Daniel Chamberlin

I've forgotten how I found Daniel, but I thought his work interesting enough to sign onto his newsletter Void Contemplation Tactics.

His latest includes tales of his time as an Emergency Medical Assistant in Marfa, Texas. As far as I've seen, it's the first he's written of that stint. The link in the article above from "The decade I spent as a writer" leads to further info about his history and art-making (and is the same as the one at the bottom of this post).

In it, the "decade" one, he talks about many of the ideas I've encountered. What touches me the most is his empathy for the marginalians -- to steal a term/label/title from another writer: https://www.themarginalian.org/

I'm mentioning Daniel here cuz the blog, mine, that is, now has enough depth in time to be a real resource to me...helping me remember. Daniel is one I don't wanna forget.

XanniBelle

Years ago I chanced upon her card tacked to a bulletin board. I'm not sure of the extent of her training, but for a while she worked in a small shop doing bespoke work.

She's done the interior panels for Phoebe, put gussets in my pant-legs and several other projects....all done perfectly. And Hell freezes each time a German acknowledges perfection. She's also the creator and host of The BPD Bunch.

She makes all her own clothes. Today I dropped off my gray overalls to get gusseted.

Before

Solstice Cards

The list has dwindled to less than a dozen. Thus, it's a reasonable undertaking to make them by hand. Only thing is, the intensity of "making" is such that I'm exhausted after an hour. Still, we're off!! Out of the gate!!

See My Jumper Hangin' On the Line

by R.L. Burnside

Beginning

I Am Calling You

sung by Jeff Buckley

Pumpkins

It's Albuq; not much to say.

A followup visit today with Doc Wilder, age 31, to reassess my right ear. He's puzzled by why he can't see my right eardrum; something's in the way...not wax. No chance of being seen in the Ear, Nose & Throat clinic anytime soon, but I'm on the list in case they get a cancellation.

Michele only has two cat-sits a day and we've continued to "knock out" errands. Despite the mundanity of it all, we enjoy each other's company. Even after 33 years we hold hands, exchange ideas and laugh alot.

The increase in isosorbide has provided a modicum of more energy. But I'm noticing twinges of angina again, a symptom that's been kept at bay for the past eight months by a religious adherence to a dosing schedule. 

I dreamt of keeling over like a falling tree. There was the briefest of moments, as I hit the ground, when I heard Michelle calling for help, then I was dead. It was blackness; a void; nothing. Hopefully it'll be that quick.

In the meantime the weather's been perfect.

The terra-cotta figure in the background was a gift to my father from the mayor of Munich; one of six made of his daughter, age 16, she was killed in a car accident that year.

Lack of Light

I need to remember to ask. It could be thriftyness; it could be she only reads her phone; it could be she's able to see in the dark, but the only light is the low-watt, fluorescent in the poodle lamp. I need more in order to glean the finer points of care & feeding of my new electric razor.

You'll note the two meds boxes; they're never far from reach though administration is only 2x/day.

The tall figure atop my display case (we each have our own), is a Halloween cat found some years ago in a psychedelia-store in Cottonwood, Arizona.  At its feet is another of Michelle's tableau's. This one features a blue, glass cat - in the lap of the action-figure - she spotted at The Alamo Gallery in Socorro the other day when we were returning from our Get-away-from-The-Cat juant to Las Cruces. 

The whole poodle-thing is a response to the culture's insidious need to enhance peoples', specifically womens', appearance. In her younger day, her focus was on the mods (modifications) aimed at women such as "the 18-hour girdle," to breast implants, botox and on and on. She saw a similar attitude in the "dos" poodles were given and the breeding of "teacup" animals. And, of course, the action-figure exemplifies the physique expected of males.

Mélange & Meds

Today I increased the iso to five & five....putting me over the recommended max dose of 240mg/day. It was in July that I upped it to five in the morning and, at Dr. Marin's suggestion, keeping it at four in the evening.

This past month I've been groaning when getting up from a chair and realizing my thighs were weakening while, at the same time, the upper-body mass, now at 248 pds, is becoming too much for them.

I've had several "good" days of no groaning and renewed energy. And though I continue to need long rests between tasks, I've been able to transition from sitting to moving fairly easily.

FOR THE RECORD.

They visited Bosque del Apache where there were cranes and geese.

They went from Las Cruces to White Sands where they got to see the moonrise and in Mesilla, celebrated Dia de los Muertos.

Michelle sent this cartoon.

We went to dinner at a new East Indian restaurant where we weren't sure what we were eating...but it was good. (eating w hands)

Shirt by Izod ($5.99 at Goodwill) overalls by Carhartt ($47 @ Tractor Supply),

hair by MFH (free)

At Michelle's, I sorted through a box of stuff where I found a picture of myself with Uechi Kamei, grandson of the founder of Uechi-ryu karate. After 10 years of vigorous study, I went to Boston to test for 1st-degree blackbelt...basically, nothing more, at least with my lack of talent, than recognition as a student.

Later, preparing to read stories, I saw this photo of us on an earlier Halloween. Note Michelle's orange leggings, my orange & black bow, purple hair, helmet w flashing red light (from prev year's costume as Crossing Guard for People On Acid), and esp the purple-satin pants. Sophie, in my arms and Leroi, in Michelle's screaming, "Lemme outta here!"

Rabbit Warren - Selvin

Never much one for nightlife, I enjoy leaping, Alice-esque, albeit headfirst, into warrens.

This evening's began when Monterey Pop Festival -- 40 Years Ago popped up (intended) on my u-toob WATCH LATER list.

At 3:50, Joel Selvin makes a four-second comment, another at 23:40, 28:45....33:00, 36:00...

Unfamiliar with Joel, I went to Wiki and found, under "Writing Career," a wealth of titles.

Photo by Steve Miller (cropped by me)

Next came the caption under the photo on Wiki: "Legendary Artists: Sounds of San Francisco" which led to Mrbonsai.com  which finally ended at Michael Zelner's flickr album.

Albuquerque: armpit of the Southwest