Happy New Year 2009

While I remember listening to Guy Lombardo at midnight as a (very small) child, and while I am a sucker for the traditional and original bagpipes that Robby Burns intended, I offer this as a good way to see in 2009. The video owner has not allowed embedding so you must go here to have your heart stirred by Aretha Franklin and Billy Preston. My warmest wishes for health and fulfillment in 2009.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old times since ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Etiquette

Looking at Sunbird

Birthday Debris

I love receiving books as presents! The difficult part comes when people are sitting around watching and waiting for you to move on and all you want to do is take in the book immediately. Slowly. Page after page.

Thanks to Jeremy for making it back from Kilimanjaro in time to take these pictures.

Christmas 2008

Maggie as Santa, Christmas, Danville,Virginia 1972 Emmett Gowin

I do not do Top Something lists. It is too difficult for me to impose a hierarchy and I invariably think of something I left off. That said Maggie by Emmet and Elijah with text by Edith Gowin tops my 2008 list of beautiful photography books with an image of Santa made by a family about family.

Merry Christmas. When next I write it will be with the wisdom of another year under my belt.

Jingle Bells

We had snow all day once again, with another storm predicted for tomorrow. As cabin fever is taking a firm grip on my sanity I am passing along this opportunity from WFMU. A compilation of more than 6 hours of Jingle Bells for your listening enjoyment. Time to hook up your laptop to the good speakers!

The tracklist entices you to stay to the bitter end with Jingle Hell by The Space Negroes on disk 5, part 3.

Saddle up!

Gift giving

To close out the year here is a gift from David Letterman via Eyeteeth.

Scrooge Update

After yesterday's post Dana Triwush, co-Publisher Aperture Magazine emailed to give me a direct link for making a one year subscription donation to their School/Library program. These are schools and libraries who have written to the Aperture Foundation requesting to be put on the list. If you know of a school that might not be listed you may email magazine@aperture.org to request having it placed on the list.

Scrooge

I have issues with the holidays. It may just be my contrary nature, thus, when I am told to be MERRY I immediately get grumpy. I decided that this year I would take my querulous energy and put it into donating to arts programs in need (I realize that's a redundant descriptor). It has worked a charm and I highly recommend it. I did not expect a thank you note but it made my day.

Modern Art Notes has once again set up a page at Donors Choose where one can select from several requests for funding by teachers seeking help with materials and books for arts education. Donations as small as $10 can make an impact.

Another option is to donate an Aperture Magazine subscription to a school. Teachers and librarians write requesting to be placed on a list and for just $20 you can fulfill a requested subscription to a school. I believe high school to be a particularly fertile time for conceiving of possibilities and was able to donate a year's subscription to a high school in California and in the spirit of bi-coastalism one to a high school on Long Island (International subscriptions are particularly requested so those of you outside the USA are not exempt). I received a call from their subscription services about renewing a subscription I took care of a year ago for an organization and was told about this school donation program. I am unable to find a page on the website that addresses this program so you may need to contact customer service or call them directly.

A third possibility is to support Leslie K Brown's fundraising effort for Boston's Photographic Resource Center. She states that any donation over $1 will help!

I will leave you with this song from my childhood (please feel free to insert Hanukkah or New Year's or the Solstice):

Christmas is coming,
The geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny
In the old man's hat.

If you haven't got a penny,
A ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha'penny,
Then God bless you.

Insomnia

Insomnia Jeopardy Roz Chast

This is a very good visualization of the past few weeks for me. My apologies to Roz Chast.

Portrait

Portrait of Effie

This is the best portrait I have of my Mother-in-law. She died 9 years ago this week. She wanted our daughter to have her cookie press and recipes. They made Christmas cookies together for 15 years, the Chocolate Log cookies were the favorites. Yesterday my daughter invited a friend's four year old daughter to come to her house and make cookies with her. I am very glad she is continuing the tradition.

Wanna visit the most annoying web site ever?

For a Friday distraction here is a little something I came across. You can drive your cubicle neighbors, not to mention your pets, insane! When Flash becomes available for the iPhone you can conquer the world! (move your cursor in the window)

Advent Calendar

Richard Renaldi

If you aren't checking in on Richard Renaldi's Secular Advent Calendar then you're missing some holiday amazement. My anticipation is growing!

Eyes that see

There are abundant opportunities to collect on a budget right now. Herb and Dorothy will hopefully be in wider release in 2009. If you're on the fence about buying they might serve as inspiration.
A few examples:

Juliana Beasley
Cara Phillips

David Wright


Humble Arts


Blind Spot


20 X 200

Lovely!

Leopard Lady Juliana Beasley

The opportunities for meaningful gifts, whether for another or oneself (when I was a child my father was a great one for buying himself something he wanted, wrapping it, putting it under the tree and acting surprised when he opened it), are abundant. Juliana Beasley kindly wrote to let me know that she is offering 3 prints from the Last Stop:Rockaway Park series for sale through her web site. The sale of these 18" X 18" prints is intended to support the completion of the project. Give or collect!

Juliana has also joined us with a blog. Adding Juliana's Lovely Land of Neurosis to your Reader will, no doubt, be as informative as her compelling work.

Evan Baden

Evan Baden 2008

I am interested in the way a photographic project plays out. When something becomes finished in the mind of the maker. When one series is fully articulated will it inform a new beginning. Evan Baden is a Minneapolis photographer whose series Illuminatti is a collection of intimate portraits utilizing the new source of portrait lighting, the LED screen. He is the recipient of a Jerome Fellowship and has started a new examination of intimacy and technology and is exposing himself through a blog that lays bare his process, just as his work is considering how young people are exposing themselves. Follow along with his exploration on Evan Baden Photography.

One day later...

The irony? More snow came late this morning, as a result the garbage collection has been thrown off. The sign lives another day before the ignominy of the landfill! Is this where I write, "This body of work references the passage of time."?

If I didn't know better I'd think they read my blog.

The winter of our discontent

I'm thinking of starting a pool on how long this sign stays up. 4 more days? 4 more months? 4 more years?

Street with a View

Parade Crowd, Street with a View

Spending half an hour updating my iPhone, which now provides street view in Google maps, reminded me of this Pittsburgh project. Two artists collaborated with Google Streetview and neighbors to stage tableaux that included a parade and marathon while the small street was filmed in the Spring of 2008. Brilliant! Images here and a video on "the making of" is here.

The most interesting thing on my street view is that once again my neighbors didn't bring in their garbage cans.