T-shirt #176 - Isher Artifacts

T-shirt #176 - Isher Artifacts

Today's shirt was produced by Isher Artifacts, a company I found by attending science fiction conventions in the 1990s. The proprietor, Tullio Proni, created energy weapons of various kinds that he sold at cons. The name Isher Artifacts comes from A. E. Van Vogt’s science fiction novel Weapon Shops of Isher and is not
to be confused with the terrible movie named Ishtar because of its similar sounding name. Below is a link to an article about Proni's work. According to Proni's own site, linked in a previous sentence, he is no longer producing new ray guns at this time (last updated in 2010).

Strange New Worlds Article

I felt that my Isher Artifacts shirt was a fitting way to collect some random stuff that I want to share today, much of which is science fiction based, as well as this week's weekly comics list.

Today is dedicated to hodge podge.

I am Higgledy-Piggledy.

Time for some nonesuch.

WORD OF THE DAY - I love page-a-day calendars. At the height of my obsession for page-a-days, I had five. Now I have reduced my fixation to two. One gives me a word of the day. Today's word?

Triskaidekaphobia - fear of the number 13

Isn't that great?

My brief review of Dimension of Miracles by Robert Sheckley

I just finished reading Dimension of Miracles by Robert Sheckley as part of the Neil Gaiman Presents audio book series and as narrated by John Hodgman. It was a wonderfully rich and rewarding experience. The book was specially selected by Neil Gaiman for his special Neil Gaiman Presents series featured on Audible, the Amazon owned audio book service to which I subscribe. As such, Neil selects his favourite books to share with those fans who choose to download the audio files in his series. As Neil explained in his preface to Hodgman's narration, the book is one of his favourite's though arguably not Sheckley's best (which he claims is Mindswap also on Audible).

The book was everything Gaiman promised. It's smart, sharp, and very funny. It's also quite obviously one of the key inspirations for Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I am not as insane for Hitchhiker's as almost everyone else I have ever spoken to whom has read the book (or books, since it's first in a series). I think Adams is very witty and entertaining, but he is prone to absolute ridiculous silliness and self-indulgence whereas Sheckley (and also Vonnegut) is more focused on social commentary.

Dimension of Miracles is quite obviously a satirical look at our environmentalism, our culture, our politics, our science, and most everything about our human social construct and consciousness. It's a short book and a fun read. The audio version is brilliantly narrated by John Hodgman, and in addition to Neil's preface, the audio file closes with a dialogue between Gaiman and Hodgman about the creation of the audio book, which is quite delightful.

Even non-SF fans would like this book. If he were still alive, I would recommend it to my friend Bob Russell, though I would not be surprised if he had already read it way back around the year of its publication, which was 1968. It's socially relevant much like John Brunner and Philip K. Dick but without all the dark and dire moodiness. It's definitely worth a read/listen.

For those interested in Dimension of Miracles, I think the text featured on the Audible page is very illuminating, and I plan to share it below. But first, a word on why I love audio books, which I do not believe that I have yet explored.



From the Audible.com page (reprinted here without permission but with credit given, so please don't sue me):

Audible Editor Reviews

Editors Select, March 2013 - "With audiobook narration, there are certain voices that fit perfectly with a genre. John Hodgman may now be the go-to guy for the droll-everyman-navigating-his-way-through-the-universe story (already nailing it in 2012’s hilarious Year Zero). Hand-picked by Neil Gaiman (whose charming audio introduction perfectly sets the stage for what’s to come) Hodgman lends the right amount of nerd-cred to this adventure, which was originally published in 1968 and is a clear forerunner to Douglas Adams’ classic The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.I’ve had a chance to hear an advance excerpt of the audio, and I just have to know how Carmody, the unsuspecting winner of a Galactic Lottery, makes his way back to Earth in one piece." —Chris, Audible Editor

Publisher's Summary

Award-winning author, narrator, and screenwriter Neil Gaiman personally selected this book, and, using the tools of the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX), produced this work for his audiobook label, Neil Gaiman Presents.

A few words from Neil on Dimension of Miracles: "Dimension of Miracles is probably not [Sheckley's] most famous book…. but I think it's probably his best-loved book. It's about the joys and tribulations (mostly the tribulations) of winning the lottery—the galactic lottery—accidentally. And wrongly. Tom Carmody is awarded a remarkable prize, is taken half way across the universe to collect it, finds himself hopelessly lost, and needs to find his way home again to Earth…to this Earth, not an alternate, weirdo Earth. He's got to get back. And the price is high.

In its style of humor—and even in some of the jokes—Dimension of Miracles is very obviously a precursor of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas actually hadn't read Dimension of Miracles until very shortly afterHitchhiker came out, when people pointed him to it, and he told me that he found the experience almost shocking—it was like reading himself. He was a huge admirer of Bob Sheckley and a huge admirer of this book, and in later life, I had the privilege of introducing both of them.

Now the challenge for me with a book this funny, this strange, this perceptive was to try and find a narrator who was as iconic, somebody who could deliver the goods, somebody who could give you a book like this as it deserved to be given. And the first, and the last, and actually the only person to come to mind was John Hodgman. So I asked John, and he said yes! And he did it; he pulled it off. Listening to John—not just the suave, sensible, sane narrator of this book, but all the peculiar accents and incarnations that he is forced to adopt through here—he does it delightfully, he does it brilliantly, he's really, really funny. And so is this book. Enjoy your journey through a Dimension of Miracles."

Dimension of Miracles is a satirical science fiction novel first published by Dell in 1968. It's about Tom Carmody, a New Yorker who, thanks to a computer error, wins the main prize in the Intergalactic Sweepstakes. Tom claims his prize before the error is discovered and is allowed to keep it. However, since Tom is a human from Earth without galactic status and no space traveling experience, he has no homing instinct that can guide him back to Earth once his odyssey begins - and the galactic lottery organizers cannot transport him home. Meanwhile, his removal from Earth has caused a predatory entity to spring into existence - one that pursues and aims to destroy him. Carmody is on the run, and he ends up transporting from Earth to Earth - different phases and realities of the planet, which of course is not the time or condition he expects.

Learn more about Neil Gaiman Presents and Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). 

©1968 Robert Sheckley (P)2013 Robert Sheckley

What the Critics Say

"Hodgman, probably best known to geeks for his appearances on The Daily Show and his role as the PC in those Apple commercials a few years back, has a dryly intelligent deadpan that wonderfully counterpoints the absurd adventures of Thomas Carmody, a mid 20th-century New York everyman who’s invited to a galactic center to collect a sweepstakes prize." (Locus)

COMIC BOOK BLURBY REVIEWS FROM LAST WEEK'S STACK

When it comes to being a geek, to getting my geek on, then comic books are my dominant theme. This is just how it is. I think I have achieved a great deal of variety on the blog in terms of content. It's not all comics. But it's a lot of comics, and I make no apologies. Comic books are a major part of my life. With this disclaimer in place, I feel confident proceeding with a few short reviews of comic books from last week before listing comic books from this week. I will attempt to deliver these reviews in pithy little blurbs. Whether I actually achieve "pith" or "blurb" is yet to be seen.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SKIP THE FOLLOWING REVIEW SECTION IF YOU WISH TO AVOID SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!

Forever Evil #1 (DC) - As I already shared, I was wholly unimpressed by DC's Trinity War. In fact, Marvel has been kicking DC's ass lately as evidenced by the three-one review advantage here. As much as I love DC, the mediocre stuff far out weighs the good stuff. And this month with the gimmicky villains books, my level of unimpressiveness has sunk to a new low. But then there is the Forever Evil mini-series.

In part, the success of this comic so far is owed to Geoff Johns, who is definitely my favorite writer at DC (see my lauding of Aquaman repeatedly) and the art of David Finch, who has a lot in common with Jim Lee and his thin, clean line work. I love the return of the evil Justice League from Earth 3. I am concerned of what may become of Nightwing as he's not in a good place in the clutches of  Superwoman. As you may recall, I made clear my adoration for Nightwing in T-shirt #61. He was also unmasked before the world, which is never a good thing. Of course, I doubt Batman's identity will fall with this unmasking, but it really should. In fact, the entire Bat family should quickly be compromised. But I will be shocked if the story goes that direction.

Best of all, perhaps, is the four page fold-out of the Crime Syndicate standing before the collected villains of our earth. It's beautiful (seen here, below).

Infinity #2 (Marvel) - Many fans find Hickman's work too dense. I happen to love it. But his books do not always hit the top of my stack each week because they are not easy to read, and I want to take my time. One of the best things about Infinity  is the design. Fonts, page layout, cast page, flow chart of the series, and all the other elements that fall into the graphic design arena are ultra-modern and smartly chosen. Art by Opena, Weaver, & Ponsor (as one must add the colorist in a book like this) continue to prove rich and surprisingly cinematic. I love seeing the Inhumans featured in books as they are one of my favorites elements of the Marvel Universe, and they are not often seen on the canvas. Likewise, seeing the Shi'ar Warriors used well is very enjoyable for long-time Marvel fans. I love the Illuminati idea started by Bendis of the secret cartel of Marvel heroes holding the Infinity Gems and trying to decide what to do with them. But like any book, especially a mini-series, it is best judged by its escalation and its cliff-hanger. When Black Bolt reveals at the end that Thanos has come to earth to kill his son, this raises many questions and makes me eagerly await the next issue.


X-Men Battle of the Atom - chapters one and two - X-Men Battle of the Atom #1 and All-New X-Men #016 (Marvel) - As I wrote last week, Frank Cho art alone will draw me to book add an Arthur Adams cover and Bendis' writing (which lately has been beyond superb), and I am hooked. Yet another future group of X-Men coming to the past seems gimmicky and a gimmick that's been used before, but I remained open-minded as the story unfolded. I like that the cause of the time-travelling is the young X-Men who, must at some point, return to the past. The art is gorgeous, and in many ways, a love letter to Neal Adams (whom I have made clear that I adore: see T-shirt #83).

The first chapter featured a good story depiction of the natural complex of two different Cyclopses from two different times existing in the same time. If something happens to young Scott, older Scott will cease to exist. The second issue ends with the revelation of the identity of the person wearing the Xorn mask (Xorn having killed the last incarnation of Jean Grey). And then, no surprise, it's Jean Grey in the mask!! Does this mean Jean Grey will return to the canvas? A tortured future version? With Scott no longer involved with Emma Frost, this is a distinct possibility. Consider me hooked.

Avengers A.I. #003 (Marvel) - I have always been a huge fan of the Vision. Ever since he was ripped to pieces by the She-Hulk in the House of M prelude story line. Though Vision has been back in many forms and returned officially in the Fear Itself story line, he has played a small role.

If not for the Vision, I may not have decided to start buying the new Avengers A.I. comic, but I am glad I did. Written by Sam Humphries and art by Andre Lima Araujo, I am enchanted with a high-tech milieu and an updated Vision as a collection of nanobots. In issue #3, after being seemingly vaporized, the Vision A.I. awakes inside a virtual world known as the Diamond, the housing of A.I.s born of the self-replicating virus that Hank Pym created to defeat Ultron.

This issue confronts the Vision with a choice between his A.I. brethren or the Avengers. Is he Avenger first and A.I. second or the other way around?

This book is smart, sharp, and tech-savvy. Pick it up!!

Cover from the third issue above left, a variant cover to the right, below I am including the panel where She Hulk ripped the Vision in two, and then the sequence years later when they reconciled.

Good stuff, Maynard!

WEEKLY COMIC LIST

Of course, Walking Dead takes the top spot. Somehow, I either missed ordering it or it was not set aside for me. Luckily, there were plenty of bagged issues in stock. I may review it next week even though I read it last night. But I am going to run a week behind on reviews. I LOVE Fantastic Four, and this Fraction/Bagley run continues to earn top spots the week it comes out.  I have also been enjoying Kick Ass so much that this one moves up in the stack along with its enjoyable Jupiter's Legacy preview (a book that is slow to arrive and behind schedule, obviously). We shall see how the order shakes out the rest of the way. I did not get to last week's DC villains comics and so those are still in back log near the ones from this week, which take the bottom of the stack. Avengers Arena and Red Sonja both move up as I caught up on each and enjoying them very much.

COMICS FOR THE WEEK OF 1309.11

Walking Dead #114
Fantastic Four #012
Kick Ass 3 #3
X-Men #005 (Battle of the Atom Chapter Three)
Captain America  #11
Avengers #19
Mighty Avengers #001
Clone #10
Avengers Arena #015
Red Sonja #3
Fearless Defenders #009
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season Nine- #25
Aquaman - Black Manta #23.1
Justice League of America - Deadshot #7.1
Flash - Reverse Flash - 23.2
Batman & Robin - The Court of Owls #23.2
Superman - Brianiac #23.2
Teen Titans - Trigon #23.1
Sidekick#2

Back Log

Ultimates #30
Uncanny X-Force #011
Wolverine #009
Dean Motter's Mister X Eviction #One of Three
Satellite Sam #2
Astro City #4
Indestructible Hulk #013

Special Purchases
Locus magazine - Vo. 71 No.3
DC Showcase Presents Collected Edition - Aquaman - Volume 1

PS: Coming soon AQUAMAN (hence the special purchase) and also what I think of ULTRON being the Villain of the second Avengers movie and of James Spader as his voice. HUZZAH!

- chris tower - 1309.13 - 10:18

T-shirt #175 - Radiohead-2006

T-shirt #175 - Radiohead-2006

I have two Radiohead shirts, so this will be the short entry because I can expound on the wonderfulness of Radiohead another time.

When I discovered Radiohead with the release of Kid A (I was a bit late to the party), I read everything I could get my hands on about Radiohead.

Do you think I remember very much of it?

This is a problem with me. Faulty memory. I am not sure if I have always had this problem. Since my memory is now faulty, I cannot remember if I used to have a good memory. I should have a better record of my brain scans. Again, this would be a reason for the nanobots.

Weird, I am experiencing a peculiar and undefinable Déjà vu.

Soon after discovering Radiohead in 2000, I became a huge fan. I quickly bought the band's entire back catalogue, and I listened to it all, though especially Kid A, which became one of my favorite albums of any band of all time.

Radiohead ties in with my theme for the week. I mentioned Radiohead (possibly for the first time in the history of the blog so far) with T-shirt #171: The Neahtawanta Inn: Goodbye Bob Russell.

Indulge me in repeating that portion of T-shirt #171:

I shared a lot of music with Bob and Sally over the years. Bob often kept CDs I made for him or recommended in his car. Our tastes aligned in many ways. Sally told me that after the 2001 attacks, 9/11, they were listening to a CD I made called "How to Disappear Completely" from a song by Radiohead. The lyrics "I'm not here; this isn't happening" struck a chord.

Lots of things are going to remind me of Bob Russell for a very long time until I adjust to the fact that I am never going to see him again, which is a weird displacement of reality.

In keeping with my short entries in an effort to get ahead, I am just going to accumulate a few key thoughts on Radiohead. I had the pleasure of seeing Radiohead in 2006 in Chicago as per the ticket seen here. They played a great deal of material that they then released on In Rainbows, which at the time I did not like very much, and I still would not rank that music and album highly among favorite Radiohead albums.


I have adopted Radiohead's second album, The Bends, as my walking through airports album. It's a great album for dodging through traffic but in airport terminals with that faux-modernism and disconnection from the real world that travel and terminals provide., like drifting through a movie montage with a soundtrack and no other ambient sound.

I sat in the balcony at Auditorium Theatre for the Radiohead show, and I almost came all the way out of my seat and over the railing when they launched into "The Bends," the song, during one of their encores.

"The Bends" is the second song on the album The Bends, which paired with the first song, "Planet Telex," and the third and fourth songs--"High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees"--make for the best terminal-to-terminal ambulatory music that I know. Give it a try next time you have to cross through an airport from one end to the other.

For those who have always wondered about the signs on my office door seen behind me in many of my pictures, here they are up close and legible in the photo above.

Much of my music constitutes of good music therapy, but one of the best therapies is Radiohead. As I mentioned already, The Bends is my walking through airports album.

Kid A is my favorite Radiohead album and one of my favorite albums of anyone for all time and GREAT therapy. Though my lists of favorite albums was more aptly titled ALBUMS I HAVE LISTENED TO MOST OFTEN as I blogged in T-shirt #97: KRAFTWERK, Radiohead's Kid A would make both the favorite list and the most listened to list. Because it's newer than others in the list, it ranked in the top twenty but in the 10-20 group for albums most often listened to. However, if I were to re-frame the list as favorites, it would surely be in the top ten, possibly replacing Laurie Anderson's Mister Heartbreak, which makes a list of top ten most listened to albums because of how many times I listened to it (daily) from about 1983-1985.

When it was released, Kid A baffled many Radiohead fans as it was such a departure from The Bends and OK Computer, the latter of which has often been voted by British music fans as the single greatest album of all time. Late to the Radiohead party, my entry came with Kid A, mainly due to my fascination with British music magazines.

One of the best of these magazines, Mojo, hit my radar when I was reading an interview with one of my favorite authors, and another author I shared in common with Bob Russell, William Gibson, most famous for Neuromancer, but Bob and I both loved Pattern Recognition, which remains the only book listed on Bob's Facebook account. Gibson described how he walked to his local news shoppe monthly to purchase his copy of Mojo, which is much less expensive than attempting to subscribe and pay International post from the U.K. Even though Gibson lives in Canada, the expense is just as great as for us Americans.

Radiohead came to my attention reading Mojo, which prompted me to buy Kid A, which then prompted me to buy every magazine and read every interview I could find promoting Kid A.

The Wikipedia Radiohead entry describes Kid A as an evolution in the band's music style, fusing experimental electronic music with krautrock and jazz, which is a description that would surely turn off some potential listeners. Kid A was immensely popular, going Platinum in its first week in the United Kingdom, winning the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album, and a nomination for Best Album (which it should have won, losing to Steely Dan's Two Against Nature, and as much as I love Steely Dan, that's a travesty).

The Kid A Wikipedia page linked here is a great tribute and investigation of the greatness of the album. It's well worth reading if you're keen to know more. For now, I am keeping this short, especially since I bought another Radiohead shirt when I saw them in concert last year (2012) on tour with The King of Limbs and will expand and expound with a future post.

To close, some art from the limited edition Kid A release and two videos of my favorite Kid A music, which is difficult to select as I love the whole album as one continuous piece of music. In fact, bless You Tube. I will share my one favorite song, already mentioned, "How to Disappear Completely," and also the full album of Kid A. If you have never listened to this album, treat yourself to at least the one song if not the full eight tracks of music.

Radiohead - How to disappear completely LIVE

Radiohead - Kid A (Full Album)

Kid A (2000) (Times listed are the start of each track in the total You Tube video).

1. Everything In Its Right Place (0:00)
2. Kid A (4:10)
3. The National Anthem (8:55)
4. How To Disappear Completely (14:45)
5. Treefingers (20:43)
6. Optimistic (24:25)
7. In Limbo (29:41)
8. Idioteque (33:13)

- chris tower - 1309.12 - 10:12

T-shirt #174: KUDL 2007- Black

T-shirt #174: KUDL 2007- Black

Time for some more Ultimate.

After a hiatus of almost exactly a month during which I had my prostate removed, a catheter removed, and learned to pee again, I hope to return to the Ultimate field today for at least some light running, which, arguably, at my advanced age, is about all I do anyway.

I have some throws, though I am far from being a Handler God.

In fact the term in our league for what I am was invented for me: Handler Savvy. I make good throws generally. I get a few big throws, and I have a pretty wicked forehand. If all goes well today, I can run a little and start to get my wind back, make some throws, and help my team win its game. I am proud to be on the white team for KUDL's 2013 Fall League. I was drafted by captains Matt Fraaza and Saral Allard, both whom I respect and enjoy immensely. So, I think it will be a fun season.

Also, playing today means just that much sooner that I can get back on my bike, and if I can get in some good training between biking, walking, and Ultimate, I may be able to play at HUCKFEST on November 2nd. More on this HUCKFEST in a minute.

I have been walking most every day since the surgery. Yesterday was the second day (first day for class) that I walked to WMU (and back), which is keeping me in pretty good shape (at least as walking goes). I had always tried to make some movement a daily priority, but even with the puppy, I let work take a greater priority and did not always get my exercise into the day. This is why I like biking to WMU for class because at least I would log two miles twice a week, which is not a lot, but it's something. Ultimate also gives me a weekly outlet to run and around and stay in some kind of shape. This is why I am hoping to be able to get out on the field today and run, though maybe not at full tilt (that is full tilt for me). I also probably should not lay out, which I am known to do, if only gratuitously.

In the pictures, you see me at HUCKFEST 2007. In the first picture, I am guarding Eric Geile, long time captain of Michigan's best men's (Big Ass Truck) and now best Master's team. In the second picture, you see me having fun with friends David Heimberg, Kim Sabo, and with Matt Frayer (a young Dumbledore) enjoying our antics as he walks by in the background.

HUCKFEST is an annual Ultimate tourney of beer, hot soup, and Ultimate in Grand Rapids with weather that ranges from 34 degrees and spitting sleet with 30 MPH winds, which was the weather of Huckfest I, which my team won, to weather of near 70 degrees and sunny as we enjoyed one year when Matt Love brought donuts and the frosting began to melt. Ah memories... But usually it's cold. In 2007, you can see I was pretty bundled up but some, like Geile, were freezing their asses off in shorts.

I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!!!!! Ultimate is a great sport that everyone should try, especially with the availability of public leagues with varying ages and skill levels.

Keeping with my short entries for the week (still trying to bank ahead some longer work), I am concluding with three videos.

The first video is actually from HUCKFEST in 2008 in which my alma mater's Ultimate Buzz team (Kalamazoo College) moved the disc well against the home team, (Huckfest hosts) East Towne Entropy, with whom I have been known to play from time to time. The second video is aerial footage by Ryan Rittenhouse taken with his tricopter from our recent KUDL summer tournament in August of 2013. The last video is a collection of top plays in Ultimate from March of 2013. Apparently, Everything Ultimate posts these once every month. It gives a good idea of why the sport is called Ultimate and why I love it so much.

Ultimate Buzz Drive

KUDL Summer Tournament 2013: Airborne Highlights

Top 10 Ultimate Frisbee Plays | March 2013

- chris tower - 1309.11 - 7:26

T-shirt #173 - Ani DiFranco - Little Plastic Castle

T-shirt #173 - Ani DiFranco - Little Plastic Castle

I went through an Ani DiFranco period from about 1996 through 2003. I am still a fan, but I am not listening to her music as frequently as I did during those years.

Because I was on such an Ani kick and purchased so many Ani T-shirts (four in all), I have more blog time to elaborate on why Ani DiFranco is so great.

I found five tickets from concerts as seen in the photo from my ticket book below, but I think 2-3 tickets are missing as I thought I had seen Ani perform eight times.

An Ani DiFranco concert is a joy to behold. It is clear that Ani is having gooey gobs of fun on stage. She laughs unabashedly and shares her thoughts and feelings between songs. She is one of the most energetic performers I have ever seen. The power seems to cascade from her in waves, bolts, and rolling balls of electrical aura energy, crackling through the venue. If you ever get a chance to see her, and this is the kind of thing you would enjoy, I strongly recommend it.


I already blogged about Ani DiFranco in T-shirt #121, in which I shared about her poem "Grand Canyon" and my use of it in classes and my two favorite songs, as I happen to like the quieter stuff.

This shirt features a quote from the song "Swan Dive" off her eighth studio album Little Plastic Castle from 1998, which is definitely one of her best.

Arguably, her best period may be from 1995-2001.

I have not felt any of Ani's albums really worm into my consciousness and nest since my favorite, the 2001 double effort Revelling/Recknoning.

Though Evolve (2003), Educated Guess (2004), and others since 2001 are good, but there has been something missing for me. However, I am open to the argument that what is missing is not missing from her but from me. By 2003, I had begun to move on to other music, and though I still love Ani DiFranco and count her among my favorite artists, my ardent passion and insatiable hunger for her work has diminished somewhat. Maybe I have just not listened to her newer albums enough. I feel a new Ani binge coming on.


The quote from the shirt "I don't care if they eat me alive, I've got better things to do than survive" is one of the great lines in Ani's catalogue.

"Swan Dive" is a song about taking chances. It may be chance taking in a romantic relationship. It may be chance taking in career, in life, in family, or friendships. That's the thing about Ani's songs. She often leaves them open to multiple interpretations.

The line on the shirt comes from her "Swan Dive" into shark-infested waters, but the question of what it is that she has to do that is more important than surviving, the uncertainty of what happens to you after you take the chance and it eats you alive, hangs unanswered in the song like an empty word balloon in a comic strip: "i'm going to do my best swan dive/in the shark-infested waters/ i'm gonna pull out my tampon/ and start splashing around/// 'cuz i don't care if they eat me alive/ i've got better thing to do than survive/ i've got a memory of your warm skin in my hand/ and i've got a vision of blue sky and dry land."



It seems that the person, the love, is a life raft, a saving grace, but whether this is a past relationship, or whether she is re-entering an old relationship that was painful and "shark-infested" is open to interpretation. Or this may not be about relationships at all (though I think it is).

Okay, sure, some of you readers are thinking I could do a better and more thorough, close reading of this text, but, hey, this is supposed to be a short one. Plus I would prefer to let the music speak for itself without too much pedantic analysis to distract from the impact of the art.

But if you want to investigate on your own, I will share the lyrics for "Swan Dive" after the video of a live version.

Ani DiFranco - Swan Dive (Live in New York)

"Swandive" - by ani difranco - off 1998's Little Plastic Castle

cradling the softest, warmest part of you in my hand
feels like a little baby bird fallen from the nest
i think that your body is something i understand
i think that i'm happy, i think that i'm blessed

i've got a lack of inhibition
i've got a loss of perspective
i've had a little bit to drink
and it's making me think
that i can jump ship and swim
that the ocean will hold me
that there's got to be more
than this boat i'm in

'cuz they can call me crazy if i fail
all the chance that i need
is one-in-a-million
and they can call me brilliant
if i succeed
gravity is nothing to me, moving at the speed of sound
i'm just going to get my feet wet
until i drown

and i teeter between tired
and really, really tired
im wiped and im wired but i guess its just as well
because i built my own empire
out of car tires and chicken wire
and i'm queen of my own compost heap
and i'm getting used to the smell

and i've got a lack of information
but i got a little revelation
and i'm climbing up on the railing
trying not to look down
i'm going to do my best swan dive
in the shark-infested waters
i'm gonna pull out my tampon
and start splashing around

'cuz i don't care if they eat me alive
i've got better thing to do than survive
i've got a memory of your warm skin in my hand
and i've got a vision of blue sky and dry land

i'm cradling the hardest, heaviest part of me in my hand
the ship is pitching and heaving, my limbs are bobbing and weaving
and i think this is what i understand
i just need a little vaccination for my far-away vacation
i'm going to go ahead boldly because a little bird told me
that jumping is easy, that falling is fun
up until you hit the sidewalk, shivering, stunned

and they can call me crazy if i fail
all the chance that i need
is one-in-a-million
and they can call me brilliant
if i succeed
gravity is nothing to me
moving at the speed of sound
i'm just gonna get my feet wet
until i drown...


My wife made a cake.

Cake for breakfast.

My wife is an artist and a genius.

I love my wife.

I love her more than I love Ani DiFranco.

I have not always been able to say that about the people in my life.

Ani may not have made me cake, but she has given me a great deal of art and thought and energy and feeling and memories that I hold dear.

More on Ani with the other two T-shirts before the 365 days is done.

For now, one other video from Little Plastic Castle and one of her "hits," at least with her fans.

"Gravel" Ani Difranco (1998 - America)

- chris tower - 1309.10 - 9:45

T-shirt #172 - A Good Planet is Hard to Find

T-shirt #172 - A Good Planet is Hard to Find

Hello and welcome to Monday.

After taking extra time to complete my tribute to Bob Russell for yesterday's entry (T-shirt #171), I am incredibly behind schedule with work and everything else, so today's entry will be short and sweet.

This is a shirt that may be destined to become pajamas.

Have you noticed that my pajama shirts are all white? Am I fixated? I suspect that this may be part of my OC tendencies. I am not OCD. I don't think my OC has a D. No disorder here. Just order. That's the whole point, isn't it?

ORDER.

Bob Russell would have liked this shirt. If not the shirt, then the sentiments. He wore many T-shirts featuring environmental causes as that was one of his main areas of focus as a community activist. For years, with Sally and others, he ran the Neahtawanta Education and Resource Center and published the newspaper Synapse that addressed environmental causes. This information was buried in my tribute yesterday but not in the forefront. Bob is one of the greatest influences in my life, inspiring me to care more for environmental issues and work to support the same kinds of outcomes he did.


























When I thought of featuring this shirt, the Police song "One World" came into my head and ran around and around and around. So I am including it on today's blog entry. See the video below.

But first some last words about "gmr" and "afl" (see hat in the pictures).

"Gmr" is my title for my function in the universe. It is short for "Galactic Monkey Wrench." This title was awarded to me by a close friend in college who defined my function in the universe. I toss in the "monkey wrench,"  and I have to power to affect the workings of the entire galaxy with my galactic-influencing monkey wrench powers.

When I shared this title with another friend who has his own title (the LOC or Lord of Chaos), he blurted out "GMR" for "Galactic Monkey Wrench" without thinking of the actual spelling and acronyms of the title. It stuck. Besides, GMR sounds much better than GMW. So, I am the Galactic Monkey WUH-rench. I adopted GMR as my alternate acronym and named my freelance writing business (and associated emails and web sites) "gmrstudios."

AFL stands for Anguish, Fear, Lamenting, which comes from the 10,000 Maniacs song "Grey Victory" about the Enola Gay and the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan in 1945. AFL has become a catch-all phrase with my friend, the LOC, for our frequent and continual reaction to things in the world, the universe, to the actions of other people, to our own fears, regrets, anxieties, and frustrations.

AFL.

My friend the LOC gave me this hat to match one he has with LOC AFL embroidered on it.

Bob Russell would have found this explanation and meaning amusing, also, and certainly he would have had something sarcastic to say about it.

I can still hear you, Bob. I can still hear you.

For now, hear this.

"One world is enough for all of us."

The Police - One World - Live in  Festival de Viña del Mar Chile 1982 

- 2nd Night

- chris tower - 1309.09 - 11:47

T-shirt#171 - The Neahtawanta Inn - Goodbye Bob Russell

T-shirt#171 - The Neahtawanta Inn - Goodbye Bob Russell

My friend Bob Russell died on August 23rd. He was 62 years old. He was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2011.

Bob Russell's memorial is today, Sunday September 8th in Traverse City. I regret that I cannot attend. But I am there in spirit. My energy is co-mingled with those I love, which include Bob, Sally, and their whole family and community of close friends,  into which they included and adopted me. This inclusion is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received in my life and I am forever grateful to be included in their world.

I met Bob Russell because of my discovery of the Neahtawanta Inn in 1990. Enjoying my short one night stay there so much, I returned in 1993 when I was working on a Native American writing project. "Neahtawanta" is an Ottawa word for "nice place that I would like to hang out," and Bob and Sally, owners and proprietors of the Neahtawanta Inn just had connections to everything cool in the Grand Traverse area, including the Native American community.


After staying for more than one night in 1993, I felt drawn back to Inn. From 1993-2007 (that's fourteen years if you're counting), I stayed at the Inn every summer for my vacation. I would stay for at least a week and at most sixteen days. My consecutive streak was broken in 2008 when days before my trek north, the engine in my car died. Needing a new engine, and being unemployed, I did not know if I would have a car at all let alone the money to stay at the Inn. By the next year, 2009, I had met Liesel, and we were making plans to get married in October. I made reservations to take her and the kids to the Inn in August, and then my mother was admitted to the hospital. I figured my regular vacations at the Inn were now a thing of the past.

I did not even try to go in 2010 or 2011. And then I learned that Bob had cancer. It started with esophageal cancer and then moved to his liver. Eventually, the cancer traveled to his brain. Though Bob fought the cancer valiantly and with good humor, he fought a losing battle. Liesel and I visited the Inn in 2012. I wanted to show her the place and try to share why it is so special to me, why all of Traverse City and the peninsulas are so special to me. I am glad we went when we did because not long after we were there, the Inn suffered a terrible fire, and the repairs are still in process. The Inn has not yet re-opened. Though originally they had anticipated re-opening in July, the new target date is October. Though Bob died surrounded by family at Glenn Lake, it would have been more fitting for his end to come at the Inn, his home for so many years, and one into which he devoted so much time and energy.

Me and Bob on the porch of the Inn
2006

I wrote about my love for the north in T-shirt #85: Up North. What drew me back to the north initially again and again was my childhood. As I explained in T-shirt #85: Up North, my family lived in Traverse City when I was very young and then vacationed there every summer for many years after. Thus, it made sense that I would return to that area for my own vacations.

The whole area is beautiful and magical, but the Neahtawanta Inn gives those words new meaning. I am so thankful that I found the Inn.

I cannot describe the feeling that one gets staying at the Inn. You would have to experience it for yourself, and yet there is no guarantee that you will feel what I feel. There's a serenity there. It's peaceful. It's quiet. It's old and haunted (though not in a bad or icky way), but the heritage is obvious and ever-present in its aura. It's well cared for, well-tended, clean, yet not shiny or chromed or ultra-modern. But there's more. There's an energy that infuses the place, which is impossible to describe. As I write these words, as I look at the pictures, as I culled out of the journals from some of time there that I will present below, I can feel the energy. It's good energy. But I cannot possibly describe it. But one thing is certain: there's love there.


I am told that I became one of the Inn's favored guests. Bob and Sally would anticipate my arrival each summer with some excitement. In part, this is because we had all become close friends, and we would hang out together. They included me in their lives and their community and for that I am forever grateful. Being part of the Neahtawanta world changed my life and made it a better place. But also I was model guest. I did not make a mess in the bathroom. In my two weeks, I might only need my sheets changed once if at all. I kept to myself, though I was available to chat with them if they felt like it. I respected their privacy when they were hiding out or doing their work. I could function as a surrogate inn keeper if they had to leave and greet arriving guests as I spent most of my vacations sitting on their porch writing.

me with Sally. Sadly, I do not have a picture
of myself with both of them, all
three of us together.
Also, from 2006

But, mostly, we became friends. We would go out to dinner together. They invited me to their parties. Bob and I would go to movies together, especially movies in which Sally was not interested. And we would have great conversations. I am indebted to Bob for so many wonderful conversations. He shared so much of his knowledge with me. He introduced me to many things. He recommended books, and then we would discuss them. He would also tease me relentlessly but lovingly.

For instance, because I have struggled with depression throughout my life, and especially some seasonal affective disorder, I start every morning with a 30 minutes of light treatment with a special blue wave UV light I own. Yes, yes, I know. One generally does not suffer SAD in the summer. But I am creature of habit, and so I do the light treatment year around, increasing my sessions to 60 minutes in the winter. After all, the UV rays can't hurt me. At the Inn, I would get up somewhat early and come down for coffee, which is ready 60-90 minutes before the breakfast start time, which is 9 a.m. I would get my coffee and excuse myself to go back to my room for my light treatment. Bob would tell me that the Inn has light treatment of it's own: "It's called sunshine and it's out there," he would say pointing outside and cackling his maniacal Captain Blackheart (his nickname) cackle. Of course, he was right. But he also understood that I was a little OCD, and so I do what I do.

From an Inn party in 2006
Bob is explaining the strange
and ancient artifact in his hand
while drinking wine

More from the 2006 party. Bob is often drinking wine as he relaxes at night after a long day
of inn keeping and activism. Foreground left is Kim, a regular guest and someone I have come to know well
and enjoy talking to. Background left is "Honky," one of the Neahtawanta board members and
a good friend of Bob's.

BOB AND TECHNOLOGY

Bob loved technology. He created an early ISP start up with his best friend Grips in the 1990s, which they then sold during the web boom. Bob was always ready to discuss technology and read about the subject voraciously. He introduced me to Ray Kurzweil. (I wrote about Ray and The Singularity is Near in T-shirt #77. I still have not read The Singularity is Near, though it remains on my stack because of Bob. But I did read a shorter, more digestible version of the same subject matter in Radical Evolution, also recommended by Bob (and now a book I teach at WMU).

Radical Evolution describes the future of "GRIN" technologies and how each of the four technologies (Genetic Engineering, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Nanotechnology) could transform our way of life so radically that the emerging culture and society will bear little resemblance to the culture that preceded it. This transformation is called a "Singularity." Ray Kurzweil explored the concept in much more depth in his book and the forthcoming documentary.

The "singularity" is so named because the influence is as pivotal and profound as a gravitational "singularity." The automobile and the computer are two such recent singulairites. Each of the GRIN technologies, combinations of them, or all four could transform our culture and society into what would seem like paradise on earth to anyone from even 50 years ago let alone 100 or 300. The new world will be unrecognizable to those people from that long ago era. Of course, the technologies could also bring about an apocalypse. But those are stories for another time. Back to Bob.


Bob and I had a running joke about "nanobots." Before he learned that he had cancer, Bob joked about getting his injection of nanobots, little machines that would swim through his blood stream monitoring his health and repairing what is "broken."

"I am just waiting for the nanobots, and then I won't have to worry about anything."

When I visited the Inn last year, I joked with Bob that he just missed the advent of the cancer finding and ultimately the cancer killing nanobots.

He agreed. Just a few more years, and the nanobots would have found the first stirrings of the cancerous growths, and it will not be too much longer after the release of monitoring nanobots that we could see bots that will find cancer cells and destroy them, effectively curing cancer.

I cannot remember everything we said about the nanobots, but we got a lot of mileage out of the running joke. I hope the nanobots do come to exist. I just wish they existed a bit sooner to help Bob.

Bob's office was to the right of where I would sit on their porch in my spot to write. In the picture of the Inn below, the left-most tree hides most of the couch on which I always sat in writing sessions on the porch, but you can see the left side of the couch to the left of and past the tree. Bob's office is through the left wall and in the part of the Inn that runs off the left side of the picture.

Sometimes Bob would tell me something through the window facing the couch, especially if I was not listening to music through headphones, which I often did. Or he would take a break from what he was doing to come out and share something he had just read or something he thought would interest me.

I owe you so much Bob. Thank you for being my friend. I will miss our talks. I will miss you.

When I learned I had cancer back in March of 2013, I also thought of Bob and Bob's cancer. Even in March, Bob was still fighting. He was still seeking treatments, hoping to reduce the cancer in his brain, hoping to get it out of his body beat it back, stay.

I never shared with Bob that I had cancer, too. After all, mine was beatable. And I did beat it.

Bob did not.

That's all the perspective I need on cancer.

I am damn lucky. I know.

I shared a lot of music with Bob and Sally over the years. Bob often kept CDs I made for him or recommended in his car. Our tastes aligned in many ways. Sally told me that after the 2001 attacks, 9/11, they were listening to a CD I made called "How to Disappear Completely" from a song by Radiohead. The lyrics "I'm not here; this isn't happening" struck a chord.

Yeah...

LINKS TO STUFF ABOUT BOB

This is a great video tribute out together by Hallie, Sally's oldest daughter. It does a great job of capturing Bob's spirit in a series of photos accompanied by some of his favorite music.

VIDEO TRIBUTE TO BOB RUSSELL - OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN

RECORD EAGLE ARTICLE - Lading Environmentalist and Community Activist dies

RECORD EAGLE - BOB RUSSELL OBITUARY

I tried to make the banner image below a link to the Paypal site but failed. Then I tried to make it a link to the inn page where a working link to the Paypal site exists, via the same banner image, and I am not sure that works either. So, there's a link below the image. Bob would scoff at me and laugh and tell me that I am using outmoded technology and then laugh some more. Thanks, Bob. I still hear you in my head.

LINK TO THE NEAHTAWANTA INN



MY JOURNALS

I did not know how to properly commemorate Bob and what he meant not just to me but to all the people who knew him and loved him. Sally often called him "Russell" (his last name). This caught on with some people who hung around them a lot. Though mostly, I called him Bob.

After some thought, I decided that my best tribute would be sharing stories. I already shared some, but I have more from journals I wrote at the Inn in 2001 (all dates starting with 01) and 2003 (dates starting with 03). The 2001 journals were letters to my mother, so references to "you" are meant for her.

The journals share many stories about Bob, Sally, and the Inn as well as my vacation there and what I did and what I thought about. I am leaving them only partially edited for now, but I will work on them this week to get them more ship shape.

Also, I am not done digging out old journals and will continue my Bob tribute and my Neahtawanta love letter with future shirts. Stay tuned.

For now, thank you, if you are reading. This is a HUGE entry. I hope you find some of it (at least) enjoyable.

0108.11 12:38

It’s a beautiful day. It’s currently 72 degrees with a light and variable wind, mostly from the ...um, I always mess this up. Let’s see. I have to remember that the inn faces northeast but really more east than north. So the wind looks like it’s coming from the eastish, but I doubt that’s right. It’s sunny with some nice, low clouds. The porch is newly painted and wonderfully smooth. It’s kind of an emerald green. I sit in a couch just to the right of one of the two doors that open onto the porch from the inn. Lots of changes to the inn. New doors, some of which they had installed by the time I was here in February. I am in room 3, which is the only room on the second floor, now, without water. I used to stay in room 4, which had a sink, but they added a bathroom to that room and so it’s too costly. Room 3 has a sink, but it’s on the backside of the inn, not facing the water, so it’s not as nice.



The water level is WAY down this year. They have built a little dock here to traverse the shore weeds and help people reach the tip of the sand bar where it’s best to enter the water. Russell (Bob) says the water’s really warm, though he often remarks about “global warming at its finest.” He’s funny.

Bob and Sally are the same as always. Wonderful. They love having me here. Sally asked about you. Then I asked about her mom, who had been 86, and who died in March. Sally and I had talked a lot about this last year as we were both going through Mom things. She’s having a rough time with it, she says. Things hit her at certain anniversaries, like her mom’s birthday and stuff. Her mom didn’t die suddenly either. She kind of wasted away.


0108.11 14:11

Bob and Sally have a new dog because Jasmine died. The new dog’s name is Lucia. For a puppy, she’s rather sedate.

The Neahtawanta now sells jams and honey and things for some local folks. I may bring some home with me. I had the raspberry and blueberry jams this morning and they were delicious. The blueberry had real, whole blueberries. There’s another flavor with merlot in it. Blueberry Merlot. There’s also a Blueberry Shiraz.

0108.12 13:13
Bob just interrupted me and showed me two of the videos he has made of the activism their group GAG (Guerilla Action Group) has done. Neat stuff. They did an anti-war protest at the Cherry Festival. He also had a video of the candelight vigil (little tiny shoe-size boats with candles) that they do every year on the anniversary of Hiroshima-Nagasaki. He has this amazing Mac computer with 2500 MHZ processors. wow.

0108.13 22:39
It’s later. No movie tonight. Bob and Sally invited me to dinner with them at the Bowery. So I decided to forego the movie as I had two Bloody Marys (maybe should be Bloody Maries, drop the y and add “-ies” like marry and marries or party and parties) on the deck over looking the lake on a perfect night and then two glasses of wine in the Bowery. Not to worry Bob drove. ;-)

I had this amazing trout with a Michigan cherry glaze, garlic mashed potatoes with a chicken gravy and a small cob of corn.

So we dished. Bob and Sally like to complain about the guests. One of Bob’s new raps is the preciousness of natural resources like water and how bottled water is already more expensive than gasoline and will be one of the more valuable natural resources of the future. Well one “expletive clueless” blonde the other day made the mistake of mentioning that she likes to take these long showers: “I stand under the water for like twenty minutes just enjoying it before I soap up or anything.” Bob showed amazing restraint when she said this in front of him and didn’t humiliate her with a snide remark about water conservation.

I have fun with them. I think they’d be too political for you. But they really are lovely people. They are currently upset — among many things over which they are upset — about these local folks who clear cut this enormous road across the road from the Inn for this little development of eight houses they are making for their family. They could have cut in the road from another direction (off Shipman Road) and lost only one or two trees but they had to do it off Neahtawanta road, because they wanted to. Anyway, Bob and Sally are just a little bit angry at these “expletive morons” as Bob calls them. Anyway, we saw them at the Bowery, so we were whispering about them at our table as they were at another nearby table.

Lucia, the new dog, found the trash and had it strewn all over the kitchen for us when we came back. And this after remarking on how she’s quite the sedate dog for a puppy.

It’s nearing 23:00, so I think I will mosey off to bed. I will write more tomorrow.



0108.15 15:40
It’s become colder and it’s raining.
Bob just returned from a swim. He said, “ I was swimming along and then I realized it was raining. Good thing I was in the water already or I’d get all wet from the rain and I wouldn’t like that.”

0108.16 17:16

Bob just told me about something you might find interesting. Unlike many people, we’re well aquainted with infections that are resistant to certain kinds of antibiotics because, as many people, doctors overprescribed these antibiotics (one being arithromicin [sp?]) and the bacteria built up an immunity. (In fact, this is one of the criticisms against antibacterial solutions.)

Anyway, according to an NPR report, chickens are given hundreds if not thousands of doses of antibiotics as they are raised, supposedly, to make the meat healthy and to counteract various problems of the conditions in which they are produced. Well, these antibiotic resistant bacteria are showing up in these chickens. And people are eating this bacteria laden chicken. I don’t remember the figures. One is 30% but I don’t remember if it’s 30% of cases of illnesses are from this or 30% of chicken eaters get this or what. Then there was like a figure of 5000 deaths a year from antibiotic resistant bacteria.

I know, not a pleasant subject, but a scary report.

0108.17 13:04

Outside now. On the porch. I wrote my entries in my film journal. It’s mid-60s with a gusty wind. One of the women of the five is leaving. Bob and Sally are down on the beach with their friend Honky. Nadia is vacuuming. I have been working on my survival book. I want to start the other one today or tomorrow. So far no real poem production. My poetry time may be gone, though I suspect I real try again. It may take a while to get back in the groove.

Oh yes, this morning was scones. Bob has really improved his methods. The scones used to be dry and heavy like rocks. Now they are very fluffy with a cinnamon topping and more of the jam they sell here now.

I may have to go get my heavy socks.

The guests of rooms 1, 2, and 4 have left and will be replaced by a bunch of folks going to a wedding. The five women leave tomorrow but they’re less bother now since it’s so dreary, they aren’t hanging around the inn so much.

I haven’t started counting my calories yet but Bob tells me that 1500 calories is starvation level. He says normal levels with exercise is more like 2000-3000 a day. Bob is a little paunchy though, which is odd as he is working up to swim across the bay here, which is this cove formed by Neahtawanta Point.

More later. I am going to go get my socks.

0108.18 10:47

Bob and his friend Honky were just telling me about this group to which they belong called Bioneers. It’s a group committed to applying ecological models to politics, economics, and everything. Like for instance designing an economic system with a tree as a model. The way a tree photo synthesizes, purifies air and water, the way it grows...all would be perfect as a model for an economic system. They’re scheming a Bioneers conference here at the inn next year.

0108.18 13:21

Okay, I lied. I am writing just a little more. I have moved to the picnic table, which Bob finally moved back to its spot on the main lawn overlooking the water. It had been behind some trees between the two lawns.

The first lawn is in front of the inn, between the inn and slope to the water. The second lawn is to the left, if you're facing the water, and that’s where they have the fire pit and charcoal stuff for the “flash eaters” as Bob likes to quip. They want the meat as far from the inn as possible because not only do they not like the smell of burned flesh in the air but Bob makes comments about air borne flesh bacteria. He’s a barrel of laughs.

So I am sitting outside here. Really outside. An acorn just fell and hit me on the back. This is one of the pleasures with the new computer as it has a good, strong battery. This little bit of typing has only used 3% of its capacity.

Bob and Sally have a wedding to attend today, and so if the new suite guests do not arrive soon, I will have to play surrogate inn keeper. I will probably go to Elk Rapids tonight, but I may wait and go later. There’s a lot of wind and a thunderstorm is on the way.

I should get a camera and take more pictures of the inn and of Bob and Sally.

0108.19 18:41

As you can see, I have stayed rather late. The day is quite beautiful in the dying light. From the porch, I can see the water of the cove. Two colours of blue. The shallow stretches so far now in its lighter, pale blue and then there’s this clearly visible line where the water changes to a darker blue.

The water’s moving quickly too with the strong wind. But it’s so quiet here. People all around are gone or indoors. And the light is this great, dull, flatness.

I just went for a run and a swim after my nap, which followed much writing while listening to the Tigers game. I have not decided my dinner plans though I have decided NOT to go into town. Or nearly so. I may just forage here and not go get food. The sub was rather filling and I could eat sparringly and save my calories. Though I figure I burned 4-500 calories with the run. Tomorrow I am keen to run twice. Once in the morning and once later in the day. After my swim, I discovered this weird bruising on my leg.

It’s these odd purple blotches near my ankle. Good run, though still a walk run. Maybe I should go eat something...

I love the familiar. It’s why I started coming to Traverse City in the first place. I remembered much about it. Now, the Neahtawanta is familiar. I’ll get deja vu on the steep cement stairs that lead to the beach.

Every room has a memory, every place. Many of the memories of Traverse City are about our wonderful family vacations. Running along the beach, splashing in the water on film. I wish we edited all those together. We should. Dinners on the back porch of the cottage. Shopping at Giant and Tom’s with you. Getting stacks of comics at that little store or Thompson’s News. Going to the magic shop or the stamp show at the Elks Lodge. Travelling to some weird restaurant like the Cherry Bucket or one at Shanty Town in Leland or one in Sutton’s Bay where they had the ship to play in. So many wonderful memories. One of the best things about doing my vacation myself is that there are few to no obligations. If I don’t want to go to dinner, I don’t have to go. If I don’t want to go to town, I can stay here. I have total freedom to make my own schedule, and I love that.

Bob is hilarious. Earlier today he hands me this article from the Economist, a magazine I started reading because I discovered it here. He says to me, “you worry about the environment, right? Well, no need to worry anymore, here’s the “truth” about the environment.” And he plunks down this article called the same. And this article, which is written by some idiot Danish statistician (why this qualifies him I have no idea), claims that the scare over the environment is not as bad as environmentalists made us believe it to be.

He has all these suspect arguments and statistics showing that there’s more food per person than ever before, plenty of natural resources left, etc. One part I love is where he claims that there’s 150 years worth of fossil fuels left at the present rate of consumption. What he doesn’t write is [1] the rate of consumption keeps increasing and [2] there was 300 years of fossil fuels left with the rate of consumption in 1980. I remember that from debate.

So, we’ve been joking about this all day.

“I was so worried. Nothing to fear now.”

“I am so relieved that all that scare over the environment was for nothing.”

Now the sun has broken through the clouds and is streaking across the water making everything shiny. We’re hidden from it here because of all the trees. But it makes the whole cove look like a shiny window display and the boats like bright, new toys.

0108.19 21:31

A pause.

I am now sitting in my bed after 21:00 as you can read. I am listening to one of the mixed CDs I made called “How to Disappear Completely” and writing more to you before I may or may not do some writing before bed.

0108.20 12:36

Hi there. Beautiful morning. The sky is blue with clouds at the tree line along the far shore. A gusty wind, Warm, wonderful day. The sun is glistening off the water of the bay. Wow.

Blueberry and peach (a combo, not two separate ones) buckle for breakfast.

yummy. 

0308.16-18:24:35

Still have not had a swim. Took a long nap. I think I will stay here tonight: no movie. That way I can call you without guilt and I can read and write more, especially read. And go to sleep whenever. I need to buy supplies. I’d like to get some vodka. Maybe I will have a quick dinner and have some vodka. Raspberry flavored with Sprite.

Bob and Sally have ruined Poland Spring water for me. Have you been with me when I hunted for Poland Spring water? You know, I have many bottles that are Poland Spring, yes?

So Bob sets out this magazine with a cover story: THERE IS NO ICE MOUNTAIN. Well, come to find out this has to do with Poland Spring, too. There was a Poland Spring but it’s all dried up.

Nestle, who owns both, was wooed by Engler. They were charged $100 fee per year and offered bazillions in tax breaks (ie. Michigan ina fucked financial state) to pump 100 to 300 gallons a minute out of an aquifer in Mecosta county that feeds Lake Michigan. They may eventually pump 800 gallons a minute. They have been doing this for almost two years now.

Anyway, that’s why the water vanished from so many places. They’re boycotting.

The article may be slanted though and I will ask Bob about this. I wrote about Kalamazoo wanting to pump water out of aquifers out in Ross Township. Citizens freaked that Kazoo wanted to pump water for free and then sell it back to them, which is essentially what Nestle does with Poland Spring and Ice Mountain.

But when I studied it, something like 300 million gallons of water flows through the aquifer per day. Kazoo wanted to pump something like 30 gallons a minute. 43,200 gallons a day, leaving 2,956,800 gallons through the aquifer per day.

43,200 is something like 1/69th of the total gallons per day or 1.44%.

The point of the story is how certain beliefs I hold dear are often shattered here at the Neahtawanta. Even if Nestle is only pumping say 1% or less of the total water output, they are not paying enough in taxes or in fees to have the water. $100 a YEAR?????

That’s insane and sick.

I don’t think the issue is that they should not have the water but rather that they should pay an adequate fee for the water and pay more in taxes.

I am trying to talk myself out of boycotting Poland Spring because although the spring is dry, I like the idea of it.

The article does not mention the amount of water that flows through the aquifer per day. Bob is quoted in the article (cute) and seems to suggest that aquifers can be drained. I know water is not like oil though. Oil takes so long to be created by the earth it’s not really a renewable resource. But water is sustainable. Ground water does renew though probably nowhere close to the rate of 800 gallons per minute/per day.

*sigh* Another illusion shattered.

I just played surrogate inn keeper with a woman and her daughter. They want to stay here next week. Only one night has one free room. No rooms at the inn! ha.

The night is so gorgeous. Some clouds have perked up and there’s a northern breeze. But the water near shore is relatively placid and the night is amazingly still and serene.

- chris tower - 1309.08 - 15:43 (and 1309.09 - 9:28)