Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Happy to be alive at the summit of Mt. Reynolds, Glacier National Park, Montana, after possible 2nd or 3rd ascent of direct north face; free solo. July 2008.
"Engineering Hall", Golden, Colorado. March 2006.


Golden, Colorado, March 2006.

Hill Hall, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado. March 2006.


Star Peak, Humboldt Range, Nevada. May 2006.

"Cross found at the summit of Adam's Peak, Nevada". 2006.

Santa Rosa Mountains, Nevada, June 2006.

"Owen's Valley", California,  July 2006.

"The Window", Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, 2007.


"Guillemot", Stonington, Maine, July 2009.



"Early", Berthoud Pass, Colorado, 2006.


"Steel Curves", Ogdensburg, New Jersey, December 2004.

Poemzzzzz

~Adrift~
"And as we drifted north on a swirling, wayward tide of ebbing ambition and austere aestheticism, I became aware as if for the first time of the vital insignificance of our passing; the aloof chill and somber beauty of the gray rock and  white snow against transient green water caught me and tore me away from my irreverent daydream, a passing thought really, from languid impulse, and suddenly the dark enchantment and sterile, windswept beauty of this place dawned on me and it's consequence was full and real, and frighteningly so we rode adrift on a tenuous thread of enlightenment, dreamers in search of that which cannot exist, it was such that I met the stranger I would come to call a friend."

~Cowboy~
"Damn Cowboy..... What's up?
A Stranger sight I thought I'd never see, you and me."

~Evil Empire~
"Greeting's from evil empire, no rest for the wicked tonight,
we torch the flame of humanity, alive with malice and spite.
I travelled far from familiar, and soon I came across,
the path from which righteousness and the wicked,
diverged upon my loss.
Alone I filled the valley, with doubt's insistent shadow,
which none of us could meet.
Trod on the evil science, of vision's hazy blur, and in my minds subconscious
did steadfast truth once stir.
I sought the insurrection, and found a crimson sky,
greetings from evil empire, no rest for the wicked tonight.

~Junipers~
"Curse the slow sideways cracks of crooked consciousness that seep like hot steam
beneath the boilerplates of bright molten fire, fed from my burning ,stormy soul set ablaze
with your smile of stolen indifference.  I found that acceptance of anything without first digging, gnashing tooth, nail and claw into the naked, brilliantly simple substance of the matter is but that smile of easy insincerity focused a million times, like the blue-green guardians of the winding, sun-blasted desert hills, Junipers they call them, tree's from a distance, a fools
easy paradise, at close, thorny bushes which draw blood and reach ragged, leathery tendrils of
life to the begrudging heavens above, at what once was true. Junipers."

~Desert Wanderer~
"Sun spills over the wrinkled, crooked edges of the world and I, a desert wandered, trod on
past silent valleys and heaving peaks cloaked in deep, dark forests, Island in the sky I forge
a hollow in the desert dust of humanity."

~Morning Window~
"Brazen figments of my imagination, light that steals the dawn into rays reflected in
warped glass on ancient, sleeping wooden beams, over dry dusty corridors, awake my awareness of self in this morning window, promise of eternity and empathy for love lost,
misguided marksmanship a messenger in sunlight, through the morning window."

~Snowy White Wastes~
"Snowy white wastes, fade forever into sublime reflection, I brood over your endless lines and limits, you let me decide my trails that follow forgotten fantasies I forge from deep white fluff that cushions my journey through space and time, stung strong with rabid snow I am stirred into wild abandon, fly I might over the world to seek  this moment with two colors that define existence; blue or white, white on blue, white on everything, I am swift, silent, deep, 
a messenger of time and purpose presented in massive, arcing turns stolen from inexhaustible 
fresh, frozen gold poured into my soul. Snowy white wastes of want.
Yes I'm talking about skiing.  The rest of life is just a rehearsal."

Monday, September 28, 2009

Mayer Hawthorne show ect...

"Jacob in the fog", Phippsburg, Maine. 2009.
Stonington, Maine. 2009.

'Fire', Arches National Park, Utah, 2009.

"Mount Siyeh", Glacier National Park, Montana, 2008.

"Colors", 2004.

"Rhodochrosite", Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, 2007.

"Luna Moth", Stonington, Maine, 2009.

"Maine in the Rain", Phippsburg, Maine, 2009.



So just thought I'd break it down with a little recap of recent events....

Mayer Hawthorne show in Denver was super dope. Can't wait to cop his new album "a Strange Arrangement" on vinyl. They were selling his first single, "Just ain't gonna work out" at the show, it's a red heart-shaped 45, so awesome, wish I had some dollas at the time. I do have to admit with all the slightly cheeky/tacky references to lonely hearts, the ladies, love ect..., Mayer left me feeling a little lonely after going all the way down to the Larimer Lounge by myself to see the show. There were some cool characters there for sure, mostly locals I assume, and a handful of heads and backpackers there mainly for underground hip hop guru 'Buff1der''s show which opened for Mayer [great performance, his DJ, local Denver talent DJ A-What, spun some classy Dilla-esque beat's over Buff's rhymes; good stuff.] Mayer [real name, Dave Cohen; his stage name was derived in classic nom-de-porn fashion from the street he grew up on and his middle name] played a LONG set, almost 2 hours(!!) which I was SO stoked on, this is why I love catching these kind of artists on their first tour, BEFORE they get big and every bro and teeny-bopper are clamboring for tickets.... yes I know I sound like an elitist ass, but I'm just showing my appreciation for a real 'heart and soul' performance, something that seems increasingly rare these days.

Unrelated note:
Here are my predictions for emerging trends in 09/10' men's fashion, through what I've been seeing on the street here in Denver/Boulder [generally pretty fashion forward] as well as through leading blog's such at The Sartorialist:
1.) Classic straight-leg slim fitting jeans are going to eclipse super-skinny jeans: ok ok, so maybe a small faction of hardcore hipsters and "cool bro's" will hold onto their super skinny's, but the rest of us will come to our senses and realize that besides being damn uncomfortable, these hipster jeans only look good on about, say 1% of people wearing them. The classic slim fit has been the prevailing style for the past 100+ years in the U.S, and will continue to be in the future.
2.) slim-fitting solid color pastel t-shirts and bold, colorful horizontal stripes. Ok, so this already is a pretty big trend in Europe, band to a lesser extent the U.S, but I'd love to see a continuation of the trend away from these awful gaudy logo's/graphics and faux-crests on t-shirts and back to a simple aesthetic that focuses attention of body lines and masculine form and not some rip-off of the 17th century French Royal Family's coat de arms.
3.) Cowboy Boots. Yes, I said it. I think with the right style/size [and that does NOT mean calf-high Marlboro-man boots on everyone] these can look great on just about anybody, and I just love the the rugged, western frontier aesthetic you get with them.
4.) Lens-less square-frame glasses frames with metal or horn rims. Ok, so this is a purely ironic and satirical style, but I love this look with a nice, well-fitting vest or sweater, some plaid or corduroy pants, and maybe a bowtie. Can you say nerd haute-couture?
5.) Loafer or Sperry-style dock shoes: ok, so this is slightly indulgent of my preppy New England Yacht club fantasies/taste, but I do think these can look rather classy for being such a casual fit and available in so many styles and colors..... pastel and bold colored dock shoes can go great with colored cord's or even well-fitting khaki's [none of those awful baggy-fitting dockers!!].
OK, that's all for now more [imaginary?] insights into the future to come.

Photozzzzzz...... That I like!!


New Poetry

A few recent pieces:
  

~'Whatever'~
Exhaling the pained staleness of the moment,
lift the dull edges of reality from which we build the sharp
brick wall of understanding, of acceptance and proportional constants
which unwittingly hold together the fabricated lie of zen.
zen is chaos, zen is the primal animal scream which builds and rises,
looming on the fading white horizon, before crashing into the meaningless 
wastes of society, that from which we forge our identities
out of a handful of norms and expectations
the soul a collector of all the myriad eccentricities 
that make life worthwhile.
the reason I greet the glowing dawn with wise regret, 
for nothing and everything, a languidly attentive smile which See's
the sweeping injustice hidden under the dark enchantment of the masses,
and reaches into our collective consciousness, to mediate only what is now,
what is here, what is shaped for the extravagant momentum of tomorrow.

~"Ski Vermont"~
Stubborn place that seems to have fixed itself into my memory, I caught a note of your return
on the gentle north wind blowing cold, starry sky down from Canada, 
they said it would rain tomorrow and the crunch-crunch-crunching under my toes as I trod 
down a weary rural path tell me it's been warm, but I know, my friend, it's going to snow, 
oh it's going to snow, and when it does I'll be slicing through great silent mounds of drifted 
fluff, caught in the lovely nether regions of consciousness, a traveller along no road or path, 
just a crooked line, adrift in the sterile, windswept beauty of this place.
But for this, don't you know, I'm just a wandering soul watching out for my next ride,
my captive audience a stand of bushy spruce and rickety alders, frozen shadows they cast
onto snowy pillows below, once the journey starts, we're all organic, aren't we?
Winter is coming.

~'Homeless Lady'~   [True story!]

"And I, a wayward stranger slouched against a cold metal gas station pump, rigid bastion of society, black blood pumped into the veins of necessity, I lazily watched the numbers madly climb, a murder segued upon my credit card.  
And you, on foot approaching, asked if you might bum a ride, in terms befitting your disheveled elegance, of course, you whom I eyed with wary contempt and shameful apathy at first, but then, remembering we're all bound to be human after all, I trusted you quite suddenly, out from under my better judgement, and headed down the dark ,weary corridors of South Golden Road, against the rising, ebbing tide of whitewashed conformity, an act of completely irrational compassion; twenty dollars, sure what the hell, oh, my address you inquire, might you have it so as to repay me at your earliest?  Why certainly, and as to your whereabouts, where the wind and fortune might take your weary soul, you say your a Christian, praying for a miracle,
I say I don't believe in god or miracles, but I believe in kindness, I trust we are all drawn down the same path of consciousness, all bound by fate to live and react and never leave the present moment.  And so we parted ways on a strip of asphalt on West Colfax, and I, alone with my thoughts as usual, turned and flashed a lovely twenty-dollar smile,
as the evening exploded into a million shiny little pieces.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Favorite Photos.

"Ice", Telluride, Colorado, 2009.
'Lobster Boats", Stonington, Maine, 2009.

"Razor", Selkirk Range, B.C., 2009.

"Bouldering", Self-Portrait, Stonington, Maine, 2009.

"Throwing Rocks", Vancouver, Canada, 2007.

"Guitar", Golden, Colorado, 2007.

"Safety Rusts", Eden Mills, Vermont, 2006.

"Bridge", Oyster Bay, New York, 2005.

"Snow", Stowe, Vermont, 2005.

"Steel", Ogdensburg, New Jersey, 2004.

"You", Morrison, Colorado, 2009.

"It won't stop raining', Wiscasset, Maine, 2009.

'Granite Islands', Stonington, Maine, 2009.

'Mainah', Stonington, Deer Isle, Maine. 2009.
'Alpine Reflections', Rocky Mountain National Park. 2009.

Cornice, Sonoma Range, Nevada. 2006.

Alamosa Valley, Colorado. 2006.

"Busie", 2004.

Copper Crystals, Upper Peninsula, Michigan. 2007.

"Memories Rust", Sterling Mine, Ogdensburg, New Jersey. 2003.

Rock Climbing, Kane Springs Canyon, Moab, Utah. 2007.

"Electric", Hardystonite with Clinohedrite, Willemite, and Esperite in Calcite, Franklin Mine, Franklin, New Jersey. 2005.  Philip Persson collection now in the collection of Dennis D'Angeles. 

'Industrial Chaos', Eden Mills, Vermont, 2004.


Sketches

'Santa Rosa Mountains, Nevada.', Pencil, 2008.
'Sailing in Heavy Seas on the Labrador Coast', Pencil and Charcoal, 2007.




Monolith Festival Photos Part II

Mmk, I'm going to have to break it down Carles-style on this one.  

This girl was a good girl in high school. She lived in an upper-middle class suburb in California, and was always one of "the popular girls" despite caring a lot about school.  She studied had and got into CU Boulder [ok not that hard to do.]  Colorado! She was so excited.  She wanted to major in molecular biology and international studies.  Freshman year, she didn't know many people, save her roommates in the dorms.  They invited her to a party the first weekend of school.  A BIG fraternity party! she as so nervous.  Never been to anything like this in high school.  She met this guy there.... 'Mike', he was kinda cute, ok not really she thought, but he was sooo cool.... he knew everyone there, acted like he owned the place, and drove a big Suburban with NY plates. Anyways, 'Mike' invited her to go to this music festival, 'Monolith' she thought it was called..... he mentioned one of his Bros had leaked hi ma copy of this album by this band Passion Pit.... she didn't know if she liked the music, but hey it sounded pretty cool, and 'Mikes' cool [hot!] friends were going too.  

Well, they got there, and she asked when they were going in the show [it was already 3pm, and tickets were, like, expensive(!) though she wouldn't dare tell anyone this.] 'Mike' wanted to pre-game in the parking lot [what's "pre-gaming" again? she thought]  Someone handed her a drink, and, wow, it was pretty good.  Then 'Mike" and his friends all huddled together behind the Suburban.  They were all focused on this little plastic bag... couldn't really tell what they were looking at.... voices kinda low and secretive.... she stepped closer to them to see what was going on... 'Mike' hands her this little blue pill, says "here, this will make you really enjoy the show!". Well.... umm.... she couldn't say no now.... especially not in front of Meredith and that 'cool' bitch Ashley... it didn't seem to really do anything at first.  They went into the show.  'Mike' told them to meet him at the Savoy show.  She was kind of freaked out at this point, but wouldn't let anyone know, god forbid.  'Mike' took her arm and pushed their way up front, past some 20-something guys in slim jeans, bright plaid shirts, vests, thrift-store hats and shirts.... "Pshhh.... Fags" 'Mike' snickered.  "How dare he!" she thought.  They seemed like perfectly nice guys.  In fact, she would have loved to talk to them.... to hear their stories.... they made it up front. She was really freaking out now.  Which way was up? which was down? so much noise! 'Go up on the stage baby, and dance in you want" 'Mike' said.  
Except it wasn't so much a suggestion as an order.  She was afraid.  But also euphoric.  This was intense.  This was real.  If only her parents knew.  She got up on the stage.
Woodenshands.  This guy was fucking crazy.... crazy awesome that is.

If Matiyahu converted to atheism, crooned power-pop over synth waves, and wore skinny jeans.... well he'd be this guy. Tigercity.

The Dandy Warhols.

Monotonix Drummer.  I don't even know what to say.


Some people just make you happy. 'The Grates", 9/13/09, Monolith.
Great phots or greatest photo? Love this girl.... lead singer of 'The Grates.'


The Thermals: Love their lead singer!!





                                                  Oh Shiii..... It's Chrome-o-me-oooo....