I AM creating work! (and saving the world)

Truth becomes fiction when the fiction's true;
Real becomes not real when the unreal's real.

the vast unknown

"why yes, i've been to the end of the world." exclaimed charles darwin to a confused looking galapagos turtle. "in all relative theory the trip was quite excrutiating." and so developed survival of the fittest.... in 1860.... something... julio popper also set out on a glorious expedition for gold to the land of fire.... la tierra del fuego. in 2007 mika kiburz set forth to freeze her butt off ecotouring around patagonia.... in search of some "spiritual awakening" (who isnt?) this is the diary of these 3 would've been friends if they all knew each other. ;)

Jim Jones and the bikes

you tell me what happened here... massacre... or mass suicide???

Iowa City and beyond

starting up the old motor.... vvvrrrrrruuoooooommmmmm............. getting those creative juices going again.... fighting the world a little right now... fighting some people in my life right now... mostly fighting myself. i have my first intermedia project due in 1 week... and i think i just got my idea.... with some film i shot in patagonia... and selected readings from Charles Darwin's diary of the beagle and of Julio Popper's diary in spanish on his early expeditions... i will
compose a mystical journey of an early expedition into patagonia... this sounds very jackie goss.. esque.... i like it. she made me feel like i can be creating video and art for my whole life and the world will be better... when she came last year to iowa... that night was more inspiring than many other nights have been.... anywhoozle.... i will perhaps animate a bit of this as well.... rotoscope??? maybe... i will need to find some video of explorers... hmmmm.... and some found sound... of seagulls and wind in the desert..... and glaciars breaking off perhaps... maybe i can cross cut some of the expedition with my expedition into patagnoia... some of my fotos... :)... IT CAN BE PERSONAL... :) so first... i must transfer the super8 film to video... damn... i should've already sent that to be transferred to lost in light ... well i can fix it up later.. i suppose.... film whatever video i need for this... read and select writings... act them on video... maybe try and find some clothing...... and a ship... lisa has a telescope.. my front porch can be a ship... i think...or on my roof...on a cloudy day... blown out. blues.... very blue..... ok... the animation i need to do on friday... and saturday. this is serious... i can definitly blue screen some of this. so sound is important... this is what brainstorming is all about... :)
todo bien.... tengo una vida satisfecha... por ahora.

Patagonia, mi querido.
estoy en Puerto Madryn esta mañana, y finalmente puedo decir que estoy en Patagonia. hace 3 dias estaba en Bariloche pero en realidad, se llama la region de los lagos... ah bueno. hace frio un polar aca y creo que un poco mas en Bariloche... pero lo sabia. mi viaje continua asi: dos dias en puerto madryn, pocos horas en ruta en rio gallegos, despues 2 o 3 dias en el calafate, y lo demas en ushuaia, tengo miedo que no voy a quedar mas de 2 o 3 dias en ushuaia... vamos a ver.

blogging and vlogging is somewhat harder than i thought it would be... i guess i have more on my mind in this point of my life. but im seeking to get my creativity back on track eventually... hmmm eventually. being creative and travelling is definitly a challenge... there is little time and energy for art im finding. so much energy goes into organizing... and trying to see and do as much as possible in little time.. that rest comes first... and then energy for creation i guess is next... no sé. journalling is so important. and i am journalling a lot. more than a few times a day. trying to figure this mind of mine out. to locate this self that we all have.. but dont know where to find it... but still desire to find it. always searching.... im learning about love. about friendship. about language. about human connections. about education. about politics. about. about. about. about. where i can be in the world and feel comfortable. damn people anxiety. no good.
travelling alone has been good to me. and i am seeking to be removed from most people actually. sight seeing, animals, nature, museums, art, cine.... beaches... mountains... just looking and thinking... erase these people-... and let the ones who are important guide me in some way... but i dont need anyone right now... and i have never felt more sure of this.
(but at the same time.... desiring to be home) as a differnt person.

sittin

just sittin here... thinking why am i thinking (in english) este mundo, que extrano a mi.
the words now seem to make sense... finalmente. y me pregunto... es obvio? si claro!
no entiendo nada aca. pero cada dia aprendo algo. algo... hoy..

Lyrical Hermonies (2006) by MK JP & CT

I am hesitant to put this film on the internet because i think i might try to enter it in several other festivals... it played at FLEX this last november...
but then i realized, i want to share my work with whoever actually takes the time to look at my vlog... so i post it now. i worked on this about a year ago with Julita Potter and Charlotte Taylor... we made this using special David Gatten techniques...


also Composed of rice, chocolate chips,coconut, needles, combs, pins, cloth, thimbels, jewelry, buttons, nail scissors, thread, hair curlers, salt, 1970's issues of Playboy, contemporary feminist magazine BITCH, lipstick prints of young students studying feminism in university, found footage, Hi con negative, and tape. Women Dada?

Protesta al obelisco

Well about a week and a half ago on april 10th, all of the university classes were cancelled because a series of protests and demonstrations by public school teachers broke out in the province of Neuquen the week before. The protesters shut down a bunch of major roads and were disrupting the important Semana Santa (Holy Week) tourist weekend. So the governor of Neuquen ordered the police to shut them down. Everything came to a head when a tear gas canister canister fired by the cops "accidentally" struck and killed a chemistry teacher. There is speculation that it was intentional.

so then in buenos aires, young and old at the drop of a hat seem ready to organize a protest in the city. they must all just keep their protest gear ready by the front door. i was amazed how common it is to have the city practically shut down because of student protests. it made me think, why dont the young people have this kind of rallying power and potential anymore in the US? the young people here really place themselves within their political system.

¿Que es el dia?

i am trying to remember what i did yesterday and it only resemblers a blur. i feel as if most of the days here blur. trying to recollect... woke up late, spent the day in class, then to IES to go on the internet. Hannah and i went to a swanky hotel in el Centro because we thought there would be a feminine literary performance... not this thursday. drank some mate on my balcony and watched the traffic as the sun was just going down. ate dinner with my host mother and we actually had a semi good conversation.. i´m realizing maybe there are things that i can learn from her. she is an outgoing woman, very loud. i´m not. perhaps she is challenging me... and i must accept this challenge to be a little louder and prouder if i want to actually enjoy this living environment. later i had a few cervezas at a friends apt. as we planned our spring break trip up to nothern argentina. Que Bárbaro!

i am definitely encountering life lessons here.. some on solitud and the means i have to change myself here. simply feeling alone here is hopefully enough to help me utilize what i do and do not want to feel, and how to change. i am learning to relax, little by little... big lesson for me. mostly i am trying not to miss the wonderful people and good times from iowa city. i guess maybe i´m constantly wishing i was somewhere else. always moving.. wanting to move... travelling.. like the kokopelli... the hunchedback flute playing traveller... bringing fertility to the villages... so as i travel i should bring fertility with me. i am learning the importance of relationships in my life... and to value being a giving person... working on this every day... the water is still in buenos aires.

middle is boring

week 7 i think in buenos aires. i think i am hitting the depression curve. so why do i choose to blog it? i dont know. to get it out of me. all of a sudden, the film festival BAFICI has ended and i feel so lonely and uninspired. my new friend fancisca somewhat mentioned this is what happens to her after the film festival... but i didnt really believe her. yep it does.

i feel an incredible sense of unbelonging. spanish is still very difficult, hard to see where i am improving. i miss things at iowa. have an unfortunate housing situation. just different obstacles i didnt plan to encounter. 3 more months. push forward.

BAFICI writeup coming soon. the festival was the highlight of BsAs for me so far. i hope not by the end.

they speak castallano here

week 4 in Buenos Aires. i think i am actually starting to adjust more or less. according to the student adjustment chart for study abroad... there is a steep depression coming soon. that will be interesting. its nice to know someone could tell me that before right? like i fit in the mold.
yesterday i actually found a climbing gym called Realization. all bouldering. it was pretty cool. i realized... all of my muscle has depleted and i will have to work back up again. ho k. but its pretty cheap and they have lessons for = U$S 3 hopefully well get to go on some trips into the andes soon.

im undecided how i want this blog-vlog to be. i like blogging. but i like the idea of it being only a video blog. but then i dont ever have enough time or technology to actually get videos up on time... hmmm hybrid perhaps. there is a neat cemetary here i would like to vlog, where eva peron is burried, and also... i kinda want to animate argentine meat dancing tango... jan svankmayer style... si posible.

check out my friend danny´s blog. he´s from harvard so he´s REALLY smart... and pompous. love it.

pucon, Chile

Climbing el volcan villarica in pucon, Chile proved to be a difficult 7 hours of my life. 5 hours to the crater, where magma bubbled below the level that we could see...and 2 hours sliding down the side in snow and ice tubed slides. enjoying my lunch of bread and cheese and bananas was particularly dangerous sitting on a steep incline. the trek zig zagged up the volcano at an angle of 60 degreees!!! ahhhhh!!!! alst the while our spanish speaking guide repeated "vamos" and " que honda loca" ( whats up crazy girl)

blogger makes me cry

after much struggle to recover my blogger password... i am back on the net from the beautiful (sometimes) city of Buenos Aires. i have few videos to post from chile and BsAs so far... they will come. i am also working on posting pictures on flickr. all works in progress. So i recently stumbled upon two amazing things in Barrio San Telmo. la universidad del cine, with ah mazing ciclos del cine every week! AND a super 8 supplier and processing co. in a cute apartment. my new goals include making friends with some argentine cinema students and learn everything i can about the material of super8 film... perhaps some kind of apprenticeship... is in order.

a brief overview of Sudamerica
highlights of chile:
cute beach town pichilemu, el volcan villarica and the crater at the icy top, millions of free range stray dogs of every shape and size. gypsies who read your palm for monedas... or try to. the gorgeous german settled port town valparaiso where houses are crammed together on hills and painted every vibrant color of the rainbow and children ride skateboards to the bottom... screaming. i love it.

highlights and lowlights of Buenos Aires:
dog poop everywhere, but fewer dogs than chile. la feria recoleta- hippies sell their crafts. i met a man from australia who is a world boomerrang champion. the beautiful beach town and home to mar del plata film festival, actually all of the amazing film cycles here are increible! oh yeah, school is ok too.

will vlog pronto! Ciao

I Heart Martha Berner.

in a goodbye iowa city- hello martha berner saturday night bash, magic happened.... or something of the like. Martha Berner, a guitar jammin-harp playin-vocalist from Chicago passed through iowa city feb. 10 and shared an evening with the locals.
she's like our friend.
and yes, that is me on harmonica.


any-hoozle, i'm off to Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina. i'm in a weird nervous, excited, sad, ripple in time right now... the next few days will fly by... and then i will fly bye. As casually as i can drop this here... is how stressed out i really am.... and its weird to write to no one except cyberspace... hmmm? (im trying to encourage comments... let me know you watch :) )

what an amazing party, i love all of my friends! an amazing night! thanks Martha!

i'm just as excited to come back in July!

Soy Milk Makes Kids Gay

Really? REALLY?!
Jim Rutz posted on Dec. 12, 2006 in response to the book titled The Whole Soy Story, that not only is this health food, unhealthy.... but it also makes kids gay because of estrogen like hormones called Isoflavones (this sounds made up to me). The entire article is here. So i hate to be super skeptical but to me it seems like this conservative homophobic scientist needs to prove something. he's using science, something which we "understand" to be factual... to support his own fears of gender blending.
apparently there is a lot of this soy research surfacing now, and this worries me. the FDA is going to be posting warning labels on soy products soon warning mothers of giving their children extra estrogen. if soy milk is unhealthy, then fine... but anything in excess is unhealthy. this frustrates me immensly.

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53327

Pink Abyss

Pink Abyss my front porch summer 2005, i think. it's hard to tell what time of day it is and i dont really remember. i think it's night and light pollution... not to mention smoke.

on the verge

news flash! news flash!
i will be leaving this country in 1 month! I will be travelling to Chile for 2 weeks and then on to Buenos Aires, Argentina for 6 months.... i will be a student. I will probably want to do everything BUT go to class. I will video blog.
I really am unsure of what to expect on this journey. Primarily, I desire to be ripped from this bubble we call university, and the bubble i live in called Iowa City. I seek to perhaps discover some harsh realities, about myself and others. My goal is to track emotional stages with a journal vlog... and a report events and experiences vlog...and a track my spanish (improvement) vlog. maybe more.... so hopefully i will find the time to actively practice donating video to the cyberworld.

To my parents and friends that watch... i appreciate any and all support--- just by watching.... and comments or advice are of the essence.

there will be more updates to come... and hopefully a short kokopelli video that i just got an idea for! YAY! checking out.