Guitar Town #1

Recently the city of Austin began a street art festival honoring the live music for which the city is so well known. The Guitar Town project produced 33 guitars which have been mounted around town. All are outdoors and accessible to the public at large.

Many of the guitars have sponsors but all were created by local artists. All the guitars are to be auctioned for charity at the end of their public display.

When the weather is cooperative on the weekends and other occasions, I plan to go around town to photograph each of the 33 exhibits and will post them from time to time - well 33 times if I post each one.

























Today's guitar is the one posted in front of the Austin City Hall building. I don't know if the artist knew where the guitar would be placed, but the colors and incorporation of Texas symbols (the Capitol and the longhorn) make it a perfect match for the native stone and copperwork around much of the building.

The "new" Austin City Hall is in itself a building worthy of it's own post.

For more information about the Austin Guitartown project check out the website.

Encountering My "Personal Jesus"

In the last month I encountered the song “Personal Jesus” in three remarkably distinct formats. The original Depeche Mode version written by Martin Gore of the group remains one of my favorite songs from the period. Despite being a part of the original electronic music movement and something of a satire of televangelism, the song still represents Jesus in a Christian manner, though the mode of accessing him is certainly not.

A few weeks ago, I purchased American IV: The Man Comes Around which is one of Johnny Cash’s last recording sessions. He covers broad genres of music from the late twentieth century on the American cds, and one of the songs that may surprise country aficionados is “Personal Jesus.” Cash’s baritone captures both the longing for a savior of a lost man and the genuine (smarmy) appeal of the televangelist as though he is the preacher on the other end of the line. The pastor’s plea heard through the line, “reach out and touch faith” almost begs the caller to reach out and save him.

Not long after purchasing, American IV, I broke down and bought The Complete Depeche Mode – 644 songs for under $200 on iTunes is not such a bad deal. One of the selling points to the collection is that it included singles and remixes of Depeche Mode songs. After listening to some of the remixes, I don’t know how we managed to dance in the 80’s. The songs didn’t even last four minutes –we were net able to even get warmed up. Many of the remixes last seven to ten minutes and make the original song sound like a dirge.

There are several remixes of “Personal Jesus” found in The Complete Depeche Mode. The acoustic version comes across almost as hauntingly as the Johnny Cash cover, but the boys of Depeche Mode need to stick to their electronic work. Some of the titles to the remixes pay appropriate homage to the song: “Kazan Cathedral Mix,” “Holier Than Thou Approach,” and “Telephone Stomp Mix” all by their title respect the original tune. Each of them, of course, has its own driving beat and I could still dance to them – but I think the memories going through my head would be more high school, so this 40-year-old better be careful what moves he makes.

My personal neighbors, if the speakers have been loud enough, have heard enough “Personal Jesus” in the last few days that I’m certain their souls are well saved. That which I lack in musical skill, I make up for in musical appreciation. I have replayed, skipped through, and switched back and forth through the many different arrangements of the song. I have spent enough time with “Jesus” that I should have made a decision by now, but I’m still examining which version I want to be my “Personal Jesus.”

Hate Crime of Stupidity

Wheel of Fortune has a puzzle from time to time in which the last word of one phrase is the first word of another phrase. The show annoys me too much to watch it on my own, but I see it from time to time when at my parent’s house or while around other people who do not get so easily annoyed with people who are all too often borderline culturally literate.

For two weeks I have battled the knowledge that someone I know well, told a number of other people (I don’t know how many yet) that she worries about me because of my HIV issues. When I found out what she said, I could do nothing but stand there with my jaw agape: I never talked to her about HIV issues – whether I have them or not. Her statement violated the law, employer policy, and professional ethics: by some definitions – a hate crime.

The workplace knows me as openly gay and there has never been an issue as I work for an organization with inclusive policies. Suddenly, I found myself dealing with someone who assumed my HIV status based on my gayness (I’m not even THAT gay at work). To make such a broad assumption is nothing short of a crime of stupidity.

Some people at work actually like me. I’m afraid I’m going to have to make the rounds talking to everyone I know so they are not worrying about my health. I’m remarkably healthy for a forty-year-old man. Well, to be fully honest, after my last blood work, the doctor is concerned about my cholesterol – because I essentially did not have any. I go back to have that blood test redone in a few months: I’ll fry something in butter every day for a few days in advance so my doctor (I may have said this before, but he is so good, I would have his babies if his wife was not already doing that for him) can stop worrying about my low cholesterol.

Now I’m faced with the challenge of approaching co-workers who may or may not have heard something from the person who was so worried about me.

I could do the Troy McClure version: “Hi, I’m Roy Larson, and you know me from my roles as teacher, counselor, and specialist, but I’m here today to tell you about HIV. You may have recently heard a rumor….”

I could write a speech: “Two score and eight days ago, an authority stood before you and declared that I have HIV….” (this would require specific timing and an individual delivery to every person who has accidentally been told [and I would have to learn what a score is]).

I could (oops) send a mass email to a close friend on the employer intranet: “I can’t believe that bitch told you that….”

Or…

…I could just blog about it.

Colts-v-Bears

The Super Bowl is set! Now I have two weeks to get ready for the commercials.

More Austin Ice

Ice along the top of the fence and down the planks.

Railroad ties driven into the ground to stop erosion of the bank at Town Lake. I liked these in black and white.

A crepe myrtle at Town Lake showed the direction of the ice fall. Half the trunk was covered while the other half remained ice-free.

Sadly, the portion of Town Lake nearest my house is not the best maintained. This picnic table sums that up well with the peeling paint and graffiti. The broken ice just goes to further show the attitudes toward things in this part of town.

B&W ice

I never thought I would turn out to be a photo-blogger, but given the ice of the last few days and my enjoyment of taking pictures, there is just so much to share. I started photography as a the photo-chief for my high school yearbook. Our darkroom only had black and white capabilities, so I learned how to do black and white. To this day, I prefer it for many uses. Recently, I learned how to convert the pictures from my digital camera into black and white, so I spent some of my ice day, editing the ice pictures into black and white versions.

My weber grill. The classic design was just made for making icicles.

The chimney of my chiminea. The entire structure is covered with about one-half inch of ice, but it is especially visible in the ring around the top.

The edge of my patio table.

My dogs keep tearing up the chicken wire I have placed around some plants in my garden - to keep the dogs out! Believe it or not, chihuahuas can be very destructive in a pack!

Iced Reptiles

To those of you who don't know, I collect turtle things - turtle pots, turtle figurines, turtle earrings, turtle necklaces, and two pet red-eared sliders who have a pond in the back yard. Two of my turtle things ended up with a bit of ice.

This turtle planter is not usually so glazed looking - that's the ice on it.

I'm not sure exactly what you call this figurine, but I refer to it as a pot sticker - a figurine on a metal spike i stick into the soil of a pot plant. This one was just under the dripline from my roof.

The red-eared sliders are nicely hibernating at the bottom of their pond. I expect to see them when the temperatures get up around 70.

Growing, growing, growing....

We did not get snow/ice coverage that was predicted, but my icicles keep on growing off the eve...

...and the plants...

...and the grill.

And we have another day off work. I love having five television stations in town - they each have a slightly different forecast for tomorrow too, so you can pick which one you want to happen based on whether you want to go to work or not.

More Ice...

One of the fun things about ice storms in the south is that flowers are still blooming.
This daisy is in my front yard, and though the ice weighs it over, it still provides color amidst the browns of winter.

One does not usually consider ice hanging off a grill, but that's the case today.

We Have Ice!

Ice from my eves.

Ice on the shrubs.

We are not supposed to have this in central Texas. The city is closed. The state is closed.

But Governor Goodhair is still going to be inaugurated today. I heard on the news that they are expecting 1500 invited guests to attend the inauguration which has been moved indoors. The way our last election worked out - turns out he can invite almost everyone who actually voted for him.

More ice and snow is on the way. I may end up having a very short week at work - which will be nuts because I still have to get everything done.

Keep posted to the news - this is just going to get wilder and wilder.