#{Boontdusties.com}

Still haven’t seen the movie, but ran prieur has some interesting observations:

“Did we conquer the Indians? When lefties say that Avatar purges white guilt, they are making several questionable assumptions: that we are white, that we feel guilty, and that white guilt is a good thing. This is an obsolete view of race. A more helpful view was pioneered in the zine and book Race Traitor: that “white” is a social class only loosely connected to pale skin, that thinking of ourselves as “white” makes us obedient to an unjust system, that the best thing “white” people can do is not to sit around feeling guilty for the crimes done in the name of whiteness, but to disown whiteness and take the other side. Every one of us has ancestors who lived more or less like the Na’vi, and who were violently conquered by disconnected, resource-extracting cultures. If we all stop identifying with those cultures, the whole game is over.

We did not conquer the Indians. The Babylonians, the Romans, the English, the Spaniards, the Americans conquered us… but not completely. The reason Avatar is so popular, and so important, is that it is helping us to remember who we are.”

Also check out these cases of strange Avatar specific depression: http://bit.ly/5v6kmg

Makes me think of something like stendhal syndrome.

Here are a bunch of poems I wrote using the iPhone Dragon App (iTunes Link), a voice-to-text dictation application.

When I say ‘I wrote all of these poems’, I need to clarify on my methods. I was actually just speaking complete and absolute jibberish into the microphone – no words, just fake sounds.

Here is a sample of the crazy mouth noises I was making:
“Sound File Of Garrett Making Weird Noises And Annoying His Roommates”

After saying a bunch of crazy stuff, I let the app do it’s normal translation and emailed the results to myself. After some very minor editing (mostly for style), here are the results:

1.

Shannon home today
and I can’t know God
bless us to kick some Zune cool
as you can see mom went to ask him
she moaned hello
Micah’s status on that check
on the class
is yet

2.

Is another cool as you can just talk
into the address to each blocking
issues one to lose at why haven’t
you can automatically Shikara
tools for parking pass up an update
on the team behind
King and Queen King Kong keep hi
Sue see if I should hand them on a minute
to catch up with the
VCRs

3.

Zekes motion they had the benefit of a mall
and one tool in Stanton step at home man with dad
to just book the half Google Yahoo tie
to contact Louis dog eat at aqua Terra food shop
Keanan multi-touch
is shot

4.

In Tucson, that’s so what do we go man
to beat him
zone shall to eat will knock me soup time
and I’ll call you, get skin

5.

Seven opportunities that I can do with
the separate of an amended the gift
I cannot image

me speak there is a classic cup of 10 o’clock
but that is the tequila
to pick up at the two topic happened to www.that’s good
to be picked up at the Pentagon

I keep hoping that the fact that you come to the beginning of the cavity
do that but exactly
to get the E.E. boat babe

6.

Bubba,
can a convicted digit
minute?

that that that that that

7.

I think that dude is acting up
that dude that
that’s the second

got back to the doctor, said that
goatee death but
the Buddah dude that got booted

8.

Come home
and not know of his Louisville need
to remember googling movies
just need

9.

Candle lobby T. mom
to leave all that key morning
to the woo hoo SeaBlue Zach DiVita
howdy do do the body doddy do
E.E. dog food out of

10.

Can the content that fax a document
and if it’s a PE
but Sandra,
there is no show today, same time.
That’s what difficulties can escape onto a bunch of that to come in
and I to to to to to
to see photo attack
that had seen another B.

Hope that is a good day back out
to take that that that that
the old goat

11.
Tina Boka
text devil

hey I cheated
but to buy tickets at the CNN
will be able to add daddy

about the boutique David
I’m on the Internet today
and no
ha ha
whole movie Kathy did I see but I can imagine who he
ha ha… the 13th

out

############

This final poem was done slightly different. Instead of using my mouth I plugged in a bass guitar and experimented
with trying to create poems by interpreting human speech. I didn’t really have that great of results, but this one
really seem to describe the ‘poem’ of the bass:

12.

Dude dude dude

Favorite musical encounters of 2009

1. Helm’s Alee – Night Terror. I’m really sad to say I’ve only seen this local band one time (Carousel Fest) but it was a fond memory –
very loud, amazing energy, screaming and bad ass drumming that made my clothes vibrate. I didn’t know if it would be able
to translate to cd very well, but I was pleasantly surprised. Pick it up.

2. What The. http://pugnusferreus.spawncamp.net/ Found these while scouring the internet for random mp3’s using some google hacks. These are real beauts, I recommend ‘Death Again’ and ‘Esmerelda’.

3. Jan Terri – Apparently she’s an oldy but a goody. I can’t get enough of it. Here’s a fan myspace with her music videos from the 90’s http://www.myspace.com/janterritunes & here is a great article describing her history: http://web.archive.org/web/20070817235215/http://www.jammedonline.com/janterri.html I actually do find the songs quite infectious and catchy.

4. The Thrown Ups – Old Seattle grunge band w/ members of mudhoney & leighton beezer from the great documentary Hype! (he’s the one who plays two guitar riffs to indicate the subtle differences between ‘punk’ & ‘grunge’). “The idea behind the Thrown Ups was to have a band where no one ever practiced and no one ever wrote songs.” Yes, it’s wonderful.

5. Alaskas – Saw him for the first time @ Cairo Gallery @ Expo 87. Amazing performance, totally in control as a one man band with drums, guitar, vocal looping.

6. Turtle Rock – Recordings coming soon. But basically, playing guitar & drums w/ the two kids that Amber nannies. Watching them roll around on the floor wailing like Iggy pop and banging on cymbals.

7. Yo! Animals Raps compilation Joseph (WHPRWHIL records) & Amber put together for me secretly featuring all my friends singing animal rap songs including a very special song written & performed by Jad Fair. Still can’t believe that actually happened.

8. Correspondents playing to trapeze dancers on Halloween when I had the swine flu.

9. Taking my funeral director sister to Harshfest to hang out with a bunch of metal heads. Counting the number of times people
raised invisible goblets in the air (23).

10. I think this is the band Realicide, although a really old incarnation. That might not be true. Anyway, it’s the ‘Best. Mountain Dew Commericial. Ever.” & really worth the watch: http://www.boontdusties.com/journal/2009/11/15/best-mountain-dew-commercial-ever/

Monday: Two cop cars & a medical examiner van parked in front of the house.

Tuesday: A man loads two worried red dogs on leashes into the back of truck.

Wednesday: A FOR-SALE sign on the windshield of the BMW parked on the street.

Thursday: A khaki middle-aged woman rolls up a garden hose.

#facesofdeath

DREAM:

I am at a funeral and the cousin of my boss is there in an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, looking a bit like Randy Quaid in National Lampoon’s Vacation. We’re mingling.

A girl walks up and says “Randy, so good to see you -” but he cuts her off abruptly and not enthused at all: “Hey Carol.” There is a bit of silence and she slumps at the response.

Immediately after, another very similar looking girl walks up and says “Randy, hey, it’s me – Cynthia. From second grade?” Randy immediately lights up and hugs Cynthia (right in front of Carol mind you), and goes on and on about how amazing it is that this funeral event would allow the opportunity to see people from your past.

I witness this whole exchange and pull out my phone thinking: “Man, I gotta tweet this.”

In my dream last night I was playing experimental ceramic instruments of different shapes and contortions. Some of them looked like rolling waves or seashell spirals and crevices that acted as special areas a hand could be cupped to make a bass sound.

Other specific areas of the ceramic instruments had a special ‘glazing’ to change the sound if you were to slap it with your fingers. There even seemed to be a water element to the instrument, so that by keeping it moist there would be a more pronounced sound when you struck it.

These bright red pieces of pottery were being made predominantly by members of the Seattle Phonographers Union – a local troupe of musicians who are known for using unmodified field recordings. In the dream, Amber and I were learning from their experimentations and building our own variations, playing more of a rhythm section in their ceramic orchestra.

Again in the dream, I was talking to one of the designers, Chris DeLaurenti, and he was telling me that they had a recipe for making the clay ’sour’. He said that it was a very key component to their construction, and used the words “Sour S–”. Unfortunately, the second word I haven’t been able to remember … I keep wanting to say ‘Saline’ but not sure if that is right? Silica is apparently a key ingredient in clay, so perhaps that was it? Wish I knew exactly what the secret recipe was…

Anyway, I’ve looked up some ways to create your own clay, and this site on ‘Reproducing Southwestern Pottery’ mentions souring:

“This is a part of the hydration process that begins almost immediately after the clay, temper and water are mixed, where bacteria form in the clay and spread throughout the paste. This makes the paste more malleable and cohesive. These germs are removed completely by the firing process.”

It makes sense in hindsight that one might do a sort of ‘curing’ or ’souring’ process when making clay, but it’s certainly not something I can ever remember consciously thinking about. I’m finding it quite strange that my unconscious just happened to bring this up.

I had a dream last night that I was in Highschool English class & totally bombed a test. Even though the test was a group one, I got a little frantic and only really answered one of the questions. Spent most of the time arguing with my team mates about how to spell that one answer, which I remember now being ‘Amerigot’. Other people in my group said that was not quite right and that the spelling & the meaning had something to do with the Tarot.

Not sure where I got Amerigot, but I did a google searching this morning and found this:

Notice the text at the bottom that says “Detail of a miniature of the execution of Amerigot (Aymerigot) Marchel.” Looks like it can be spelled many ways…

What did Amerigot Marcel do to the people of Bruges to be publicly executed in the main town square? THROUGHOUT the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) the English made use of routiers, bands of mercenaries who roamed throughout rural France.

These were usually former soldiers who were surprisingly well organized an dwell trained. Most hailed from the province of Gascony in south-west France(though others came from Spain, Germany and England) which had been under English control since 1154 and was a major battleground during the War.

They gained a fearsome reputation: pillaging, raping and looting everything they came across.

Amerigot Marcel (who also appears as Aymerigot Marcel, Amerygott Marcel and Merigot Marches in the literature) was a former French captain born in Limousinin about 1360.

Limousin was particularly volatile during the conflict being on the border ofFrench and English dominions, and Marcel eventually left service to became a routier.

He was, for a time, the most feared man in southern France, taking to plundering and occupying many castles in the Auvergne region including Ventadour, Cassuriel and Mercoeur.

In spite of his elaborate appeal, Merigot was decapitated, hanged (somehow in that order), drawn and quartered in Paris on Wednesday, July 12, 1391, having refused the blessings of the priest.

- The Daily Mail

My good friend JK recently brought to my attention the story of Edward Lighthart:

“Lighthart, whom hospital officials had called “Jon Doe,” wandered out of Discovery Park wearing pressed khakis and had $600 tucked in his sock. He said he didn’t know who he was or when he was born.

- Seattle Times :

Read the article, there are a lot of strange details.

On a completely different subject, JK has also been asking me what I think is ‘going on’ with all the cougar sightings in Seattle lately. I hadn’t really thought much of it, but then today he messaged me and starting drawing some lines between things.

What do you think about this alleged cougar in discovery park?
[6:52 JK]
That’s where lighthart just woke up and doesn’t remember anything
[6:53 JK]
Maybe there’s a mystery in here somewhere
[6:53 JK]
Cos how could the cougar had gotten there?
[6:53 JK]
Cross ballard bridge?
[6:54 JK]
Navigate the locks?
[6:54 JK]
Get there through downtown?
[6:54 JK]
Maybe lighthart was doing something or was the victim of something and they need an excuse to close it down?
[7:23 JK]
Why don’t they just get it over with and thermally image the place?
[7:24 JK]
Oh of course
[7:24 JK]
Seems very xfilesy
[7:24 JK]
There would be a cougar shaped return no?
[7:25 JK]
In a tree or whatever
[7:25 JK]
They would do that if a rapist had run into the park to hide
[7:25 JK]
For example
[7:26 JK]
But the Lighthart twist is what gets me
[7:27 JK]
Some impeccably dressed and groomed guy wakes up there a couple weeks ago and doesn’t know a thing
[7:27 JK]
Makes national news
[7:27 JK]
Owns consulting companies in europe
[7:28 JK]
Did he cross the ballard bridge to get there too?
[7:28 JK]
Is there any reportage about flights he took?
[7:28 JK]
No, there isnt
[7:29 JK]
How did he get there?
[7:29 JK]
Lighthart
[7:29 JK]
Kinda looked like the lion in the wizard of oz
[7:30 JK]
Money stuffed in his shoe
[7:30 JK]
Very weird