lovely and amazing
People, on the whole, can be really, really horrible sometimes. I don’t know how many times I've encountered some example of stupidity or venality or just plain unkindness and have thought, "God, I hate people," and, at least at that moment, meant it.
However, they can also be really, really wonderful.
gin200168 and michelleann68 knew that I had a crappy old computer at home, and so they decided, when a computer was offered up for free at michelleann68's office, and completely without my knowledge, to team up and snag it for me. They also made sure that it was fully loaded with WinXP and all the programs that I could ever need.
The upshot? I'm sitting on the floor, typing this on my shiny new laptop.
I was completely stunned and bowled over when they presented me with this, and I'm still kind of in shock that they did this for me. It is really, really amazing, and I love this computer like you would not believe.
Guys? I know I said thank you already, but I'm saying it again now: Thank you. This was way above and beyond, and...words like "thankful" or "grateful" seem inadequate.
Like I said, people can be pretty damn wonderful.
Otherwise:
The Getty Museum is currently showing, among other exhibitions, one called Evidence of Movement: Documenting Performance Art. Included here was a piece that creeped me out horribly, in a really wonderful sort of way.
"Talking Light," by Tony Oursler, is exactly what the title indicates: it consists of a bare light bulb hanging from a chain suspended from the ceiling. There's also a vocal track, a man's voice coming from a hidden speaker. The light bulb flickers in sync with the voice.
The bulb is situated in the farthest corner of the exhibit, in a space that's otherwise fairly low-lit. The exhibition itself is also a pretty low-traffic one -- possibly because it's located in the Getty Research Institute building, not in any of the main pavilions -- and was deserted except for a guard. I could hear that there was an audio track playing somewhere when I first walked in, but didn't realize what was going on until I got to the far end of the exhibit.
The voice never rises above a whisper. Not everything is audible, even in the silence; some of it comes out as just a low mutter in which no individual words can be made out. Other times, there are disconnected phrases and words. The one I remember best is a repeated "more light," and at other times there were whispers about "composition," or possibly "correlation." Once there was a repeated word that may have been "Jack" or "back" -- something with that sound, anyway. In between the words there's soft, heavy breathing that's not in the least bit sexual; it sounds like someone in pain or despair.
The bulb flickers the entire time, in perfect sync. It flashes on when there are words, flashes off during the pauses. During sustained periods of speech or breathing, it glows steadily. When the vocal track goes silent, the bulb goes out entirely.
It is horribly, memorably, unbearably creepy.
And, scarletts_awry? I think it gave me ideas.
However, they can also be really, really wonderful.
gin200168 and michelleann68 knew that I had a crappy old computer at home, and so they decided, when a computer was offered up for free at michelleann68's office, and completely without my knowledge, to team up and snag it for me. They also made sure that it was fully loaded with WinXP and all the programs that I could ever need.
The upshot? I'm sitting on the floor, typing this on my shiny new laptop.
I was completely stunned and bowled over when they presented me with this, and I'm still kind of in shock that they did this for me. It is really, really amazing, and I love this computer like you would not believe.
Guys? I know I said thank you already, but I'm saying it again now: Thank you. This was way above and beyond, and...words like "thankful" or "grateful" seem inadequate.
Like I said, people can be pretty damn wonderful.
Otherwise:
The Getty Museum is currently showing, among other exhibitions, one called Evidence of Movement: Documenting Performance Art. Included here was a piece that creeped me out horribly, in a really wonderful sort of way.
"Talking Light," by Tony Oursler, is exactly what the title indicates: it consists of a bare light bulb hanging from a chain suspended from the ceiling. There's also a vocal track, a man's voice coming from a hidden speaker. The light bulb flickers in sync with the voice.
The bulb is situated in the farthest corner of the exhibit, in a space that's otherwise fairly low-lit. The exhibition itself is also a pretty low-traffic one -- possibly because it's located in the Getty Research Institute building, not in any of the main pavilions -- and was deserted except for a guard. I could hear that there was an audio track playing somewhere when I first walked in, but didn't realize what was going on until I got to the far end of the exhibit.
The voice never rises above a whisper. Not everything is audible, even in the silence; some of it comes out as just a low mutter in which no individual words can be made out. Other times, there are disconnected phrases and words. The one I remember best is a repeated "more light," and at other times there were whispers about "composition," or possibly "correlation." Once there was a repeated word that may have been "Jack" or "back" -- something with that sound, anyway. In between the words there's soft, heavy breathing that's not in the least bit sexual; it sounds like someone in pain or despair.
The bulb flickers the entire time, in perfect sync. It flashes on when there are words, flashes off during the pauses. During sustained periods of speech or breathing, it glows steadily. When the vocal track goes silent, the bulb goes out entirely.
It is horribly, memorably, unbearably creepy.
And, scarletts_awry? I think it gave me ideas.