The Power of the Soul

I was digging through the archives yesterday trying to see if my friend Kent sent me an Aretha Franklin postcard from San Diego back in the 80s. He didn't. It was Billie Holiday. But in the same ziplock was this picture of me and all my friends from Mr. Warner's class of 1973 at Hamlin Street School in Canoga Park. I forgot about Kent, about Billie, Aretha, everything but that photo. I held it in my hands and took a long look into each beautiful face. Then I'd let my eyes wander about the image admiring the drapes, the tiled floor, the felt letter board, the wooden bleachers, the flag, the bell-bottoms, the overall composition. Then I'd return to another face. I knew everyone. I remember the tenderest details about each personality. These faces have been living inside of me all this time. I never imagined that 5th Grade would have such an influence over my being. A fun expression from the 70s was, everything is everything. I guess it is.

Live in the moment, because it lingers—a long time.

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Bandit's Silver Angel

The year was 1993. I was holed up in a roadside hotel called the Hilltop Inn. This was in Monroe, NC. I was working as an assistant accountant on four back-to-back TV movies based on the film Smokey and the Bandit directed by Hal Needham. Hal was also directing the spin-offs and his hotel room was right next to mine. We got to know each other. I worked long hours, six days a week. Our accounting staff consisted of three people. My only free day was Sunday so I would drive my rental car to a sports bar in Charlotte to watch the Steelers. Monroe introduced me to the art of stunts, the cicada and minor league hockey. My sweetheart at the time was Penny. She was working in LA while I was in NC. Thinking about her kept me company. While researching this memory and going through my Bandit archives I found this headshot of Traci which basically explains everything else.

Bye.

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An Offering

So I've been working on this video project for the last two months. It's called Perpetual Tea, or, Preparing Our Minds for Anything. It will debut in the Asian Fusion show at the Bower Center for the Arts in Bedford, VA on August 21st and it will run through September 22nd. The installation is an offering of fifteen 1-minute meditation videos displayed in a tatami room. A zafu and zabuton cushion will be available for the viewer to sit and experience the tableau. I've been practicing yoga and meditation since 1986. Crazy.

Here is a sneak peek of the offering.

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