplicable and uncaused miseries that occasionally descends like a flock of rooks. There were sunshine and babies and dogs all around, which served to irritate more than charm. I took the N-Judah through the hill to Duboce and walked down to Market, where I was again wandering miserably among babies and dogs, albeit in a gayer context, when I got a Sign from the Universe: a very thick book was sitting atop one of those boxes that house Free Weeklies on the corner of Market and Noe, and I went and picked it up. It was The Letters of Wallace Stevens. I opened it up: "...one comes upon the most excellent raisins everywhere."
LINK | 12:29 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The wedding was lovely. Congratulations Serena and Rob! One of the very best ceremonies I've ever heard, written by the betrothed.

We were going to go see the Spike Jonze/Charlie Kauffman movie tonight -- I can't ever remember the name of it for some reason -- but instead I think we're going to go see Intersection for the Arts on Valencia to see the Dave Eggers interviewing Denis Johnson thing. I so admire Jesus' Son.
LINK | 10:16 AM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stephen Ratcliffe links for later reading (discovered his work in the current issue of Aufgabe):

• Stephen Ratcliffe on Robert Duncan
• His home page at Mills College
• from Sculpture in Chain's Documentary issue
• from Conversations on Vert:poetics
• Cloud/Ridge on ARC
• from Portraits and Repetitions on Vert:poetics and poems
• from Real on Vert:prose
• Portraits and Repetitions on Conjunctions
• from The Calculus of Color

Big day of walking, buying books. Lunch with Scott, coffee with Eeka, then Eric and I wandered into Harrington's on 17th street where he wanted to buy some taxidermy for his man-cave, but none of the mounted deer heads were for sale. The degree of inauthenticity involved in buying them at Paxton Gate was discussed as not manly enough (proper acquisition entails hunting your hunting trophies yourself, or buying them at a thrift store, but it's very unmancave to buy hunting trophies at a foofy yuppie shop.) While in Harrington's Andrew, owner of Adobe Books came in and we walked up into the grand cathedral-like 2nd floor and Andrew gave us the entire history of the Harrington's building. Then we went back to Eric's studio where he changed from his grease monkey getup into a suit and tie and we took the Bart down to SFMOMA for Scott's opening. If any of you are in San Francisco, and have a chance to get down to SFMOMA in the next few days, definitely stop by and see his show. It's in the Schwab room just off the lobby. The thing I love about Scott's work is its total transparency and immediacy -- no convoluted artist's statement, no explanation. That's not to say the work is not theoretical or profound -- it is -- but it's simultaneously simple and elegant. Children love it. And it's fun!

It was lovely running into Mike, who I hadn't seen since the wedding, and Marisa, who is now working at SF Camerawork and the other Scott, and Alana, and Amanda, and then meeting another half dozen new people. I miss San Francisco.
LINK | 10:15 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rag·na·rok
Pronunciation: 'rag-n&-"räk, -r&k
Function: noun
Etymology: Old Norse Ragnarok, literally, fate of the gods, from ragna, genitive plural of regin gods + rok fate, course (later rendered as Ragnarøkkr, literally, twilight of the gods)
: the final destruction of the world in the conflict between the Aesir and the powers of Hel led by Loki -- called also Twilight of the Gods
LINK | 12:26 AM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you don't have a word for it and they do, steal. (via Open Brackets)

Of course, it's entertaining for us plebes, but Steve feels this site is etymologically unsound, and gives it a sound thrashing on languagehat today, also pointing to a better list. So there you go!
LINK | 10:37 PM |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .