Collage art I did in 1980s about contradicting demands of the voters

Sent to a Mail Art show about politicians in the 1980s. Discusses contradictory demands of voters. Scroll down to see dialog beneath each picture made of cutouts from magazines. Mantra is, we voted them in when they promised these things, then we voted them out when they gave us what we wanted; as in "be careful what you ask for as you might get it."

Is America's welcome mat getting tired and overburdened?

There have been quite a few posts in social media about the Statue of Liberty not turning it's back on the world, but turning its back on New Jersey.

In my files of old art collages is a copy of this piece I sent to a Mail Art show in the 1980s. Theme of the show was "Liberate Liberty." One was encouraged to interpret that however they wished. I doctored an image from National Geographic Magazine to make this piece. Taken from the Jersey shore, I think from some article on population growth and the environment.

My question was, is Liberty's welcome mat getting tired and overburdened?

Mail Art piece from Berlin Wall

25 years ago, the Berlin Wall fell and sometime around then, I got this art piece in the mail from Germany. Dust from, I assume, the wall enclosed in plastic at the center of the photo. Back then, I was participating in a grassroots network of pen pal artists who sent creativity to one another, sort of like the sharing that ordinary people are doing today on Facebook. Back then, there was no Facebook and the art traveled through the mail. It is called Mail Art. Some people still do Mail Art.

My 2014 bike tour photos are now on line. Trip in Western Washington and Oregon

How I learned an important tenet of Inflation (universe that is) Theory

Even though this isn't the gravitational waves. It's an old image of the cosmic background radiation in microwave and wow, I love the colors. Image: A map of the CMB created by the COBE satellite (credit: NASA, DMR, COBE Project).


Here's another image, more related. AP Photo/BICEP2 Collaboration, I found on Diane Rehm Show web site. Several interesting interviews coming out.

In my file box of correspondence is this letter from National Geographic Magazine, circa 1983 (image below). I bring it up in light of the recent discoveries about the Big Bang Theory related to gravity waves in the cosmic background radiation.

The recent finding is strong evidence for the "inflation theory" version of the Big Bang. Inflation theory has been around a while and was featured in a 1983 addition of National Geographic Magazine. They did a big colorful feature on theories about the origin of the universe. When I read the article, back in 1983, I thought I had found a mistake. Article talked about the edge of the universe expanding billions, or maybe even trillions, of miles during it's first seconds of life. I thought, "how can that be as it would be traveling faster than the speed of light?" Supposedly nothing can travel faster than the speed of light so I wrote them thinking I had found a mistake.

I thought, maybe they'll even print my letter in National Geographic. It's hard to get a letter published there as they have millions upon millions of readers. Letter didn't get printed, but I did get this interesting form letter back. Letter was to all of us folks who brought up that question and thought we had found a mistake. One of the letters on that "non mistake" was printed and the rest of us got this form reply.

Turns out the universe, itself, is exempt from the rule that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. Space/time, itself, can travel faster than light, but nothing within space/time can do so. That's a major tenet of "inflation theory." That's also when I first learned about inflation theory. Space/time itself inflating, like a bubble for a brief moment, faster than light.

That was back when inflation theory was still just one of many theories. Now, 2014, its still one of many theories, but due to the recent findings in the cosmic background radiation, inflation theory is gaining traction.

Pictures from my 2013 bicycle trip across Washington State are on line

Mount Rainier from Chinook Pass. The sun was out for a change.

Rode to Pullman from Bellingham in 6 days for my 40th high school reunion. Then came back in around 8 days visiting Chinook Pass among other things. Also took bike trail to Troy, Idaho and visited my sisters in Pullman, WA. Took a tour of Northwest Public Radio studios in Pullman.

I'm surviving the hot real estate market so far

The housing recovery could mean another real estate bubble in the making, especially here in Bellingham where property values are starting to soar again. The house where I was living just sold for approaching $400,000. Luckily, by coincidence, someone moved out of a nice apartment in a business building that is owned by my employer. I have a good place to move to so I moved. Rent is not bad given the size. They want stable tenants there.

At my old place, I hear the new rent for the rooms may be nearly as high as what I am now paying for an entire apartment at my new place. Will they get that much? Who knows. They are planning to remodel at my old place. The local market is starting to take off again, but there is a lot more money in the ownership market than there is in the local job and wage market. Property values tend to be far ahead of local wages; especially in bubble times.

After living, since 1987, in a room with small bathroom I've documented that life and my non fossil fueled move of one block to my new place. See images on Flickr.

My 2012 bike tour photos are now on line

The face of Cougar Dam east of Eugene, Oregon. I passed it several times on my 2012 travels in Oregon.

My part in GLBT history display at Wilson Library

Back when I was in college, I collected a bunch of posters and articles from gay and lesbian activities around campus. Years later, I donated that archive to a growing collection of artifacts about GLBT activism that is being maintained by Western Washington University's Center For Pacific Northwest Studies.

Yesterday, I just found out that they did a display with some of my things in it along with contributions from other folks.

Looks good.

Rode my bike up to WWU campus and took a few pictures of the display.

To right side of sky bridge entrance between Haggard Addition and Wilson Library.

Poster for a dance they did in 1975. I forgot who created that artistic poster, but I kept it.

My impressions about a class I took on gay people that was taught in 1975. Written down from an oral history project.

My 2011 bicycle trip photos now on line

A quieter route under freeways in Tacoma.

Bellingham, WA. to Eugene, Oregon. Then east to McKenzie Valley and up to Portland, OR. Train back from Portland.

While US economy looked like it was crumbling, should I be going on vacation, or hunkering down and hoarding food?

Vacation wins. There's still plenty of food. Glad I do have a job. Not a real fancy job being a custodian, but it's a job. Offers month long vacation benefit. That can be worth more than higher pay.

Enjoy leisure while you can. Who knows what retirement will bring. Much of the current economic worry has to do with all the debt overhang. A lot of that debt is actually money people have "saved" (lent to the government) in hopes that the investments will still be whole, when time comes to cash in. A lot of folks are starting to cash in as post war baby boom reaches retirement. Hard to say if the economy will still be solvent enough, with governments and other entities paying back debts, to meet people's retirement expectations.

Might as well enjoy life now rather than storing too many of one's expectations for the future. Savings is a good idea, but balance is needed. Who wants to work too hard, now, just in hopes of being able to afford a great retirement. Much of that retirement can disappear given the condition of our economy. Also the condition of one's health. Don't work yourself to death.

No need to hoard food, yet, but good idea to hoard your health. Who knows what Medicare will be like in the next decades.

My 2010 summer bike tour photos now on line

Looking at the forest through the trees across I-90 in Spokane Valley. What forest? That one's artificial.

2010 trip was another one around parts of Washington and Idaho. Then another trip to Vancouver, BC after getting back to Bellingham. Total of around 1,200 miles in 4 1/2 weeks.

At first I thought I was slowing down, putting on less miles per day than previous trips, but looking at the mileage, it's still a lot of miles. Not the 4,200 miles I did in 9 weeks of 1991 when I crossed USA by bike. That was 19 years ago. Maybe I am slowing down.

I'm I slowing down due to old age, or the digital age?

Good question.

Maybe a bit from "old age," but back in 91, I wasn't stopping so often to update my status on Facebook. No one knew what wifi was. In 1991 it was either 24, or 32 frames to a roll of film. Stopping to take pictures meant deciding if it was really worth one of the last 5 frames on a roll before getting to the next store and shelling out money for more film. Yes, those were the days.

Now I'm stopping every few feet to take a picture. Not really, but sometimes it seems like that.

In this 4 1/2 weeks, I took nearly 1,000 digital images.

I'm back from my trip which ended at Camp

Queer Camp was another destination along my summer bicycle loop.

Intense, with lots of workshops, dancing, gathering, mingling.

A weekend of gay community in the woods, at a retreat center.

Nice way to end my bicycle tour. People, all scrunched together in cabins, dining hall and so forth. Quite a change after being mostly alone on the road during previous weeks.

Rain was intense also. Seeing the forecast on line, I got an extra large tarp to put over my tent; rather than giving up on my tent and staying in one of the cabins. It stayed mostly dry.

Several carloads of folks from Bellingham came down for Camp. I got a ride back to Bellingham by car. First bike trip that I returned by car. On other trips, I've come back by train, bus or biked back. Our car qualified for the carpool lanes. It was a car full of stories and reflections from Camp.

Now I'm sorting my pictures and stories from both Camp and the rest of my bike tour before Camp.

Everything from the Pullman Lentil Festival to Queer Camp.

Stay tuned. It will take a few weeks to digest things.


Aprox. 3 minutes.

GLBT Resource Guide

My guide to gay community things in Bellingham has a new home. It uses the blogger system in a new way even though it isn't really a blog. Labels work well for customizing the guide under each topic, such as (for instance) "Churches."

Looking forward to the parade and main Pride day in Bellingham on July 13 2008.

It's actually a GLBTA resource guide. A stands for Friends of GLBT people. GLBT stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender.

A includes friends of other sexual orientations. Maybe it's a laundry list, but that's what being inclusive is about.

When Seattle imposed its Cap Initiative

CAP Initiative restricting height of downtown buildings back in the 1980s, I drew this cartoon back then.

Now Seattle is talking about lifting the cap initiative. Let real tall buildings be built downtown again.

Housing.

It's a case of building up instead of sprawling out.

Still, we do have immigration and over population problems. Where can we put all those people? Up is better than out, in my opinion. Still there isn't that much room, especially in Seattle.