Deep Thoughts

A Separation of Marriage and Legal Status

furtographer — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:45:19 GMT

The seeds of my proposal for... California? Congress? For General Practice, Regardless of Government Policy? http://shamanrandal.com/smls.html How do we make it legal?

Scheduled uptime

furtographer — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:36:09 GMT

Maybe Tribe could tell us when it will be up for limited times. We could either all sign-in at say... 8-10 PM on Thursdays, or maybe alot the bandwidth by first name: A-H will sign-in from 9 AM - 12 and J-P could sign-in from 12-4... that sort of thing

080814 dream journal

furtographer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:26:29 GMT

10:00 AM dream: mysterious, symbolic, ultra poignant Part I: CULTURAL MUSIC SESSION - Eastern-European/Mediteranian people, sometimes with epicanthic eyes. - Draped clothing on the waist and around the head - Musical instruments; flutes, stringed instruments like lutes, voice - The food was hand-dipping dishes, like pita and hummus - This culture had a period where women were not allowed to perform, so the female musicians wore fake grey beards--the kind that wrap over the ears with wire I said aloud that this reminded me of a Monty Python joke, and people politely smiled. They were being hosted by a friend of mine. I was wearing in the dream what I wore in my sleep; t-shirt and underwear, plus the draped they were wearing. The fabric was mostly white with a colored woven border, like Indian dhoti. There was something conservative about the gathering. It was tea time; from 3 until 6 PM. I knew there were things I shouldn't talk about in front of these people. It was very cultural; there were children and adults. Yet people were apparently dressed casually, like what you would wear around the house. The clothing was cool and covered very little of the torso, though the head was covered by the same drape which went around the waist. The knees were visible. I don't remember any music. They players were primed, but the music hadn't started yet. Part II: BIRD OF PREY, EXTERIOR, PALO ALTO I was waiting outside on a park bench in a wide sidewalk setting. There were planters cut out of the pavement. Young trees on stakes. Jasmine ground cover. I arrived there via transition from the previous setting, which I can't remember. I don't remember how, but among the pigeons, there arose a bird which perched on my outstretch two fingers. I easily accepted it as a tame pigeon for a while, but I soon realized that this was a bird of prey. It had a hooked beak, and forward-facing large eyes. He made excellent eye contact with me. He related very well. I made sure he was OK with perching there. I started to wave my arm up and down to let him feel the gravity. I spun around slowly. The strange part was that people don't perch hawks on their fingers. The talons dig in. I know they have to wear gauntlets. The bird's coat was near white with black specks. But the head area was also patterned with a gradient patches of lemon-yellow or light green. I must find this hawk or falcon. Possibly an owl or vulture, but probably a hawk. My search: google: Inquisitor: search: "yellow hawk" Yields: - http://www.yellowhawkcellar.com/ a winery in Walla Walla - http://www.yellowhawk.org/ a tribal health center in Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pendleton Oregon. The third headline on the page (and the first link) is "Extreme Heat Information". Hmm, that might be useful coming up. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/faq.asp Ah!! Here we go: http://symbolic-meanings.com/2007/12/08/symbolic-meaning-of-the-hawk/#comments

1998 Was the End of the World

furtographer — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:55:00 GMT

[reposted from 2004-June-5th] I'm brushing my teeth and looking in the mirror. I'm looking at someone whom I met at the Rainbow Gathering and fell in love with. Not my present self, but a Faerie I saw at the festival–I've spent all this time emulating his adornment. The Rainbow Gathering was in 1998. That was… …six years ago. My aesthetic is frozen in time. My answer to all things fashion is fixated on 1998. I have found no more recent reference for pertinent visual designs. Hippy fashion, urban fashion, piercing and tats, graphic design, web site layouts, India-mania – I always rely on things that date back to that period. Right now, in my head, Madonna is singing Drowned World from the special edition copy of Ray of Light with the pearl-o-graphic cover that matches the underside of an iMac mouse. She sings Substitute for Love to remind me of the underwater-like sensations I felt on my first trip to Black Rock City. I remember gliding through the valley of Pyramid Lake in the moonlight with Craig & Wendy in the borrowed SUV, seeing the desert as an ocean with its life underground. The title track on Ray of Light reveals the lyric, "and I feel, like I just got home, and I feel", while the video for Frozen introduces us to a shape-shifter in pseudo-Indian costume on a dry lake bed. I really experienced a harmonic convergence with Madonna's album. That was in 1998. "This is my religion." Is "Ray of Light" intended to be a homonym for "Rave Lite?" Is this what it's like to get old and set in one's ways. "Oh Randal, you're wearing long hair with Lenny Kravitz chops and you've pierced your ears with a large gauge. That so 90's." I've resurrected my hemp-and-ball-chain necklaces from the depths of my jewelry drawer. I'm delighted with the case design of my new 1999 clamshell iBook. I've been re-living what I missed in the last years by buying used Macs.

Last Picked: another flashback

furtographer — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:32:07 GMT

Along with my reigning title of Best Artist in the School, I carried the complimentary title of Always Last Picked in sports. Not always last, but the last boy--and sometimes even placed in line after the Jehovah Witness girl with glasses. And this goes all the way back to Kindergarten when I first got the reputation of being "uncoordinated" because I couldn't skip. Imagine being called 'gay' because you couldn't skip. Sure I played on the pull-up bars with the girls and learned cherry drops and all that, but the standing around and hitting things involved in sports was always beyond me. Let's start with Baseball. It's 4th Grade and since I'm about 40 now, the year was like 1977. I know this is baseball because there's a bat and a small projectile they call a 'soft' ball which is actually a leather-covered sphere of oak that could totally brain you if it hit your face. OK, I'm guessing here. I've never actually held one of those things for more than 5 seconds, and only as a study for a pencil drawing in art class. But it's a lot harder than a kickball, which I hate getting hit with in dodgeball because I'm likely to hit my head against the big wooden wall behind me. I have no idea what this game is about or why they keep referring to it as exercise. For some enthusiastic few at the core of the game, there's some running and catching things for about 10 seconds, and that's only every five minutes. This is the school board's idea of forcing physical activity upon students while ingeniously disguising it as something 'fun', but I know I get more of both while playing a retarded Sleestak and dodging invisible exploding crystals at recess. But it's not recess. We've left a productive day in the classroom to come out and waste a sunny day standing around on a lawn. How much time is that? I have no idea because it goes so slowly while talking to the girl next to me behind the backstop. Meanwhile, boys claw the chain-link fence and shout things. I'd really rather not get so close to that fence because it has a tendency to unexpectedly pulsate at your face when the ball hits it. Sometimes, the last-girl-picked and I can get away with sitting in this long line and hiding below the wooden part of the backstop. But if this session goes long enough before switching sides, I risk having to hold the bat at the plate. And once again I'll be instructed that if I don't switch hands, I'll break my wrists when I swing. And then they say "choke-up on the bat". And although my stomach is queazy, I can't imagine vomiting on a piece of school equipment. Eventually, the pitcher gets the idea to throw the ball right at the bat, so that it bounces off and onto the ground in front of me. This results in an "RBI" or a "sacrifice" or a "Walk". I can't remember, but the butch guys all thank and encourage me for some reason when this happens. Let me make this perfectly clear: By high school, I had still never learned this important game. Because I have a Nerdy dad, and my brothers are much older, I've somehow slipped through the cracks and never got the basic information on how this is played, or why. At this point I'm guessing that it's something that only real boys just know inherently, like pissing in front of other guys. And all the girls who know sports must have brothers their own age. My brother had to explain to my mom the importance of knowing sports for boys. He told her, "Not knowing sports is like being 15 and not yet pubesced." My mom said "Oh my god, I had no idea it was that important." But by then it was too late and there was nothing to do about it. It's like sending an 11th-grader to remedial reading class; recognizing the problem might do more damage through stigmatization. It's easier to keep it on the down-low. But it's not like I had any inclination to learn either. From where I was standing in left field--kept at least 10 feet from the girl with glasses so we couldn't talk--It just didn't look like fun. All I could read from the boys who were into it was a frustrated aggression. We didn't even have fun outfits: none of the kinky padding in the crotch or the calf socks that make your legs all knobby. This was Star Wars era in Orange County and most of the boys and girls are wearing some kind of western plaid shirt or funny-car T-shirt with bell-bottom corduroy. There was always one guy who wore that helmet which resembles the collector's edition item that Slurpies come in, except without the Anaheim Stadium logo on it. But somehow the ball got hit straight up into the air over left field to be lost in the glare of the sun. And right about now I'm wishing I had one of those leather oven mitts to shield my head as I run from the ball so someone else can get it. This episode ruined a completely valid session of daydreaming about Sleestak. And it's been replaced with another opportunity for ostracization. I want to go home and do something important, like make shadow boxes of geishas among cherry blossoms.

Still on the housing search 750

furtographer — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:38:12 GMT

OK guys, help me out here: I really need to find housing through my friend-base. When I represent myself online to strangers, I end up looking like I'm too snooty or homeless or a Scientologist or some kind of weirdo. My profile makes it really easy to weed me out of the 300 responses to CraigsList. It's much better if I get recommended by humans as an introduction. Militantly anti-nicotine, max $750, Mission/Castro, maybe Emeryville. Some place I can get clients to come over easily. Did you know the new cool thing is to say "No Burning Man types"? I'm going to be unapologetic. I like to walk to the bathroom naked in the morning. I hate it when dishes sit in the sink overnight. http://shamanrandal.com/housing.html

seeking a room in Mission or Castro - 700

furtographer — Fri, 16 May 2008 22:50:48 GMT

[listing function fails, so I'm trying my blog function] I'm a freelance photographer and web technician with interests in costume culture and healthy cooking. I'm looking for a place that's safe and comfortable with good people so that I can do my projects and live my life without undue drama. My shyness can be mistaken for aloofness. So it takes some time to get to know me. Things people like about me - good natured / ethical - creative / artistic - good taste - clean - honest - responsible, yet fun - naturally sober [not recovering] - I can patiently teach anybody anything Things people like about living with me - housebroken - nice food / generous chef - no pounding music - curfew at 10 respected - interesting projects - small footprint / neat in common areas - no addictions Controversy - work at home - cook at home - live at home - might have sex at home - costumes and projects Things I want in a house - functional utilities - DSL - grounded outlets - working doorknobs and all that - normal sleeping possible - space for more than a laptop and a hamper - no addicts, paranoids, violence - conversational, but no social commitments - real people http://people.tribe.net/furtographer http://furtographer.com/ http://shamanrandal.com/ --randal 415-335-3293

freedom safe

furtographer — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:53:20 GMT

Freedom is actually a safe thing for people naturally endowed with ethics. "Would you rather eat your vegetables or stab your mother?" For an ethical person, this is an easy question. The bible codes were written with the mind of a criminal. For the morally bankrupt, it's necessary to set guidelines about how you treat other people on this planet. Unfortunately, this minority is very vocal and visible because these people are always attracted to positions of power and have no qualms about stepping on others to get there.

The Story of Stuff

furtographer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:03:18 GMT

A great little film to remind us of what's happening every time we eat ice cream or buy new shoes or turn on the TV. http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html Don't feel guilty, just do something about it.

Lack of AOL users at BMan--Yippy!

furtographer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:56:05 GMT

According to the bad reviews of this article, we won't be seeing a large onslaught of AOL users at Burning Man. Who will pop the first champagne cork on that one? Can we have a bad rapport with MySpace [the Wall-Mart of the web] as well? http://search.cityguide.aol.com/sanfrancisco/entertainment/burning-man/e-1965975 "A lot of these adults refuse to grow up and face life. They do need to grow up. " Is there something immature about having a vacation once a year? I think what he's really saying is that we should put some clothes on and read the bible. [my photo of Helvetica Bold from 2000, recycled by AOL into a newer CityGuide article without permission]

Life's Little Ironies

furtographer — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:16:02 GMT

I feel the most like "one of the guys" when I'm dressing them in drag. Like a barber shop, we talk about "guy stuff" as I apply cocksucker red lipstick and tease up their wigs.

Best Vietnamese Lunch

furtographer — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:38:08 GMT

Everyone talks about the greasy Vietnamese place on 6th & Mission in the middle of Cracktown. But I just had the best lunch on Polk St at Pho Viet near California St. Really great Vegetarian fried rolls on vermicelli (Bun Cha Gio Chay). They make their own pickled carrots and use generous garlic and grilled onions. You could say I was just hungry, but actually I was cheating by eating a second lunch right after salmon and tempura across the street. Even after just eating, I finished the whole plate and Thai iced tea (vietnamese make it stronger--they like caffein) I'm getting some moments of bliss here and there lately. I can simply breathe and feel a bit of ecstasy in my throat. I can hear music again. It was seeming like there just isn't enough time to get everything done, but now I see that it's a gift to be occupied and always have something fun to do.

wdydwyd

furtographer — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:38:26 GMT

"Why do you do what you do?" I was interviewed at Burning Man for this worldwide inspirational project. See my results featured THIS WEEK ONLY. http://www.wdydwyd.com/ . Leave comments if you want.

to lighten up

furtographer — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:38:47 GMT

Perfection is just a serving suggestion - yoga - exercise - diet - rest - work - art - fidelity Perfection is just a guideline.

Retro-Castro

furtographer — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:32:35 GMT

I'm excited about the movie filming. Our little town of SF has been struck by the Hollywood bug. Select addresses on Castro Street have been sent back in time to 1974. The Muni entrance has been boarded up. It didn't exist. The historical rail cars didn't come until 1982. http://milkmarch.com/

I was sick and now I'm broke. I'm better now, but still broke.

furtographer — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 05:28:43 GMT

I was living with daily fevers and completely out of work for 2 months. I lost 30 lbs. Check out my fundraiser to save my ass. http://shamanrandal.com/telethon.html If I recover enough munny, I can drive down to see Mom for XMas dinner (as promised). If you have any credit left after all the Holiday shopping, please consider helping out. The website should explain EVERYTHING.

Now it can be told

furtographer — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 00:57:56 GMT

It was already an icon in your little 70's mind. Now we have the icon which inspired the icon.

friday begins retreat

furtographer — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:24:59 GMT

Starting right now, I'll be screening my entire environment for toxicity, negativity, hassles, and just overworking. I had a serious health alert, and I've answered the call. Please think if it as trips to Harbin. Think of it as reduced work week. Think of it as constant conscious nutrition. I'll be consulting every kind of expert from hot-rocks therapy to real M.D's (but nice ones). I'll be reducing my internet time, so call me in real-time for a warm voice. Very few plans will be made in the future. My day-to-day health will dictate each move. No parties. Breathe. Photography for art's sake. And when I'm feeling strong and confident again, I'll unleash my new true self on the world. And there will be tilted heads and blinking... and finally applause.

Randal Scissorhands, Episode One

furtographer — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:33:45 GMT

Episode: One Topic: Ethics, innocence, sensitivity, polyanna Pooh Icon: Piglet This is an amalgam of true events. it won't hold up in court, but it should give you an impression of my history. Circa fifth grade, sound of industry all around the classroom while the teacher writes on the board. Suddenly, spitballs shower from the ceiling. Randal Scissorhands dives under the desk. Teacher demands "Why are you out of your seat Mr. Scissorhands?" Randal ejaculates, "Can't you see the spitballs!?" The class erupts into sit-com laughter as each one understands that the teacher took that as a confession: that I single-handedly produced the arsenal of wet paper assault. Caught off-guard by this heartless conspiracy, Randal spends the afternoon in the principal's office, in a crying anxiety attack, unable to speak, and unable to contradict the teachers testimony of what happened. Randal Scissorhands was reprimanded for being attacked. People will sing the innocence of children, but they crush it unawares.

Black people come to the door selling ugly candy.

furtographer — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 01:35:31 GMT

Who unloads this crap on them? Package design from the 70's is going to help keep kids off the street.

Hauntee Party Planner

furtographer — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 05:14:47 GMT

Know anybloody who's having a house-sized Hallowe'en party this year? Having trouble scaring-up all the ideas? I'm available as a Party Consultant for any last-minute entrees in the collective SF celebration. http://shamanrandal.com/index-party.html

The Endless Inter-web

furtographer — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 06:26:06 GMT

Taxes due. Rent not paid. Not enough jobs. It's in times like these that we turn to our friend the Interweb. It's a never-ending source of valuable information to study. Topics like: How many of our culinary plants are related to the original wild cabbage? I need a picture of Leota Toombs, the face in the crystal ball at Disneyland. What year was Bewitched filmed in Salem Mass, and is there a picture of the Samantha statue on Google Earth? Did you know that the Ghost Host character of the Haunted Mansion is also referred to as Master Gracey? This is all very important information to discover while tax deadline is Monday.

Mercury Retrograde is coming Thursday Oct 11th

furtographer — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 23:25:03 GMT

Seems like we just got over it and it's here again. Sneaking up on us every time. Mercury goes into retrograde motion on Thursday Oct 11th at 900PM Pacific. It keeps going backwards until Nov 1st. This is a bad time to start new projects. Projects begun during Mercury Retrograde tend to be riddled with false starts and little details that need to be cleaned-up for a long time after. However, going 'back to old plans' seems to fit. In fact you will find old stuff coming back on you, whether it's a project you shelved last Mercury Retrograde, or an amalgam filling come loose. Furthermore, electricity and transportation are influenced [negatively]. Cars, computers, communication; all haywire. Do your backups now! Don't hit the road without that spare tire. Have patience will all kinds of communications, from email to DMV papers. People just won't get it the first time. Schmassels are common. Take a breath and budget your tasks so you don't waist time on road-blocks.

May I share this special moment with you?

furtographer — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:54:45 GMT

I just love when people speaking on behalf of Christianity have ironic names. https://store.novalis.ca/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=670 This reminds me of the time the Sisters' Bingo got kicked out of Most Holy Redemer Church while is was under the care of "Rev. Harry G. Schlitt". And looking for the link now, I find a wonderful spread of photos from several years of Folsom St Fair... HOSTED ON A CATHOLIC NEWS SITE. http://www.catholic.org/adv/catholicleague/folsom1.php "methinks the lady doth protest too much" Need to see hot kink action, you need only go as far as your Catholic Leage pages and find the Miller sponsorship boycott. Yes, all good Catholics are demanded to boycott Miller, not because they shouldn't be drinking alcohol, but because they support HOMOSEXUALS.

Lights Out SF -- Oct 20

furtographer — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:06:44 GMT

http://www.lightsoutsf.org/ Both bridges will go dark in order to participate. And you people are requested to turn off all but one essential light in your house at that time. It's kind of an energy conciousness day. But the one misleading part is how the website is decorated with a canopy of stars over SF. Oooo Pretty!! But picture it: most of the apartment lights that shine out your window and face other buildings will be off. The cable lights on the bridges will be off (except for aircraft flashers). Some lights in office buildings will be cut. But the street lamps that sometimes shine up into the fog and clouds, and the streetlamps that aim down onto the street and bounce up into the sky will be on. The sky will still be orange as long as the street lamps are on. And the street lamps are not yet a part of this exercise. And theres no participation from Oakland or the Peninsula. Play along, but don't expect to see stars unless you fall off your ladder changing CF bulbs.