Things that Fascinate Me (at least for today)

So, I am typing this blog post via my Blackberry and uploading it via email while sitting on the 33 heading home from a training the YW:C did in collaboration with the Richmond District After School Collaborative and Richmond Village Beacon Center, and pontificating on the things that fascinate me (at least for today).

Here they are in no particular order:

* This technology is crazy. I remember, not so long ago (read about 3 to 4 years), I was contemplating getting a cell phone. I didn't want one because I had no desire to be reached at all times. Now, I have a Blackberry, and I would most likely only ever buy a smartphone.
Why? Because I like being connected. I don't have any sense of obligation to my phone (at least not any more), and I view it as a tool I can, do, and don't have to use. It has really made something simpler in my life. I don't need my computer or a scheduled time to respond to emails, inquiries, or event invitations.

Instead, I can take response at my own leisure. This is amazing, liberating, and confounding. How did we end up in this space and time? (More of a rhetorical question than anything else.) And now that we are here what is next? How do we synthesize all of the information that is now available to us?
I believe the next great breakthrough will come from merging reality and online life in an effort to distribute resources. My worry/concern is that as this develops it happens in a way that monetizes these exchanges in a manner that supports disparity because as we become more connected the ones with the most connections have the biggest influence in distribution. And the more connected grow more connected exponentially. How do we ensure that this doesn't lead to more power and control being in the hands of less and less people?

Additionally, as we become more and more connected the distance of time distorts and quickens. What once took weeks now takes seconds. This quickening pace also grows exponentially. And with that growth comes an expectation that others conform or be swallowed by it. How do we intentionally slow its pace in an effort to create a counterculture balance to mainstream speed? (I am reading In Praise of Slowness right now, and it is hitting me pretty hard. I am trying to slow my pace. And that is not easy to do with my ADHD.)

* Another pontification. On the bus ride over to Presidio Middle School (where we had our training today), I saw a woman who I had 'tattled' on at my local cafe. It was an awkward moment.
Now let me give you a little background to the story. A couple of months ago, I was working at the coffee shop in my neighborhood. I frequent the place and all of the staff know me. I like the place and have a lot of respect for the owner and his staff. They are warm and welcoming. When I've been short on cash they still give me my coffee, no questions asked.

Well, one morning I was sitting at a table near the windows lost in my work. Outside, there was a woman in her 40s and her friend enjoying their coffee and having an animated conversation. Then, she pulled out a big permanent black marker. I was hoping what I thought would come next wouldn't come next, but it did: she started tagging the outside of the cafe. And as she was tagging she looked up at me and smiled.

I got up, walked to the counter, and 'tattled' on her. The guy behind the counter was mortified because she was a friend of his. He went outside with a bottle of cleaner and asked her to clean it up. He went back inside, and she flipped me the bird, lipped 'fuck you' and left having not even sprayed any of the cleaner on her wonderful alien-shaped tag.

The barista started up a conversation with me and told me how she was an artist and muralist that helped run youth programming for a local arts organization. What? I could barely contain myself. So not only was she tagging, she worked with youth in an arts organization. I wondered what kind of a role model she could be.

Seeing her on the bus today made me ask the question 'what kind of a role model am I?' I am not really sure. I hope I am a good one, but I know I have my shortcomings. I know that my ego and pride can sometimes best me, and that I can come across as arrogant and a know-it-all (shocking I know). I wonder what other actions I have taken that might be similarly viewed as I viewed her tagging.

Is tagging acceptable? I know I've seen lots of it on the bus and not intervened. Did I intervene in this situation because of a sense of connection the the cafe and its staff? And if so, why don't I have that same connection to the transportation I take daily? In fact, I am on MUNI or BART more than I am in cafes. Why haven't I 'tattled' on that? What stops me?

I don't have the answers to these questions (at least not yet). But they need to be posited if only to better understand myself and how I move in this world. As I have learned from Shinnyo-en Foundation (thanks Liane) everything is connected and our ripples can become waves. What waves have I made by simple action and/or inaction?

One thing I know, I am eternally connected to this artist. And when I see her on MUNI or in the community there will always be awkwardness.

* Last, a totally random thought and connection - Obamawear. While waiting for the 38 at Fillmore and Geary, a woman was also waiting wearing a black synthetic jacket with 'Obama 08' embroidered in hot pink on it. I am amazed at how much entrepreneurship has sprung up simply because of his campaign.

Here was something that was definitely not 'campaign approved'. But it still got out his message. What does this mean for the future of campaigns? What does this mean about letting go of preconceived notions of message and copyright? What does this mean for how we as queers come together as a community, let go of past beefs, and find a commonality of message in an effort to move our social justice agenda forward (it definitely is about more than just marriage) through marketing materials?

These are just a few of the things that fascinate me. At least for today.

An Open Letter to Michael Lane

I am at the Des Moines Art Festival helping my best friend Michael with the Interactive Art Station. They have two projects: a "cray-pa-your-own square" of a mural of the city's skyline and a "create your own" skyline silhouette. The Festival is just kicking off today after many months of planning and hard work.

I am honored I get to see my friend at work. You can tell a lot about a person when you sit back and watch. Michael is one of those rare kinds that knows how to achieve a vision, something that lives outside of himself. He has that unique skill set of seeing the whole and the component parts. It is this skill I most admire and respect.

I'm not sure if he knows exactly how much I have learned from him over the years. He has seen me through a lot in the 12 plus years of friendship. He has showed me that hard work pays off, politics are inevitable, and compassion is sometimes wanting to tell someone to fuck off but instead saying "thank you".

What I am observing today reinforces all of this. Michael is nothing if not neurotic. He cares, like me, what people think of him. He obsesses, like me, about the impact of even the tiniest of actions. Earlier today he worried that the direction of the tables (should they run north to south or east to west) might not be the direction his colleague wants them to run. Some may view this as petty or ridiculous even. I completely understand him. I understand that something as simple as the direction of a table has significance. It creates mood, traffic flow, and can either support or hinder an activity. I understand that this decision not only impacts the participants, but the simple decision can impact the relationship between colleagues. It can make or break a friendship. And I appreciate deeply the fact that Michael understands this too.

Before the Festival started, we took a stroll through Des Moines. He showed me the Sol LeWitt paintings he helped paint. He showed the the Tara Donovan instillation he helped construct. He talked lovingly about one particular section of Tara's plastic cup rolling landscape he was responsible for and as such he fussed and fussed to make it perfect. He showed me parts of his life and how it has and continues to intersect the live of others, especially artists. And I am reminded of his humility, leadership, and grace.

Michael has an intrinsic sense of community and connectedness and is rooted in knowing how and when to step up and step back. He makes no claims that the art of Sol LeWitt or Tara Donovan or the mural being created are his. And yet he is a crucial factor in their existence. He picked up the brush and actually painted the Sol LeWitt. He placed the plastic cups one-by-one on the floor to create Tara's landscape. He helped create the system that empowers the community to "paint" a square of the mural. If he had not picked up that brush, placed that cup, or systemetized the mural, they certainly would still have been done. But he did do it. He contributed to their creation and in doing so he left his mark.

Now what matters is the narrative he tells about his involvement. His narrative rarely continues an "I". He understands and has internalized the true nature of community: we.

I am sitting here on the sidelines just watching and transcribing what I see. I hope I have an ounce of his humilty. I hope others learn from his presence. I know that if we all practiced a little less "I" and a little more "we" we would transform this world.

Thanks Michael for this important lesson.