Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Why We Accumulate????


So we got a 24' ft
truckl & it is loaded
to the gills. I still
don't understand how ho-
w and why we accu-
mulate.

201 am

It is 201 am and we now need to finish packing my studio. Finally the basement is done...I think the whole house is done.

After spending a year going through my art, I discovered much... mostly that I need to put it all aside (or in the trash) and start anew.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

36x2=72


We have about 36 hours
left, though since there r
2 of us we have 72 ho-
urs, but we might sleep or
eat. Wed. we take off to TX.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Interruptions


Lots of interruptions
today but it was good
to see and say goodbye
to our favorite people.

100° HOT

Friday, June 26, 2009

No Art Today


So my friends said I
shouldn't do art today
because all day long I'-
ve been disposing of
the stuff. But where
would the art go
if I don't let her out?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

More, More


Big day on earth, an
average size planet on
a small star of the
chocolat bar galazy. Mich-
ael died @ 50 & I threw
out more bad art but my
wife is still shaking her
head and saying "more, more"
meaning "less, less."

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

F-- (How Bad I Was.)



How bad I was. So just
yesterday someone ask-
ed what kind of artist
I was and I said "a good
one" and then 2day I look-
ed through drawings fr-
om 1967 and they were
so so very bad.

F--
F--
F--

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

It's a boy!


So we turned the clay
lamb on its back 2
glue its feet back on.
"Oh my god," she exclaimed,
"it's a boy!"

Monday, June 22, 2009

Sticky Summer in St. Louis


The Thai rest-
aurant was
hot and sticky
on the warm
St. Louis day.

No one
seemed
to mi-
nd 'xc
ept me.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Del's Chair


This is my father-in-law's
chair, and him too. I us-
ually don't sit in his
chair, though he would-
n't complain, in fact, he
said he'd be honored.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Bye bye love...


Saying goodbye over & over
again — not only to people
but to things.

Bye
bye
love,
bye
bye
happiness,
hello lonli-
ness. Think
I
am
go
-ing
2 die.

Click here to see the real song.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Hula Hoops at the Circus


The beautiful woman at the circus
hula hooped so many hoops I co-
uldn't co- unt them.
See here for more info on hula hooping.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Where am I going?


A long day looking
at my life, c'ing
where I've been and w-
here I might go.

? ? ? ? ?

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

How young I was...


Today we
sorted
through 50 years
of Art and un-
derstood EW
(Edward Weston)
saying, "How you-
ng
I
was."

Monday, June 15, 2009

Who Am I?


The third question was, "Who am I?" But a world full of me has its problems.

This was the hardest of the Buddha's questions. I kept wanting to say, "me, dummy," but it didn't work. It made sense. No gender issues. No sentient being issues. But everyone can't be "me." So then I thought I was "it." Then, watching people at the airport and seeing how they are joined by the blackness, I realized that there aren't many its, but only one. So "IT" is in caps. That's who I am — part and parcel of IT (the connection of all things).

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Where are you?


The little
prince was
on top of the
earth. But here
he has created
the earth.

Here

This is another question that the Buddha asked. It was not the most difficult. That will be the next one.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Buddha asked: what time is it?



First priest said Buddha asked three questions.
Then I asked the second priest which question
was the most difficult. He said, "what time is it?"
That's not the one I would have chosen.

Maybe I'll do drawings about the two others — another "time."

Friday, June 12, 2009

Not bad, not good — joined at the hips.


One might think that not bad is good, and not good is bad. But maybe they are the same, or at least, just what they are.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Lost and Found


So we
have
our
granddog
staying with
us & we took
a walk
&
got loss.

But now I'm fo-
und.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Saving all beings...


Dad
From our neighborhood elist: "The boy's father stood on the far edge of the pool and ordered the boy -- about four or five years old -- to walk around the pool and jump off the diving board. When he hit the water, the boy panicked, and he started flailing around, screaming and going under. My son [a conscientious lifeguard] dove in and rescued the hysterical boy and swam him to the side of the pool and helped him out. The father stood several yards away the whole time and never made a move to help or come over. In fact, he got mad at my son for interfering!"

I received this reaction from our neighborhood elist:
"ok, I hate to sound dumb, but...

I don't get the picture, Kim. Is it making fun of the lifeguard for saving the kid? I am trying to figure out what you are trying to say here. Please enlighten us."
The Buddhist priest said that karma is relentless, meaning (to me) that good comes from good and bad from bad, always.

(Note: I was scolded for using the words "good" and "bad: Here is a quote from the Buddha that uses pain and happiness instead: "All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him."

And another quote that speaks to the relentless nature of karma:
"All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.")

I was struck with the ambiguity of the situation. A father with the greatest of intentions, trying to teach in the best way he could, and a lifeguard conscientiously doing his job. I felt some compassion for both (as well as for the kid).

And stepping back, I saw some humor in the situation—both the lifeguard and the father were invested in "saving all beings" and yet were in conflict with one another. William Saroyan would have described this as "the human comedy."

Monday, June 8, 2009

Organ Transplant Service



I've been thinking of getting a full organ transplant ((not the same as the (mislabeled) full organ transplants that are current done)), whereby I'd become a totally different person, perhaps assembled from all the attributes that I envy — more hair on my head, a larger (and more able) brain, the ability to draw like my wife and son can, etc. I'm sure it would never be enough... but instead of a new heart or kidney, why not a new (and faster, better looking, etc.) car (so to speak)?

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Friday, June 5, 2009

Birthday Perspective


Close up, his face was a
menacing terrain. From a
great distance, it was
as smooth as a new
car.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

1000 Feet Koan


He clutched the tree
branch with his teeth.
If he opened his mouth
he'd fall 1000 feet. If
he didn't open it he'd
fail the exam.

Reflections on Talks on Buddha's Lists

During a recent Appamada Intensive our students gave talks on Buddha's lists. Here are my reflections on their talks.