Archives: July 2006
Mon, 24 Jul 2006
A Daily Joy to be Alive
by Jimmy Santiago Baca
No matter how serene things
may be in my life,
how well things are going,
my body and soul
are two cliff peaks
from which a dream of who I can be
falls, and I must learn
to fly again each day,
or die.
Death draws respect
and fear from the living.
Death offers
no false starts. It is not
a referee with a pop-gun
at the startling
of a hundred yard dash.
I do not live to retrieve
or multiply what my father lost
or gained.
I continually find myself in the ruins
of new beginnings,
uncoiling the rope of my life
to descend ever deeper into unknown abysses,
tying my heart into a knot
round a tree or boulder,
to insure I have something that will hold me,
that will not let me fall.
My heart has many thorn-studded slits of flame
springing from the red candle jars.
My dreams flicker and twist
on the altar of this earth,
light wrestling with darkness,
light radiating into darkness,
to widen my day blue,
and all that is wax melts
in the flame-
I can see treetops!
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Fri, 21 Jul 2006
Obituary
I don't normally do these quizzes but I found this one over at Deb's and really liked the resulting obituary for myself:
I love the idea of dying hilariously in a modern art museum. And Paris Hilton and I, we're tight.
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Thu, 20 Jul 2006
Chin Job
Man, it's so nice to write here. It feels safe and warm. I like writing here. It's mine. It's me just being me. Well, mostly.
I'm getting some laser surgery done next month. I have scarring on my chin and the very nice plastic surgeon man is going to "resurface" it. That's a euphemism for burning off the top layers of skin until it's a great weeping raw wound. Sounds like fun, eh?
I thought it would be so straightforward, but nooooo... I almost decided not to do after he explained the procedure.
The first three days afterwards, it will be raw and weeping. It can't be bandaged because there's no bandage that will actually stay on the chin - too awkward a spot. So guess what, it gets covered in vaseline and stays exposed to the world.
Then it starts to scab over. I guess scabby is better than open and weeping... but not much!
After another week or two, the scab starts to fall off, and the fresh new healing skin is revealed.... except it's bright pink. Sort of glow-in-the-dark pink for about 6-12 weeks.
After which time, it either goes back to normal... or it's permanently white for the rest of my life.
And I PAY him for the privilege of doing this!
So why bother? I've been asking myself that... but I know this is something I want to do. I've had a scarred chin for 20 years now, and I've always hated it, always been conscious of it.
The doctor is good and very honest. He told me my chin will never look normal, but that he thinks that a 50% improvement is possible.
That's worth it to me.
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Tue, 11 Jul 2006
Catch-Up
Hey, it's been a while... but it's nice to be back. I've been writing in another blog, a joint one with Michael. We haven't really told anyone about it, just thought we'd see how it goes. If you want to have a look, go to my Flickr account and look at my profile.
The blog is a bit different than this one - it's public for a start. But I'm not sure about it. It feels a lot more comfortable here at Slipstream. I like writing here. It just feels right.
I thought I'd do a little catch up entry, seeing as I haven't been here for two months.
Let's see... Michael had The Big Web Conference that shall not be named here, and it was extremely successful. More about that in another entry. The lead-up to that was full-on, as Michael was the chair of the organising committee. The conference week itself was so much fun... I was there as a proper paid-up attendee - my employer sent me and four others of us - but I got to sit with the big names, and even talk to a few of them. It was all very inspiring and I walked away feeling wonderful about it all. That didn't last. Again, more about that in another entry.
The photography exhibition was low-key but nice... a few people came up and complimented me. I didn't sell anything, but didn't expect to. It was just nice to be involved.
I haven't had a chance to get out shooting much. Work has been kicking my ass - so busy juggling several projects. I did get to spend a Saturday in June with a friend and her daughter who was attending her senior ball. I photographed her getting her hair done, her nails, her makeup, formal photos in her dress. It was a wonderful day and I enjoyed it very much.
I'm starting the second level of the photography course soon. The course will involve putting together a portfolio of work. I think it will be good because it will get me to focus on what I want to achieve with my photography.
It's been a cold winter here so far - I think the coldest in a long while. So we've been spending a lot of time inside, trying to keep warm. There was a big article in the Sunday paper about New Zealand houses and how they are all uninsulated and have no central heating, and how New Zealanders are completely nutcase ascetics who believe it's wimpy to have heating, and how you should just throw on another sweater if you're cold. These people are crazy.
Joshua has had an ongoing cold all winter, but the rest of us seem to have avoided coming down ill (knock on wood).
Matthew turned 8 in June!! Eight going on 18. He's taking guitar lessons, and doing really well. He wants to get an electric guitar and be in a band, but I told him he needs to learn acoustic first. His teacher is great - he actually lectures in music at Victoria University, but also teaches guitar as well.
Well, this tired brain can't think of anything more to say at the moment. Hope you've all been well.
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