August 06, 2003
You hate what you fear, they say. What has that got to do "tasting the acquired?" Something. … Something like the relationship between love and boredom. Something like Chris Locke.
That's where I got the title of this post. From Halley's post about Locke’s post about… about…. about not being bouldered in Boulder.
I haven't posted in a few days. Nothing I wanted to say. No inspiration. Until now. Heh. My seeing Locke as inspiration. Ironic.
I often go to art museums, like the one in Williamstown, to get inspired – something about searching for the unexpected, opening up to that lightning bolt. Like when I saw Renoir's Peonies there for the first time. They say we see the world not as it is, but as we are. And then I wrote:
There are no blossoms real
as Renoir's peonies --
no rose as red
no red as real.
I would have them
for my lover's table,
to bloom red and real
as a heart open
to the palette knife.
So, I read Locke's Going Under post and am drawn down, down, into his world, down into mine.
OK. I admit it. I never took myself off Locke's email list, even though I really don’t have much use for Rage Boy. But Chris Locke? Well, when he's bad, he's horrid, but when he's good, he goes way down under. So, I admit it. Every once in a while I sneak a peek at EGR, even though that ungrateful cur..…(no, I'm not going to let that go!). As hard as it is for me to admit, I have acquired a limited taste for Locke's scenic railway rides.
Going Under. Is it art? Halley thinks it is. It sure is creating order out of chaos, sense out of sensorama. Is it truth? It sure is, factual or not. Whether or not Locke really met Helen doesn’t matter; what matters is we get to see a little more of what's under Locke.
It's left brained! It's right-brained! Those parallel columns! Those color codes! Those linked images! Those dives under the murky surfaces! Locke's Brain.
His adventure at the concert with his daughter reminds me of one time that I took young-teen b!X and his buddies to the movies. (Of course, they did not allow me to sit with them either!)
b!X was always a Monty Python fan, and so we all went to see The Meaning Of Life, where they sing "every sperm is sacred" and all of those Catholic kids start coming out of every closet and cubby hole. And that was just the tame part. I asked the other kids later if their parents would mind them having seen that movie. "We told them we were going to see The Black Stallion," they grinned as they told me.
Oh dear! Am I comparing myself to Locke? Maybe in another life. And even then, a far cry from.
In another life, a decade ago, I might have shown up at Locke's doorstep, redhaired and ready.
I'm not saying he would have been, of course.
Meanwhile, he can pull all-nighters and come up with what I will go back and read and re-read. And I? I’m waiting for one of my friends to call so that we can go over to Sam’s Club and I can stock up on Kleenex for my mom and diapers for my grandson (whom I will be leaving to visit on Friday). Tomorrow I drive my mom to visit my brother for the day. He lives half-way between here and NYC.
I'm shopping and packing and cooking. I can't pull an all-nighter. I just about managed to pull this hourer.
I'm desperately wishing that I had the time to dive deep down under. A friend of mine suggested that I make a list of the things I plan to do when my mother dies. (Is that too morbid?) It's not written down, but, believe me, I have a list.
And even if she's still around, I'm hoping that Dave Winer really does go ahead and bring Locke into Harvard for an creative artists segment of BloggerCon in October. I think I can get out there for that – schmooze a little more with Besty Devine and maybe even Halley, even though she's a Girlie.
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Old Comments (3)
Kate S. on 09 Aug 2003
Mr. Locke is an acquired taste like parsley. Halley's definitely a girlie and serves up foo foo desserts. I prefer the plain ol' meat and potatoes at this here diner.
And I love the red posies you arranged for the centerpiece! Lovely. Red. REAL.
Tom Shugart on 09 Aug 2003
I take it that's you in the highly provocative pose? If so, all I can say is "Wow!!" I hope that whomever was the guy of the moment duly appreciated his good fortune.
Lindsay on 13 Aug 2003
I wrote a poem after reading this entry. I don't know why, but for some reason I was inspired by the fact that you were inspired. The poem has been named "Kali Lily" after your site. I hope you don't mind. You may not like the poem, as it's very strange, but if you're interested I've posted it on my site.
I hope you're doing well!
PS - The husband and I were in London not too long ago (we live in Northern England) and almost visited the Tower of London, but it was too expensive. Ah well, perhaps another time when we aren't so poor.