November 07, 2004
full fathoms five
11/7/04
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Longtime readers of this blog have heard me oft wax romantic about this little place we have a few hours north of New York City: bought in the craziness that surrounded Tessa's father's death, and the ringing of September 11th in our ears, it has become a restorative farmhouse for anyone who visits.
We're planning on putting in solar panels, so I went to the top of the roof to see how it was coming, and was struck by the intensity of the sunset. This place was built in 1818, but those 19th-century bastards sure knew a good view when they saw one.
One thing about standing on top of your own chimney and looking into the dying light of a non-daylight-saving-time day; if you're not careful, you can get violently depressed. The last week or so has offered nothing much in terms of hope, and I've been fighting a major blues that has taxed my Celexa to its diving depth.
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So we needed a plan. We have come up with a two-prong strategy for the next four years, even though it sounds contradictory: we are going to immerse ourselves in finances and fiction. In short, we are going to try to make as much fucking money as we possibly can, and when we're not doing that, we're going to be Experiencing Works of Art™.
I frittered away the last ten months obsessing over presidential polls, refreshing the DailyKos website every ten minutes, and dithering with the electoral college map until I got my desired outcome. It left me full of heartbreak, and wishing I'd spent that time coming up with an AIDS vaccine.
Likewise, I had forgotten the beauty of the written word, the zing of an audience clicking with a character onstage, and the guilty pleasure of an amazing television show.
The money thing? That's easy. We're going to try and buffer ourselves from anything the Bush people throw our way. We're getting off the grid, both emotionally and physically - I don't consider myself an active member of the United States, and our decision to go solar was a way we could partially unsuckle from that teat.
The hybrid car costs a little more, but it's another way of unplugging. I mean, I'm not going to be some dirty-toenailed folk singer wearing a hemp manskirt singing songs about the Man; I'm just going to respectfully withdraw.
Now that we're trying to write for television, it offers a perfect opportunity to assume the life of other characters, and write ourselves a world we wouldn't mind living in. The producers of "The West Wing" must have culture shock when they get done with each season and realize Bartlett isn't actually the President.
As for me, I'm liking "Boston Legal," "Lost," "CSI: New York" and trying to get through "Desperate Housewives." We have to write a spec script for "CSI," and I'm looking forward to living in a fictional world for a while. I urge all of you to make lots of money and see lots of movies, or, better yet, ignore both me and the rest of the Web as you happily drown in your own internal dialogue.
Posted by irw at November 7, 2004 11:13 PMI'm wondering if either of you have ever watched the Canadian show "Da Vinci's Inquest"? It predates and covers a lot of the same ground as "CSI", but with less of the to my mind contrived slickness (I find CSI all but unwatchable). They tried to put it on A&E but apparently the A&E types found it too "Vancouver-centric", since many of the plotlines are related to Vancouver specific issues. Its a great show and I'm wondering if, like the Tragically Hip and the NHL, it only works well in Canada.
manskirt. heh.
we hear you. our move to wine country and subsequent hybrid purchase will offer the same solace.
happy off-the-gridding to you!
Ian--no--
Please don't leave! I mean, I understand what you're saying, but, no! We need your voice, really. There's plenty of time to do everything--install solar panels and have babies and write TV scripts and poems--but there's gotta be a little time left over for staying solid with the truthseekers. Yes, perhaps, maybe?
another option...
"There are two ways not to suffer from the inferno we are all living in every day. The first suits most people: accept the inferno and become part of it to the point where you don't even see it any more. The second is riskier and requires constant attention and willingness to learn: seek out and know how to recognize whoever and whatever, in the midst of the inferno, is not inferno, and help them last, give them space." -Italo Calvino
I'd be curious to know your thoughts on "Desperate Housewives," one of the two shows I watch religiously (the other is "Scrubs"). DH is definitely my latest guilty pleasure. The mystery angle is keeping me guessing and Bree's Martha Stewart-esque storyline is a fun one to watch develop. I also find myself cheering on Lynette (though I am wondering what they've done with her other two children - the older boy and the baby - who have totally disappeared in the last couple of episodes).
Today's pictures are lovely, though I did find myself panicking for you standing atop your chimney. *shiver*
I second JJE's *shiver*.
As a rock climber, I know what gravity can do to a human body. You're in contention for a Darwin award, dude. From that height, you might even be unlucky enough to survive. Sort of.
We, your fellow Coastopians, love you and we'd much prefer for you to win an Emmy or an Oscar.
Brilliant! I am excited! Your family needs you happy, healthy and fully engaged with things other than politics. Pardon my personal opinion on the matter, but you are not built to remain on the political battleground for long periods of time. It will eat you like cancer and probably sprout a tumor or two. I believe you should pick your times to jump into the madness and pick your times to jump out. Congratulations! In the interest of full disclosure, my friend Ian's happiness is more important to me than the issues of the day.
Hi -- I noticed you were blogging about a semi-secession. It seems we're all doing it under different names. Now, how do we get all our little countries hooked up together?
Come visit Flash!topia if you get the chance.
Nice blog.
-Carrie
mmmmmm, Ian
a manskirt and a hemp sweater would look mighty
fine on ya! lil bit wookie a a whole lotta heartland sexyso tv is gonna be it? Don't want to touch the
indy movie thing for now, or are you open?Ever thought of doing anything in 16mm?
your current vein of energy might lend itself
to the medium.
Actually, no need for shivers. It looks a lot more dangerous than it was; Bud, I'd say you would have beat me up there.
Carrie, like your blog too!
Hey, everyone got eat at the Jasper Family Steakhouse in Georgia.
And flaco, portions of "The Pink House" (currently in post-prod.) were shot in 16mm - we love that stock.
Heads up: Your joke about Coastopia is feeding the newest Rednut conspiracy theory
This WT writter is making a mountain out of a molehill! (Got it on an e-mail, can't find it on the WT site)
Blue states buzz over secession
By Joseph Curl
THE WASHINGTON TIMES Published November 9, 2004
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Secession, which didn't work very well when it was tried once before, is suddenly red hot in the blue states. In certain precincts, anyway. One popular map circulating on the Internet shows the 19 blue states won by Sen. John Kerry -- Washington, Oregon, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Maryland and the Northeastern states -- conjoined with Canada to form the "United States of Canada." The 31 red states carried by Mr. Bush are depicted as a separate nation dubbed "Jesusland." The idea isn't just a joke; one top Democrat says...The Internet has exploded with talk of a blue-state confederacy, including one screed circulating by e-mail that features a map of a new country called "American Coastopia" and proposes lopping off the Northeast, the West Coast and the upper Midwest to form a new country, away from the "rednecks in Oklahoma" and the "homophobic knuckle-draggers in Wyoming." "We were all going to move to various other countries, but then we thought -- why should WE move?" the anonymous message asks. "We hold our noses as we fly over you. We are sickened by the way you treat people that are different from you. The rest of the world despises America, and we don't want to be lumped in with you anymore." The secession movement has already spawned commercial opportunism. One Web site is selling T-shirts that read "I seceded."
Be careful OK ? I'd hate to see you end up like Anniej
Secret service visits Blogger - Anti-Bush rant gone bad
Never EVER make a comment online that could in any way be misconstrued as a threat against any high-ranking official (or anyone for that matter)
It always ends up in headaches, regardless wether you meant it or not
anniesj: a word to the wise [Not me but story is TRUE - law]
http://www.livejournal.com/users/anniesj/331112.htmlThe worst part is that the Red states have a plan for secession and theirs looks like they mean business:
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=5652