I'm So Grateful I've Never Set Foot In A Kohl's

So last Tuesday I was driving home from work and I heard on the radio a commercial for the Kohl's Black Friday (a.k.a. After Thanksgiving Day of Shopping and Insanity) sale which started at 4am. Yes. 4am in the Morning! This was news to me but apparently lots of other stores were going to be open then and some even earlier.

I immediately called Eric. Yes, I was talking on my cell phone while driving; I never said I was perfect. Anyway, I called Eric and told him that the country was officially going to Hell. Because previously it was only unofficially going to Hell. There was no, like, paperwork or mayoral proclamation or anything yet. But then this radio spot thus ushered in the official entry of our beloved U.S. of A into the fiery underworld.

We are Crazy. Like, really, literally Insane. As a Country. This nuts consumer mentality, it is just plain unbelievable. We Must Buy! Why? Because we can save 50% on some crap we don't need, Dammit, that's why!! What is wrong with me that I can't get into this? I must be some kind of un-American granola-lovin' hippie freak.

So Eric and I don't shop on the day after Thanksgiving. Not to make a statement or anything. Just, why would we? I don't need anymore stuff. And why would I want to get in line at midnight and wait in the freezing cold with a bunch of credit over-drawn spend-o-holics who Don't Even Know What They Are Going To Buy?

I'm not kidding about that last part. I was reading an AP article in the paper last Saturday about Black Friday and one couple waiting in line at Best Buy "determined that they would need a cart but didn't know what was going in it." The husband said maybe he would look at TVs. As Dr. Evil would say: Riiiiiiiiight.

Anyway, as always, Mark Morford is writin' what I'm thinkin' and doing a way more succinct and eloquent job of it. Here's today's Notes and Errata, so wonderfully titled Black Friday Die Die Die. (That title is way better than the watered-down one the SF Chronicle used for the edited version of the posting, Attention all zombies - I mean you, shoppers.)

It's not that I don't like to shop. Hell, just a few weeks ago when the house was up to it's armpits in chaos and contractors I treated myself to a little "retail therapy". Damn if I didn't feel better even though I was also a few hundred dollars lighter. But this extreme consumerism that crops up around this time of year just Stresses Me Out. It's gotten to the point where I don't wanna get anything for Christmas and I don't wanna give (with the exception of jars of my homemade pickles) anything for Christmas. What a Grinch!

What do I want for Christmas this year? A few less newspaper ad inserts and a few more hours of daylight in the evening. Is that too much to ask?

Gift Recommendation of the Day: the new Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album "Raising Sand".

Absolutely perfect for the music-lover on your list. I have been listening to this non-stop for the past two days. Excellent.

Shells Are Pretty

I haven't posted in a while because it's been a little hectic at the homestead lately. I actually wrote this post in my notebook last Friday morning because I wasn't able to access my computer all week. We've been having some work done on the house. Blah, blah, blah. Unnecessary personal information. Anyway, my life has been a bit chaotic lately.

I say "chaotic" instead of "crazy" because I've determined that people shouldn't describe their life as crazy unless they are actually insane. When people use "My life is so Crazy right now" as a way to explain why they suck at keeping it together, well, it just bugs me. What a stupid cop-out. Alright. Enough about that. That's a whole other blog post.

Anyway, in the midst of all of the disruptions I managed to finish my second hand-carved alabaster sculpture. This one is not very big: 7"H x 6"W x 10"D. Here's a photo of it.


It's titled "The Path To _______" There is ambiguity in the name, I know. Where is the path to? I leave that up for grabs. You know, Fill in the Blank. I want the viewer to determine the final destination.

For me, the path is Life, Human Existence. I leave the end undefined because, quite frankly, I don't know what it is or what it is called. Some believe "heaven", a common destination. But that's just one idea. There are a lot of ways to define where we may be headed.

The spiral is common in many ideologies as a way to depict "the path", our life's journey. We are heading up the "mountain" by taking the longer, less arduous (though not without plenty of challenges) path. As opposed to, you know, straight up. The direct route.

By taking this circular path we go through cycles where we end up back where we started yet further along the straight line towards ________. This is one way to look a the spiral path. But there are many others, there are many belief systems out there. I respect them.

I enjoy the spiral for many reasons. Is is familiar, approachable. It is easy to relate to and understand. There is flow, a constant movement. In sculptures, I use the spiral a lot. It appears as two plains moving along side by side. That this form gives my sculptures just two surfaces is intriguing to me.

One surface is the path, the other is the edge. Staying on the path will take you to the end (or the beginning). The edge is part of the path. Without the edge there would be no path. The journey requires both parts.

Or.......

It's a shell, right? I mean, that what it kinda looks like, doesn't it? Not surprising as shells are natural spirals. So, it can be about that, too. It doesn't have to be anything more complicated than an aesthetically familiar form. Take this sculpture to be as you want. I'm not offended. You don't have to get Deep.

This sculpture's origin is, for me, more in the realm of what you might call "spirituality". Though I wouldn't necessarily categorize myself as a very spiritual person. I'm just trying to understand my Existence. What Does It All Mean?

You can't argue, though: Shells are pretty darn cool to look at.

Art Exhibition Recommendation of the Day: Take Your Time, Olafur Eliasson.

I know, I know. I already talked about this in a previous post. But seriously, you gotta check this out before it goes away. We went again on Thursday night. So Great. I love it!