30 March 2009

Accidental Art

accidental art 640

The last wind storm tore the hell out of my roof. It was so fierce that it took off not only shingles but also part of the tar paper beneath them. The house, built in 1927, has a roof of solid wood slats beneath the shingles, not plywood, so there were plenty of gaps between the boards for the rain to get in once the tar paper was gone. The rain came in, flowed down into the ceilings and destroyed them. The insurance adjuster determined that the roof was a total loss and wrote me a check to replace it.

It was the Spanish-speaking roofing crew who accidentally created this piece of found art. The triangle of metal sitting on the railing is a piece of the discarded old drip edge that was torn off and tossed to the ground. Instead of finding its way back to Earth, it happened to land on the deck, positioned perfectly on the railing. I shot the picture with my cell phone.

The roofing job was easy enough to tolerate, just two days of banging on the roof and the dogs going crazy with all of the strangers running around the house. That part was easy. The hard part was the interior repairs. The dining room, my office, and one upstairs bedroom had damage to their ceilings. Everything had to be moved out of the rooms. Years of papers, books, disks and equipment had to be boxed and moved out. This was trauma. It was one of the most mentally exhausting things I have done in a long time. I had to buy a laptop so I could continue working, not knowing how long the chaos would last. No, I’m not looking for sympathy on that one. I have wanted a laptop for a long time, and this was a good justification for biting the bullet.

This is an exercise in creative destruction. I have needed to do this for a long time. It’s kind of like backing a dumpster up to your brain and dumping years of accumulated crap out of your consciousness, then standing in the empty room and asking, “OK, now what do I do?”

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Introduction Of "Polacolor" Polaroid Instant Film




Self-explanatory introduction of "Polacolor" Instant Pack Film on the back of a JC Penney department store studio or promotional Photoboth.
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29 March 2009

FOUND: Okay Kid, Off You Go



Found. (photographer unknown)

This is actually more common than you might think. There are usually no shortage of bullies at large, or public pools.

An incredible moment, though.
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28 March 2009

Tommy Age 4, Standing By Largest Lamp In World: Tampa, Florida



Local call number: c003252

Title: [Tommy Dodgen, age 4, standing by the largest lamp in the world : Tampa, Florida]

Date: 1947.

Physical descrip: 1 photoprint : b&w ; 5 x 4 in.

[Photographer Unknown]

Series Title: (Commerce Collection.)

General note: Photographed at the GE exhibit in the State Fair, the lamp is 50,000 watts.

Repository: State Library and Archives of Florida, [Florida Memory Project] 500 S. Bronough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250 USA. Contact: 850-245-6700. Archives@dos.state.fl.us

Persistent URL: http://ibistro.dos.state.fl.us/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/x/0/5?library=PHOTO&item_type=PHOTOGRAPH&searchdata1=c003252
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25 March 2009

Almost Cut My Hair, and Me and My Puppy #008



Me and my Dawg/Puppy #008.

This must have been one of those "Radical Left-Wing" households in the '50s where they let the kids grow their hair. It's hilarious, because I come from a extremely progressive College/University bunch and environment in the '60s, BUT,

I carried a burr or shorter hair than this kid, until at least 20 years after this was taken. And so it seems for folks in the 60s; Conflicted about everything.
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Roy Rogers And His Trusty Steed Trigger Is On My Shirt! Or On My Pajamas!



If I have, (present tense), or owned this shirt in my childhood, you can bet I'd be smirking too.

Gloating. Righteous. Taunting. Etc.
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21 March 2009

Jealous Puppies Will GIve Warning Bites And Love Nibbles



Directly from my FLickr:

I went back to this, because I kept thinking how starved for affection these little boys were, and the fierce jealousy and competition there was for the attention of a visitor. They were literally giving each other warning bites on the head and the neck and knocking each other away from the area where we were visiting. The American Pitbull, (r), was 3 months younger and much smaller than the Bulldog, but he held his own. Homes. Homes, get Homes, boys.
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Fw: IMG00260.jpg

Sent via A CrackBerry

-----Original Message-----
From: "jim" <jimgxxxx@tmo.blackberry.net>

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:24:49
To: <slxxxod@gmail.com>; <kgxxxxr@hotmail.com>
Subject: IMG00260.jpg


It rains it pours
I normally wouldn't stop, but this woman(the first person to stop, and hats-off 2 her) was parked on a curve, no flashers, and standing in FR0NT of her bumper pleading with this deranged, wounded Coon "don't come any closer!".
I got her to turn on her hazards and get the hell up on the sidewalk, glared at some stupid rubber-neckers, and left her to wait for Animal Control. Pray that this is it 4 now.
Jim

Sent via A CrackBerry

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YAWN. PROOF No. 2095-5 HARRIS RAY PHOTOGRAPHY (19__?)



Okay. I feel compelled to say that I am slightly younger, slightly better looking, slightly better everything, but this stood out to me as an emblem to how tired I've been since running around in the street chasing a doomed Poodle at 2 AM, and having survived the trauma of visiting the SPCA, and not being able to do any more than just turn the poor creature over. (To capable hands-at least). That is all.
YAWN. PROOF No. 2095-5 HARRIS RAY PHOTOGRAPHY (19__?)SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

19 March 2009

...

Here's how I spent the better part of 24 hours yesterday:
(I took this picture to blog intentionally, but NOT the others.)



0200AM: To 7-11 for a sugar-fix

0210AM: Driving home, stopped by a white furry blob in the middle of the street. I stop, obviously, to investigate.

0210AM to 0400PM:

What I find:

Cloudy eyes, indicating that she is much older than she looks Add to that, a "Cherry Eye" (congential), it's not very pretty.

Serious respiratory infection. Coughing-hacking, choking on sputum. Probably Kennel Cough.

Dirty, malnourished, and a mental wreck due to obvious abuse. Cowering, etc at the prospect of being touched or petted.

---Deleted---- [driving to the SPCA]

---Deleted----[wandering around the SPCA with a struggling Poodle in a towel]

---Deleted---- [I am assured that the dog will see one of the two vets on duty right away]

0315: Okay sir, to get back to your car and make sure you get out of the security gate, all that you have to do, is go through those double doors and walk all of the way to the other end, where you will find the front office, and they will get you out of the security gate. kthxbye, bye.

Beyond the double doors:



Of the "Adoptable" animals, I was surprised, but not shocked that about a full 2/3 were American Pitbull, or Pitbull mix. Another big NON-shocker: Almost all were confiscations by the police, or voluntarily surrendered by owners.

I asked one of the women in the office if this was the case normally, and she said "Oh yes honey, but these are just the Pitbulls who are socialized and safe enough to have adopted." That one's still ringing in my ears.

The above were two Puppies. One was an American Bulldog, (8mos), and on the right, a 5 mo. old American Pitbull. They were the only ones with enough energy and spirit to make eye contact, jump, and beg for attention through the bars. <3-break.

The rest were just like all other dogs I remember from my trips to the shelter, humane society, or pound. Dogs are physically and emotionally resilient. Even the ones who have endured unimaginable abuse and hardship become loving, loyal, and lead productive lives. That's if they get the chance.

I don't know about you, but it was a tough day for me. Even though I have been through it, in numerous variations. It sucks, no matter how many times you have done it.

...SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

13 March 2009

10 March 2009

Uncle Sam-Morganton, NC 1920s



Photograph by L. E. Webb-Morganton, NC

Found. Belongs to me.
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09 March 2009

Yes, Yes. The Little Pink Box Of Treasures



Now, Pink's not my color, but I may keep this one for a while.
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06 March 2009

Spem Successus Aelit. [yes it does.]




Okay. Put sunglasses, deduct 30YEARS, add a lot more hair, and some earbuds on this dude, and you will envision what I was desperately trying NOT to look like when I arrived at my new Flea Market friend Floyd's house, (stunned), and had boxes and albums strewn about, containing hundreds of pictures, some of what you see below. I am not surprised, just a bit in shock, because it's been several years and several hundred miles away that this sort of thing was a part of my life. My Flickr is going to get a workout, indeed.

Oh. Cursory inspection and gloating once I arrived home yielded from the bottom of the pile this little gem of a snapshot of some Ye Aulde Heraldic Language. I couldn't have phrased it better my ownself.
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Holy Sh*te

What on earth am I going to do now?
3 generationz of a single family, and I left one full album behind, and the old boy is teasing me about some "Civil War" album. Wth?
Sent via CrackBerry
Holy Sh*teSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

05 March 2009

Into Heaven I'm Hurled


Image: xroads.virginia.edu (UVA)

Jackpot. Sis came through, of course.

Ella:




Sarah Vaughn:

Into Heaven I'm HurledSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Lots Of Frosty Goodness And Motion-ism

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How Long Have You Had My Nose Open?



Ben Webster- How Long Has This Been Going On? (G.Gershwin, I. Gershwin)

Ben Webster - Tenor Saxophone
Kenny Drew - Piano
Nils-Henning Orsted Pederson - Bass
Alex Riel, Drums

There are so many wondrous covers of this song, I am looking for a Sarah Vaughn version, Carmen McRae, Van Morrison?

Now try this one. It's from an obscure 70s recording that my sister bought before it quickly went out of print. (Ray Charles-True To Life)

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03 March 2009

Late Or Early Century Zombie Portraiture



The child's gaze and the light is beautiful here, but what's up with mom?
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02 March 2009

Do You Still Not Understand? Really?



Obama releases secret Bush anti-terror memos

By DEVLIN BARRETT and MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writers Devlin Barrett And Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration threw open the curtain on years of Bush-era secrets Monday, revealing anti-terror memos that claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers and divulging that the CIA destroyed nearly 100 videotapes of interrogations and other treatment of terror suspects. [Whoops! before today, Bush claimed that only 2 tapes were destroyed]

The Justice Department released nine legal opinions showing that, following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Bush administration determined that certain constitutional rights would not apply during the coming fight. Within two weeks, government lawyers were already discussing ways to wiretap U.S. conversations without warrants.(...)

Careful reading of these memos include justification for the military "Super-Police Forces" and military "strikes" within the United States, the effective suspension of the 1st and the 4th amendments, and the brutal torture and indefinite detention of any person in this country.

The long and the short of it, is that now that we have more of John Yoo's memos, we find that he basically wrote rules that gave Bush permission to do anything he chose to do, extra-constitutionally. And that's just the memos that have been released.
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Wish I had those rings



My Gram strangling a kitten at age 2, 1910. (Real Photo Postcard)

Oh how I wish I had those rings.

Not surprisingly, her expression and eyes remind me of when she went mad 70 years later from Alzheimers Disease.
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In The Tender Receptor Of My Brain



(...)"Things like animals and nature, they're located in the tender receptor of my brain. And I'm just now trying to come to terms with the notion of loving people as much as I love those other things - because I grew up in a way that made me love the one but not the other."


"So, I guess I've been working that out for myself, and these songs are my way of reconciling those feelings."

Middle Cyclone release date: 3 March 2009

ANTI Records

Neko Case Dot Com
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01 March 2009

They Shoot Those Horses And So Did Bob Willoughby



Susannah York, as Alice in They Shoot Horses Don't They

Photograph © by Bob Willoughby

Bob Willoughby's Flickr VISIT HERE 250+ prints uploaded in January.

**Unpublished or archival prints that Bob is selling... A ton of movie set journalism, but also a wide range of stuff from his books, and other subjects that have not been shown in galleries. WOW. I wish I had €1500 so I could buy just one print.

Bob is 80 this year and wanted to get all of his prints out now. He quit printing some time ago.

Okay, jackpot. I found Bob Willoughby's Flickr after watching TSHDT last night. So, Double-Jackpot, I guess.

I saw this film 30 years ago as a young teenager, and not surprisingly, I was impacted quite differently. No less, just differently.
They Shoot Those Horses And So Did Bob WilloughbySocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
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