Refigured: Radical Realism

Barry, Tamara and I went to the Dougherty Arts Center yesterday, February 17, 2018, to see our friend's work in the new exhibit, Refigured: Radical Realism. It is an brilliant show and I am reminded again how lucky I am to be surrounded by the talented people that I know. Alejandra was in good company, and I regret that I was unable to get pictures of all of the artists' work there. I'm afraid you're going to have to visit the exhibit for yourself. I highly recommend it. The show will be up through March 10, 2018. 

Alejandra Almuelle 2

A couple views Alejandra Almuelle's work

Alejandra Almuelle 3

Alejandra Almuelle 3

Alejandra Almuelle 3 - Detail

Threaded sculpture

Dana Younger Wall

Denise Fulton Wall

Dougherty Arts Center Hall

Jennifer Balkan Wall

Jose Acosta Sculpture in a Box

Jose Acosta Wall

Monster in the Hall

Friends at the Exhibition Opening

Justin Balleza Photobomb

Pum-Kin in a Tree

There once was a beautiful cat named Pum-Kin. He was mostly orange with white spots on his little face, like backwards sports player eye black. His orange fur was fluffy – so very fluffy – and had white spots accentuating his body in just the right places. He pranced around on white tufts of furry feet and a glance from his lovely visage would cause an average human's heart to melt into butter.

He lived in the back yard of two kindly men who made sure that there was food in a dish for him. While he appreciated the food, he wasn't quite sure that he trusted people enough to actually snuggle with them. Sometimes he'd let one of them scratch his head, because this is the price you have to pay to keep a food supply. But, for the most part he kept himself at arm's length.

One time one of the kindly men put his food on a nice table about two feet from where it usually sat on the back porch. This was very confusing for a pretty cat named Pum-Kin, who wasn't the most intelligent thing ever to walk on four feet. But, he was very pretty. Another time he had to share his food with a skunk named Trevor, because even though he wasn't the brightest star in the galaxy, Pum-Kin knew better than to go to battle with a omnivorous black-and-white New World mammal of the weasel family.

One day, in the middle of Central Texas' excuse for a winter – meaning that the temperatures had recently gotten as far down as 35° before returning to the 50's – Pum-Kin decided to climb a tree. He wasn't quite sure why; there is just a need inside every cat to be on top of something they see. You may have noticed this tendency in your own cats, especially if you've left a piece of paper laying about. It's just something that cats have to do, a mysterious call of nature. So, one afternoon, after having seen this strange short tree for years, he finally decided that food wasn't going to be served any time soon so he may as well have a climb. This didn't go so well for poor little Pum-Kin. He got stuck and tangled and didn't quite know what to do with himself. Fortunately, one of the kindly men wandered by. Unfortunately, the kindly man had a camera.

Poor Pum-Kin

Perhaps now you understand why pretty little Pum-Kin is reluctant to trust humans, even kindly ones with food.

Anastasia in Jeans

This is what happens when I leave my jeans on the bed.

Tell Tamara Keith. I Want Her to Know It Was Me

I get to work and a starry-eyed female co-worker is asking, "Did you see Game of Thrones last night?!" Typically, somebody will have not seen it and the others will be forced to talk about it in the most general of terms. One can't release a spoiler. If they happen to catch me off guard and ask if I saw Cercei or Lady Olenna Tyrrell, I tend to stare blankly wondering if it was a TV show or a drag show, or a TV drag show. 

Today I came back to the office and excitedly announced, "They released the memo while I was on lunch!" It was greeted with a resounding chorus of silence, accentuated by the lonely sound of a cricket chirping. This is life out of sync - it can be lonely.

Why Is This a Challenge?

Why are people doing this? What is the point? Really, I want to understand. I hear about organizations trying to warn teenagers not to eat Tide Pods. Procter & Gamble is having to address this as if it were a drug. From NPR'r report: "The company's efforts include outreach to college campuses for "honest conversations" with students...". It is reminiscent of adults warning teens (when I was a teenager) not to try marijuana. They had "honest conversations" with us about the dangers of drugs. Of course the kids didn't listen; they wanted to get high. Take away the drugs and they'd fill a paper bag with spray paint and huff that. Take the paint away and they'd put a glue stick up their nose. 

But, why concentrated laundry detergent?! I mean, I've not once heard that it gets you high or that it feels remotely pleasant. Is there a thrill that I'm not understanding? Bungee jumping used to be a fad. That's dangerous, but people tell me about the headrush as you're free-falling. I never participated, but I get it. I can get on board with that kind of excitement and fun. I'd probably do it now, given the chance. But, the thought of swallowing a concentrated form liquid detergent is something I can't even fathom. How can you produce enough saliva to get it to go down? Doesn't foam come out of your mouth? Wouldn't the saliva cause it to foam more, rather than help it go down your throat? Do you swallow the plastic wrapper as well? 

When I was a kid, we used to get our mouth washed out with soap for saying bad words. Now these Little Einsteins are consuming a concentrated form on purpose. And recording it. And disseminating that recording for all the world to see how stupid they are. People are dying from this; these kids are poisoning themselves. AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN GETTING HIGH! 

Somebody needs to give those kids a joint.