Families

they are funny institutions. this week i have been immersed in family stuff. visiting my uncle this week in Chicago because i have a work obligation there related to families involved in Child Protection back here in Minneapolis. it means that i miss a night with my kids and will be away from home. i try hard to avoid this, especially for work, but this particular family is so very dysfunctional that it behooves me to do this. so i fly into Midway tonight, leave with my uncle and go back to this event all day tomorrow. i am not hopeful that we will be able to offer this family the assitance it needs in resolving child custody and care issues. mom has too many unresolved parenting crises, traumatic events in her life that have not even begun to heal; loss, unresolved grief, identity confusion and she has ten kids by at least five different men. the kids all have issues too - behavioral problems, encopresis, incontinence, emotional problems, grief, separation and loss issues for a start. we did not break this family and i am certainly sure that we will not put this one back together. i am not sure that is our job. that is why i am going to Chicago with Mom. we hope to have the family come up with a workable solution to this issue. what do you think?

too bad my sister can't understand the power of family and what it can accomplish. i continue to wait for some kind of response from the court regarding the care of my mother. the longer i wait, the more concerned i get. the more concerned i get the less patience i have with what i already think is a corrupt court process. but then why do i think the process should be fair (read: just)? naivete? idealistis? pollyannaish? how about simple hopeful...and wishful that my mother's life matters enough to someone who cares!

Slump

i am in the midst of a slump...emotionally, creatively, spiritually. seems that everything i touch or contemplate comes back to bite me. i am trying to be introspective about this all, but it continues to elude me. just a few weeks ago i had high hopes for new successes. my energy was good, my spirits high and i was not so easily annoyed by the vagaries of the world around me.

maybe it is a symptom of my age or cohort group. looking back at what we have done (and more importantly what we have not done) is weighting heavily upon me. we have reached new lows (tabloid journalism, idol worship, folly like the Bridge to Nowhere) and we do not even seem to care. Global warming, environmental destruction, reducing the air quality again, polluting our waters, buying and selling junk and tainted items for the sake of the Holy Dollar.

sometimes i think it would be fabulous to disconnect from all this craziness. have a simple house away from this all, with environmentally friendly people surrounding me. i could buy my food locally (but that means no strawberries in the winter), use recycled and refurbished products, get off the electric and power grids with some expensive alternative energy sources and then what....what would i do? how would this affect my children? would we be the family of kooks who lived down the lane? would people think that i was some kind of nut or fanatic? would the FBI and DHS have an active file on me; monitor my internet and e-mail activity? i don't know!

Tuning the Harp

Tuning the Harp, originally uploaded by Lukasia.

While my wife impatiently awaited the processing of the photos from the dance, I was still working on the photos I took for my pleasure this weekend. I was at my first gallery show. Click the link above to see who we are. It was a gas. I enjoyed talking with people about the photographs - mine as well as those of the other photographers. We are a diverse group, spread around the globe encompassing three continents and four countries. This harp was played by a 16 year old. It is a beautiful instrument. I am still not sure I captured the beauty I was able to see. He tuned; she played a few minutes later. Wonderful.

That Shows Where I Rank

The gallery opening was a success. I had a wonderful time meeting the guys from the group. We had some time to joke and laugh and get to know each other. Then the throngs of people flooded our intimate little space and started talking about the photos. 11 artists; more than 70 photos; 4 countries; 3 continents; 6 states represented. Prints look so much better hanging on the wall than spread out across a flat screen. These photos were awesome. There were rich blacks and starchy whites; brilliant color and beautiful pastels. You had to be there. But she wasn't. She was here practicing for her performance....I made it back in time to attend. Are my pictures done yet!? Impatience reigns. I have been busy. That Shows Where I Rank. I guess it does!

it has been an incredible week. emotions are running high at our house. that usually means i have to keep a lid on it. pre-teen daughter, son who has elected not to play football, strike at the U. my wife is an admin there and she has little patience for the "whining" proletariat. i asked her how much the football and basketball coaches make and she spouted the usual market economy analysis. unfortunately the few that have are more determined than ever to hold onto what they have. that means this is going to be a long strike and there will continue to be dissention at Chez Moi.

kids are back in school. hooray...summer was taking its toll on my finances and my sleep. photography

Thinking

why do we have so many people who will do wrong if given a choice? makes you stop and think. I like people but they can try patience. l want others to be happy but not at the expense of others. It has been a tough week, only wishes! Well, there is always photography-go to http://giftshopco-op.com to learn more about this new venture. if you live in the TCs, visit the shop on 35th St. and Minnehaha. Shop for unique gifts and art there.

this should prove to be an interesting election year. hate will be the by-word. America as we know it will be different this time next year. Iraq, monetary policy, racial politics (disguised as immigration policy), aging and cuts to social services. where are the brave now? what freedoms will we have left when the DHS finishes dismantling the protections that we so fiercely fought to win?