LATE-NIGHT POOL

Thursday, August 31, 2000

01:10 Teaching in Arnhem
Today (Wednesday) was the introduction day at the Arnhem academy. For that reson I was introduced to the students and to the facilities. Exciting.
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Wednesday, August 30, 2000

03:18

Let's break stuff
People full of energy all around: short dinner break with Nirit Peled, 'the one-man-mafia' woman, very busy trying to merge hip-hop with corporate culture. Back to the studio and working with the TV on I came across Robbie Williams' video where he strips down to his muscles and ligaments (and then to the bones). Also playing: Limp Biskit's 'Break stuff'.
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00:29 Things to translate (III)
Travel companion Paul, who I met last month in Greece, came to spend the weekend in Amsterdam. There was a lot of talking and a lot of eating - and thanks to the different accents a lot of totally unintelligible sentences.

Pardon?

Paul also got to meet Richard and talk about computers and siamese twins. Briefly. We have now each returned to our routines, in three different cities. It's a lonely planet after all.
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Thursday, August 24, 2000

09:49 Things to translate (II)
From a friend who just finished a huge job - correcting the translation of a text about the history of calvinism:

...if a dutchman ever asks you to
correct a thesis on calvinism for him
first say no twenty times very loudly
and then kill him just in case
he asks you again in a moment of weakness.

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Wednesday, August 23, 2000

20:48 Things to translate (I)

Translating old unfulfilled dreams into real possibilities (thanks to the real-life search engine):

Hoi Rogerio,

Degene met wie ik gesproken heb is fysiotherapeute en raadt je aan eerst een sportmassageopleiding of -cursus te volgen. Daar krijg je les in alle technieken die resultaat hebben en tevens krijg je daar les in theorie. Na de opleiding sportmassage is het interessant om in de oosterse hoek cursussen te volgen. Deze combinatie komt niet zo vaak voor, maar geeft je zowel een goede basis als een meer brede kijk op massage.

Bel voor opleidingen, cursussen en advies naar landelijk Genootschap Fysiotherapie in Amersfoort 033 4672900

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Tuesday, August 22, 2000

11:59 Lively week, last week

1
During daytime I dived with Oskar into the production of road movies for the Amsterdamse Kunstprijzen.

What else?

2
What if someone who used to be your neighbour some 15 years ago (on another planet) would show up to visit you (right here, right now)? And what if he had an amazing memory and could tell you in detail stories and things that you probably would never be able to recall again?

Last week Euclydes da Cunha came to Amsterdam and brought with him big chunks of my daily life of the mid-eighties. Amazing. He used to live upstairs from my apartment at the time when I just moved from my parents home and was finishing art school. He remembers everything from those days. (Euclydes da Cunha is also the name of a classic Brazilian poet)

3
Fred Inklaar has moved in: he's our new colleague at the Oude Braak. A lot of changes and improvements on their way, including a new name and website for the studio (to be announced soon). For now the place is a little quieter than usual: Fred's recharging with his family somewhere in France, and Gabrielle is still in Berlin, day after day filling up her container project. In the meantime the very funny Eva Knutz passes by once in a while to check her e-mail and keep me excellent company.

4
Very nice meeting with Teike Asselbergs (a.k.a. real-life search engine). She spoiled me with presents: an amazing late-70's book on Spas and Hot Tubs and several swimming-related images. Conversation went from image-only blogs to the need for massage to dreams (and the lack thereof) to couples to travelling in the US to the cartoons of Lewis Trontheim to real-life versus media to Islamic patterns.

5
Late-lasagna-and-video session at the studio with Sebastian. Menu: The Ice Storm (always delicious) and U-Turn (baaaaah). Surprise, surprise: the calvinistic chairs can become lush roman divans and offer great video-watching conditions. You just have to play around with them a bit.

6
Late-night and very very mellow: Napster listening session at home somewhere during the weekend. Who says controversial software can't be romantic?
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Saturday, August 12, 2000

21:21 Dreamy
Relaxed, groggy afternoon nap. Richard woke up asking me what karopi was.
"Why?"
"Because I woke up with this word in my head, Karopi, k-a-r-o-p-i "
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Wednesday, August 09, 2000

01:27 L.A.V.
It seems that ife after vacations is finally kicking in. Four days of inertia have come and gone and yesterday I finally got everything moving again.

Rebooted
All old files/projects backed up, hard disk wiped clean and a new (old) system installed. All running nice and smooth again - and in spite of that I am not posting from the studio or from home, but from easyEverything (where I am with Gabrielle) after watching a pretty bad movie.

Next to rebooting the computer I have also rebooted my desk and a bit of the surroundings, since Joost has moved out of the studio and the resulting layout was kind of awkward. Gabrielle bought a set of rather calvinistic chairs (how odd :-) to at least temporarily replace the two couches that belonged to him (Joost).

We like the chairs. The chairs will stay.

Resumed
-My video assignment for the Amsterdamse Kunstprijzen ceremony, with Oskar as the all-knowing advisor and co-performer. (one month to deadline!).
-Designing the new graphic identities for Viewpoint Productions (with Gabrielle) and for Black Eye interactive (alone).
-Working on the new studio concept with Gabrielle and Fred (clouds, bivouacs, neigbourhood history and imaginary architecture being part of discussion)

And more!
I got the long awaited 717-piece Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System. Exploration starts tomorrow.

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Sunday, August 06, 2000

05:48 How bad can you miss people that are far far away? (a middle-of-the-night-copy+paste-drama)

Operator
Good Evening, this is the intergalactic operator, can I help You ?

Mrs Johnson
Yes, I'm trying to reach Flight Commander P. R. Johnson on Mars, Flight 2-4-7

Operator
There well, hold on please --- You're through

Mrs Johnson
Thank You, Operator

Hi, Darling, how You're doing ?
Hey, Baby, were You sleeping ?
Oh I'm sorry, but I've been really missing You
Hi, Darling, how's the weather ?
Say, Baby, is that cold better now ?
Oh I'm sorry, is there someone there with You ?

Oh since You went away there's nothing going right
I just can't sleep alone at night
I'm not ashamed to say I badly need a friend or it's the end

Now when I look at the Clouds Across the Moon
Here in the night and just hope and pray that soon
- O Baby - You hurry home to me

Hi, Darling, the kids say they love You
Hey, Baby, is everything fine with You ?
Please forgive me but I'm trying not to cry
Oh, I've had a million different offers on the phone
But I just stay right here at home
I don't think that I can take it anymore
This crazy war !

Now when I look at the Clouds Across the Moon
Here in the night and just hope and pray that soon
- O Darling - You hurry home to me

Operator
I'm sorry to interrupt Your conversation,
sbut we're experiencing violent storm conditions in the Asteroid belt at this time,
we may lose this valuable deep space communication link,
please be as brief as possible, thank You

Mrs Johnson
Oh since You went away there's nothing going right
I just can't sleep alone at night
I'm not ashamed to say I badly need a friend or it's, it's ...
Hello, Hello, Operator ? --- Yes, You seem to have lost the connection, could You try again please ?

Operator
I'm sorry but I'm afraid we have lost contact to Mars 2-4-7 at this time

Mrs Johnson
OK, well thank You very much - I'll try again next year.
Now when I look at the Clouds Across the Moon
Here in the night and just hope and pray that soon
- O Baby - You hurry home to me

Operator
This is the intergalactic operator

Mrs Johnson
Now when I look at the Clouds Across the Moon
Here in the night and just hope and pray that soon
- O Darling - You hurry home to me

The deliciously cheesy lyrics of Rah Band's 'Clouds Across the Moon', one of my favourites from the eighties (spooky as it may sound)

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Saturday, August 05, 2000

15:36 Ready!
It's gay pride weekend in Amsterdam. This year it caught me in a very good moment: I do feel proud and relating better than ever to the gay community.

There's always the cliché issue - that the pride parades reduce gay people to semi-naked, shaved muscle boys, drag queens or leathermen (and even less options for the lesbians, I'm afraid). Well, I came to think that these and several other clichés are not there for nothing: next to being funny (once you get over being scared) I don't see how could anyone (I) find their (my) way around without them as a reference. They are the landmarks in the complicated territory of gay identity. Sooner or later you find yourself more or less related to each of them and that helps you to see where you are and what you stand for - whether you're gay or not. And things evolve and mutate thanks to those who fight and discuss these clichés.

It's a big deal: the cover of LOVE FOR SALE

As things go, a few hours ago I was browsing records at Boudisque, the shop around the corner from the studio, when I came across the excellent record 'LOVE FOR SALE - taking stock in our pride', by Terre Thaemlitz, featuring on track #1 the commecial side of the San Francisco Pride (you can hear a MP3 bit of it here).

some of the Popstarz flyers

Another (successful) effort to go beyond all clichés is the London club night Popstarz (once mentioned by the TimeOut magazine as a 'anti-gay gay club'). I was there in 1998 and it fulfilled every bit the promise of a club for people who don't relate to the regular gay club crowd. I wonder if they are still managing to keep up the spirit .
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Thursday, August 03, 2000

20:49 Terug
I am back to Amsterdam.
The conclusion of this period is: life is way better than media.

Outside my window: beautiful sunset. Aha!
(Has it always been there?)

thank you
I have mentioned being thankful twice on recent posts. It is remarkable how rarely this feeling comes up in its full meaning, and even more remarkable how hard it can be to make it public.
Why do you think that is?
a. it's a matter of pride.
b. it's a matter of selfishness or self-pity.
c. there's nothing to be thankful for.
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