tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7348294342474481902024-02-19T10:14:01.924-05:00Left to WriteA Michigan Typecast from the solitude of my basement to the comfort of yours.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-67139774127842151292013-02-02T18:23:00.001-05:002013-02-02T18:23:21.863-05:00tortoise 2<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/3443866704/" title="tortoise 2"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3384/3443866704_8c7f55b3d5.jpg" alt="tortoise 2 by mariano avila" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/3443866704/">tortoise 2</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/">mariano avila</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-73951572526025895432009-12-13T17:34:00.007-05:002011-02-09T02:03:49.361-05:00Bowie's letter to first US fan posted<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#551A8B;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgOa2HB16cIuVUXG2gCREtgyLtwDcyvaNtMvGH5XgybDHXPPgAiy9zsL2qXMfjHB8-D2kLSQ3PWGAgNSto5R_2dx9boG1aruf7kAfXlg5I7ROJ1RcKwzMziymHfflp_IcJ0CvSFUvRHS9/s1600-h/David_Bowie_Scan1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgOa2HB16cIuVUXG2gCREtgyLtwDcyvaNtMvGH5XgybDHXPPgAiy9zsL2qXMfjHB8-D2kLSQ3PWGAgNSto5R_2dx9boG1aruf7kAfXlg5I7ROJ1RcKwzMziymHfflp_IcJ0CvSFUvRHS9/s320/David_Bowie_Scan1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414856001655445858" /></a><div>In the midst of one of the busiest weeks I've ever lived, I couldn't pass up the chance to share this curious little story. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie">David Bowie</a>, a music and film superstar took the time 42 years ago to personally respond to his first fan letter from the USA. More interesting is that the fan, then Sandra Dodd, now Sandra Adams, scanned and posted an image of the personally typed out letter on <a href="http://sandradodd.com/bowie">her blog</a>.</div><div> The letter, was typed on Bowie's manager's personal stationary and edited and signed by the artist himself. If only someone could tell what kind of machine he used. To view it in full size, just click on it. Enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vxnFCIzlZnJUoQVDPAjeonnHelXoWKsSgq_XwBk4jmtvPVnVblAgU37fyyAR1enhj6QFe8xmjrHO-E5cHfDZZIbcuM29cSQgV7OTmfh5fSM20FWQGhNH8jPXQyvquxDh9Aa8Mvtamfzh/s1600/bowielettersmaller.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vxnFCIzlZnJUoQVDPAjeonnHelXoWKsSgq_XwBk4jmtvPVnVblAgU37fyyAR1enhj6QFe8xmjrHO-E5cHfDZZIbcuM29cSQgV7OTmfh5fSM20FWQGhNH8jPXQyvquxDh9Aa8Mvtamfzh/s400/bowielettersmaller.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571581655720109218" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 327px; height: 400px; " /></a></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-77385676533309923302009-12-02T23:31:00.005-05:002009-12-03T00:11:42.012-05:00Olivetti Horses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyICERSs0m6Wmd7xhjoiIrp-Duu8Je94QK6BQBKHVrMvatprOUm7RIRhErSV8eRsqTi-1w8IYjMTeSSUbgmj-7L8_URuFRxC8_7xc9Pasqx2KMk_wn5cJHL2SjSNzXJ1RPPrvK4T5sKGXU/s1600-h/cormac-mccarthy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyICERSs0m6Wmd7xhjoiIrp-Duu8Je94QK6BQBKHVrMvatprOUm7RIRhErSV8eRsqTi-1w8IYjMTeSSUbgmj-7L8_URuFRxC8_7xc9Pasqx2KMk_wn5cJHL2SjSNzXJ1RPPrvK4T5sKGXU/s320/cormac-mccarthy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410871085543463426" /></a><br /><div> It comes as no surprise that the great literary genius of our day, <a href="http://www.cormacmccarthy.com/Biography.htm">Cormac McCarthy</a>, wrote most of his novels on the same <a href="http://mytypewriter.com/olivettilettera32c1963.aspx">Olivetti Lettera 32</a>. According to a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/books/01typewriter.html?_r=1">New York Times article</a>, McCarthy was recently gifted a new typewriter and will give his old one to <a href="http://www.christies.com/">Christie's</a> to be auctioned off for charity. They expect between $15,000 and $20,000. </div><div> Alas, there's no money from young men like me to snatch that piece of history and perhaps even put a few of my own words on the same ribbon, next to his. Or pehaps one day my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/uppercaseyyc/1554874376/">Olympia DeLuxe </a>or my <a href="http://mytypewriter.com/hermes3000of1970s.aspx">Hermes 3000</a> will sit on some collector's shelf next to the prominant Olivetti Lettera 32. Hey, a guy can dream right?<div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-32598230455463599252009-11-24T23:19:00.004-05:002009-11-24T23:51:46.854-05:00The Recipe of Resurrection<table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/F0uR_-JDO5je4BUSvDDk4A?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg2RbuUEIdnDUh-rkejBzmWK44p8Fozfp7lt5yHLmW_HLBdfvqBEBZkxLRXsd31Q9LOet0V0hRwCA1LpsMZbotbc9YGdkSXUxprZIW17wprZaIC56Xbq0o_KBPEHEiLB16C8Anz3-Yr_0L/s800/LTW-Golf.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/avila.mariano/LeftToWrite?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite">Left to Write</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/p3HV6NPOqJPlUzNCAVuRqA?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVTXPAMxvjnaGl25zh1XQ8wAfXRrrWZPS7DoHCmz5X6kkdoRyCmqdTY61Cua-CvRj6eDGsxcXjZkOmqKXQys7xUczgVZ3Dcjq3X34ZtXEWrIkE8drQ-vB2JEz2Bfh_08DKj0MLEH-i1YL/s800/recipe%20nuts_0001.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/avila.mariano/LeftToWrite?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite">Left to Write</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-30795578180141215082009-04-14T20:23:00.010-04:002009-04-15T15:02:11.640-04:00A Trip Before the Trip-and a TortoiseI'm taking a quick break from packing for a video/photo/film trip to Guatemala. The past few days have been a trip, or a roller-coaster ride. Anyhow, I'll only be gone a few days, but will likely not write for that period. In the mean time here are a few updates. <div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 123px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgav9p4nVCMzB1Z53SdkuS079DIJH7WBBWnsHKnm0nD_J-JN9YEkoueXAUutDH5XB6xSrjig8kwvzZe0ETEG7TvQAPphyphenhyphenLPluJ0gVtgyWOKTmAckQQX32eXdcA0hEFk3LyF_xZvYGbBQf6E/s400/CM+Capture+3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324754878425591346" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The MFA Front--Bumped up, sped up.</span></div><div> As I mentioned before, Warren Wilson was kind enough to save me a spot for the winter term since they'd filled up the summer by the time I sent my application in. Well, someone decided to postpone their start date and left a spot for yours truly. So, I'm starting July 2. I'm pretty geeked about starting but already have two assignments. First, I have to chose one among some of the different workshops, and of the choices that best fit my program, I'm only familiar with the work being discussed in one. Also, I have to come prepared to discuss two pieces of my own work, but only one is near finished. So, much to do by April 22. </div><div><br /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/3443057951_2eeeb4807d.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Home Front--New pet, new rant. Oh, and need a name.</span></div><div> Kai Ryssdal of NPR's Marketplace recently had <a href="http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/08/pm_under_dog/">a story about how pet stores are doing</a> just fine in the financial downturn. Well, the misus and I have graduated from office plants, to a tortoise. It's all leading up to a grandkid for parents, in-laws and pesky friends--kidding. So, yeah, a tortoise, a bred-in-captivity Marginated Tortoise to be precise. I was about to complain about how expensive the tortoise, terrarium, "bedding", lights (two of them), heating pads, water dish, food dish, sand, hay, and calcium are, until I saw how much a flippin' dog costs. All of the items mentioned above cost less than half whatever ugly mutt they were selling at the pet store. Then you have to get shots, collars, ID tags, loads o' food, leash, toys, etc. It's kinda' crazy, but then anything but a beta fish in a $2 bowl seems pretty nuts. </div><div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5X-tYRbx-HgzQ5ROd5hmOg?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU8RYibWEkL293faiBlh0I7tTwKswQ7xvmo_Qn9X2z6sUuNICWR0rpqkSr2xxORaE2SgaExsvsUDdejZ7r687hZBCFMdWQSsrZL5vQfvYpuGlc2h68FLTF9MuhvCrxXfrW_J11rexBc4a/s400/20090411-IMG_6037.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Photo Front</span></div><div>Since my nephew just turned 6 mo. old, I gave his parents a free photo shoot. Well, who am I kidding, I love photographing the little dude. Anyhow, behold the high commander who has tak usurped every sphere of family life and can pull us away from anything by merely saying WAAAA, in the right tone. So, we pay tribute to the little man who rules with an iron fist. Eating, sleeping, drinking, getting pampered and being the center of attention. Now that's a life. </div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Typewriter Front--Dream's up, UPS picks up the tab</span></div><div>I've watched two of my dream typewriters, Groma Kolibri, ascend to the heights of $150 and well beyond my reach in only the past few days. Meanwhile, my Aztec 700 is in for repair with some undiagnosed malady that stumped the local typewriter doctor. Thankfully, UPS is paying the bill, since it was in their hands that it got messed up. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Beer Front</span></div><div> I've already had the chocolaty, coffee, and oats goodness in a bourbon barrel that is the Kentucky Breakfast Stout. I've tried the <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/205/14849">Orange Blossom Cream Ale</a>, which I'll review soon, though I linked to beer advocate for your reading pleasure. And I tried some local microbrews with mixed results. More when I get back.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Travel Front</span></div><div>Speaking of getting back, I'm going back to Guatemala this weekend (10 months since my last visit), to hand over a film project to my friend Daniel G. who is a better film director than I'll ever be. I produced a short narrative film that he wrote and directed a couple years ago, so now I invited him to my turf. So down we'll go to work with some of the most dangerous men in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods and institutions of that country. I'll spare the gory details until I return. Until my return, keep an eye out for my tweets (look right, I have a widget). I'll sneak them if I can. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-1479282699972905112009-04-02T23:12:00.024-04:002009-04-07T08:00:32.555-04:00One Studio+Two Artists= Art for All<div>What: Artist Review</div><div>Who: <a href="http://web.mac.com/alynnguerra/Red_Hydrant/home.html">Alynn Guerra</a> & Carlos Aceves</div><div>When: April 1, 2009</div><div>Where: Tanglefoot studios, Grand Rapids, MI</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/3415337179/" title="Alynn Y Carlos Ensalados by just.mariano, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3406/3415337179_9429cdcd88.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Alynn Y Carlos Ensalados" /></a></div> <div> On April Fools Day, I went to the Tanglefoot building, in the half-abandoned industrial complex along Straight St. Why? Because I wanted to visit two local artsits whose work caught my eye last summer. Alynn Guerra, was my guide through the brick maze that is the main level of the 100-year-old flypaper factory. Then, up the freight elevator to it's dark and narrow hallways. She opened a gray door marked "This is not an Exit" and we entered an open space that seems to be made of light and color. I was in New York or maybe Paris. There was a soundtrack of French ska, <a href="http://www.lesogres.com/main.htm">Les Ogres de Barback,</a> later polyglot sensation <a href="http://www.manuchao.net/">Manu Chao</a> (a personal favorite of mine). But the real excitement started when I saw their art up close, and it grew as I got to know the Mexico City-born, now Grand Rapids-based Alynn Guerra and Carlos Aceves. </div><div> I first met them, at the East Town Arts Festival. I was there to hear a band and most of the booths were wrapping up, when I saw Alynn's vibrant prints of animated skeletons, reminiscent of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Guadalupe_Posada">Posada</a>. The distinct Mexican influence was like a magnet and I wanted to see the Gabacho hippie who dared make these prints. Wrong on both counts. Alynn is niether American nor a hippie--rather she's a Mexican pragmatist. We talked for as long as I could keep my wife and friends looking through Alynn's prints and T-shirts. Despite a long-standing invitation from Alynn and Carlos, it's taken me all this time to visit their studio. But, I made it, pen in pocket and carrying all of my camera gear. </div><div> To my surprise, I wasn't the only one with this idea. The Grand Rapids Press, did a <a href="http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/04/paper_work_grand_rapids_artist.html">whole profile piece </a>on Alynn for the Sunday paper. They had a writer and three or four photographers follow her around for a week. </div><div>My attempt is a bit more modest. </div><div>Below is a picture gallery and then a review, with pix of both Alynn and Carlos.</div><div><br /></div><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fjustpic%2Fsets%2F72157616287170784%2Fshow%2Fwith%2F3407923471%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fjustpic%2Fsets%2F72157616287170784%2Fwith%2F3407923471%2F&set_id=72157616287170784&jump_to=3407923471"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=69832"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=69832" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fjustpic%2Fsets%2F72157616287170784%2Fshow%2Fwith%2F3407923471%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fjustpic%2Fsets%2F72157616287170784%2Fwith%2F3407923471%2F&set_id=72157616287170784&jump_to=3407923471" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3407927691_8f76e37367.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Alynn Guerra</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Medium: block printing/painting</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Price Range: $5-$300</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Range of time spent: 1 day-months</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Cautious yet politely fierce, Alynn is orginally from Mexico City. She studied art at the <a href="http://www.enap.unam.mx/">ENAP</a> (National School of Plastic Arts), which is nestled in the green mountain ridges around the city of Taxco, Guerrero. There, in a town more famous for its silversmiths and bakers, she met her partner Carlos and the two moved to the US in 1999. Their plan was to support their art through a bookbinding business that never took off. Happily, their art began to sell instead. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">For four years Alynn printed out of her cold, humid basement.</span></span></span></div><div> "The ink got hard, that's just not a way to work," Alynn said. </div><div> She then got connected with West Michigan Artworks. Realizing that their attic was unused, she inquired about it. It was available, but she had no money. So, she proposed an exchange: work around the building and help with art projects for free studio space. The owner agreed, and Alynn set up shop in the attic. A few months later however, the UICA and Artworks merged and she lost her studio. Then director, Cindy Koning promised to find her a space and delivered a space at the Tanglefoot building. </div><div> "We had to scrub like three inches of grease and grime off the floor," Alynn said. "You couldn't come here in anything but work clothes. So, we worked from June until November of 2007.</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3350/3408690292_7d8e716c3d.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div> On <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead">Dia de los muertos</a>, (day of the dead) they opened the studio with two live bands and free food. The opening lasted two days and brought in a steady stream of people that is better left uncounted.</div><div><br /></div><div> Alynn's work is mostly block printing, painting and the occasional woodcarving. At both a social level and an artistic level Alynn said that her biggest influences are the<a href="http://library.princeton.edu/about/news/grafica091307.php"> Taller de Grafica Popular</a>, a movement of Latin American artists interested in making art available to the working class, and the</div><div> pamphlets and posters of social and political struggle that speckle Mexico City with pop art.</div><div> "The reason I do block printing is for its capacity to be reproduced," Alynn said. "Art is for the masses, not for galleries or for people who pay lots for it." </div><div> That same sentiment is what leads her to sell most of her work either online, through her <a href="http://web.mac.com/alynnguerra/Red_Hydrant/home.html">website</a>, her <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5100657">Etsy shop</a>, or at different festivals in Michigan and Chicago.</div><div> Alynn's told me that for her injustice, the war industry, discrimination of any type and government corruption, are all forms of violence against humanity. Her reaction to violence is to be found in the violence of block printing. </div><div> "No matter how much you want to do it, you can't do that with a brush or a pencil," Alynn said. "You have to grab a knife and carve into the wood with the strength of your own arms. It's violence." </div><div> Meanwhile, in her own life, Alynn is a generous and peaceful person who gives lessons to people in the community and often gives her art away at community events, fundraisers and her own birthday over a beer. </div><div> Speaking of beer, Alynn and Carlos are true fans of our very own Founders Brewing Co. and are often found mingling and chatting with GR's up-and-coming artists. As far as I'm concerned, she's a young, talented, Mexican artist who lives in West Michigan, cares about the world around her and uses her work for social justice. You can't get much better than that.</div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3564/3408000109_2d52a7d44c.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Carlos Aceves</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Medium: Sculpture</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Price range: $100-$4500</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Range of time per piece: 1 week-1 month</span></span></div><div> For a man who chisels wood and tenses steel wire to sculpt, Carlos is a gentle-mannered man who speaks in soft tones. He was born in Mexico City like Alynn and studied with her at ENAP. The two met on their first day of class and they've been together ever since. It was his set of connections that brought the two artists to Grand Rapids. </div><div>Carlos said he picked sculpture as a medium because of the dimensionality of the pieces.</div><div> "Sculpture is three dimensional and I try to take advantage of that in order to address themses that have more than one dimension," Carlos said. "You can't hide anything and that is a more open way for me to express myself."</div><div> His work of late has revolved around the topic of genetically modified food. He uses wood and metal as a juxtaposition of the natural and the manmade. </div><div> "They help me to express tension in themes, and the physical tension when it evokes the thematic tension is what I would consider an achievement in any one of my pieces," he said. </div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 333px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3657/3408737966_9e79d02b9b.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>His thematic thrust is the fact that an increasingly small amount of corporations are selling farmers seeds. These seeds are genetically modified to be high yield but sterile so that next year you</div><div> have to buy the seed again. They are also highly dependent on secondary products like fertilizers and pesticides, which the company will conveniently sell you. </div><div> "We all have the right to eat, to nutrition," Carlos said. "The small farmer has to go into debt and these farmers depend on a good season, so one bad season will ruin them. The tension is between the farmer with their traditions and lifestyle and the seed corporations who want to sell and please stockholders."</div><div> A recent article on this can be <a href="http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_16966.cfm">found here</a>.</div><div> </div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3397/3407923471_ed16c04a4f.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><div>For Carlos, that is his role as an artist, to educate with a different language. </div><div> "If you can see my art, then you'll appreciate the colors and visual tension," Carlos said. "But, if you cannot see, you'll be able to feel the tension in the pieces through the textures and the contrast in the shapes. I try to make art accessible to as many people as possible in that sense. My art is for people who can see and for people with visual impairments."</div><div> Though it's hard for sculptures like Carlos to sell their art at prices affordable to people like yours truly, making art available doesn't always involve the exchange of money, and that is something Carlos captures well. Likewise, tensed steel cables around a wood-framed corn cob hint at something to do with man vs. nature. I can wrap my mind around that and start asking questions. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-21674433334853059732009-03-30T22:53:00.008-04:002009-03-30T23:59:43.725-04:00Yes, but wait--from Warren Wilson<table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/E9pnp2Ipenxz2sjaA6kXCg?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm76dYvB_C1TZfW3_DmNzm5GqyPJ_p2KP942jAdq_0za1oa36lg6VeVIPUmk5ErREg9yBCSHTmQo8K167gGsEZog9Ls8H4fnppiowY9b3_sUQRXnafllxLDshLpX1PPwnCbm_QFr8_oi5a/s800/CM%20Capture%202.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I spent Sunday at my parents house, with the rest of the family, and at around 6:30 p.m., while we were watching a movie, I missed a surprising call that led to a more surprising bit of news. I got home well past 10:00 p.m. and saw "new message" shinning on my cellphone screen. When I saw the number of the caller, I realized that it was an area code from which I've never received a call before. My heart skipped a beat. I dialed my inbox and there were three messages. A "got-there-safely" message from the misus, a coworker asking for a favor, and then a new voice. A message riddled with excruciating pauses, um's, and errs' framing a baritone-tenor timbre and delaying the meat in the message. "...We'd like to offer you...um...a...uh, place in admission at the <a href="http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~mfa/newwebsite/homepage.php">Warren Wilson Writer's Workshop</a>."</div><div style="text-align: left;"> It was all I could do to contain an audible cheer, though I pumped my fist in the solitude of my bedroom. Then I calmly walked downstairs, put the phone on speaker and played it. She ran in place and threw her arms around me. I called the family to let them know and, since it was too late to call Warren Wilson back, we just poured a <a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/beer_styles.php?recordID=23">Kentucky Breakfast Stout</a> into a snifter and shared a beer and a blessing on the living room sofa. </div><div style="text-align: left; "> This morning I called the faculty member back and received something I did not expect. Yes, I'm in, accepted into the program. But, somewhere between my application being turned in literally at the last <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">minute</span>, and an extraordinarily large applicant pool, the positions they wanted to offer are more than the positions they have available. So, I've been accepted, to the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">January 2010</span> term. Apparently, they liked one of the stories in my application package enough to hold a spot for me next term even though I all but missed the summer term. If, however, someone opts out or differs their application, I'd be starting July 2, 2009. So, while I'm waiting for <a href="http://www.bu.edu/writing/letter.html">Boston</a> and <a href="http://www.bennington.edu/go/graduate/mfa-in-writing">Bennington</a>, I have the security of an MFA in my future...Lord willing. </div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-80600677328661978182009-03-26T00:45:00.011-04:002009-03-26T01:55:23.011-04:00Virtual Rejection-unconfirmed<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0CK-vb9LI9t1gQS5_xaliNDRr0ZCKVywDrtU4d0YZZxVquuBDqgBPhfae80HPhhJY1pm4K2qb1TKg4c_KyUP5Uwp39IIrvutE6TUwGayWK1eQQ5si3odUNZCB7C5VCMfQf1wmG9Gm7zX/s1600-h/CM+Capture+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS0CK-vb9LI9t1gQS5_xaliNDRr0ZCKVywDrtU4d0YZZxVquuBDqgBPhfae80HPhhJY1pm4K2qb1TKg4c_KyUP5Uwp39IIrvutE6TUwGayWK1eQQ5si3odUNZCB7C5VCMfQf1wmG9Gm7zX/s400/CM+Capture+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317369067558045154" /></a> As I sat in my study cleaning my new Aztec 700, which I decided to call Cuauh, something burned in me...no it was not the enchiladas. I couldn't handle the silence, the anxious wait, the impotent desire of figuring out if I did or did not get into one of the three MFA programs. Bennington, Boston and Warren-Wilson alike, promised to contact applicants within two to six weeks. It is no secret that they contact accepted applicants first and usually via phone. Well, I gave them four weeks to reach the frozen chosen and figure that weeks five and six are for the unelected, unreached, unwanted. <div> So, tonight I turned to a blog called <a href="http://sethabramson.blogspot.com/">Suburban Ecstasies</a>, which on top of offering good poetry, it tracks the dates in which schools notify applicants. So, as the <a href="http://sethabramson.blogspot.com/2009/01/2009-data-bank-of-mfa-application.html">2009 numbers </a>appeared on the right column and there, in blue lettering it appeared that Bennington has already notified its fiction applicants on March 12, 2009. I'm assuming they are done notifying their elect by now, so I'm counting this as a definite MISS, and hoping for two out of three to come back with a positive response. Boston has already notified its Poetry applicants but no word on fiction yet--so I'm still hoping and praying and wishing and thinking, planning and dreaming each night of their halls, which gets me no closer at all....a bit for the doo wop humor. <div> Well, the wait continues and we can safely assume that I'm not buying any tickets to Vermont any time soon. One down...</div><div>A picture of Cuauh:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhYLXyDFagk_o3nEFG9qEPbVnpO3Jq4BoHdsNArkQYWBv0be7ndwv49Zg-IdH1GWXQ62GMW_HkaY26tvp3ImAMGsNmsIPM0oSGHwnaQQHa3qW2NaCIQGvXxIysEtuSgqM7WDGsZz4gaiK/s1600-h/242275877_o.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhYLXyDFagk_o3nEFG9qEPbVnpO3Jq4BoHdsNArkQYWBv0be7ndwv49Zg-IdH1GWXQ62GMW_HkaY26tvp3ImAMGsNmsIPM0oSGHwnaQQHa3qW2NaCIQGvXxIysEtuSgqM7WDGsZz4gaiK/s400/242275877_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317370681310362530" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-26170064692079584512009-03-18T20:57:00.004-04:002009-03-18T22:12:30.064-04:00King Beer is Here (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)On Saturday night, <a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/home.php">Founders</a> held a party to mark the release of their most exclusive beer, and my estimation of what water will taste like in heaven: the <a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/beer_styles.php?recordID=23">Kentucky Breakfast Stout</a>. The production is so limited that when I went to a liquor store to buy some, I was only allowed one four-pack and said pack was $22. I also found out that the owners randomly sign a bottle here and there (not every four-pack gets a signed bottle), and mine just happens to have one--which made me pretty happy when I realized it. Naturally, as soon as I got back in the car, my wife went in and bought another four-pack. I'll be stocking up in the next few days. If you love beer, GO BUY IT NOW. By the end of the year, you'll be lucky to get one beer on ebay for $40. <div> A formal review of the beer will appear as soon as I work up the courage to crack one open. Or when I go to founders with my friend Brian who writes <a href="http://www.blogger.com/fivebranchtree.blogspot.com/">Five Branch Tree</a>. Below are some pictures for the uninitiated and for those unfortunate many who don't live in West Michigan, and below that my description of how I took the pix. </div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/3366982478/" title="Kentucky Breakfast Stout-Signature by just.mariano, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3366982478_792dbf1a8f.jpg" width="500" height="312" alt="Kentucky Breakfast Stout-Signature" /></a><div>This is obviously the label with the lucky signatures.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/3367077128/" title="Kentucky Breakfast Stout-bottle by just.mariano, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3608/3367077128_1beddb0e71.jpg" width="277" height="500" alt="Kentucky Breakfast Stout-bottle" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/3366157563/" title="Kentucky Breakfast Stout-neck by just.mariano, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3642/3366157563_e5890b133a.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Kentucky Breakfast Stout-neck" /></a><div><br /></div><div>That's what this handsome bottle looks like. </div><div><br /></div></div>Camera: Canon 30D<br />Lens: 100 mm macro<div>ISO: 100<br />SS: 1/60<br />f14<br />I used two SB800 with remote flash.<br />The front one was a 1.5 ft away and 3 ft. off the ground on a stand, bounced off a reflective umbrella, front right, @ full blast. The second was a foot behind and to the left @ 1/4 with a diffuser card and a black flag to keep the light from washing out the front of the bottle. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-31759894569921879852009-03-17T22:34:00.004-04:002009-03-17T22:54:26.096-04:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Disclaimer</span><br />I gave pencasting a try on Sunday. I wrote about turning 31, which I did last Wednesday. So, below is the actual page from my 13x21cm Moleskine, and below that is a digital rendition. I've been told that sometimes my handwriting is hard to read. So if it looks like Sanskrit, don't worry, it's in 12pt. Georgia font below the scan.<div><br /></div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mAxdxQHbEd-npYaG2i3SUQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rj3G4DTSQzA8y_IkgBPDO36RtoZ9tj-zVQAfUHhqaGXjoQQr1bAJ2-LzCMp3aPh00gqiXRJ2NOFJXAqYPnTHpvBC9zrfUHJvo27-yfE2x1vZZuH6r0JRXeDHNAywN3NGsUV0emjHAf93/s800/img010.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/avila.mariano/LeftToWrite?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite">Left to Write</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Thirty First & Thirty Second</span></div><div> This week I turned thirty one and I'm cool with that. No, I have not written a literary masterpiece or saved the world from war and hunger. Still, I'm blessed to be healthy, employed, creative, but above all, loved. I think the realization of the importance of meaningful relationships was God's gift to me at the start of my thirty second year of life. I have a beautiful wife who loves me and with whom I am in love; I come from a family that has an increasingly rare mix of stability, support, faith and integrity; I have friends and neighbors who make time to hang out with me, often on short notice, despite their busy schedules. All this through God's loving grace. Even if I could explain such a wonderful life apart from my faith, I wouldn't want to. </div><div> Looking ahead a year thirty two, I actually see a clear path towards a clear goal. I want an MFA so that I can tell the collection of stories I've hunted and gathered over three decades. Meanwhile, I'll continue to write from 5 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and voraciously on weekends. I also have the advantage of having a multi-media job that requires writing for the eye, the ear, the young, the old, etc. So, I'll use iron to sharpen iron, so to speak, and somewhere in between find breath and space enough to pen, type write and post moments of the upcoming days in year thirty two. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-68474672131224550022009-03-09T18:33:00.004-04:002009-03-09T18:42:50.153-04:00Boston University received my applicationSo, with a few mistakes and some awkward word separation at the end of some lines, here is a typed out version of Boston University's receipt-of-application letter. They're just slightly wordier than Bennington. So, that's two out of three and Warren Wilson is still notably silent. <div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hE54bJpcb54apyrh92GiNw?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9BOQXjYWRjozF5hU5Yqi_25L1euik3RVls2CUEpxBbWjs2ZheU7S9-OwIjLTE8Hp2bGjijkoA74BVhCoGUrnJ-L0qlW9rpHM-XAptsw-3-Erkn9cRhlB98uQJT5RRkE3dheJ0qXSvzop/s800/img009.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-79900824498301791262009-03-08T23:10:00.010-04:002009-03-09T21:18:08.310-04:00Calvin & Me--Beer and Faith<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Why Calvinus Matters</span></div>Back from one of his many trips, my father brought with him a beer of which I knew nothing before. Calvinus is a tribute to Protestant father of Reformed thinking, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin">John Calvin</a>. Their <a href="http://www.calvinus.com/">website</a> has a fun little intro. Anyhow, being as this is the <a href="http://www.calvin500.org/">500th anniversary</a> of the birth of said reformer, it seems only suitable that this be the year to try the beer named after him. <div> So what? -you might say. Well, it just so happens that I'm a graduate of <a href="http://www.calvin.edu/">Calvin College</a>, a part-time student at <a href="http://www.calvinseminary.edu/">Calvin Seminary</a>, and overall agree with most of what the man proposed. Of course there was that incident with <a href="http://www.servetus.org/en/michael-servetus/biography/bio7.htm">Miguel Serveto</a>, which is not only lamentable, but also plainly wrong. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Beer</span></div><div>Back to the beer. Since there is only one bottle in the family, and since it does not belong to me, I decided to photograph it next to one of Calvin's biblical commentaries for memory's sake. The beer itself, as I understand it, is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_beer#Witbier">Belgian White (whitbier)</a> with lots of citrus and wheat to the flavor. <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/calvinus-blanche/13865/24712/">Click here</a> for a review. So, here are pictures of the beer itself. Below the pix I wrote the specs on how I took them and the equipment I used. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/avila.mariano/LeftToWrite?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite#5311338197677379826"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOu_rSailtqZn94QAzH1j_YIfb5TDBZOVb9CHNsdo4hqlPaBg5Wti4gKP-Tl-8JCE9wX3L8IwSQyPo5g1eu8afitxw_3ThsLbod2fu3jy8cdjaaZSaOeVBe4LcKYuw-0XBr6CRi2c6ltWn/s400/20090308-IMG_5507.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oi_O8i4fujc448tkaTtoig?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEwC-OJwjM6Kt8l5Wu9PbYoeA0UxSRTRcH-MVobVERkm_8q-HNpnQ_q-IpDicbSo_8iEezdFvDAJw5Yuhz42SAegNQ8oxcxl1CZS0-FDY0l_y9qIWzbMY-iEaA-TtqZFQYs3FMYKM43i0/s400/20090308-IMG_5526.jpg" /></a> <div> I know you can see my umbrella on the bottle. Sorry it was a quick setup in my parent's living room. </div><div>The pic on the left was taken on a piece of laminated cardboard using a Canon 30D.</div><div>Left: 17-85 mm lense| iso 100| shutter speed 1/160| f 18| two speedlite SB800s: the upper left one on an umbrella stand with swivel bracket| behind a shoot-through umbrella 2ft away and 3 ft off the ground| set at 1/4 power| another SB800 was about a foot away from the book| on the ground with the diffuser card| at 1/64. </div><div><br /></div><div>Right: 100mm macro| ISO 1000| 1/40| f 2.8 -no flash</div><div>Both pix below have the same specs as the pic on the right.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7NJmQcHM4d5xyZ3swb81xA?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtfsa1JlUAaIJPUpgIaqg59_-EwBcz_dSN-_1Spmq1MLjIKidQKjxSVSBS8sD3ci-AhPZfmqh9CJIVum9yMt5VqEZJanunWFle2jPvzwU14ORDXXR_UGPpCy1tShUcmVVnsXibLNY8eIN/s800/20090308-IMG_5524.jpg" /></a><div><br /></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zg3hab2S-i6roKkfwZBPXw?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtUO8vW68XDtH1E5fUnPO_BctKyg1mrUu8S6bGBIQLWwLQqgx50uifqE_O3y85JgwLMiRAsVVQayPlX8NzjNW24VDKf4ZMZnZRe_a-rgmL_jpHGlnaRcKob6u5iIL0I_3lkb_2Q8HaLDyg/s800/20090308-IMG_5523.jpg" /></a><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-77262289995764523582009-03-07T14:09:00.005-05:002009-03-07T14:50:21.116-05:00One Week Later, The Basics Sound GreatI'm about one week from having submitted my applications and now my days are filled with ordinary language. Below is my reflection about leaving a world dominated by standards set by the greats of literature and judged by committees, and returning to a world of the most basic language learning which I have not visited in well past a decade. <div><br /></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UQAVp6BNUWRTe9T0AtllJQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WXD03i1Gf8XifW1Ql1m_OQrZMDjZo33OGML5mGEttCn2BXgjysh_uZ2F8RPRClkDKeyX-wDbKY-wtwtgHq1rcqxw3xsAYtaXieeRVvdHDUqt6TCc1ATZ3OywuAWIy1YpTW7eGGKKUmBq/s800/img008.jpg" /></a><div><br /></div><div>I used one of the 1,00o sheets of yellow Luster Duplex onion skin-paper that I also rescued from certain demise or recycle. What was that? It's two sheets of fused or laminated into a single sheet of paper, that has one sheen side one mat side, and is very thin. It was great for making fancy carbon copies with typewriters back in the day. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-36862095883441327822009-03-04T19:49:00.006-05:002009-03-04T21:15:08.203-05:00It Begins-signs of life<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Is it the waiting or the not knowing, or not knowing while you wait? What's worse? Well, to help the wait along, Bennington was the first of the three MFA programs to which I applied, that showed signs of life. It's an email, which posed a dilemma: digital or anablog? Because it's short and is also the only excuse I have for typing today, here it is. So, if you're at all curious about how these letters go, here is an example. Holy student loans Batman, I'm going for broke.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PjS98SVaU0xTcsX6hfHwPw?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3FW7NIEN08nhQOe_uGk40YSWO9LOSzoJdL5OGlkaEslG-NfFemBGEG7dStX7PXA1KMR3Vi_3eCfsqdsHpEdG7dA0YtUMM6OINSeiqgynUptsYH-noUXCjGGeWrateSwz_JX5M5N5mNHlO/s800/img006.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/avila.mariano/LeftToWrite?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7L3J2igMe7hgE&feat=embedwebsite">Left to Write</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Written on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justpic/3287925441/in/photostream/">Smith-Corona Super Sterling</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-63818062450192921012009-03-02T22:10:00.008-05:002009-03-02T23:54:27.603-05:00Stamps<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Idea</span><div>Once upon a former life as a journalist, I reviewed spas and restaurants. Yes, I still wonder why I left that job---oh, yeah: it paid a pittance. Now I'm doing it for free. How?<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Cards and Stamps</span></div><div>A fun way to tell people about a place, event or product, is to show labels, ticket stubs, tags, etc. So, I'm going to physically glue said things of what I want to review onto cards that I salvaged from a dumpster. The cards say STAMPS, so all these posts will follow suit.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Legend</span></div><div>From one to five $ signifies cost. From one to five * signifies rating.</div><div><br /></div><div>NOTE: The actual review is below the STAMPS</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pAEh_oZ0Z6EcVblXtd7wSQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqkq_KL-f2NmAE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iiBnuZQGNHsWx39tyZjGoJ-pl2yPNNi-_M4uGObgf5ce-B_Y8e1gVhWg-qEFonqMw1P9_6Px6iqMf141pReYx0eqHowNoIBFySdeu5GhQvRQOawSpsThuSWvu6CJSyMSv8WoLVkO3E7v/s800/img003.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/home.php">Founders Brewing Co. </a></span></div><div>The makers of what are probably the best microbrewed ales in the country, these guys just happen to be local to Grand Rapids, where I live. Expect me to review each of their ales and stouts--not all at once though. The tag above is the bottleneck sticker to the <a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/beer_styles.php?recordID=1">Dirty Bastard</a>, my third favorite beer in the world. It's a rich beer, with a bitter top note and a sweat yet peaty finish that lingers in your mouth with little hints of hops and I'd almost say dark chocolate. It is an aggressive beer and apparently their flagship. Worth noting is an 8.5% alcohol content and 50 IBU's. This is the little brother to the Backwoods Bastard which is liquid ecstasy aged in whisky barrels, a real kick in the pants. Neither is for the Corona crowd, this is the real deal. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">The Omelette Shoppe </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(sorry no website)</span></span><br /></div><div>I went there for breakfast today with a buddy of mine. It seems to be local to Grand Rapids but I'm not sure. O don't think they even have a site. I didn't have their specialty, I had a standard breakfast. I ordered two eggs, sunny side up, rye toast and a short stack of pancakes. Eggs are eggs and you have to be pretty dense to mess them up, but they were pretty good. Their rye is served buttered and toasted. I love the mixed pumpernickel with regular flour--the swirly-looking type.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-734829434247448190.post-2214115418620798582009-03-01T19:19:00.000-05:002009-03-01T23:42:17.243-05:00My First Typecast<div> I've submitted applications to my Spring round of MFAs. Regardless of results, I learned oodles and buckets about how tough fiction-writing is. With round one behind me, here is my shout-out to all the typecasters that inspired me, with their <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo </a>efforts, to try my hand at mechanical composition. </div><div> While my typewriter is not a particularly interesting piece, I think the paper is. See the purplish stains on it? That's because it is written on Polyester Film Carbon paper by Spirit (circa 1980). It is so old that the purple carbon seeped through the 6 lb. sheet between it and the master. So, this is my first, of hopefully many typecasts. Enjoy!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dSxpBIHSLWNvJboRlWkzSw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_BvRG9BIOV1s/SatOYUFcgeI/AAAAAAAAACE/nq_nFeV3J2c/s800/img002.jpg" /></a><div>Written on a <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/edKUJ6Ttyu1O0z7QCzvrUQ?feat=directlink">Smith-Corona Super Sterling</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1