My future's so bleak, I gotta wear shades. I'm cryin' Bill. Anyhow here are also some pictures of the main body of the exhibits. Mostly, aside from the "immersive-lite" exhibits described in the previous post, visitors are confronted with these big, imposing, listing walls, 8 of 'em, one for each year, 1993 - 2001. Each has WAY TOO MUCH copy to read, lots of photos, nicely produced a/v summaries of the year's events, and a bookcase full of binders of the President's schedule/agenda for EVERY SINGLE DAY (weekends too...never found any entries marked Monica, however)! It was fun for me to learn that on my 35th birthday, Clinton--aka 42--and entourage were in Florida visiting the Toy Store of someone who was once on Welfare, as part of his Welfare Reform intiatives. 1/10th of 42's papers were in open storage surrounding everything (all the blue boxes visible in one of the photos above), attesting I suppose to the gargantuan amount of paper that self-importance can generate. In between the open storage towers are theme nooks, on the long sides--in the naves of the church--on topics celebrating 42's success, such as the First Lady's Work, or Progress on Protecting the Environment, or Huge Achievements in Crime Reduction or Stellar Progress on the Economy, or Huge Programs and Initiatives for People who want to Help Themselves...this is a list of exhibits that will not be possible in 43's exhibit. Who will do that? And what will it contain?
Last weekend I was in Atlanta for Tricia and Scott's wedding. It was wonderbar--swanky, but not overdone. Their ceremony was in a big church, and the reception was at this historic house in downtown Decatur, called the Mary Gay House. It was a blast! I'm really happy for them and that they have officially tied the knot. I forgot my camera, so the picture above is a generic photo from the web of the MGH. Got to see alot of our friends who've also moved away and that we don't see that often...geez i'm really missing everybody. And we found out that Larisa--our friend who is on her second career and in cooking school--is going to go to Switzerland for the summer to do pastries and other yummy stuff in a school/hotel. And her hearthrob Carlos is quitting his job and riding his bike across the continent, to Portland Oregon. I'm so excited for everyone moving on and beyond and into new worlds. An aquaintance of Tricia's even offered me an exhibit project for his company in Atlanta...which I refused now that i have no time for my freelance career. All in all, a very good weekend.
Ok, I know I know, I never wrote part I, I think I lost the pictures somehow. Maybe I loaded them on my computer at work? Here's a picture of Mister (with Rooster hair), in my new primitive kitchen in Ohio instead. Anyhow, three weekends ago, I went to Gloucester, Logan, New Lexington, and Lancaster, all NE of here. Today, i'm going to the SW, to see Jackson, Chillicothe, Pomeroy, South Point, and maybe Huntington WV. Got PB&J packed and an orange and some water. Later!
Those of you who know me know that i have a bit of a Doris Day fetish. I never ever ever EVER thought i'd ever be able to see these TV specials ever ever again. This has come out on DVD today, and I just can hardly stand it. I'm ready to go camp out at Amazon or something. Mister, someone HAS GOT TO CARRY ON THE LEGACY (that's my best bro boy)...please please please order this for me!? There are also 2 DVDs of the Doris Day show...
Walked to the movies last night in the snow to see this. I really liked how verite it was. I've never even heard of the director: Terence Malick. It almost seemed like a documentary at points, it seemed so refreshingly free of Hollywood melodramatic bullshit. Especially in the scenes with natives ("naturals"as Captain Christopher Newport called them) seemed real and accurate. And the whole thing took me back repeatedly to the story of an exhibit project I worked on for 5 years: Carolina on the Horizon: Charles Towne Landing, about the first 10 years of the settlement of Charleston, SC, in 1670. I went into the film wondering if it would cover stuff I learned from that project, such as how "naturals" were captured by settlers, and shipped away to Barbados, the Indies, or whatever locale needed more slaves. We tend to think of kidnapping and slavery as something only Africans were made to take, but thousands of Native Americans were forcibly exported from here, before the ones who remained were pushed out. Anyhow, this is a powerful film, and I wish Malick would make 10 more increments, taking us all the way up to Andrew Jackson and the removal, and beyond.
What Really Happened.
Tuesday, January 31st, 2005
...a message from Cindy Sheehan
Dear Friends,
As most of you have probably heard, I was arrested before the State of the Union Address tonight.
I am speechless with fury at what happened and with grief over what we have lost in our country.
There have been lies from the police and distortions by the press. (Shocker) So this is what really happened:
This afternoon at the People's State of the Union Address in DC where I was joined by Congresspersons Lynn Woolsey and John Conyers, Ann Wright, Malik Rahim and John Cavanagh.
After the PSOTU press conference, I was having second thoughts about going to the SOTU at the Capitol. I didn't feel comfortable going. I knew George Bush would say things that would hurt me and anger me and I knew that I couldn't disrupt the address because
I got the ticket back from John, and I met one of Congresswoman Barbara Lee's staffers in the Longworth Congressional Office building and we went to the Capitol via the underground tunnel. I went through security once, then had to use the rest room and went through security again.
My ticket was in the 5th gallery, front row, fourth seat in. The person who in a few minutes was to arrest me, helped me to my seat.
I had just sat down and I was warm from climbing 3 flights of stairs back up from the bathroom so I unzipped my jacket. I turned to the right to take my left arm out, when the same officer saw my shirt and yelled, "Protester." He then ran over to me, hauled me out of my seat and roughly (with my hands behind my back) shoved me up the stairs. I said something like, "I'm going, do you have to be so rough?" By the way, his name is Mike Weight.
The officer ran with me to the elevators yelling at everyone to move out of the way. When we got to the elevators, he cuffed me and took me outside to await a squad car. On the way out, someone behind me said, "That's Cindy Sheehan." At which point the officer who arrested me said, "Take these steps slowly." I said, "You didn't care about being careful when you were dragging me up the other steps." He said, "That's because you were protesting." Wow, I get hauled out of the People's House because I was, "Protesting."
I was never told that I couldn't wear that shirt into the Congress. I was never asked to take it off or zip my jacket back up. If I had been asked to do any of those things...I would have, and written about the suppression of my freedom of speech later. I was immediately, and roughly (I have the bruises and muscle spasms to prove it) hauled off and arrested for "unlawful conduct."
After I had my personal items inventoried and my fingers printed, a nice Sgt. came in and looked at my shirt and said, "2,245, huh? I just got back from there."
I told him that my son died there. That's when the enormity of my loss hit me. I have lost my son. I have lost my First Amendment rights. I have lost the country that I love. Where did
What did Casey die for? What did the 2,244 other brave young Americans die for? What are tens of thousands of them over there in harm's way for still? For this? I can't even wear a shirt that has the number of troops on it that George Bush and his arrogant and ignorant policies are responsible for killing.
I wore the shirt to make a statement. The press knew I was going to be there and I thought every once in awhile they would show me and I would have the shirt on. I did not wear it to be disruptive, or I would have unzipped my jacket during George's speech. If I had any idea what happens to people who wear shirts that make the neocons uncomfortable...that I would be arrested...maybe I would have, but I didn't.
There have already been many wild stories out there.
I have some lawyers looking into filing a First Amendment lawsuit against the government for what happened tonight. I will file it. It is time to take our freedoms and our country back.
I don't want to live in a country that prohibits any person, whether he/she has paid the ultimate price for that country, from wearing, saying, writing, or telephoning any negative statements about the government. That's why I am going to take my freedoms and liberties back. That's why I am not going to let Bushco take anything else away from me...or you.
I am so appreciative of the couple of hundred protesters who came to the jail while I was locked up to show their support....we have so much potential for good...there is so much good in so many people.
Four hours and 2 jails after I was arrested, I was let out. Again, I am so upset and sore it is hard to think straight.
Keep up the struggle...I promise you I will too.
Well, in my dreams anyway. I don't know what sort of missing chromosome type I am to think, when I see artworks like this, to myself "that looks so easy, i'll do that later." Seriously, look at this: it's just watered-down paint, splashed on an otherwise unused BIG canvas, colors allowed to bleed together pleasingly. We'll do this, right Steven, as soon as we have a nice big room up here with a nice big blank wall, right? Right.
This is, from left to right, our friend Dr. Li, Steven's mom, JingXia, me, and Steven, at the new High addition a couple of weeks ago. Thanks for the picture, Dr. Li!
