heathervescent

Photos from the Rubix Cube US Champs

I finally got around to uploading some pictures from the Rubix Cube Championships held at CalTech on July 10th. Check them out.

chill out

I love the cat on the bike. It's kind of repetitive but interesting. The link. The cat needs a helmet though.

going crazy with Yahoo! Avatars

I finally upgraded my Yahoo! messenger and am completely blown away by the avatar features. Yet again, Yahoo come up with the cool shit. I suppose I should install the new AIM Client too... just to do the checking out. I'm really interested to watch what kind of relationship Yahoo and AOL end up having... and what happens with the G wild card out there.

cool blog alert

I stumbled across this interesting blog. Erik Benson. He's traveling through some cool places in Europe....

blogging craziness

This is really crazy, but crazy cool. It's blog trading. Like stock trading, but with blogs and I guess eyeballs and popularity. Sheck it out mang. BlogShares - Fantasy Blog Shares Market.

conversations with the road

Highway 5 and I have had an intimate tumultuous relationship this month. I spent another 5 hours on her paved slick surface yesterday attempting to beat the heat as I drove south. She's been showing me her pleasures and delights. A field full of datura plants, their white trumpets singing in the late morning sun. The snob and I tease the big rigs with her top down, my blonde hair blowing in the light. They blow their horns and spill bits of their loads of tomatoes, onions, garlic or carrots. I see their spilled load at the side of the road and think of stone soup. I could stop and make road soup. I see the bloody death of smashed tomatoes by the side of the road. The orange horns of hundreds of carrots sticking up from the top of the truck. I stop at my favorite places: Mike's Roadhouse Cafe, the Beacon Station, Willow Ranch. I know where the rolling hills turn to the San Gabriel's (it's by Gorman). I feel the change - in smell and by feeling as I leave the bay area, drive down the San Joaquin Valley and then cross the hills again. I love the dry golden hills. The grape fields with oil wells. The sparkling blue water of the aqueduct.

I think about what we as humans are doing to this planet. I've been an environmentalist all my life. But how the hell can I as a puny human know how the earth wants to evolve? Maybe we humans are here to do exactly what we are doing? And a kick back to "the good old days" is like absorbing your little toe - or stopping the development of your ability to perceive with your eyes or fingers. How can we know how the earth even sees it's self? Can an ant have any concept of how I see it? Or can I have any concept of how an ant sees it's self - or can I have a concept of how YOU see yourself?

The road and I have these conversations. She tells me stories. I ask questions. I watch the scenery and drive too fast and listen to music too loud. It echoes back to some words I wrote in my past: "tires kissing several highways." The connection I have with the road is an intimate connection. I feel it in the rubber of my exoskeleton. I experience it in the wind. I feel a certain connection, freedom and delight in the drive. Because after all, the journey is the destination and as sure as time keeps passing, we will all reach our destination eventually.

more coolness

Did I mention that last week I judged the US Rubix Cube Champions? It was really cool. I'll post more on the 12 hour experience at CalTech with photos in a bit. New world records for solving the cube one-handed and 4x4 sided were set!

Introducing Vanda Ms Schlegel

I've got an orchid named after me! Yes, it's true - this really is named after me. Vanda Ms. Schlegel. Let's hope she wins some awards next year.

found object

I woke up yesterday morning in a house I have stayed in for 20+ years. It's the only house that I have that kind of relationship with and that relationship will end on July 30.

On my backpack I found a book by Gretel Ehrlich, The Solace of Open Spaces. I picked it up and inspected it. Gretel (which is a fabulous name) is from California and went to Wyoming for a documentary and stayed. I'm excited to read about her adventures on the plains.

I am somewhat perplexed as to where this book came from. Who left it on my backpack? But that doesn't really matter. I'll eventually find out or I won't. Regardless I'll read the book.

friday morning venice

I stopped at the Venice farmer's market today. With a mere 6.50 in my pocket I bought 3 delightful grapefruits, a bunch of asparagus, a bunch of basil and a crispy white peach. It was great. But the fruits were not the highlight of my adventure. Right by the grapefruits was this diva dressed in red. She was wearing a fabulous red velvet hat with sequins and embroidery on it. She showed me her leopard skin boots that she painted brown with nail polish. Her eyes were lined in dark black and her lips matched the color she was wearing. I immediately liked her - she reminded me of my friend Maureen. Vivacious. Exciting. Living life to the gills. We started talking about the fabulous grapefruits. She told me how she likes to decorate them with sparkle dust for the eyes, liner, marabou for hair. I loved her. She was great. She then showed me this fabulous artichoke she just bought - I told her she should make it into a corsage - she loved the idea.

In the 10-15 minute conversation she told me other wonderful stories. Like the time she had a police escort as she wore mink in Venice. The time she was in Hollywood and several men knelt down and worshipped her with the last one stealing her favorite hat. (What a heartbreaking story.) About the time she was singing show tunes to the radio and some people over heard her and applauded. They told her she had talent. (She told me later she used to sing professionally.)

We talked about money and how many people are only concerned with people who have money and looking like they have money. I told her my favorite money story - of my multi-millionaire engineer friends in the Bay Area who walk around wearing Levis. That's the thing I love the most about the bay area. You never know how many millionaires are waiting behind you at the cafe.

I think Deni is some famous person. But that doesn't matter at all. She was an amazing vivacious woman. She was living. She reminded me to always do my dream - regardless of how scared I was. She said, she was a little afraid to wear the wonderful hat - that it took courage - I agree completely. Deni reminded me to have courage to be everything I want to be. And to not be afraid. Or do it despite my fear.

Speed Cubing, Aeon Flux and more

This weekend my friend and Swedish bodyguard, Lars, is coming down to compete in the US Speed Cube Championships (Speed Cube = Rubix Cube) at the California Institute of Technology. I'm going to tag along to experience the madness.

Lars once tried to teach me his specific style of solving the cube. He's invented/create his own style and you can learn it at his tutorial site. Apparently I'm going to be hanging with a celebrity. ;)

For info on the competition try this link and this link too.

Afterwards, I'm going to try to drag a tired bodyguard off to the opening of SENT - a cameraphone photograph opening with photos by Steve Diet Goedde. Years ago, when I had my Aeon Flux costume made, I was in contact with Steve about taking some photos. Our schedules never worked out to meet up, so it never happened, but I forgot until this moment that he lives in LA. It might be fun to actually get these photos done finally... although I'll have to work on my buffness a bit.

BM here I come

I just bought my Burning Man ticket. I'm a first year burner, but I don't feel like it. I've been on the fringe of BM for a long time. I was thinking BM would be fun to attend this year and then my friend, Jon, from the snowy mountain up north invited me to join his camp. It sounds totally great and I am very excited. Now I'll start collecting my camping gear, readying my toys. I think my didj is definitely coming, along with kites and costumes and other effluevescence.

offline in LA

My new place hasn't gotten it's DSL yet, so I'm an internet orphan for a while. I attempted to get on a wireless network in my neighborhood with no luck! :( I guess there isnt' another internet geek in my neighborhood. It's a bit scary to me that I'll be the wifi geek in my neighborhood, but that's ok. I can install network equipment and set up a wireless LAN and still make it to Diane's to buy a Brazilian cut bikini and make it to the beach.

Wifi network will be set up in my neighborhood early next week. I guess I'll start getting in with the wifi crowd....

favored reading

"I" die.

you. you do not exist. your ego has lied to you. it tells you that you are unique. it makes you want to control everything. it has turned you into a consumer-terrorist. your ego must die. don't hang onto it. let go of your body too. if you do not really exist. then you will never really die.

- from Adbusters July/August 2004

It's a good "reality" check, especially I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with the whole LA body/look vibe.

a perfect world has already existed

I was thinking, wouldn't it be a perfect world where the spiritually enlightened ones are in control and have the vast resources of the universe and the earth at their disposal? The moment I thought this, I also thought, yes, this has already happened and will happen again. I just happen to be living and experiencing a different regime in control this lifetime.