Mayor of New Orleans

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4207628.stm#

Listen to the mayor of New Orleans explain the situation in his city. Click on the link and navigate to the upper right hand corner.

The director of FEMA said yesterday that the federal government was not aware there were people without food and water in the superdome until yesterday. He needs to resign or be fired.
The president of the united states finally has appeared from his ranch in crawford. he apparently had to cut his vacation short by three days, poor guy. president Bush should offer his resignation, he is a poor leader.
And believe this - if these were rich white people stranded in that city, help would have arrived sooner. Shame on them, and shame on those who still can't see the truth.

Why 'Wise' is Wise

Why is 'wise' wise?
Because of the 'i'?
Or because it is 'is'
surrounded by 'we'?

Downing Street Memo

I have a hard time believing that over half the people in our country voted for George Bush. The worst are those with the black 'W' stickers on their cars, they're a group unto themselves - still ignorant enough to be proud of their decision to vote for him. Is Dick Cheney still alive? Is there a more sinister group on the planet than those we put into the white house (twice)...let's name the 'evil doers' in order of their 'evil doerishness':
1. Karl Rove
2. Donald Rumsfeld
3. John Ashcroft
4. Dick Cheney
5. George Bush
What a group of characters to be proud of. And the fact that the company that Dick Cheney was once CEO of is now making millions off of the murder and disaster we've made in Iraq? Perfect. And with Pat Robertson and the 666 clubs help we will soon unify America and be one big Christian RighttotheHummerdealership country. Read the Downing Street Memo, think about what the reasons were for this war, think if any of it makes sense. Bill Clinton lied about a blow job and was impeached - George Bush lied to get us into war and seems to be surviving quite nicely...must be the liberal press.

Why is 'Wedding Crashers' rated R, and 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' rated PG-13? Has the christian right so twisted the minds of the people in this country that they worry more about their children seeing nudity then they do about their children shooting each other at random.

Where is the legitimacy in the story of King David and Bathsheba? The king kills the husband of the woman he sees bathing nude and his punishment by god is the loss of his first born son. That doesnt seem like just punishment, why not disallow his marriage to Bathsheba? Or castrate him? The punishment chosen is actually inflicted on the innocent child. Isn't the punishment chosen by god just a form of abortion? Is god, in this case, condoning abortion for special circumstances?

And the Jacob and Esau story seems contradictory as well. Jacob fools his blind father, with the help of his deceptive mother, and steals the birthright from his hard working brother. And then, as a reward for doing what was right, Esau and his lineage is basically forgotten by posterity. It is Jacob's lineage that becomes the basis for the continuation of the bible.

Poem: "Eve's Argument"
The devil didn't need much deceit
to make me eat,
It was God
that made the fruit look sweet.

Warning: The facts in this blog may be deceptive and there may be attempts in this blog to start a war that my friends and I will handsomely profit from.

The Saudis / Bushes are ramming it up our rears

Ok, just got back from the gas pump. Now most of you know that I can't stand George Bush, I won't get into all of the obvious reasons why but I have to get something out...what the fuck is he doing? I just paid 2.50 at the god damned gas pump. It went up a quarter in the last week. I know what you're going to say, I have republican friends I know how they think, you're going to tell me that G.B. had no more to do with the rise in the price of gas than did old honest Abe. And though you're probably wrong I will say this, you can't tell me that if Bill (I fixed what 12 years of trinkle on down economics broke) Clinton were in office the republicans wouldn't be going crazy saying things like, "that's why we need oil turkeys in office, haliburton etc etc". He would be blamed, sure he would - but I don't hear a god damned word about George Bush. BTW - zero WMD were found in Iraq which is the reason given for going to war - just wanted to make sure that someone knew that 'WE' were aware of that and aren't being fooled by the 'rape room retoric'. whew - i'm glad I got that off my chest.

Austin Hello

I am writing in this blog for the first time in a long time. I wish I could say that the delay was due to overwork, stress, etc. but it was not. I have not done any work in a long long time. I have kept myself busy with fun though; skateboarding mostly. Frontside ollie to tail revert, smith grinds, lean to tail, front side rock n rolls, tail stall reverts, and just plain carving the shit out of the bowls. I know I know this means nothing to most of you but when we are 60 years old and unable to do anything active I will look back on the great times I had on that skateboard.

I have actually met two people while out galavanting and both of them have architecture related backgrounds. Would Aristotle say that this means that all people with architecture related backgrounds are galavanters? I don't know.

Went to UT today to speak with my graduate advisor, this is becoming all too real - apparently I am not going to be able to lounge around forever.

Don't think of it as losing 6%, think of it as gaining a realtor

Emilie and I interviewed 5 realtors this past week; yes 5. We listened to what each had to say, in what ways they would list the house, what they bring to the table, what they would be willing to accept for a commision, etc. We came out of the whole thing knowing only that one of the realtors was not for us. The others were fairly equal - each having some things we liked and some things we did not. We are still trying to decide who to work with - 5 or 6% is pretty steep.

Played golf with Logan yesterday. I shot a 46 on the front nine in some pretty hefty winds. We decided to play the same nine twice and I shot a 41 on the back (was even after 4). I was proud of myself because I have a tendency to let my front nine score affect how I play on the back.

Had a garage sale today, was ok, made about $100. Leaving for Austin tomorrow morning and will be there for two days; trying to get a sense of things.

Logan, my last words of this entry are for you and I know you will appreciate them:

'Hook em'

Farce Where Art Thou?

Remind me to talk to you at some point about a question I have regarding Architecture. No, no, not conceptual horse dung, I mean real things, real ideas! Real HOUSES!

Absentee Bloggers

After three rejections from schools apparently out of my league I received word from The University of Texas at Austin that I have been admitted to their Post-Professional MArch program. Emilie and I still have to discuss the details to make sure that we know what we are getting ourselves into but we are both very excited about the prospects of Austin and surrounding areas. I am looking very forward to getting back into an academic setting, further exploring ideas I have about architecture, and learning from those around me. Since I did not attend an undergraduate school with a football team or valid sports program and since I have a brother-in-law who lives and dies by UT football I will be attending as many games as possible.

On a separate note, most of the blogs that I frequent (all family or friends) have been conspicuously unattended to of late. Please visit www.franciewoof.blogspot.com and www.distortedveracity.blogspot.com and make a nasty comment about how we are all in this together and they are not keeping up their end of the bargan.

No No Benny...No No No

I wanted to update everyone as to how the kids are doing. Benny is now shaking his head 'No' and he does it with the kind of fervor which shows he means it (it looks almost as if his head is trying to run away and his neck is reigning it back in). He is also waving 'bye-bye' but only very occassionally. We think he is on the verge of crawling if he could only get his legs and arms to work in unison. I personally believe he will walk at 11 months or so (which I contend Christopher did though Emilie thinks otherwise) because he has such strong legs and seemingly good balance. Benny is a sweetheart but his personality differs quite a bit from Christopher's. Benny is more aggressive than Christopher ever was and 'looks for trouble' (and I say that in the most loving way possible - being a child who looked for a lot of trouble myself).

Christopher is playing soccer and has no clue what's happening on the field. He'll catch on soon though and when he does watch out. He loves puzzles, spiderman, sports of any kind, but baseball is his first love - and he's damn good at it. He has great instincts when we practice together, things I haven't even coached him on. For instance, the way he approaches a ball on the outside of the strike zone, he alters his swing, letting go of the bat with his right hand and leaning over the plate. His batting form has always been nearly perfect.

I think both boys together are a great pair.

Bathsheba

King David saw Bathsheba bathe,
sent Uriah to his grave;
God saw what his king had done,
so stripped David of his son.

From all of this we learn,
that man, being men, will yearn,
powerful men will win,
and no mortal man is safe,
from a woman in a bath.

I Have Been Blessed with a Large Blog

Over time my blog has grown and become very large. You have to scroll a long way to see the entire blog. My blog has had many visitors, but typically I have several standard visitors. I keep careful track of the goings on of my blog. I have had a person from Utah visit my blog which gives you an idea of my blog's extent. I will continue to care for my blog and treat it with respect and I hope you will do the same. Here's to all the other people with large blogs out there, cheers!

Helping the Riddle off its Roost

I can't stand it any longer, I have to tell everyone the answer. Mary Bess Dalton, wife of 'the pickler' Brian Dalton, daughter of 'Shorty' and 'Thomas Aquinas Corbin', owner of a beautiful new home next to a kennel, driver of the 'silver bullet' SUV, sister to 'woof', 'ro', and 'myemili.e.', sister-in-law to the greatest riddler and purveyor of philosophical fancy in the southwest, has correctly answered the puzzle placed before you all.

And the answer to "Why does youth run?" is: "Because age is after it!"

Riddle

I will give a free lunch to the first person who can guess the answer to this riddle:

"Why does youth run?"

hint: The answer has nothing to do with Michael Jackson.

Guave's Wisdom

What wonderful words that bring new meaning to my life or life to my meaning, whichever the case may be. You are so right, Lecho, that life through a child's eye is so much purer, less tainted by man's need to conquer. Is this why our memories are always so much fonder than the reality? Because we know there is no chance of conquest in looking back and therefore can be free like children while we're remembering? I should know, and by 'know' i mean it should be always alive within my spirit, that my eagerness and desire to achieve these material ends is a slap in life's face. When I work on my children's books I think of the wonderfully imaginative newness of childhood. Not necessarily 'innocence' which everyone attributes to it, but the ironic beauty that is born out of a lack of knowledge. I hope that part of this quest for a graduate level education stems from a need to rediscover my ideas about architecture/life. I know inevitably I will have to sift through the garbage of pompous intellect to get closer to the truths so easily found in childhood. But your council has brought me closer to the truth and made the reason for the journey clear - I have always counted on you for such advice - and always will.

Graduate School / Heart Murmer

I have developed a heart murmer because of the anticipation of hearing from the 5 graduate schools that I applied to. Life has all but stopped until I find out what's in store for me. There is a good chance that I won't get into any of the schools I applied to - this is killing me. I need council, does Lecho have any words of wisdom? The other day I got my first rejection letter from one of my top three choices of schools. No matter what happens, if my heart murmer turns into something greater and I leave this planet, just know that I feel blessed that I have a wonderful wife and two fabulous children. BTW - topher has his first soccer game this weekend!

A Complaint About Captain Lecho Guave

I am worried about my captain, Lecho Guave. He has not posted in his blog since February 15th. Surely, were he alive, he would have posted by now. I have written this poem as a safe haven for my emotions, I am distrought, I do not know what else to do.

O CAPTAIN! My Captain! Our fearful trip's begun;
The ship will weather every rack, the prize we seek we'll win;
The port too far for the bells to hear the people all exulting,
We must maintain a steady keel, this vessels grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Is that my captain lying on the deck,
Fallen cold and dead?

Place Making

Attended an AIA meeting this week about Fort Worth's Trinity Uptown project. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it is a redevelopment of the north side of downtown Fort Worth. An enormous project which will potentially keep local architects busy for quite a while. You can see what''s happening at www.trinityrivervision.org.

I have thought for many years about the meaning of place and the meaning of 'making place'. This is essentially what architects do, they create 'place'. I don't know what the Trinity Uptown project will become but i do know what i hope it does not become. I can't explain my ideas in full without boring everyone who reads this blog to death but i will say this, i hope that it does not become a fabricated idealism. By this i mean that i hope it doesn't get built up to look like a particular thing or style. This would be a mistake that lasts generations.

I'll conclude this with an old poem I wrote many dreams ago:


Blushing
1991

covered
tight
in
certain
colors
me
red
with
naked
smile

32 Bedrock Place

I made this card for Emilie for her 32nd birthday. Wanted to share it.

Date with Emilie

Went out on a rare date with my wife Emilie tonight. I say rare because with young kids 'dates' are often hard to come by. We had so much fun just being together. It's nice when you can be with someone for so many years and still just love being in their presence. In honor of Emilie's birthday (which is today) and our wonderful date I am entering the following old poem:

"Rosebud of Memory. Who’s She?"
1993

I feel I felt I fell
with floating Emilies
to those regions in which
reasons are remarked through pigeons
in fermented Vermont.

I feel I felt I fell
with floating Emilies
into piles of pails of pools
of water that are thrown at her
by the sun in summertime.

I feel I felt I fell
with floating Emilies
with the sweat of the sun
falling and feeling I feel
that in falling I felt.

Untitled

but edith’s bones
(though nice)
are delicate.
her skin had left them
ages ago.

it traveled towards the earth.
in a way,
towards her feet
(had always felt their press)
loved gravity,
loved her,
its consequence.

-collaboration by lecho guave and farce withers

To Calculate an Idea

To calculate an idea you must first
Add together all the thoughts your mind thinks,
then subtract the time between the blinks,
include what you think and what you dream,
because thoughts and dreams are one and the same,
multiply these thoughts by similar thoughts you’ve had,
then divide all this by the poor decisions you've made,
by the times you’ve spoken when you shouldn’t,
by the times you wished you could but couldn’t,
by the times you had but wished you hadn’t,
make sure and include the times you did but wished you didn’t,
then add this number to any two digit number of your choosing,
reversing the first and second digits while perusing
the holy pendentives that support the dome of H. Sophia;
this, the only means to calculating an idea.

Wise Words from Withers

The following are aphorisms extracted from the natural world by the hero of this blog, Mr. Farce Withers. Wisdom tends to find gentle souls.

bare feet please the grass

a river never stops to chat
with all the leaves and stones it meets

you may be crying
but your tears will be laughing

The wind loves hearing the trees words

love never has to prove
the proof is love

My Good Cricket Friend

Ok, i got positive feedback on the first poem i posted so i decided to post another tonight before i enter dreamland. This one is about a cricket i once knew, and is one of the poems that make up the book, "The Creatures I Knew, Before I knew you".

“My Good Cricket Friend”

The spring in his hop
would make summer stop,
made colored leaves drop.

His legs were gymnastic,
with tentacles elastic,
and music fantastic.

We’d talk about chirping,
about music and rhythm,
went everywhere with him.

He’d straighten my hair
with his tentacle ends,
we were good friends,
we were good friends.

What's it like to be a spider?

Because, for the time being, I have nothing better to post, I have decided to post short children's poems that I have been working on over the past one-hundred years or so. You are allowed to respond to them, ignore them, critique them, change them, quote them, wash with them, make love to them, or load them in your favorite weapon and fire them. You are absolutely not allowed to copy them or make money off of them that you don't share with me. One for today, more later if you're friendly.

“What’s it like to be a Spider?”

Just imagine yourself,
but with twice the limbs.

Or imagine you could crawl
on a ceiling, up a wall;
not an itch
you couldn’t scratch.

Able to quickly calculate,
Numbers divisible by eight.

And though it’s a curious thing
To hang from a string,
Just think of how fun it is to swing,
And climb, and cling.

Farce Withers: a formal introduction

They call me Farce Withers - I am an explorer who navigates through human dreams and desires. Travel with me as I try and navigate toward the origin of a single thought.

Little Topher Swimming