Post 35: 290506 Rehearsals

As opening night gets nearer my focus has moved toward ‘This is a Play’. The weekends now consist of only a single rehearsal a day, giving me a little breathing space. Saturday was spent cleaning up moments and attempting to give the actors as much fodder as possible to draw from. Sunday began with 1 on 1’s running monologues with the ladies before Steven arrived after which when ran the play twice.

We have one more weekend of rehearsals then into the theatre on the 6th of June.

Post 34: 290506 Tournament Day 3

Saturday night and I was fit for a fight or so I thought as I sat on my plush pink pillow before my sleek silver laptop with while Miles wailed in my ears. But the bubble soon burst and left me surly.

I jumping into the Tantrix lobby hoping to see someone I’m yet to play from group A but alas there was none. ‘tzubobo’ invited me to a game and in need of a warm up I obliged but while we were trading turns, ‘kina’ from South Africa jumped into our room to announce her presence. She needed to play both of us and I was the lucky schtick who got to go first.

The first game was close until a late run saw ‘kina’ take it 20 to 16 but I wasn’t overly worried as I still felt like I could win the next to. In the second game I lead early on and needed a single tile to join two lines and take a commanding win but the tile was not to fall and my lead was erased and I lost 23 to 19. In game three saw a repeat of game two but at the very least it thought I could win one and take some much needed points away from our sparring. But again the lead was squashed and a third loss was recorded, 22 to 18.

So now my record stands at 6 wins and 5 losses with four games left to play.

Post 33: 250506 Tournament Day 2

It took a while to arrange the next set of games and as yet it has proved impossible for anyone in Group A to play the competitors from South Africa. This evening saw 3 games squared away against another Taiwanese hopeful. He flies under the name ‘joky’ and from around 8pm while I was still at work until just before 10pm as I sat in the comforts of home we completed our set.

Game 1 saw me take a casual approach that nearly ended in disaster but resulted in a win. The second game was a different story with ‘joky’ getting a 26 point loop and me playing catch up. At the final tile I was a point behind. The third game was close to begin with but I pulled away near the end to take a comfortable second victory.

My current record stands at 6 wins and two losses. With one member of Group A dropping out the number of games needed to be played has dropped to 15.

Post 32: 240506 Assistant Director Bio

It’s 20 minutes before I can walk out the door at the end of my day. I’m sitting here feeling a strange mix of vulnerability and confidence in my new orange striped shirt and watching the time tick down in the bottom right hand corner of the screen is not doing it for me. Teaching is a tough gig and don’t let anyone tell you any different.

Here is the bio I wrote for the play program. Too wanky?

"As sand fall though porous hands and tiny mounds attempt to amount to something more that shifting piles of sand, Craig McGeady attempts to gather the grains of life and call it lived. Granules of past performances drift away leaving the memories of wild times treading the boards for The Soul Players and numerous back stage affairs in both Korea and his home in New Zealand. He is comprised of abundant interests not the least of which is poetry, painting, play-craft and photography. "

Post 31: 230506 Tournament Day 1 Con't

A little while later a second competitor from Group A signed in to the Tantrix Lobby. ‘tzujoe’ is also from Taiwan. It was about midnight my time and I was a tad apprehensive at first of getting into it. I sucked it up and gave him a bell.

The first game was close and could have gone either way but a lucky fall meant I connected my tiles and took the win. The second game I was ahead but a late charge kept me nervous but when the tiles ran out I was still on top. 2 for 2. Understandably my opponent was not up for the third game so once we are better rested we’ll complete our set.

I currently stand at 4 wins and 1 loss. Phase 1 consists of a total of 18 games.

Post 30: 220506 Tantrix Tournament Day 1

And so it begins. I entered myself a little while ago into the AFRICAN & ASIAN TANTRIX CHAMPIONSHIPS (2006) and this evening played my first games in the opening round. There are fourteen players in the tournament divided into two groups. I am in Group A and seeded 8th overall.

I have to play each of the other six players in my group 3 times and it is up to us to organize the games. This can be tricky as some of the opponents are in Africa which is 7 or so hours behind Korea. All games in phase 1 have to be completed by the 16th of June.

My first opponent was ‘tzubobo’ from Taiwan. He is seeded sixth. I lost the first game and thought I was going to be on the receiving end of an old fashioned arse-womping. The second game went faster and I pulled it out of the bag for the win. The third game was closely fought but I came away with it. So after Day 1 my record stands at 2 wins and 1 loss.

Should you wish to check out the overall standing then follow the ‘Tantrix’ link under Current Escapes.

Post 29: 210506 Rehearsals Con't

And so it continues. Today was a lighter day that saw us starting at 12 o'clock and finishing at 3pm. Other commitments intrude so delicately into our time. I blew off the evening rehearsal to spend time with Suk-hi. After all, with these guys and at this stage i am expendable. They have things on track and as long as i know what and who needs to be where and when i should be fine.


Here's a shot i took today. It's posed but still dandy. From left to right stand, Ryan the lighting guy, Emily, McKenzie, Steven, Amanda the ditector and Brian the composer.

Post 28: 210506 Rehearsals Con't

It was a full day of rehearsals yesterday. With our usual venue being unavailable we headed to the directors school to tread the boards on the stage in the school library. But damn, if the climb wasn't a killer up to the school. We go upstairs, we go downstairs, we go upstairs, classroom, classroom, classroom, library. Phew. It was a nice space and a nice change and several kg lighter.

Then i headed off to the second rehearsal back at the Uni. Our room of course was booked but thankfully the huge outdoor stage was available. Great to be able to shake the cobwebs off the vocal cords.

The evening continued when we headed into Itaewon to have a meal and i'm guessing drink away the night. I'm not quite sure yet what they then got up to but i guess i'll hear about it in a few hours. I was knackered so made the long trek back to Uijeongbu for a good nights sleep.


The fine cast of 'Never Swim Alone' also written by Daniel Macivor and directed by Krista Sheen. From left to right: Stephanie Bogue Kerr, Sean Dudley and Ed Miller


Steph looking on from the back of the stage at Krista's school.


The outdoor stage at Hanyang University.

MaKenzie as Older Female Actress. Yes it is a bad wig but it says so in the script.

Post 27: 180506 The Poster

Here it is. Relatively hot off the press. The poster for the two plays i'm currently spending my weekends on. Stylish don't you think. It has that professional look about it, reflecting the fact it was actually designed by a professional.

Post 26: 170506 Gym Number 4

Joss Stone morphs into Norah Jones and I slink away into the back room to find a little space between me and myself. The sun has found its way into my bones and I glow a little with the bliss of memory. A simple memory, one that is only hours old. A simple thing done that makes me feel that little bit more alive. There’s nothing like pressing weights to get the blood going to the brain.

I used to belong to a gym so many years ago. A Gold’s Gym where the goal of everyone in there was to look like Arnie, women included. It wasn’t my bag; well that’s what I tell myself. I think I lasted three visits before I gave up and wrote off the money laid down. In only the last seven months I have now quadrupled the number of gyms I have belonged to.

The first was near the school where I worked. Big, new, expensive and on the top floor providing a commanding view. I forked out for three months and actually found a habit. It wasn’t like the habit of biting my finger nails which took me years to break. It was easier than that but it was a habit none the less.

The second gym was closer to my girlfriends’ apartment and we went together. It wasn’t as big or as high or as new but it was cheaper. As I spent an hour each morning on the treadmill I looked out over concrete mixers lining up to unload their stirred contents into the walls, floor and ultimately ceiling of a neighbouring development. The building’s finished now and shops are moving in and I’ve moved on.

Today was the first time at a new gym, if you can call it that. It is in a building that is part of the apartment complex where I now live with my girlfriend. It is on the ground floor with a view currently of green trees and a small sprinkling of road that big green buses frequently traverse. It’s 10,000 won a month which is way cheap and if we get there early enough we can have a good hour on one of the few treadmills the gym has before I sling my slowly ever increasing weights. There is nothing like reps in the morning to wake you up for the day.

Post 25: 140506 The cast

Several changes and a burst eardrum later the pieces have fallen into place and the perfect match is found. This is the cast of 'This is a Play' written by Daniel MacIvor and Directed by Amanda Doucet. From left to right: Emily Durant as Female Actor, Steven Kurowski as Male Actor and McKenzie Morrell as Older Female Actor. We open in just over a month on the 15th of June. Ample time.

Post 24: 130506 Rehearsals

These are the images from today’s rehearsals. As there are two plays comprising the evening, both are being rehearsed alternately in the same space at Hanyang University. One has Saturday day and Sunday night, the other naturally the opposite.

Post 23: 120506 Blogger’s Blab

Interpol snugly fit into my earlobes as I huddle in the back room cranking out words that are quickly lost. Multiple boxes open into my sister’s birthday and a mate’s update on his recent trip and forthcoming permanent departure. The dialogue is quickly folded onto the tool bar along the bottom of the screen to flash orange occasionally when a new comment is added.

It’s raining, ever so slightly. Not enough to warrant an umbrella but enough to annoy and stain the cobbles a darker shade of garbage. I’m minutes away from wiping off the rest of today’s daylight hours by retreating into a classroom and attempt to impart my native language to a mix of receptive and ungrateful ears. I have no love of this task, especially when most of the time can be taken up with just trying to keep the class quiet long enough to say a single sentence. I don’t think they are really into either.

How could they be? A full day of school already behind them and the prospect of private classes in varying schools before they get to go home, some as late as midnight. Can’t be a fun life. And to my untrained eye it appears to have stunted them socially. A trauma that takes years to evolve out of, if at all. A trip overseas usually helps.

I have the treat of a weekend of rehearsals ahead. Two each day for Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 11am and finishing at 8pm. That doesn’t include the hour and a half travel time to and from the University. Right now I’m still looking forward to them so I better stop thinking about all the time they will chew up. I’m not complaining, it’s what I want to do.

Last night an idea came for a quiet little film about a guy attempting to adjust to his quiet little life when his life collides with a wrongfully convicted woman on the wrong end of a policeman who has made a bad choice and can’t change it. It was a funky little idea that I would love to make but chances are it would go the way of all my other ideas, disappear without a trace. Ideas come to tease you.

Post 21: 100506 Where are the Blogosphere Celebs?

Now that I’ve been reading more blogs the question has arisen, are Blogs the natural evolution of reality television? Reality TV has given rise to the everyman celebrity. A new breed where their celebrity is based on seemingly natural events where what we know of the person is from what would normally be behind the scenes. All the stuff we desire to know about the big bucks, glamorous celebs that are draped across our movie screens and are seen only on red carpets and the odd sneaky peak from over the hedge.

Reality television celebrities fulfill that desire because we get to see them down and dirty. We find out their knee jerk reactions to daily situations. We see the times they blow their nose and excuse themselves to go to the can. Because of the repetition of their image we come to know them and develop an acquaintance with them, whatever that may be, positive or negative.

So now comes the Bloggers. There is an immediacy to their presence and the possibility to become acquainted with their style, feelings, inner most imaginings. As yet I am unacquainted with the Blogger celebrities but I’m sure they are out there. Bloggers control what we see or rather know of them but they want to be known. Some write freely, barfing their thoughts and feelings into the net without edit, others are cautious and shape their image. They want to be liked. Blogging gives rise to the possibility of becoming a celebrity.

When so many people want to garner that kind of fame by shaping their own Blog, their projected image, then where does the desire come from to rummage the blogs of others? What are they seeking? Are there different breeds co-existing within the blogosphere? Sure there are different styles and interests but that’s not what I’m asking. Are there those that eagerly hunt for celebrities and are there those that just as eagerly hunt for celebrity?

Then that begs the question, what do I want to get out of being a Blogger?

Post 20: 080506 Heung Guk-sa Temple

When not rehearsing on the weekends, Suk-he and I like to take Sunday drives. This usually results in us stopping in a national park or walking the grounds of an ancient Buddhist temple. This Sunday gone, with permission from my director, we drove out into the country and joined the throng of cars enveloping many other avid escapists, seeking respite and solitude.

Turning off from the main drag where the traffic had slowed to a crawl and the cars air conditioning was giving me a headache, we wound our way up a narrow road and found ourselves at the footsteps of Heung Guk-sa (흥국사) temple. A predominantly empty car park allowed us a place in the shade and from there we eagerly dawdled between restored buildings that had first found their feet in 599A.D.

What I usually feel when standing in the threshold looking into the interior of these buildings is a mix of longing and disappointment. Longing, as I would dearly like to be familiar with the mechanics of this belief system. I know rudimentary belief structures such as the desire to live in harmony with ones environment rather than at its antithesis but not the means of showing ones respect for its multi-millennia history. Disappointment because what I usually find is reconstruction or the hope of reconstruction after what once stood on these grounds had been pulverized but an occupying force.

Here I found reconstruction but void of the tackiness of other examples. This was older and treated with more respect. Well, treated with respect by some but not the local bloke who thought the wood dangling from chains and used to ring the eight foot high bronze cast bell was the perfect place to sit. No residents were within sight which is usually the case but their presence was felt and numerous candles burnt solemnly along the walls. I was pleased to share, for an all too brief spell, their charismatic setting of respite and devotion.

Here are a few photos so you get the idea.

Post 19: 080506 Poem

Nail

Rusted
Busted
Blind
And abused.
Chewed
And askew
Stepped on
And walked through.
No longer
Stronger
Than hammer
And tong.
Deaf
And bereft
Stretched thin
And left long.
Pail
And frail
And seemingly lost
Until a stranger
With waivers
Redeems it
At cost.

Post 18: 080506 Poem

The Old Man With a Rag in His Hand

I watched him as he followed me
With his eyes and said strange things
At odd intervals. We walked together
Briefly before he choose to duck
Inside. He said the day was too nice
With its sun and cool breeze. He was
Used to shadows and damp smells and
Kept tugging at his collar until the beads
Of sweat on his forehead had disappeared.
We sat for a long time on make-shift chairs
Listening to water dripping from the faucet
In the next room while he periodically
Pulled a rag from the folds of his well
Pressed slacks. His eyes were transfixed
On my feet until a pair of peach coloured
Hares startled us when they emerged
From a gap in the tiled floor. Their ears
Were pinned back, their coats were well
Groomed and their out of place appearance
Lasted no more than a minute as they
Validated their surroundings and hopped
Out the way we came in. The old man
Extracted his rag and wiped the tears
That had welled in his eyes.

Post 17: 070506 A Photo

The Crane Overhead

Here it is, the photo I promised. This was taken while standing at a subway platform on my return journey from yesterdays rehearsal. The sky was overcast making the perfect seemless backdrop. This is uncropped and has not been altered in photoshop or alike in terms of colour. It is as I shot it in the camera. When it comes to digital I like doing most of the work in camera. Framing and tone etc. To achive this colour I white balanced off a set of green seats. There is text on the crane but it's a little hard to see on this scale. On a larger format it comes up blue.

Post 16: 070506 Movie Review

BAREFOOT KI-BONG - "Maenbal-ui Gibong-i"
April 2006 Cinema Release

Ki-bong is the name of the lead character in this touching drama based on true events. It tells the story of a man injured in youth and destined to retain a child-like mind. Shin Hyun-june takes the lead in a most remarkable performance which delicately treads the line between over the top lampoonery and an accurate portrayal of a man afflicted.

Ki-bong is tied by love to his aging mother’s apron and has ingratiated himself on a series of locals who require menial tasks performed for which he receives either a token payment of cash or food. While hoping to take a few swipes in a batting cage one day he inquires about the lady within booth and her detachable teeth. Due to his unwavering desire to help his mother in anyway, the possibility of a new set of teeth becomes a goal which ultimately leads to training for and competing in a half marathon.

Low budget Korean cinema has something that many cinema from around the world lack, the confidence to give screen time to the seemly banal. This movie has a budget but thankfully this tendency shines through from the director’s less affluent beginnings. It contains moments that sing the praises of small town Korea and a landscape that goes predominately ignored.

Couple that with an ability to swing wildly from moments of slapstick humor to gut wrenching, tissue grabbing explorations of the human capacity to love and you have the making of a most entertaining film. The locally recognizable face of Kim Su-mi, seen in commercials, Sit-coms, TV dramas and cinema, is seen here as an almost house bound, toothless old woman giving unquestionable love to her forty year old son. Despite his affliction she has come to rely on his abilities to find their next meal but in her own way, it is understood, she too would do anything for him.

The film brims with subplots from a group of well turned characters, something Korean film has waved triumphantly in the face of more name driven, movie making machines. As each story finds its conclusion we discover the climax for which we’ve hoped but at times seemed lost. On the whole, a well told and well presented story.

Post 15: 070506 Update

It’s a beautiful Sunday and after yesterday’s effort I’m kicking back with some satisfaction. I’ve trimmed my new goatee just so and had a delicious coffee while watching some crappy movie on telly. Today is shopping and movies and perhaps a walk in the hills behind our apartment.

If you notice I’ve been a busy little beaver with the site and tried to get the word out that I exist in the Blogoshere. I’ve added a people counter just in case someone else other than me comes to call and I’ve added a Link of the Week section. This week’s link is to Txt2nite. There you will find many efforts to create the perfect txt whether it be comedy, sexy, poetic or sad. There are regular themed competitions, to which I’ve entered and attempted to win myself an Ipod. We’ll see how I get on.

I’ll be continually adding to the Links section and when there are more than enough I’ll organize them just so then re-organize them then scrap them and start again. I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday, kick back, read a poem, go somewhere just for the hell of it. Oh and I took a cracker of a photo yesterday as I traveled back from rehearsals so I’ll be posting that later today. Look forward to it.

Post 14: 060506 Poem

The Man I Met

He bitterly throws a cough forcing me
Back into my seat. I ask for repentance
But he says there are scores to keep and
If I want to stay on the right side of him
I better learn how to tally the highs and
Lows of a bitter wind. He laughs at me,
A deep petty laugh I cannot see but know
Is there behind his eyes and inadequately
Covered by the hint of a sneer. He’s old
And I want to forgive his manner but
He asks too much with the hammering of
His words into my sluggish thoughts as he
Whimsically calls them. I settle for sitting
In silence as he takes to the table and attempts
To acquaint me with the skills he acquired
From a life spent entertaining himself. I
Force applause from my swollen hands, my
Knuckles still red from the ruler he passed
Over them when we first met. He said it was
So we were sure to start on the right foot and
There’d be no misunderstandings. I don’t
Misunderstand, I just plain don’t understand.
He says it’s better that way.

Post 13: 060506 Rehearsals

It’s the evening and I’ve returned to our apartment after what turned out to be a very long day. But it was a day I derived a great deal of satisfaction from. I know why I like theatre, and today reaffirmed those likes. It can be, at its best, moments of pure creativity. Even though there is a script which someone else has written to work from, when the right elements are put in place, it becomes a starting point.

Today was the first time all three actors were together, one having just joined the cast. The progress made after only a single rehearsal was staggering. From a dry reading to working through three quarters of the script in terms of blocking and tonal elements, a lot of work was done.

There were only five of us but we all threw in moments, tried things, threw out things, found things and developed the bones of what I think will be an entertaining time. This is the shorter of two plays that will go on to become an enjoyable night out. A night that begins its two week run in mid June.

Big ups to the director and fine cast. And just so you have a picture to put with my tantalizing words, here is a couple from our successful day.

Post 12: 060506 Poem

The Heart Only I See

There's a small scrap of food in the shape
of a heart on the table in front of me.
I've been sitting here an hour but only
just noticed its bright red skin and
the way its adhered to the fake grain.
I don't think either of the other two people
sitting around me have noticed. One
just pulled out several notebooks and
begins writing furiously as if trying his
hardest not to notice. The other
groans periodically at the grainy television
beside him and hides in his stapled sheets
of paper with their scrawled words
enhanced by an indulgent highlighter.
He refuses to notice. i brush away thoughts of
drawing a large arrow and decide instead
to take pride in the little heart
only i can see even though it sits in plain sight.

Post 11: 060506 Rehearsals Revised

Well, yesterday has been and gone for another year. And as far as yesterdays go, it went pretty well. Drinking began at around 1:30pm and surprisingly I managed to keep it going until midnight.

And as far as today goes, it’s raining and I have to be out the door in five minutes to get to rehearsals. This will be the first time the newly revised cast will get together. Don’t you love the flakiness of people? Maybe it’s the fact they are in a foreign country so feel as though they don’t need to be as true to their word as they would back home. Whatever the reason finding folk who stay the course is hard.

Post 10: 050506 Last Night

Last night a group of my workmates and I went out to celebrate Jinny Teacher's birthday. We started at a resturant and ended eating cake in the local bar. We try to get out together pretty regularly and usually end up having a good time. For some reason last night everyone began the evening in a bit of a grump, most likely stress related dealing with the kids and the boss. Despite that we ended up having a good time. Beer helps as does soju, the local brew that'll knock you on your arse before you know it.

Post 9: 040506 Tonights horror class

So let’s begin introducing you to a few of the characters. This is the class I currently teach every second day at 7PM. They have successfully become my most difficult class. There are two characters within it who manage to twist the attention of all others until whatever I say goes unheard. There are good student in there for sure but they struggle to concentrate with the continual ruckus going on.

One is not inherently bad but is unable to stop talking for less then a minute. This is no exaggeration. You may think this is commonly found but I’ve been teaching here for several years now and this one has impressed me with their ability to switch from saying “sorry teacher” to talking over me a moment later while I’m trying to explain something.

The other is manipulative and devious and a different kettle of fish entirely. They are smart and play dumb then get angry when I get upset at their antics. More frustrating and much more of a problem to deal with.

Don’t they look innocent.


Photo 1: English names are from left to right; Leon, Tom and Ian

Photo 2: Hidden from the camera as they are; Maria, Peter, Claire, Kathy, Sally, Jessica, Leon, Tom (hidden) and Ian

Post 8: 040506

What every great experience needs are characters and locations. Chuck into that a bit of drama and we have ourselves a winner but I tend to shy away from drama. I’ll focus on the nitty-gritty of the story. The people and their three dimensional lives.

My intention is to introduce you to the world around me. The locations: My shared apartment, the bar we regularly frequent, the coffee shop I retreat to during my break before classes begin, the University I currently travel to twice a week for rehearsals, the theatre where our plays will run, the gallery our show will be at, the markets, the video slash comic book rental store, the streets I walk down, the town I live in. The places I inhabit in some way.

Then comes the people who inhabit those places. My partner, my workmates, my students, my theatre company cohorts, my exhibition cohorts, the guys and girls whom I see on a regular basis behind the counters over which I fork money, the occasional random stranger, my family who lives thousands of miles away but a beside me at the touch of a button.

So I guess what I’m saying is that I’ll introduce you to me and the world I live in and the way I view it. I try to see behind the layers to the nuts and bolts that make lives tick. I want to see Oz and ask him what’s up and if he wouldn’t mind taking these blueprints I’ve made and reshape the world. I’m not happy with the way it’s being run.

Post 7: 040506 Photos

I took these sometime ago and played with them a little. They are from a dance performance of Cinderella at a 2004 Chuncheon Performance Festival. I then showed them in my first exhibition in a real to goodness gallery late last year. Exciting for me.

Post 6: 040506 Doodles

I get bored and i doodle. I have oodles of doodles. I'd like to see these in a gallery and more of their ilk. Standing floor to ceiling and of pure colours so the viewer can fall into the motion and depth of the image.

Post 5: 040506

This was in the comments to my first post. I feel it deserves a place on the front page rather than hidden away back there. Feel free to send in stuff, thoughts, poems, rants, desires etc. etc. We'll see what we can make of this space. If you get a chance, check out the first reply to the first post. It's worth the read.

Anonymous said...

please could I have another slice of pie life
a little larger piece this time
the one with the strawberries and the sugar on top
would suit me fine
the taste would be sublime
the smell would be nose quenching
the touch would be thought-provoking
and I would hear the echo of the strawberry pip
escaping...

Post 4: 030506

I was just speculating on what I would include in this blog. Being a newbie to this world in both its creation and its investigation I have no real idea of the scope of these. Which is fine and dandy really as I have no real idea of the scope of life, so I guess its fitting.

That led me to ask, what does it take to attract an audience? As surely these are made with the hope of sharing views, opinions, likes, dislikes, notions, epiphanies, speculations, joys, sorrows or anything else that runs the gambit of the human experience.

Does it take controversy? What can I be controversial about? I have some pretty strong opinions, some pretty strong dislikes, some pretty wild ideas. But ideas are just ideas, harmless things until they a solidified by someone else sharing and agreeing with them.

I could deal in popular culture; after all popular culture is popular. Movies and stars and icons and novelties. But what I like is usually found on the fringes of what is popular and its enjoyment seems to be shared by so few. That cuts my potential viewers down. And when I do deal in popular culture then it will no doubt be to slag off the latest moron who has found themselves on the cover of a magazine.

I have many great loves in life. A list of loves that grows almost daily. Not so many of the hates, just the great dislikes. There are many things I would like to change. Many things I would like to do and see and experience. These with any hope will find their way here. I have passion and hopefully that will translate into other people’s interest. After all that’s why I’m doing this, isn’t it?

I am currently sitting in the dark little office behind the staffroom of the school in which I work. It’s mid afternoon and my first class starts in under half an hour. When I finish it will be dark as I walk back to my apartment on the thirteenth floor of a twenty one story apartment block that is part of an eight block collection. It’s cozy.

I live with a Korean lass by the name of Suki. We met in November at the local bar. She picked me up. The great ones always seem to start out like that. We share a few pivotal interests such as cinema and late night sessions of Go-Stop, a local card game though communication could be easier if we were fluent in each others language. For now we get by but it improves every day.

Post 3: 030506 Vegted - The Logo

So this is what i look like. In case you were wondering. Well this is what i'd like to look like were i a cartoon. I made this sometime ago for the face of a business card. I actually went so far as to get a few mockups but as yet no true printing. That might change before my next exhibition, they proved an asset. I was just thinking, perhaps he needs stubble. He looks a bit young. Oh and he also comes in blue.

Post 2: 030506 Spring TXT Poetry

Spring: TXT Format

I
Th bloatd belly of a wrm
ngorgd on moist erth
dgestn th rchnss
of a newbrn seasn
plckd by a probn beak
perchd bneath razr I’s
desperit 2 still
th bayn of spring


III
We walk her & I
Wth fingers entwind
& let Th sun share th beauty
of our 1st kiss
as I thread a daisy Chain
& crown my love
& she bestows her lips
upon my cheek


IV
I heard th cricket calling
Cum out cum out & play
Th buds will soon b bloomn
& th sun has found its way
Th season of rebirth has cum
So cum out cum out & play


V
Winta lookd wth bleary I’s
& calld in a fadin voice
u wil miss me whn Im gon
& spring has hd its way
& soon enuff I wil reclaim
tht which spring hath stole away


VI
I woke 2 a distant yernin
2 walk th paths o childhood
2 watch th fantails flitin
2 listen 2 th crockd brook sing
2 lie upon th grss & muse
Upon th joys o spring


VII
I walk bside th babble
& watch th stars upon it gleam
Beneath its crystal surface
Th cockabillies scurry
& Above where my I’s linger
Dragonflies venerate th day


VIII
wthn these concrete parks
& hi-rise apartmnt bloks
I found a lonsum dafodil
Wedgd btween th craks
Wth mjestic strain it
bowd 2 proclaim
Wthout u wed take it bac


IX
Seed
Scattered
Bitter wind
Lost
Battered
Smothered,
Bound
Found
Finally crowned
Bloomed
Pruned
And mothered.


XI
Color me wth childish pansies
hang me frm sharply dressd lims
serenade me wth matin calls
it mite b th season
but I no th reason
im wearin th broadest of grins


XII
I saw the sun go down on bended knee
and propose with longing to the earth
she smiled sadly and whispered in reply
“I accept, though I know it cannot last.”


XIII
An itsy bitsy tiny ant
Startd up a flower stem
Dawn a distant rumor
The sun a long lost friend
& with all its strength
It pushd & heavd
2 bring spring bac again


XIV
She rousd herself frm dreamin
& raisd her weary head
She blinkd into th sunlite
& stretchd upon th bed
She briefly thort of gettin up
But returnd 2 sleep instead


XV
A possum spoke to me
As he ate an apple core
I don’t hav a penny
Jst an empty paw
But if u r of kindness made
Please sir give me more


XVI
I like eatn
strawberries in th sun
I like ice cream 2
Even when it runs
I like dandy lions
& makn daisy chains
I even like gettn wet
In gntle springtime rains


XVII
I once had a dollar
that my mother gave to me
and in my infinite wisdom
I planted it to see
if by the coming of next spring
there would grow a money tree


XVIII
I went 4 a walk & fought
th urge 2 engulf th street I walkd on
th sun shone so sweetly
glazn th world wth nectar
makn a delectable feast 4 th eyes


XIX
Th swng swept arcs amngst th powdrd blue
as I lay withn th grss lookn up at u
th memory of our kiss ws lost amngst th dew
beside our erly mornin tyst in th prk


XX
Shh said th gntle breeze
Th day has things 2 say
Cant u hear th flwers whsper
Cant u hear th water sing
Cant u hear th grss in chorus
Gve praise 2 buding spring


XXI
Th field mouse scurred
wth panickd stride
& shrill sqeek
frm husk 2 core
least sumthn b lost
& th chance 2 feed
his growin brood
b vanquishd
by a cunnin squall


XXII
Frm 16 stories up
I watchd a butterfly dance
on th lip of a newly blossomd lilac
precariously procurd
in a neighbors planter
& new
tht spring had come 2 dine

Post 1: 030506

Some people are born writers; some people are born escape artists. I am a born escapist. This is yet another form of escapism. I spend my life seeking out ways of escaping form the task at hand and usually the task at hand is merely the act of living. I haven’t yet learned to enjoy life; I’ve only just come to a small understanding of what life is all about. We are barely on speaking terms but I’m hoping over time we might become friends.

I have one of two ways of treating this. I could write like you are strangers I haven’t met yet or I could right like you are strangers I will never meet. Let’s just work on the assumption that given enough time and the right inclination we might just bump into one another.

So welcome to my slice of the pie. I hope there is something of interest within these tissue paper walls that stirs up flurries of thought and leaves you asking something more of me, of yourself, or of the stranger you passed on the street and never looked up to see the worry lines, the distant look or the weight they carried on their flagging shoulders.